100%PlayStation 5

I’m still early in the game but it’s amazing. I never would have played this title had it not been for the free demo. Thank you Atlus. I’m not a JRPG fan, and I would never even think about playing Persona. This game is so good, however, it transcends the genre.

100%PlayStation 5

This is by bet for GOTY in the TGA 2024.
Metaphor:ReFantazio is an awesome game that brings the fantasy storytelling to a new level, mixing reality and fantasy making us reflect our perspective of what an ideal world should be.

The gameplay mechanics of Metaphor:ReFantazio are all an improved version of Persona 5, without exceptions, it really raises the bar for JRPGs and shows how good a great team can be when working in a new IP (I love new IPs when done right).

Moreover, it brings a very outstanding and unique soundtrack.

I recommend the game to anyone that like RPGs, it is amazing! 10/10.

---

The only downside for me, is that although the art direction, cinematics and 2D animation scenes are all incredible, the graphics in terms of technology seems to be from PS4 generation (same of Persona 5). It didn't affect my experience in anyway aside some aliasings, but I ask myself if it might feel that the game is older than it is when playing it from, like, 5 years in the future.

100%PlayStation 5

Just an amazing game from story, to music, to characters. Atlus has outdone itself.

100%PC

9.5

100%PC

Metaphor is Atlus's best work yet and my personal game of the year. This game has one of the richest, fulfilling narratives that I have experienced in gaming. It's a master in writing and the team at Atlus did such an amazing job of worldbuilding and creating believable lore. It is also extremely well paced. Breaking free from the confines of daily school life allowed the team to get creative with the calendar and timelines, something they haven't had the luxury of yet and it helped keep things tight and moving. This version of Press Turn is fantastic and maybe their best iteration yet, coupled with the fantastic action combat makes gameplay the cream of the crop. There are really no downsides to Metaphor, save for the slight blip that is the recycled boss rush at the end, it oozes style, thought, polish, fun, and quality. Atlus can do no wrong and this makes me really excited for the eventual Persona 6.

100%PC

It's one of those games you'll remember for a long time.

90%PC

The formula of the success of ATLUS (Persona), mixed with the magic of the JRPG of PS2 times.

90 hours to complete the main adventure. SMT is often labeled as difficult games, but this one is even more complex and punishing than SMTVV.

There's no right how adorable Gallica is.

100%PC

Melhor Jogo do Ano. História e gameplay maravilhosos, e algo que se sente falta nas mídias de video game que são formas de arte: Uma mensagem a expressar e inspirar o mundo.

90%PC

As a big Persona fan, both the best and worst thing about Metaphor is that it's *almost* Persona but not quite. The battle system is great and the story is epic, but while I liked the cast of characters I felt their social interactions fell a bit short. It had many of the mechanical elements that I enjoy about Persona but was just missing that last bit of magic that makes the game unforgettable. While it's no small feat to keep me engaged for 70 hours and I enjoyed my playthrough a lot, I couldn't help but feel this was falling just short of greatness.

100%PC

LEON STROHL MY BELOVED, also Louis Guiabern makes me nervous.

100%PC

One of the greatest games I've ever played. Persona and SMT merged to perfection.

95%PlayStation 5

This game is close to perfect. I bought this off of a recommendation, and I - as someone who has not played Persona or other games by Atlus before - enjoyed every second of it.

The characters, combat and world all were super enjoyable, this will end up as one of the greatest games of this generation.
If you even somewhat enjoy long RPGs and turn-based-combat, you will love this game

100%PlayStation 5

A brilliant culmination of everything Atlus has learned from 30 years of making RPGs. Blending gameplay and story elements from both Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, it manages to deliver a game that builds upon those two very solid foundations while also remaining unique in key ways. Atlus RPG gameplay at it's best, as well as some of their best character writing to date - especially with the central villain.

85%PC

smt 4 with the "soul"

100%PC

Absolute cinema.

90%PlayStation 5

An excellent game that is a complete package of everything good.

Pros:
• Colorful cast both main and supporting, well scripted and engaging.
• Very fun and challenging combat system
• Great difficulty
• Very good pacing for most of the game
• Outstanding music and art direction
• Great voice acting from the original Japanese VA

Cons:
• The story talks about delicate and important real problems, like class and race struggle (I think these are the core themes) but it drops the ball handling them at 2/3 of the game, showing the nearly simple (and dangerous) misunderstanding of these themes from the writers, and philosophically the game suffers a lot for this by the end.

80%PlayStation 5

Excellent gameplay and a compelling story. The art design was also fantastic.

Sadly the ost was the most lacking. As someone who thinks music is very important, with Metaphor it feels very generic and forgettable. Had to subtract a point for that.

Still, it's definitely a super fun game and very much worth picking up.

95%PlayStation 5

A great RPG, Masterpiece. Took out every thing bad about persona and included very fun new mechanics. The story is solid but not as good as persona 5. it has some cheesy plot twists and plot holes... but it's still very good.

Just an awesome game and experience.

90%PlayStation 5

Another special JRPG from Atlus. Perhaps the best story that I have enjoyed from them so far; with interesting characters and storylines and a note perfect main villain. There is also such an incredibly deep complexity to the class-based combat that they have built here; it made exploring each dungeon a great experience. The only issue like with many of these games is getting through the first few hours as the game throws so much exposition and tutorials at you. But once those few hours pass, the game truly becomes an incredible experience. 9/10. My game of the year for 2024.

100%PC

Best ATLUS game yet. Every game needs a roadtrip vibe. Honestly, the game reminded me of FFX. Brilehaven is my favourite part of the game and Louis is the best villian of the year easy.
One of the best story beats that I've experienced and it was so hype, I was jumping in and out of my seat.

Game is a must-play if you have ever loved JRPGs as a genre.

Also a must-try, it's got a free prologue demo.

75%PC

Good Game

95%PC

Amazing game

70%PC

Ну рескин персоны в фэнтези мире хули еще сказать.
Боевку чуток поменяли это хорошо, но ебаный рот...
Почему графон никак не поменялся со времен пс3, вы ебанутые?)) Подземелья все выглядят как гавно серое, это блять даже даунгрейд по сравнению с пятеркой, где были паласы разные с фишками всякими.
QoL вроде и добавили типа фасттревела к конфинадтам, а вроде и например при невозможности поменять архетипы (персоны) бесит что нет сохранений перед некоторыми боссами.
Сделали путешествия и данжи, это просто норм идея.
Сюжет прикольный так-то, чистое аниме с парочкой хороших поворотов, что мы принц и что Мор это король и все типа эффект книги (артефакта), это кайф.
Но главная проблема с персонажах. В персонах ты привязывался к персонажам и к концу игры прям они реально как друзья были. Тут ПОХУЙ на них, каждый - душный пидорас со скучными историями и однотипными характерами. Ну мб дед механик еще забавный, а остальные это пизда.

Короче та же персона с почти отсутствием изменений. И опять не уважает время игрока пиздец, я скипал что мог, один хуй 60 часов въебал)))) Хз короче, зря время столько потратил, ничего нового не испытал абсолютно

100%PC

A spectacle in JRPG and Atlus history; Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of the best RPGs I've had the pleasure of indulging nearly 80 hours into. This game has hit every mark in terms of gameplay, level design, sound design, music, and every possible avenue that any big RPG fan would be delighted to see.

To make a long review short, this game has an excellent story which is to be expected of when it comes to Atlus. And even then, it is easily digestible for anybody even if this is their first Atlus game. The world never felt empty or dry to me, there are endless places to go to and learn about the world and its people. Like in the game name, it is a 'meta' game and you'll often find yourself comparing this horrific, yet beautiful fantasy world to ours. Each area has such a charm to it that you can feel the designers love for creating fantasy be poured into them like a symphony of art.

The compendium of characters play with each other so wonderfully that I myself felt enthralled with each bond this game had to offer. Some are horrifically sad, some are just plain happy and even then I felt such a strong connection to every character. I felt empathy and I felt hatred. You're in for quite a lengthy story when you play it but stick through it! You'll end up loving it. The end-game conclusion had my jaw on the floor.

In terms of gameplay, players will love the new combat system Atlus has set up for this game and I hope that they put and enhance it in their games to come. The overworld combat is extremely satisfying and turn-based combat is even more fun. It's less complicated than Persona meaning anybody who was afraid of the creation side of creating 'Personas' don't have to worry about that in Metaphor.

The game is a bit difficult in the late end-game stages, so don't skimp on any content of the game or else you'll be begging to restart the entire game. But when things get tough, keep hammering away and changing your tactics. Think outside the box for a little bit and you'll be okay.

In conclusion, I have to give this game a strong 100% / positive review. This is a must try for any fan whether it be Persona, Final Fantasy, Unicorn Overlord or Xenoblade Chronicles. You'll not regret it at all!

Also please vote this game for 'Best Soundtrack' at TGA. It is absolutely phenomenal and I felt like I was going to heaven when the monk was chanting in nearly every song.

This game good, buy or no buy, you buy either way haha...

100%PC

This game is another look at the fantasy genre, it is a complete new look for the persona team and for me at least it is a really good game.

As a big fan of Atlus with having finished games for the smt and persona series, it's a big love letter for all the mechanics of all of Atlus's games, both gameplay wise and story wise.

There is a lot to say about this game but one thing i like the most is the gameplay. Combining both Persona, Shin Megami Tensei, Etrian Odyssey and more mechanics to it's core gameplay is genius with:
- the press turn icon working like a modern smt game and the Digital Devil Saga with the combination of spells and archetypes.
-The calendar and followers mechanics from persona
-The FOEs in dungeons like Etrian Odyssey
it truly is the magnum opus of Atlus. Gameplay 10/10

The art style is fantastic with it taking inspiration from the renaissance and painter Bosch.
The music is incredible, the monk goes hard af
and the story is simply incredible, loved the whole chaos vs neutral vs law debate mixed in with the social commentary on politics and psychology.

Atlus outdid themselves and this is my game of the year 10/10 :3

80%PC

Fantastic voice work and music. The main narrative was consistently entertaining. However, there's way too much filler dialogue and parts of the game that are stretched out unnecessarily. There is also a lot boilerplate design here and there that makes the game feel a bit bland. Despite that I still enjoyed the experience overall.

65%PC

A Mixed Bag That’s Hard to Fully Love

That’s exactly how I feel about Metaphor: ReFantazio. I wanted to love this game so much, but I ended up with mixed feelings.

Let’s start with the positives, the turn-based combat is fantastic, and the boss designs are genuinely impressive. Battles are engaging and strategic, which is definitely one of the game’s strong points.

However, the pacing of the story dragged me down. Just like with the Persona games, I found this game way too long for its own good. It’s not that I dislike lengthy JRPGs, I’ve put hundreds of hours into others without issue, but there’s something about how this game tells its story that just loses me. I get disinterested, and it makes sticking with it a chore.

The visuals are also a mixed bag. Some of the art is beautiful, but overall, it feels dated—like I’m playing a polished PS3 game. I really wish the developers would modernize their rendering pipeline to incorporate more up-to-date techniques.

The soundtrack? It’s... fine. At first, the battle music is a banger, but after hearing it a hundred times, it loses its charm. Maybe I’ve been spoiled by FFVII Remake/Rebirth’s dynamic approach to music, which keeps things fresh and impactful even after long hours of gameplay.

I’m genuinely torn. There’s a great game here, but it’s bogged down by elements that just don’t click for me. If you’re a fan of Atlus-style storytelling and don’t mind the length, you’ll probably love this. For me, though, it’s an experience I appreciate but didn’t fully enjoy.

100%PC

Amazing JRPG! Finally, we're free from the high school setting that often defines Atlus games. Metaphor: ReFantazio offers a refreshing escape with its rich, imaginative world and engaging narrative. The combat system is a standout feature, blending strategy and fluid mechanics that keep battles exciting and dynamic. The soundtrack perfectly complements the game's surroundings. Character development is also present throughout the game, creating more impact on the story. And of course, the exploration is very fun. Overall, this game is a must-play for any JRPG / Persona / SMT fans.

100%PC

Fantastic. It's by no means a perfect game, of course. It has its own flaws, and the serious tone of the story wouldn't be everyone's cup of tea. The story itself could've been paced better, but… that ending. It makes up for everything. The gameplay is refreshingly good and the characters are lovable, I enjoyed every second of it.

80%PC

This game should have been 20 hours shorter. Incredible first half, interesting choices in the last.

95%PlayStation 5

Fantastic. The systems are super good, so many improvements over persona games and the story ended in a very satisfactory way. Usually the persona games become dull towards the end but this one felt stronger. Really loved it and it's my game of the year over Rebirth.

100%Xbox Series X/S

Favorite Atlas game I’ve played. Characters were all memorable, and the story was great.

100%PC

Metaphor: ReFantazio combina combates táticos, interações sociais e exploração em uma rica experiência por um peculiar mundo de fantasia. A flexibilidade proporcionada pelo sistema de Arquétipos incentiva a criação de estratégias variadas, enquanto a progressão estruturada em dias adiciona uma camada de planejamento que enriquece a jornada. Com tantas opções de atividades, desde missões paralelas até momentos de socialização, é difícil ter dois dias iguais. Para mim o provável campeão do GOTY 2024, esse jogo pega tudo da fórmula persona e SMT e melhora em tudo,(GRÁFICOS/ARTE) Aqui temos um dos caras mais talentosos na minha opinião que e o Katsura Hashino, trazendo literalmente uma obra de arte e efeitos no estilo animação japonesa sendo tão bonito quanto seus trabalhos anteriores, você pode passar horas admirando a arte e o design tanto do universo quando dos personagens desse jogo,(HISTORIA/UNIVERSO) Esse jogo para mim supera em questão de história todos os personas e smt, já que o universo construído em volta da história desse jogo é enorme e cada tribo e cada lugar tem sua própria história e cultura, eu suplico para você que for jogar leia o sumário e acompanhe tudo, você vai ficar imerso e apaixonado por esse universo, antagonista de respeito party de respeito personagem e histórias de respeito eu tranquilamente veria horas e horas de um anime sobre metaphor.(PERSONAGENS) para mim aqui tem mais um ponto enorme do jogo, seus personagens são maravilhosos eu gostei literalmente de todos eles, são muito únicos tanto em design quanto em história e todos têm social link e personalidades que parecem clichês, mas são ótimas de verdade.(GAMEPLAY) Bem sua gameplay e a padrão atlus iguais personas ele e um jrpg com sistema de personas que aqui são chamados de arquétipos e são tao interessante quanto as personas, e algo muito gostoso que adicionaram aqui foi um estilo de ação como um hack and slash que torna o jogo muito dinâmico, para mim uma baita evolução que deve ser adicionada em todos os jogos a partir daqui.(TRILHA SONORA/ÁUDIO) Atlus sabe muito bem trazer trilhas sonoras, pontos para o buda rapper, a trilha e ótima e cumpri seu papel para mim não e a melhor da atlus, mas ela cumpri o seu dever. (CONCLUSÃO) eu realmente amei esse jogo ele foi para mim melhor que o persona 3 reloaded e para mim o melhor jogo da atlus ate então, apesar do meu GOTY continuar sendo o Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, eu concordaria com metaphor campeão da mesma maneira até porque querendo ou não o FFVII e um remake e o metaphor um jogo único. Para voce que gosta do RPG japonês e gosta dos jogos da atlus metaphor e uma obrigação e para você que não e situado acho que metaphor ainda sim e uma boa pedida.(NOTA FINAL: 10/10)

100%Xbox Series X/S

https://thekonnetwork.com/2024/11/15/metaphor-refantazio-return-to-form/

65%PlayStation 4

METAPHOR REFANTAZIO AFTER 110 hours TL;DR

- system bloat
- fake build flexibility
- tone deaf
- last 1/4 drags
- non-believable world-building

+ inspired soundtrack
+ most gorgeous JRPG out there
+ despite build railroading, it’s an og class system
+ all persona systems present have been improved upon

6.8/10

100%PlayStation 5

Persona, but better.

It's follows the same loop as you are used to, but it changes it up a bit and improves it.

Overall it is just more streamlined.
tiny problems got removed, or fixed.
some qol has been added.

The mix between overworld 'combat', and persona combat works better then expected

100%PlayStation 5

10 - Masterpiece
9 - Amazing
8 - Great
7 - Good
6 - Okay
5 - Mediocre
4 - Forgetful
3 - Bad
2 - Awful
1 - Repulsive

50%PlayStation 5

I hated this game so much especially it's story and the stupid writing.

100%PC

All Achievements except for the New Game +

95%PlayStation 5

So good. The style and quirks and bizarre charm of Persona distilled into a medieval fantasy world that, even after 120 hours, I didn't want to leave. Full of life and vibrant characters. A truly unforgettable experience.

100%PC

atlus continues to eat man..

95%PlayStation 5

The closest you could've gotten to Perfection.

100%Xbox Series X/S

GOTY. this is for Atlus what Elden Ring was for FromSoftware. it’s the same game formula from Persona we all know and love, but embellished with a beautiful fantasy story, touching topics like racism, intersectionality, environment change, loss, faith, corruption, politics and so on. the pacing is also perfect, the journey trope is the perfect excuse to give brand-new characters and beautiful cities. you never get bored while playing this game, the day-to-day activities loop always feels new. i loved bonding with some of the best characters out of any videogame (I love you, Heysmay!).

the combat is the best among all their games, the Archetype system is awesome. to be able to change the class of any of party member (and not be stuck with the predetermined class) is what really sold it to me.

only con I can think of are that soundtrack did not stuck with me as other games. but considering how much i played the game, still I never got sick of it, so I guess it served its purpose. and maybe the pacing of the last month (i was left with so many days even after completing and maxing everything i had to max). i felt zero pressure the month i should have felt it the most.

90%PlayStation 5

The main story and the characters are the best part of the game for sure. The battle mechanics are really interesting, i saw myself spending (in the good way) a lot of time in the menus creating strategies and builds with the archetypes and itens. The side quests are not really interesting yet are really fun to do. The map and the designs of the world are really well made. The dungeons design are really good and the enemies levels are really well balanced, didn't feel the need of grinding till late game and thats the problem in my opinion. When the story gets to the best part and the game is answering the questions you had the whole time, the game seems to stop to you grind levels and do a lot of side quests and in the last dungeon I saw myself underlevel and struggling to keep the pace I had through the game.
In general, an excelent game but gets a little tiring in the last few hours.

100%PlayStation 5

Looks and sounds very unique and appealing. Nice evolution of persona combat. Strong story and voice acting. Maybe the best SMT game. Final boss was a cheap asshole though.

100%PlayStation 5

Excellent story, great combat, deep characters. Very strongly recommend!

100%PlayStation 5

68 hours later, I'm finally done with Metaphor: ReFantazio, the new IP from Atlus and the director of Persona 3-5.
Honestly, I didn't know what to expect before getting into this game, I wasn't anticipating it at all, so everything felt like a surprise.
What felt like the biggest surprise for me, however, was the story; I'm not exaggerating when I say that Metaphor has arguably one of my favorite stories in a JRPG, ever. Seriously, it's so intriguing and well-paced, it never slows down, the themes it tackles are so powerful and impactful, I'm genuinely impressed.
The characters surprised me as well; they're all amazing, even the antagonists.
The gameplay, on the other hand, it might be identical to what Atlus has done before, but there are many minor changes to make it feel refreshing, a new build system, and the gameplay loop is quite different as well, more grinding and exploration, and less dungeon crawling.
Speaking of exploration, the game is more open than the Persona games, it has bigger areas and towns, more varied side-content and even a world map to navigate.
Visually, going from high-school fantasy to medieval fantasy feels very refreshing, the character design is probably the best I've seen in an Atlus game, and the art style and music are fantastic as well.
With all that being said though, all the main dungeons feel mostly underwhelming unfortunately, and the side-dungeons are incredibly bland and repetitive.
Also, the bosses, while intentionally challenging, felt frustrating and even unfair after a while.

Pros:
+ Fascinating and powerful story
+ Engaging and lovable characters
+ Very fun gameplay
+ QoL improvements
+ Art style and music

Cons:
- Disappointing dungeon design
- Balancing issues

Final Rating: 10/10
- Masterpiece -
With Metaphor: ReFantazio, Atlus is fighting for the throne as the next king of the JRPG genre.
While I don't necessarily think Metaphor: ReFantazio is the evolution for Atlus RPGs going forward, I think it definitely stands on the same ground as the studio's best RPGs and some of the best JRPGs in general.

Do I recommend it?:
Must-play for JRPG fans.

95%PC

It's was pretty fun experience!

100%PC

It's peak. The best Atlus game. Literally have no complaints whatsoever.

40%PC

Look, this review is based on my personal opinion with gameplay. The story and the world seems to be genious, so I'm a bit sad I'm not gonna be able to enjoy that. It all comes down to the same aspect as with Persona. It's too much fixing with personas or archmages (or what you wan't to call it). Feels like more to keep up with than playing Football Manager (any of them). I know you can put the difficulty down, but I just want to jam with a game at it's default level, and it's story, without holding up, thinking of the next best move for a couple of minutes. It's worse than roaming around in a city, finding clues in an old school RPG. With all these choises I also get strucked by FOMO. Should I choose this or that? If I choose this, I can never get that (I can enjoy those choices, but not always when it comes to character progression). No, this game is, sadly, not up my ally. I would've got it a worse scoring if it wasn't for the story and the intelligent dialouge that kept me around for a while.