Metaphor: Refantazio is a unique game that not only represents superficial powers but also shows society’s realities. This politically charged RPG allows players to participate in the reality of life. The game represents a dystopian society where a small kind gesture makes a large impact on society. Metaphor has also introduced a new territory which shows the value of empathy in the harsh world.
The game has made a loud and clear statement that the worst and best of humanity both exist together in the real world. Metaphor is a story game that starts with a young man living in the brutal Kingdom of Euchronia. The reigning King is soon murdered and his only son is stuck in a curse-bound coma. Suddenly, an election is conducted to compete for the throne and players are put in the shoes of a young man who competes for the open seat.
As the boy understands the inner workings of elections, his role evolves within the 80-hour story. The whole election proceedings and later setups take players through the land of racism, inequality, poverty, exploitation, and religious extremism.
Metaphor: ReFantazio—Discovering the Dark Reality of Society
As the player sets a base for the election, they make allies, interact with citizens who are suffering, and travel across the territory to get support from the miserable societies. With these interactions, players develop an understanding of the system that caused such an unbalanced world.
The player navigates daily life according to a calendar system, with time advancing them towards the reign of a new king. As this pivotal moment draws near, it becomes essential for players to dedicate their days and nights to the main objective of the story. Hence, players have to make a tight schedule to make bonds, pass through monster-driven dungeons, and complete the main quest within the deadline.
It is easy for players to understand how they level up in the game, as the requirements for improving bonds are simple. The progress of the players is displayed by the virtue stat to keep them updated. This feature makes the Metaphor systems work even better. The game offers bonus points to help players grasp the overall message through their changing stats, as they connect with individuals from various backgrounds who have been impacted by an unjust society in different ways.
As the story is centered on earning the trust and support of people, it makes sense to invest time in helping the needy people who have been treated unfairly.
Metaphor ReFantazio Combat – Side Quests And Fights
Side quests fill the gap between the main events, and they take players to various optional dungeons across the kingdom, either by hunting for bounties or helping an NPC. These quests add flavor to some tough combat in the story game as enemies populate these dungeons. After a few dungeons, players will start seeing repetitive patterns but the game still has a lot to offer to keep the combat engaging. Additionally, players earn rewards including money, better gear, boosts for social status, and plenty of XP to level up.
Metaphor is incomplete without its challenging turn-based combat. It follows the SMT press-turn system, where both the player’s and enemy teams have turn icons, and destroying elemental weaknesses gives bonus action. These are the familiar mechanics for the players but Metaphor also add twists. A big part of this innovation comes from the Archetypes, a class-based job system that gives your party four fun tools for various roles.
In the late game, players will unlock the advanced archetypes that have creative mechanics especially considering synthesis attacks. Each archetype has its own set of moves, and when you combine them for synthesis attacks, it makes the gameplay easier and allows for strong combination attacks. This creates a bigger impact on enemies and adds fun strategy to battles, so players can enjoy how it encourages teamwork and planning.
Metaphor ReFantazio Design – Inventive Grotesque Style
This time, the studio has done something different compared to its earlier RPGs, by giving gothic-inspired menus and UI elements that extend to the kingdom and character design. Metaphor may not have the most impressive graphics, but when you zoom in on its environment, the game proves a solid point on why art direction matters more than a few high-quality visuals.
Additionally, the music composed by Shoji Meguro adds excellence to the fantastic vibe of the game. The soundtrack is filled with powerful orchestral music and dramatic opera-style vocals, adding weight to every moment, whether you’re entering a new city or facing off against an enemy mob for the hundredth time. Unlike his earlier works, Metaphor features a more cohesive classical score rather than a collection of standalone songs. The music has become a crucial part of the Metaphor’s identity for the players.
Metaphor:ReFantazio is a perfect blend of the gameplay, design, music, story, and style. Developer Studio Zero has got all the things right to highlight the underlying circumstances behind an unfair world. The game has perfectly referred to the real world as a utopia for the characters.
Metaphor ReFantazio Review
Metaphor is a perfectly refined version of the earlier RPGs released by Atlus. This game is a beautiful yet miserable depiction of a world of fantasy where characters are striving to win against societal injustices. Metaphor provides a balanced amount of combat fights, friendship, empathy, kindness, struggle, and injustice. Metaphor: ReFantazio is both poetic and idealistic, as it recognizes the complexities of life, showing that real change requires action. Maybe its fantastical story can inspire us to make our world a better place.