Metaphor: ReFantazio review
What’s the true meaning of fantasy?
What is the real purpose of a fantasy story?
Is it a metaphor for our own world?
And what if a fantasy story centred on, of all things, a magical election?
Really, Metaphor: ReFantazio is the culmination of the genre as a whole.
Politics has often featured in Atlus games, but perhaps never quite so overtly.
Can this kingdom truly be united?
What responsibility does the king’s power bring?
Enter the game’s bright-eyed, blue-haired protagonist, a young man striving for equality.
His mission, by becoming king, is to end prejudice.
It’s a little on the nose, but it’s poignant too.
“Does a decision made by the people guarantee it’s right?”
Perhaps Brexit voters can answer that one.
Is a fantasy world just an ideal to strive for, or is it truly attainable?
There’s even a Honeybee Inn.
Thankfully, much of this is presented with a healthy dose of weirdness and eccentricity.
What elevates Metaphor: ReFantazio beyond these stereotypes is the expertise of Atlus, both mechanically and creatively.
Gameplay is a series of interlocking systems, with social elements and battles in symbiosis.
Every element of the game has a purpose, doled out slowly.
You’re always progressing, always achieving something.
Battles themselves are a sublime example of turn-based combat.
It’s all expertly thought out and detailed.
In particular, its choral battle theme is exceptionally dramatic.
Through this, it’s the developer’s view of religion that is perhaps the most damning of all.
The same can be said for side quests, which can sometimes seem frivolous by comparison.
That structure leads to long-windedness too, though that will hardly be a surprise to Persona fans.
What’s more, Atlus loves to over-explain.
Metaphor: ReFantazio accessibility options
Multiple difficulty options.
Camera shake toggle and speed/assistance options.
Japanese and English voices.
These are minor issues, though, that persist across Atlus' games.
Perhaps Metaphor: ReFantazio’s most unique flaw is under-utilising its election concept.
Everyone should be pretty!
Then again, the likes of Count Binface would fit in well here.
Yet here even that feels sincere, rather than contrived.
If that’s the case, Atlus' game is essential.
