- Tested on PlayStation 5.
- Code sent by publisher.
- Part started in normal mode.
- A little over 70h to see the term adventure by missing a few things, but having seen a large percentage of the content available.
- Home pictures.
While the qualities of Atlus productions have never been called into question since they arrived in the West, there is nevertheless a before and after Persona 5 in the way the European and North American audience have apprehended the work of the Japanese studio. Before, its outputs were mostly confidential, selling (most of the time) just enough to motivate new arrivals, but without being able to ensure translations into languages other than English. Since then, Atlus and SEGA have found it too difficult to impose their new productions. With to start a multitude of variations for Persona, which now exceeds Shin Megami Tensei in terms of popularity. With a growing aura, Atlus proposes this year a brand new franchise with Metaphor : ReFantazio, a role-play which promises to be full of various influences and which does not lack ambition.
A Song of Ice and Fire
When Atlus talks about his project Re Fantasy, which took six long years before it became a reality in the eyes of the public, it is first and foremost in terms that are not eloquent sounding like a hollow promise and difficult to keep: « something completely new ». The title, of which nothing was yet known in 2022 despite a first mention in 2016, announced as a completely new experience, with new ambitions, and especially saw itself already becoming one of the pillars of the Japanese studio, alongside its SMT and Persona. Forget the other more niche licenses of Atlus, such as the late ones (and few sellers) Etrian Odyssey and Radiant Historia, since Metaphor : ReFantazio does intend to conquer the market with the same efficiency as Persona 5 and Shin Megami Tensei V (read our critical). It remains to be seen whether he has the shoulders for this large-scale project. What I personally would have been tempted to say that « yes » before placing your hands on the finished product. Now that I have succeeded in defeating his long campaign, I am no longer so sure of the originality of this production apart, but I still have very little to blame for.
First because Atlus was fine enough in his communication to guess that Metaphor : ReFantazio He would strongly inspire his older brothers, to whom he owes much, if not all. Since it will not be possible to avoid the elephant in the room, let's crack it now: yes, the title can be considered as a Persona-Like, in the sense that it takes up a large amount of what constitutes the DNA of this famous spin-off with the saga Megaten. So we find a whole system of time that flows according to our actions, with deadlines affecting both the main content and the annex; fights in turn playing on strengths and weaknesses; a system which is quite close (in appearance) to that of the Personas, and which here will be called Archetypes; very substantial content (although less than Persona 5, contrary to what we had been told); and to finish a complete scenario, arming various characters with very marked personalities, twists that we often see coming, staged with a budget that is guessed tight despite the presence of convincing animated cinematics.
In truth, Metaphor : ReFantazio it's a little the unlikely encounter between Persona and Game of Thrones, for a result which, in terms of universe, proves extremely convincing. It must also be said that the title enjoys absolutely luminous visual ideas, making us almost forget at times that we stand in front of the same motor as Persona 5Still dating from PlayStation 3. The result is an experiment that achieves some artistic fulgurance, but suffers in return for a dated technique, sometimes small slowdowns that are hardly understood, but especially a cruel lack of detail in its environments. Something that poses few problems in its cities and its few exterior decorations, which enjoy a penciled appearance of the most beautiful effect, but makes its dungeons lose a lot of charm which have nothing of the genius and personality of those of Persona 5. Definitely, that's a lot of talk about a single game, and unfortunately, until then, it's not necessarily in favor of Metaphor : ReFantazio. That being said, it is now time to get into the heart of the subject, with what this original title does best or as well as its elder.
The Eighth Color
It is no longer necessary to demonstrate the narrative qualities of Persona 3 to 5, even in their editions « Complete » each time adding an extra piece. However, in spite of sometimes strong subjects, these titles remain rather hare, tightened around the daily lives of young people and their school peregrinations, before even speaking of occult and parallel world. A bias that works, but also has its limitations, since apart from the dungeons, we don't travel much, each of the three games mainly confined to its small Japanese neighborhood. First good point for Metaphor : ReFantazio, which rather preaches total change of scenery, first with environments that come out of the ordinary, impossible architectures, then with a propensity to make us beat the campaign. If it is not an Open World, the title nevertheless has a large map at its disposal, on which one travels via a large vehicle, which will also serve as a den on the road. And he doesn't care about the various sets or the new visual ideas, so he never sleeps his audience, which makes a crazy good. Especially when you get out of Shin Megami Tensei V and its arid desert (although not lacking visual qualities either). There is also a soundtrack which, although it seems to be a bit of a round past a certain stage, does not lack identity. We won't listen outside, but it still works wonderfully on this singular universe.
It remains to be seen whether you are likely to hang on to him, which turns out to be quite different from what Atlus used to do. Metaphor : ReFantazio This is the story of a world that Tolkien would not deny, where different races share territory, some being better seen and favored in the social hierarchy than others. At the center of this context, we embody an Elda, which is located at the bottom on the scale of scraps. So we see what awaits us, with a fable about difference and fairness, and of course an initiatory journey that leads us to be accepted by our fellow citizens. Nothing surprising nor original at this level. What is a little more, however, is all that revolves around, with to start a story of murdered king who, by using a very powerful spell, will decide his successor according to his popularity with the public. Everyone can thus start the race to the throne, and we do not escape, for a result that experiences some interesting twists. Although, as often with the games of the Japanese developer, it is not the subtlety that prevails in Metaphor : ReFantazio, but rather attachment to the different characters that accompany us.
Characters a little caricatural that we're going to have to bichonne, with whom we're going to have to exchange, because without them you'll never get all the different Archetypes mentioned earlier, and have no chance of increasing your statistics « Royal »serving the same purpose. Nothing original at this level, again, since we generally take back what the last Persona with a different dress. To this only Metaphor : ReFantazio Makes some welcome cuts in this system, removing everything that revolves around lovers for example, and finally settles for the essentials. A finding that can be drawn up for the whole game. Despite its colossal life span, which can intimidate at first glance, however, it is less complex than a Persona 5 Royal, being amputated by certain mechanics, which makes it actually more digested. Getting the 100% or the perfect run is therefore easier, although relatively wise management of its calendar remains paramount. As far as I'm concerned, I missed a few things, but it still led to an adventure of more than 70 hours, which remains rather huge even next to tenors of the Japanese RPG.
So, of course, if you're one of those who's thrown away by the formula Persona, or if you execrate mint games, no need to make a drawing, this one will not be for you either. However, since he makes some cuts in that formula, and facilitates the completion of his social ties, Metaphor : ReFantazio I personally seem to be an excellent gateway to gender, a fortiori since it escapes from many of the frustrations that a Persona can be born. This does not prevent us from missing some events and related quests if we do not apply 100% of the time, of course. Moreover, Metaphor : ReFantazio We can't escape the extremely verbose passages that we know from the studio, which can at times take us several tens of minutes without the possibility of saving or escaping briefly from this scenario that jumps to the figure. An evil for a good, since in return the title is quite immersive and keeps a good pace of progress in its history, which undergoes regular upheavals keeping awake to the end. What his propensity to use animated sequences also contributes to.
And man created a God
It remains a whole system of battles in turn which, in appearance, again repeats what is known of Persona. The different magical abilities do not always bear the same names, but it is useless to try to tergiverse, since they are substantially the same from one game to another (which is also true in SMT, for the rest) apart from some unpublished. Those who are familiar with Atlus's productions will be as at home, while others will not take time to grasp these mechanics rather easy to understand. What we must remember is that like any good RPG, Metaphor : ReFantazio has its elementary affinities, strengths and weaknesses. By using our magic, in other words by typing where it hurts, we will not consume a trick, but a « half » This allows the person concerned to grant a second action. The idea is therefore often to aim to the maximum the opposing weaknesses, to play as many tricks as possible. However, several subtleties come into play, the first being the most obvious: enemies can also benefit from these additional actions by judiciously playing with our affinities.
Recent Persona, the protagonist can then change his elementary affinities by choosing another « Persona » Among those possessed, which can be done in combat, while his teammates will have to settle for the one they released at the beginning of the game. This already allows for quite varied compositions, but in a way limits the experiments, since three quarters of the team are blocked during all the adventure with the same affinities. At Metaphor : ReFantazioIt's a little different. We're taking over the bases, with a maximum of four fighters. And in appearance, the Archetypes that I mentioned earlier have everything of Personas « at the discount », in that their designs are more generic, less eccentric. However, their usefulness and importance will not be the same at all, since each playable character can not only use them all (provided they are bought using a separate currency), but will also have its own « preferences », further refining the possibilities. Finally, it is not possible to change on the fly fromArchetype to combat, and this will require balanced teams, which does not prevent farfetched (sometimes functional) experiments. Note that it is possible at any time to consult the compositions of other players, which may help undecided players for example.
In order to unlock new Archetypes, we will need to be interested in the world around us, to discuss with NPCs and to carry out ancillary quests, but also to develop our social ties with the characters close to us. No merger or capture, here you'll have to explore to discover, which is no worse. Also note that Archetypes have their own level system, apart from that of the protagonists, unlocking above all new capabilities. But also that it is possible, here too for financial reasons, to allow the use of the capabilities of another Archetype on the one that is equipped, history to broaden its usefulness. A function not to be taken lightly, because it proves to be rather primordial on the end, which surrounds a fairly sustained challenge. Again, we know Atlus well, no one is surprised. What may be surprising, however, is that Metaphor : ReFantazio offers no less than five modes of difficulty when launching its first part, allowing everyone to find their account, neophytes as well as regulars. As far as I'm concerned, I started in normal mode, and a few small peaks hit me, without blocking me for a long time. The challenge finally seemed fair enough, far away from the sometimes frustrating random of a Shin Megami Tensei IV.
What seems to me to be nuanced, taking into account all the options facilitating the life of the player in Metaphor : ReFantazio. Starting with a slight action dimension, allowing us to weaken the enemies in the dungeons by beating them a few times, which has the aim of stunning them before starting the fight in turn. A welcome mechanics, which energizes the whole and eliminates the redundancy of the confrontations. This is all the more true when one takes into account the fact that enemies considered weak will be instantly killed by our body-to-body attack, without going through the square turn by turn, allowing us nevertheless to acquire experience and currency. A rich idea, rather jubilatory controller in hand, and that answers really well. It is also possible, in the midst of a struggle, to recover the abilities affecting the opposing weaknesses, from a simple trigger pressure (and provided that it has already found such weakness by itself). A significant saving of time, which adds to an intuitive interface (in addition to being absolutely divine, as well as all the menus of the game), for a result that does not lack punch.
Finally remains the only problem I personally have with the title, echoing my experience with Persona (a series that I like very much anyway): its lack of ancillary activities. Yes, it is quite possible to talk with characters during our free time, to carry out some side quests (perfectly forgetable and most often rudimentary) or even hunting missions (very exciting). But the gameplay loop may be running a little too fast in circles, at least in my eyes, and I would have liked something more. For example, I keep a little sense of frustration from a discussion with one of the protagonists around a fantasy chessboard. At the moment, I thought: cool, we can try a mini game! But that nenni, the chessboard was only there to support the fact that the two characters were talking about strategy. So no, I'm not asking for a system as extensive and complete as the Triple Triad of Final Fantasy VIIIor the Gwent of The Witcher 3. But in such a long experience, to be able to blow a moment without thinking about the time running or entering a corridor of dialogues seems quite important to me. Or. Metaphor : ReFantaziosame as the last three PersonaDon't try. Nothing bad, I want to make it clear, but I had to talk about it.
While it seems difficult to talk about Metaphor: ReFantazio without mentioning Persona, Atlus' new production does not have to blush next to his elder. Yes, there are many known mechanics, as well as a calendar system. But the title is more than just a persona bathing in the Fantasy. With his universe and his original words, he quickly clings and keeps awake throughout his long campaign, regularly changing a scenario that does not lack qualities, despite characters still quite caricatural. Its combat system is engaging, and the possibilities to explore are quite dizzying past some stage of adventure. The only shadow to the picture finally, an annex content that leaves a bitter taste in the mouth.
For
- Original visual ideas
- A rich and original universe
- Some artistic highlights
- Characters to whom we fast-attack
- OST which does not lack identity
- Very deep combat system
- Persona formula, with some welcome cups
- Long life, but still affordable
Against
- Content Annex absolutely forgetable
- Sometimes too verbose for her good
- Maybe missing a bit of madness.
Damn it, that game! The lifespan of Atlus RPGs always freaks me out :-p
I like the artistic foot of this studio. I did Trauma Center, Radiant Historia and the incredible Catherine of them but nothing else.
I'd have to go back to their proposals but really these gigantic lifespans dissuade me, especially if it's in part because it's verbose.
Thanks for the test anyway it's very detailed, the mechanics look interesting.
I think I'll give a kidney (or half a kidney) for Radiant Historia's return!
Instead of touching Persona and her declinations, if what scares you is the verbose aspect, turn instead to Shin Megami. It's more nebulous, and most of the time it's shorter too.
It's crazy how the game makes me want. LOST looks crazy. Not enough time to put it now, maybe for version 2.0 that will definitely come out in a year!