Metaphor: ReFantazio has just launched, and Atlus has already confirmed that its cumulative global sales have surpassed one million units. Even on Steam, it's making record numbers compared to the Persona franchise when it comes to concurrent users. It's certainly a great result for a new IP, even though the Persona team had many long-standing fans who were looking forward to playing this new title.
In this fantasy world, the protagonist (Will) travels with his fairy companion, Gallica, to lift the curse from the kingdom's lost prince. Players may awaken the magical "Archetype" powers that lie dormant within their character's heart; awakening to an Archetype unlocks the power to channel and combine the abilities of unique professions. Throughout the adventure, they will strengthen their bonds and level up their party to defeat mighty foes and discover the true nature of the kingdom.
In Wccftech's review, Kai Tatsumoto rated Metaphor: ReFantazio 9/10, although he noted it's essentially Persona 6 in all but name:
No matter how much I engaged with the core fundamentals of Metaphor: ReFantazio, I couldn’t escape the feeling that this was largely Persona 6 by another name rather than some new IP that could stand on its own merits. That isn’t to say that Hashino’s team hasn’t created another stylish JRPG with broad appeal, but the premise that Metaphor: ReFantazio is a brand-new fantasy is dead. If the Persona series left you wanting more, Metaphor: ReFantazio certainly is a tale worth experiencing for yourself.
The Atlus team feels a bit different, however. In an interview with the Official Xbox Podcast, Director Katsura Hashino explained how this new game is a departure from the Persona franchise:
We really had ideas that we wanted to put in this game that we couldn't put into other games. For example, the Persona series is set in the real world. That means the story we want to tell becomes slightly limited to the place that we're building the story within.
It also means it's a little bit easier for us to work with because we know the place, we have that baseline to work from. But once again, it does limit our options. Whereas in an entirely new fantasy world that we create, we have the freedom to explore all these ideas and things that we weren't able to do in the past. In the Persona series, the story itself is based around a single location where all the characters hang out. The world that they're living in doesn't change, but the way that they perceive it changes. That's one of the major parts of the Persona series that's really interesting in its own way.
But in Metaphor: ReFantazio, we don't really have that one place where everybody is based out of. We don't have that single location to work with. In a way, we do have one country that the characters are traveling through, so they do have that connection to a country instead of a specific place. But the scale is much larger, so you get the chance to see a broader perspective.
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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