Summary
Katsura Hashino has gone from success to success in his career at Atlus, creating the beloved trio of Persona 3, Persona 4 and Persona 5 and now,Metaphor: ReFantazio. Hashinois a creative, his games focus on telling the story that he wants to tell, and given his recent successes, fans resonate with this approach. However, he tries not to read too much into user feedback because you can’t change something significantly once you ship it, and thinking about what could have been is bad for mental health.
In a conversation with Silent Hill creator Keiichiro Toyama (published byFamitsuand translated byAutomaton), Hashino spoke about how he treats player feedback post-release. Hashino “tries not to be conscious” of user feedback. “Of course, I do check things out at certain times, such as right after launch,” Hashino said. “But it’s not like I can adjust [the game] based on what I see. When I need to look something up, I do it quickly in one go, because constantly looking at reactions isn’t good for your mental health.”
Toyama is even more extreme in his thoughts, saying he doesn’t have social media and never searches his name. He doesn’t even like attending promotional events or anything like that, though he is incorporating user feedback more on his upcoming survival horror gameSlitterhead.
Player feedback is a crucial part of game development, but you may’t change the fundamentals of a game after it’s been released, so it’s of limited use for non-live service titles after the game has shipped. There’s also something to be said about creating the experience you want to create without your vision being compromised by people who may not understand what you’re trying to accomplish. Veterans who have released successful games like Hashino and Toyama don’t need as much feedback to know what players are going to connect with.
Metaphor: ReFantazio has certainly connected with its intended audience as it’s highly rated by players and critics alike, currently holding an average critic score of 92 onOpenCritic. Our own Meg Pelliccio called Metaphor: ReFantazio “a new peak for Atlus” in herperfect 5/5 review.
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.
