Despite writing a promise to the contrary, I have never finishedPersona 5. Nor have I rolled credits on Royal or Strikers. All three of these games are beefy experiences, with the base game in its entirety taking over 80 hours to conquer. Few people have this time to dedicate to a single video game these days, and my ADHD-addled brain is constantly hopping between things that it only makes completing sprawling RPGs like this that much harder.
I hate myself for this shortcoming. I grew up on games like this and remember how much fun it was to take a completionist approach to other sprawling Japanese classics. The person I’ve grown into over the years has gravitated towards different games that don’t take as long to complete, occupy opposite genres, or don’t demand every single moment of free time I have to conquer. This putsMetaphor: ReFantazioin an awkward position.
We always knew this ambitious new venture by Atlus was going to be big. Previews have pitched it as an imaginative expansion on the Persona formula, even if you may’t romance a favourite character or engage in problematic relationships with minors.
It is a massive game in a massive world with a massive amount of things to do, and thefirst review from Famitsuconfirms that the main story will take roughly 80 hours to complete. Make that 100 if you are the sort of player who loves to do everything a game like this has to offer.
Famitsu ended up scoring Metaphor Refantazio an impressive 37/40. But this is the same publication that awarded Resident Evil 6 a 39/40, so that means nothing.
It’s a damning indictment of the kind of person I’ve become in my late twenties that instead of champing at the bit to play an expansive game that will take me almost a hundred hours to complete, I’m dreading it. Not because I don’t want to play it, quite the opposite, but part of me knows that if I want to invest myself into the entire experience, I likely won’t have any time to play anything else of substance for weeks or even months.
Persona 5 had the same effect last year when I promised friends and colleagues I would finally reach its end, only to inevitably get distracted by other responsibilities as it fell to the wayside. Games are too big.
But what hurts most is Metaphor: ReFantazio isn’t 80 hours long because it’s needlessly full of bloat likeAssassin’s Creed Valhalla. Chances are that Atlus has crafted this many hours that are actually worth encountering, alongside a battle system and a world to explore with depth that justifies such an absurd runtime.
It has done this before with countless Persona titles, so fans likely trust it enough to pull off the same achievement here. Yes, Persona 5 held our hands way too much in the early hours, but Royal fixed those quirks and was even longer. It’s wild, so I’m already bitterly resigned to the fact that hitting credits is never going to happen.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
WHERE TO PLAY
From the creative minds behind Persona 3, 4, and 5 comes Metaphor: ReFantazio, a unique fantasy world, where your protagonist will journey alongside his fairy companion, Gallica, to lift the curse from the kingdom’s lost prince.Control your destiny, face your fears, and awaken magical Archetype powers that lie dormant in your heart. By awakening to an Archetype, you will unlock the power to channel and combine the abilities of unique job classes. Strengthen your bonds and build your party to take down powerful foes and discover the kingdom’s true nature.
