- Publisher: Sega , Atlus
- Release Date: Oct 11, 2024
- Also On: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X
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Feb 4, 2025This is not only a new IP and bunch of new ideas mixed with great gameplay, excellent characters and its world. It is Atlus epic spanning 100-120 hours touching the current world problems and becoming unique in their reflection and content.
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Nov 28, 2024Threading a line between fiction and reality, Metaphor: ReFantazio wants to discuss politics and create the future of JRPGs. Somehow, it manages to do both masterfully.
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Nov 24, 2024Everything is well planned, balanced, and executed, making it a game that has gained the recognition of fans and the media. There is a novelty in how the mechanics are implemented. Metaphor: ReFantazio is an amazing title and a strong contender for this year’s awards. Time will tell how iconic the game will be, but it will undoubtedly please Persona fans, hardcore RPGamers, and casual players alike.
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Nov 20, 2024It is the mantra of the activist, to become a prisoner of hope. In this way, “Metaphor” is the perfect work to ponder and play amid the din of electoral bickering and consternation. It also helps that it’s a video game narrative filled with thrilling twists, betrayals and romance. Democracy can be more than just a fantasy story — and building it can be just as exciting.
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Nov 15, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio is a superb JRPG. Studio Zero’s debut effort maintains the velocity of Atlus’ past two decades of work. It is not a reskin of Persona nor an embellishment of established concepts. Familiar mechanical beats exist but are captured in a unique world and, better yet, an original IP which feels increasingly rare. While it may only be for a brief moment, it feels like a saving grace we are allowed to step foot in this fantasy merely to temporarily escape from a reality that often seems so bleak.
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Nov 3, 2024Encompassing mastery in almost every facet of its design, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a near flawless JRPG experience that shouldn't be missed. A ridiculously addictive gameplay loop that's overflowing with depth, visuals and sound that are some of the most epic you'll experience, and a story full of enthralling characters and themes, Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of - if not the best - games of 2024. Potentially, even beyond.
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Nov 2, 2024For a brand new IP that lagrely distances itself from its siblings, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a triumphant showcase of what the RPG genre can do and the way that stories can interact with our world. Every moving part is acutely designed to mesh together into a game that feels truly one-of-a-kind. Every line of dialogue feels perfectly attuend to its audience and deals with issues in a way that honestly floored me. The Archetype system is bold and inventive, building brilliantly on the foundations set by Persona, and it offers a completely unique style that far and away establishes itself as a worthy player in ATLUS' auspicious wheelhouse. An utterly phenomenal RPG that fearlessly exists as a story of inclusion, and of the power of fiction on the real world - such as itself. Outstanding.
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Oct 16, 2024Video games are a form of art and Metaphor: ReFantazio is the embodiment of that. The game’s ability to weave together thought-provoking themes, engagingly unique gameplay, and memorable characters in a beautifully stylized package is beyond remarkable. This is Atlus at the height of their creativity.
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Oct 15, 2024Whether you’re familiar with Atlus’s flavor of turn-based RPGs or not, Metaphor: ReFantazio is an essential play. The developer has built on its legendary ‘press turn’ combat with the innovative Archetype system, allowing for an unprecedented amount of customization and party composition when compared to its other popular series. Throw in a constantly gripping, politically-charged narrative and a diverse cast of wonderful characters and you have what is absolutely the best RPG of the year and a certified modern classic.
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Oct 7, 2024Overall, Metaphor plays like a dream from start to finish. There’s less downtime than Persona and fewer frustrating moments than Shin Megami Tensei, with the whole game feeling like a high-stakes road trip with your best friends. The road to the throne is a tough one, but it’s one well worth walking.
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Oct 7, 2024It really does have an exceptional narrative that builds on everything that these developers have learned from their time on Persona, with enough depth of theme that the game should encourage people to analyse it for years to come. You might need a big chunk of time to actually play it, but it is worth it.
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Oct 7, 2024Somehow, Metaphor: ReFantazio is even greater than the sum of its parts, yet each piece of the game is masterfully crafted. I found the whole experience transcendent and was impressed by how it felt both novel yet familiar--elevated and modern, yet so reminiscent to the fantasy RPGs I sunk countless hours into on my little grey PlayStation. But most importantly, it made me remember that we are lost without hope. It sounds silly and cliche, I know--sometimes it can be. It also certainly doesn't put out the fires set all over the world. But it reminded me that giving into despair and fear serves no one, myself included. It reminded me that fantasy and fiction have power--words and stories have power. They can inspire and comfort, and these things that are vital to preserving. And it reminded me that the proof of good in the world can be us, and that's a good start.
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Oct 7, 2024Persona veteran Atlus flexes its expertise with a fresh take on high fantasy. What it lacks in subtlety, it makes up for in grandeur and heart.
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Oct 7, 2024I've always wanted Atlus to tackle political fantasy as a genre and of course when they finally do it with Metaphor: ReFantazio it's one of the best RPGs in years. This is the result of 20 years of incredible game craft that has taken shape in the best and most refined version of the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei formula that we've ever received. Probably the best we'll ever get. This is their magnum opus. With immensely satisfying and tactile turn-based combat, and a memorable cast of characters including the alluring and ever-intimidating villain Count Louis, you'll be taken by the world and story to explore within Euchronia. Much like the protagonist, you'll be compelled to save its people. Metaphor: ReFantazio is a crowning achievement under Atlus' long-running and award-winning belt. You should join them on the throne. The view is beautiful from up here.
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Oct 7, 2024In just about every way, Metaphor: ReFantazio checks all the boxes for a masterful fantasy epic. Between the addictive gameplay design, endlessly strategic combat, and gripping narrative propelled by a compelling cast, this is an undeniable must-play that's guaranteed to be Atlus's next big hit.
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Oct 7, 2024Making something new when fans have sky-high expectations isn’t easy, but Atlus has done it again with what I truly hope becomes a franchise. This is an RPG that people should absolutely play... if they have a spare hundred or so hours, of course.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor ReFantazio sets out to blend the best of its predecessors’ gameplay with an all-new setting, and the result is far greater than the sum of its parts.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio could have so easily been Persona with the names filed off, but it's so much more than that. It matches incredibly fun, expansive combat with an excellent cast of characters that make the nearly 100-hour journey a memorable one.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio is Atlus’s crowning achievement—a culmination of the best elements from their past titles and across the RPG genre. The Press Turn system, combined with the genius of the Archetype and synthesis facets of battle, creates a thrilling, strategic, and well-balanced battle system as you face off against one incredible boss after another. The impressive moments never stop, never cease, and the utterly magnificent plot is paced perfectly, with no dull moments. A cast of wonderfully written characters carries us through a magical, cohesive, and alluring fantasy world lifted to dizzying heights by a bombastic score and stunning visual design. Atlus has shown that fantasy is not dead.
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Oct 28, 2024It is a masterful symphony in the form of a JRPG and that with music that you still play daily after 80 hours of playing.
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Oct 19, 2024With beautiful, vivid visuals and deep gameplay, Metaphor: Refantazio raises some fundamental philosophical questions and tries to answer them as best it can. It is a big leap forward for Atlus, which gathered all the positives and polished all the negatives from its previous games. If you are a fan of JRPGs or Anime, you should definitely try it.
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Oct 7, 2024There's no doubt that Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of the best games of the year. Atlus and Studio Zero have delivered an experience that no one can afford to miss. With more than 20 years working for this company, Katsura Hashino and his team have shown that they still have a lot to give us, and I wouldn't be surprised if this is the start of a new saga that, over time, becomes as important and acclaimed as Persona and Shin Megami Tensei.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio takes bold steps with an entirely new fantasy world, philosophical questions, an expansive combat system full of different options, and an extraordinarily intriguing story.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio may resemble Persona, but it definitely elevates itself to an evolution of those games thanks to a unique setting and a mix of turn-based and real-time gameplay. What's more: character designs, overall art direction, and the fantastic story turn Metaphor: ReFantazio into something more than just a game. This is an experience.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio is an excellent JRPG with exceptional storytelling, combat, and setting, enhanced by one of the most exquisite graphical styles and soundtracks ever seen. Excellent in every little detail, it is further proof that, when it is at its best, Atlus is incomparable.
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Oct 7, 2024Creative, exciting and full of content, Metaphor: ReFantazio is another excellent Atlus project. Now in a new universe, the Persona studio brings back the best mechanics of its most popular franchise to establish the "personalike style" in great fashion.
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Dec 16, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio is an exceptional demonstration of creativity and years of experience within a well-known studio that is not afraid to experiment with a completely new world and IP. A must-have for all RPG fans.
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Dec 12, 2024Metaphor: Refantazio is the latest addition from the stable of Atlus, the developer that previously brought us award-winning series such as Shin megami tensei and Persona. Atlus is pretty much considered the hallmark for Japanese RPGs and delivers perhaps its best work with this one. Japanese RPGs like this are not for everyone, but fans have a masterpiece with Metaphor: Refantazio.
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Nov 29, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio is an excellent story about hope and the pursuit of a better world that is both overtly naive and fully honest. The game can feel truly inspirational when it reminds us that virtuous heroes can exist even beyond the limits of fantastic reality.
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Nov 25, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio brings out the best of ATLUS's JRPG style, blending a medieval atmosphere with elements of the Persona series and a deeper, more serious fantasy narrative. The result is one of the best JRPGs of the year, impressive in nearly every aspect.
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Oct 22, 2024Given the game’s overarching themes, it’s hard not to see such quality-of-life improvements as one more way to comment on the nature of a utopia, about the unrewarding ways in which our time can be wasted.
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Oct 21, 2024One of the best JRPGs in recent years. A compelling story, a well-crafted world, and a finely tuned combat system create an addictive experience that will keep you thinking both during and outside of battles.
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Oct 15, 2024This riveting fantasy redefines the preconceptions of most modern JRPGs and takes players on an expansive journey beyond what they could've imagined. With polished mechanics and an improved player experience, it might just be enough to say that Metaphor: ReFantazio has the potential to knock Persona off its throne as Atlus’ most notable title. However, if the next mainline game for either Persona or Shin Megami Tensei carries over some of the positive changes we see in Metaphor: ReFantazio, then it's safe to say we can expect even greater things from Atlus in the future.
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Oct 15, 2024ATLUS and Studio Zero have crafted a rare gem of an RPG, much like years before. Outside of a few dings here and there, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a near-perfect game that rivals that of Persona 5. The rich fantasy elements are matched with spectacular gameplay, gorgeous designs and captivating storytelling. It’s been a fantastic year for RPGs with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and Like a Dragon Infinite Wealth leading the way. But now, Metaphor: ReFantazio proves there’s a new king on top and one that will hopefully reign supreme for years to come.
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Oct 9, 2024It's essentially a Persona game set in a fantasy universe and one of the best games this year has to offer.
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Oct 8, 2024Rather than revolutionizing the Persona 5 formula, Metaphor ReFantazio refines it to offer a memorable and addictive journey that is so hard to let go of the controller. In this baroque fantasy universe, Metaphor still stands out from its predecessor by the richness of its gameplay, its original artistic direction and its more political message than ever. But above all, the new title from the Hashino-Soejima-Meguro trio looks like the culmination of the Persona formula with its mastery of rhythm and its additions of comfort of life such as its real-time combat. The result is one of the best role-playing games of 2024 that has everything to be the Persona 6 that does not say its name that we have been waiting for eight years.
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Oct 7, 2024An excellent Japanese role-player that is at least the equal to Persona, with an engagingly thoughtful story and enjoyably fast-paced combat.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio is another banger RPG from ATLUS. It doesn't reinvent the wheel that Shin Megami Tensei and Persona have established as the studios bread and butter, but it iterates on them in unique ways with an undeniably fresh setting. It's hard not to applaud ATLUS for embracing something so tonally different from what they're known for nowadays.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor ReFantazio iterates on series like Persona and Shin Megami Tensei but strives to create something unique and can find its direction in gameplay and narrative. It's a refreshing experience for those familiar with Atlus' RPGs while also creating something accessible enough for those approaching them for the first time.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio is fantasy Persona. Familiar mechanics, familiar concepts and familiar design all come together to make something that doesn't escape from the shadow of its predecessor. Almost all of those things are executed extremely well and add creative twists and new ideas to the formula. Even the simple setting change does a lot to keep it feeling fresher. It's a genuinely fun experience, even if it isn't the most distinct one. It isn't Persona 6, but it's a darn good replacement. Every RPG fan should play Metaphor: ReFantazio.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio is a triumphant evolution of Atlus' best, and offers a gripping new story supplemented by a loveable cast, dungeons begging to be explored, and a gorgeous art direction that makes you feel like you're wandering the pages of a fairytale book, although it takes a while to reach its greatest heights.
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Oct 7, 2024All in all, Metaphor is a different game than I expected. In a way, that's a shame: I was quite curious about what the Persona developers could achieve with an entirely new set of systems. Still, it's certainly not a bad thing. Metaphor does everything Persona did, and in many areas just that little bit better. The visual style is stunning, the battles and everything around them are more streamlined, and although it takes place in a fantasy world, it has just as much to say about our reality as its socially engaged predecessors – for games, at least. I'm very much looking forward to Persona 6, but perhaps I'm even more excited about the future of Metaphor.
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Malditos NerdsOct 7, 2024Metaphor has nothing to envy and establishes itself as a new IP with personality and clear ideas. It executes them throughout the game perfectly, even if the ending becomes a bit tedious due to the overwhelming amount of options regarding how we can spend our time in the game. The narrative is one of the game's strongest aspects, even outside of its genre, and the characters, with only a few exceptions, are all extremely detailed and well-developed.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of the most memorable RPGs we've played in years. In pursuing a new property, complete with a fantasy setting, Atlus has allowed its creativity to blossom, resulting in a brilliantly rich experience — both in terms of narrative and audiovisual design. While Metaphor takes obvious gameplay and structural cues from the developer's previous projects, it combines and refines those elements to make an epic, kingdom-hopping adventure that feels unique and deeply fulfilling.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor ReFantazio is sublime. Persona fans will have an absolute blast playing this, and hunting out the subtle (and not-so-subtle) nods to its franchise cousin. A couple of minor annoyances make it feel a little rough around the edges hold it back from an otherwise perfect score.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio is a more mature take on RPGs that delivers something quite different while maintaining enjoyable and somewhat familiar gameplay. Plus, mastering archetypes, exploring dungeons, and fighting for the crown is handled with perfect pacing.
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Oct 7, 2024Those who harbor an innate distaste for the social systems and time limits of modern Persona titles will find no solace here, but those who are willing to embrace what very well could be the sixth Persona title in all but name alone will experience one of the most stylish Japanese roleplaying games of 2024.
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Oct 7, 2024If you can only play one turn-based fantasy roleplaying game this year, let it be this one. Swords and sorcery Persona is a marvellously-executed pitch.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: Refantazio excels in emotional, personal storytelling and sharp intriguing combat, making it a must play for any JRPG fan.
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Oct 7, 2024An excellent role-playing game with fantastic stories and a large scope, but with room for improvement technically.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio is a very, very good Persona-like RPG imprisoned in an outdated shell.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor: ReFantazio differs from the unique proposition that Atlus promised to develop for the West over eight years. Its structure clearly reflects Persona 5, and based on that foundation, the team has refined and built one of the most entertaining games of the year. While Atlus has demonstrated its mastery in many areas, such as its ability to create fascinating worlds and an unmatched aesthetic, it can offer much more in gameplay.
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Oct 10, 2024Metaphor ReFantazio isn't a high flyer like Persona V, but with the unique Fantasy setting, the pleasant swift round-based combat and the deep Archetype system it's still a good RPG that's worth playing. Despite all the differences, especially for gamers who love JPRG series like Persona and Shin Megami Tensei.
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Jan 15, 2025Metaphor: ReFantazio is a very good RPG with great gameplay and a superbly constructed world. But it's important to remember that it's a fairy tale - then the convention adopted won't be so glaring. Maybe I myself subconsciously fell into the trap of constantly referring to Persona? Because of this, it's a little difficult for me to talk about a groundbreaking work of art, but only about a truly unconventional game. Check it out for yourself.
| This publication does not provide a score for their reviews. | |
| This publication has not posted a final review score yet. | |
| These unscored reviews do not factor into the Metascore calculation. | |
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Oct 29, 2024Arguably one of the best RPGs of this generation. Atlus expands its horizons with its own medieval fantasy world, and the results are amazing. With a very good plot, top tier turn-based combat and one of the best soundtracks ever composed by Shoji Meguro, Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of 2024's strongest GOTY contenders. [Recommended]
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Mar 26, 2025For those jumping into an Atlus RPG for the first time, Metaphor: ReFantazio wouldn't be my first recommendation as the world, characters and intrigue don't compare. Persona 5's psychological murder mysteries and social interactions are more interesting with gameplay that cleverly aligns with its thematic whole. Even then, the bones of a solid game are still there in Metaphor's first third. It ultimately fails to differentiate itself markedly from past Persona titles to stand above them. In this case, throwing Persona in a suit of shining armor isn't enough to convince me it's a wholly new game when its clanking boots are dancing to the same tune.
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Oct 7, 2024Metaphor does a succinct job of illustrating that progress is slow but still demands we take action, but the struggle for a better world still feels insurmountable to me some days in the face of what feels like never-ending systemic failure. Reading fiction that believes in the possibility of a better world is not the same as fighting for one. Posting isn’t activism. Imagining a world where everything is different, with no consideration for how to actually get there, is meaningless. Metaphor knows that fiction can change the world, but it also knows that inspiring people isn’t enough if they don’t follow through. And if despite my deteriorating hope I’m thinking this way, maybe that’s a sign that even if Metaphor isn’t exactly revolutionary in its politics or worldview, it still must have done something right.
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Oct 7, 2024Obviously I’ve spent a lot of this review talking about Metaphor: ReFantazio in terms of Persona. While that franchise set a high bar, and I think its audience is primed to like this game, Metaphor’s biggest achievement is just how different it is, both from the Persona franchise and from many fantasy RPGs that have come before. The way I see it is, Persona walked so Metaphor: ReFantazio could extend its gorgeously feathered wings and fly into the sunset. [Polygon Recommends]
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Oct 8, 2024We found ourselves frequently swept up in the sheer scale of Metaphor: ReFantazio, which occasionally takes on the full grandeur of a sort of mid-apocalyptic road trip. The visuals are gorgeous, whether we’re talking about its lush, eye-catching menus, or especially the character and monster designs. The Archetypes are complicated but lovely, appearing like Art Deco armor suits, but nothing beats the look of the monstrous humans, almost all of which have been sourced from the paintings of Hieronymus Bosch. (If you’ve ever wanted to kick the shit out of creatures from Bosch’s 15th-century triptych The Garden Of Earthly Delights, here’s your chance.) Those visuals line up well with the game’s initial full-bore pursuit of darkness—in the first hour, you’ll be treated to murders, mass corruption, and public executions, just to kick things off—even as its edges inevitably soften as your hero rises toward superstardom. Even as it loses touch with some of its more daring impulses, though, Metaphor maintains its grip on character, and the pure joy of a really good JRPG fight.
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