Summary
Fantasy is one of the most popular genres in any medium, but it’s especially dominant in literature. This is because fantasy allows an author to ignore the constraints of the real world, enabling them to craft their own worlds with unique rules and societies. However,Metaphor: ReFantaziodirector Katsura Hashino had to reacquaint himself with the genre after spending so long creating games set within the real world.
The legendary director is known for Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5 and Catherine. These games have fantastical elements, but the core setting is the modern world, while Metaphor: ReFantazio is a full-fledged fantasy world complete with races, politics and societies. To shift his creative perspective for Metaphor, Hashino began to read famous fantasy novels like Lord of the Rings (thanks,The Verge). This isn’t surprising, as J.R.R. Tolkien’s work is foundational for much of modern fantasy.
Fantasy, Atlus Style
With Persona, Hashino was able to gather inspiration from his immediate surroundings. However, creating his own world from scratch required some deeper introspection. Hashino soon realised that he couldn’t just copy existing works like Lord of the Rings because then his game would just be an imitation.
“I realised that if we tried to imitate this in any way, in the characters or setting or world, it wouldn’t really reach the originals,” Hashino said. “If we tried to copy that it would just be a copy. So I thought: let’s try to make a fantasy game only we can make.”
This approach allowed Hashino and his team to craft a world from the ground up, creating characters that are shaped by the environments they exist in. The end result is a fantasy game that only Hashino and his team at Atlus could have made, an evolution of the groundwork they laid in Persona.
Metaphor: ReFantaziodebuted to critical acclaim, tying the highest-rated game of the year so far, Astro Bot. In ourfive-star review of Metaphor, executive editor Meg Pelliccio called it “a new peak for Atlus.”
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.
