Metaphor: ReFantazio is a brand new fantasy RPG from Atlus. Specifically, it’s a new RPG being headed up by director Katsura Hashino, character designer Shigenori Soejima, and composer Shoji Meguro, all Persona and Shin Megami Tensei veterans. From the brief footage we’ve seen so far, the game looks like a culmination of all the lessons the team has learned from their two tentpole series over the past decade, and there’s a lot to be excited about. So let’s take a deep dive into the trailer itself, and discuss a few details you probably missed in the Metaphor: ReFantazio trailer.
There’s a Calendar System
My first impression of Metaphor: ReFantazio was that it was going to be the closest thing to a Persona game that Shin Megami Tensei fans would finally enjoy, and it’s clear that Atlus is planning on incorporating a lot of Persona-isms into this one, including a calendar system. In the trailer, we got a glimpse of the protagonist running through the open-world, and at the side of the screen, we see the day, time, and temperature.
This suggests that there may be a calendar system in place here, and you may have to plan out your days and schedule properly, similar to the past three Persona games. Here’s hoping the calendar won’t be quite as rigid as it is in Persona, though.
There’s Some Sort of Bond System
Continuing with the trend of incorporating Persona-isms, there will also be a Bond system in Metaphor: ReFantazio. This is a huge departure from Shin Megami Tensei, as those series placed very little emphasis and focus on actually bonding with and getting to know your party members.
In this game, however, we clearly see the protagonist shaking hands with various characters, followed by a flashy Bond splash screen that shows your Bond rank with that character. This should work very similarly to the Social Link and Confidant systems of Persona, where you get stronger by getting close to other people, and your party members may gain extra abilities as their Bond ranks go up as well.
References to Past Atlus Games
This is a “blink and you’ll miss it” moment, and we doubt this has any actual bearing on the game itself, but it was still a neat little observation nonetheless. For a split-second in the trailer, as we see the large dragon boss appear in front of the party, the party member names are actually references to other Atlus games.
For instance, Soul Hacker is a clear throwback to Devil Summoner: Soul Hackers, while Trickster is a reference to the ragtag band of Phantom Thieves in Persona 5. That said, considering that Atlus has a bit of an obsession with Carl Jung and psych theory, these names may actually hint at something deeper within Metaphor: ReFantazio’s story and themes, though that’s something we’ll have to wait and see.
You’ll Have Actual Party Members
Unlike in Shin Megami Tensei, Metaphor: ReFantazio will allow you to battle with other characters instead of demons that you recruit along the way. While the demon recruitment system is great on its own, having to form a party with just one character and three other monsters could make your typical SMT experience feel a little lonely at times.
Metaphor: ReFantazio clearly has a much larger focus on its characters, which will certainly help to make them feel less like philosophical exposition machines — as they so often are in SMT — and more like actual people you can empathize with.
Social Stats Are Back
The classic social stats system is also back. In Metaphor: ReFantazio, you’ll be leveling up your Courage, Wisdom, Tolerance, Eloquence, and Imagination stats. Courage, Wisdom, and Eloquence sound pretty self-explanatory, but the other two are far more interesting.
We don’t know much about the story of the game just yet, but it clearly draws parallels between fantasy and reality, and also leans heavily into a storybook motif, which may be where the Imagination stat comes into play. It’s also unclear exactly what Tolerance means; it could be something as simple as resistance or defense, or it could also have a more interesting meaning and usage — perhaps something that lets you read between the lines of what a character is saying and find a new dialogue option.
And those are five little details from the Metaphor: ReFantazio trailer you might’ve missed. Did we miss out on anything else? Let us know in the comments down below.
