Summary
Metaphor: ReFantazioandPersonashare a lot of similarities, which isn’t surprising given that it’s made by the same team behindPersona 5. However, a lot of the elements from Persona have been tweaked and altered to match Metaphor: ReFantazio’s new world and characters, and the game’s take on Persona’s Social Links has one key difference that will make those of you scared of saying stupid things to your party members breathe a sigh of relief.
When hanging out with your besties in the Persona games, your bond will grow with them depending on the things you say. In earlier titles, you could even fail and break Social Links if you said the wrong thing, permanently stopping you from bonding with said character. Thankfully,more modern Persona games have done away with this over time, and you won’t have to think twice about the comments you make in Metaphor: ReFantazio either.
Metaphor: ReFantazio Doesn’t Let You Fail Rank-Up Events
However, unlike Persona, every time you engage in a rank-up event with a Follower, you will succeed no matter what you say, moving you on to the next stage of the relationship. That means you don’t have to worry about saying the right things to raise that person’s rank, but Metaphor: ReFantazio still rewards you for choosing your words carefully.
Instead of more progress towards ranking up a Follower, you’re rewarded with different amounts of MAG depending on your comment, which is a form of currency you can use to upgrade your Archetypes, Metaphor’s take on the classic Job system. Say something that the Follower likes, and you’ll get more MAG, while saying something fairly meaningless or something they don’t like will give you less.
That means, just like in Persona games, your combat prowess is directly tied to your bonds with other characters, though Metaphor: ReFantazio does it in a way that removes some of the risk from the social elements of the game. Make sure you say the right things all the time, and you’ll get yourself a bunch of buff Archetypes, while you can also still kick butt if your conversation skills are lacking.
It’s an interesting way to shake up Persona’s standard social gameplay, which is something that Metaphor does refreshingly often. It wouldn’t beone of the best games released this yearif it didn’t attempt to shake up the standard Persona formula as much as it does,and our reviewer Meg Pelliciocame away extremely impressed by the Archetype system as a result.
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.
