10 Things to Know About Metaphor: ReFantazio

MojoPlays

Watch 10 Things to Know About Metaphor: ReFantazio - MojoPlays on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00Welcome to Mojo Plays, and today we're taking a look at 10 things you need to know about

00:16the newest RPG from Atlus, Metaphor Rephantasio.

00:32Before we begin, we publish new videos all week long, so be sure to subscribe to Mojo

00:36Plays and ring the bell to be notified about our latest videos.

00:41New IP

00:54A common complaint that gets thrown around in the gaming space these days is how often

00:58we're saturated with remasters, remakes, and sequels.

01:02If you're one of those people who has been begging for something original, well, Metaphor

01:06Rephantasio might be that breath of fresh air you're looking for.

01:11This is the first new IP Atlus has developed in more than a decade, the last new IP being

01:16Sparkle Snapshots 3D for the Nintendo 3DS in December 2011.

01:21And while some aspects of Metaphor echo Atlus' work in the Persona games, the development

01:26team is bringing in some new ideas to help the game stand on its own, although we'll

01:31get to some of that in a little bit.

01:39Metaphor Rephantasio

01:54Before diving into Metaphor Rephantasio, it's important to get some idea behind the world.

01:59Whereas the Persona games take place in modern settings, Metaphor is set in the fantastical

02:04world of the United Kingdom of Eucronia.

02:08Throughout your journey, you'll come across folks of various races based on animals and

02:11mythical creatures.

02:13Your protagonist is a rare race perceived to have been corrupted by some kind of forbidden

02:17magic.

02:18You, the player, will also have a role in the story in some capacity too, though we'll

02:23let you discover that for yourself.

02:25As for your protagonist, his mission is to cure the Prince of Eucronia and assassinate

02:30a political figure bent on taking over the kingdom.

02:33Narrative Themes

02:55Hardcore Atlus fans might recognize the name Yuichiro Tanaka.

02:59Since 2000, Tanaka has served as a writer for some of Atlus' biggest games, such as

03:04Shin Megami Tensei Devil Survivor and its PSP iteration, as well as Persona 3, 4, and

03:105, as well as their expanded versions.

03:13Tanaka returns as the writer for Metaphor, and his approach to the story is somewhat

03:17different this time around.

03:19In an interview with VG247, Tanaka touched upon the feelings of anxiety, how we cope

03:25with it, and how the hyperpolitical climate of today is viewed.

03:44It's anxieties in people's minds and hearts that cause conflict.

03:47Nobody is perfect.

03:49The different ways people face anxiety are very different, right?

03:52We created different tribes with different approaches to how they deal with anxiety.

03:56He later says,

03:58When we're talking about elections, there is that aspect of something severe, of rivalry,

04:03ellipses.

04:04There's a festivity to an election, and we wanted to depict the realness of politics

04:09and how change is made.

04:11Knowing Tanaka's previous work, you can almost guarantee Metaphor is going to get

04:15really deep in the mud with its themes, especially after hearing Tanaka's thoughts.

04:29Relationships.

04:41As expected from an Atlus RPG, Metaphor will feature some form of relationship building

04:46with the many characters your protagonist will meet.

04:48However, Atlus' approach to this aspect is going to be different than what you may

04:52be used to in Persona.

04:54Romance is not going to be an option in Metaphor, and director Katsura Hashino has an explanation

04:59for this.

05:00In June 2024, Hashino spoke with GamesRadarPlus about it and said,

05:05We know people really like this system and it's really popular, but for this game specifically,

05:10it's not about teenagers.

05:12It's about a person trying to become the ruler of the land.

05:15They are more focused on the relationships between a ruler and the people who support

05:18them.

05:19Ellipses.

05:20It's more focused on those relationships rather than the back-and-forth of romance."

05:25Combat

05:42One aspect of Metaphor that might help Persona fans feel right at home is the combat.

05:47Not only are we sticking to traditional turn-based combat, we even get a stylish UI surrounding

05:52the protagonist, although there is a new spin on how to approach battles.

05:56When you approach an enemy, you can attack it in real-time to either kill it off immediately

06:01or land enough hits to stun it before initiating battle.

06:12Should you finish off the enemy without taking damage, you'll be granted a small bonus

06:16in XP and money.

06:18Another notable difference here is that your protagonist can be downed in battle, yet the

06:22party can continue to fight and turn things around.

06:25So no need to worry about being overprotective of the protagonist.

06:38Witness their resolve

06:48In place of personas, Metaphor introduces a different form for characters called archetypes.

06:53As you meet new characters, you'll learn different archetypes for them to study.

06:58Even though not every character will come with a new archetype, you can mix and match

07:01characters with archetypes to assemble the best party possible.

07:14This ability to swap, of course, includes your protagonist, meaning you can choose which

07:19weapons and skills you want and use them in the overworld and in battle to your heart's

07:23content.

07:24Just keep in mind that you cannot swap mid-battle like in the Persona games.

07:44Music

07:50The music of Metaphor is composed by Shoji Maguro, who should be a familiar name to all

07:56of you Atlus fans out there.

07:57Maguro had been working at Atlus since 1995, until he left the company and went freelance

08:02in 2021.

08:04In his near 30 year long career, Maguro has composed music for Shin Megami Tensei III

08:09Return, the Trauma Center series, Catherine, and, of course, just about every Persona game

08:15out there.

08:27So if you've played any of those games, you're most likely familiar with his style.

08:31Well, Maguro takes a completely different turn with Metaphor, and the operatic orchestra

08:36will certainly get you in the mood to charge into battle.

08:39It's truly fantastic.

08:47Studio Zero

08:58If you don't keep up with studio formations, let alone Japanese studio formations, then

09:03you may not be familiar with the name Studio Zero.

09:06In all honesty, this isn't exactly a brand new team if Hashino, Tanaka, and Maguro's

09:11presence doesn't signify that already.

09:14After finishing Persona 5 in 2016, Hashino left P-Studio, Atlus' internal team that

09:19works on Persona, and would be put in charge of Atlus' third internal team, a new team

09:25under the name Studio Zero.

09:27This new team would serve as a launchpad for new IP for Atlus to champion in the future.

09:32Roughly a dozen other P-Studio staff would move over to Studio Zero to soon work on

09:37Metaphor Re-Fantasio.

09:38So while it may be a new game under a new name, it does have quite a number of veteran

09:43developers attached to it, and it does beg the question, what's the future of P-Studio

09:48look like now?

09:49But that's a topic for another time.

09:59The Demo

10:08In case you're still unsure of grabbing a copy of Metaphor, you don't necessarily

10:12have to make that decision immediately.

10:15Just as they did with Vanillaware's Unicorn Overlord in early 2024, Atlus has put out

10:19a rather extensive demo for Metaphor.

10:22If you've been watching the video, you've been seeing what is essentially the demo the

10:26entire time, at least the first half of it.

10:35This demo will take you through the entire prologue, which lasts roughly 5-6 hours long.

10:41Not only do you get a taste of everything about the game, you will also get a jumpstart

10:46on your playthrough as your save data will carry over into the full game.

10:50With this demo, Atlus has effectively made the financial barrier to entry super low for

10:55what is a meaty JRPG.

11:09Launch

11:19Metaphor Rephantasio launched on October 11th, 2024.

11:23In other words, it's available now, and you can get it on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4,

11:28Xbox Series XS, and PC.

11:30PC players, the spec requirements are relatively super low compared to most games coming from

11:35AAA publishers.

11:37Metaphor Rephantasio only asks for a minimum of 6GB RAM with 720p resolution support and

11:43Windows 10 as your operating system.

11:45Recommended specs are 8GB RAM with 1080p resolution, of course.

11:50The game released with a DLC pack at launch, the DLC pack containing costumes and music

11:54from other Atlus games like E3 and Odyssey, Shin Megami Tensei IV and V, and all 6 of

11:59the main Persona games.

12:09But tell us, have you been playing Metaphor Rephantasio?

12:12I certainly have, and I'm going to go play some more immediately after this.

12:16Let us know down in the comments below, and be sure to subscribe to Mojo Plays for more

12:20great videos every day.

Category

Transcript

Recommended