5 Things That Set Metaphor: ReFantazio Apart From Shin Megami Tensei

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As someone who has spent countless hours immersed in the dark and philosophical worlds of Shin Megami Tensei games, I must say that Metaphor: ReFantazio seems to be a refreshing departure from the usual grimness that Atlus is known for. With its focus on companion bonding and character development, it’s almost as if we’re witnessing the rise of a king rather than the descent into madness of a teenager.

From first impressions, it appears that while expectations for Metaphor: ReFantazio were already quite lofty, the final product has managed to outshine them all. This game seems destined to become a timeless classic, cherished for generations. The unique blend of captivating high fantasy elements and groundbreaking gameplay mechanics makes it an irresistible draw for Role-Playing Game (RPG), Japanese RPG (JRPG), and narrative-driven game enthusiasts alike.

However, it’s important to note that ReFantazio isn’t just another successful game from Atlus; it’s not their first hit, nor is it their first groundbreaking title. In fact, amongst the multitude of games that have solidified Atlus’ reputation, the Shin Megami Tensei series might be considered their crown jewel, a long-lasting franchise with numerous mainline and spin-off successes. ReFantazio shares some similarities with this iconic demon-capturing game from Atlus, but there are also several distinct differences between the modern classic and the Shin Megami Tensei games.

5 The Fantasy Setting

Euchronia Is A Distant Departure From Tokyo

The Shin Megami Tensei and Persona game series, with the latter being quite vibrant and youthful, share a unique bond with Tokyo. This connection is rooted in the fact that all these games unfold within this metropolis. It’s plausible that Atlus chose to base their settings here due to familiarity, or because the intricate depictions of real-world Tokyo (or its dark, demonic counterpart) contribute significantly to the appeal of their games.

In a refreshing shift, the game Metaphor: ReFantazio is set in a fantastical world called Euchronia, home to diverse Tribes. Each Tribe represents its own distinct blend of peoples and cultures, making the rich geographical and cultural variety one of the game’s standout features, much like the concentrated settings in Shin Megami Tensei, but with even more depth and breadth.

4 The Combat System

ReFantazio Departs From Turn-Based Combat, But Remains Close By

Since its debut on the Super Famicon, turn-based combat has been a fundamental aspect of the Shin Megami Tensei series. While the combat system has significantly advanced over time, certain concepts and mechanics have persisted from its early days. The combat revolves around a complex version of rock-paper-scissors, where the interaction of elemental strengths, affinities, and weaknesses can drastically impact each fight, often determining whether it’s a breeze or a challenge. This is one factor that contributes to the series having several exceptionally tough titles.

In the game “ReFantazio”, clashes start in the open world as a live, continuous event. Initially, attacks don’t reduce enemy health directly, but they do decrease their stun gauge. Once this gauge is completely drained, the enemies become stunned and vulnerable to heavy damage when traditional turn-based, affinity-focused combat resumes. This feature infuses “Metaphor: ReFantazio” with a sense of liveliness and excitement, while maintaining the strategic aspect that Atlus games are renowned for.

3 The Emphasis On Companions

Shin Megami Tensei Is Usually A Solitary Affair – Not So With ReFantazio

Shin Megami Tensei games often have a compact, somber, and imaginative style. They delve into deep, philosophical themes, and each game features a few standout characters, either the progressively unstable Atlus remake girl or someone expressive about their philosophical beliefs. However, even in games where allies can be crucial assets like Apocalypse, a character’s moral stance is generally more significant than their personal connections with these characters; it serves the narrative these games aim to convey.

In ReFantazio, players are able to decide which characters to invest time in and cultivate relationships with, earning their favor and enhancing combat abilities. This mechanism shares similarities with the Persona series, although it does not include the option for romantic involvement. Instead, it mirrors the narrative of a ruler amassing followers, reflecting the epic tale that Atlus is attempting to convey, focusing on the grandeur of leadership rather than the pleasure of young love and personal relationships.

2 The World Navigation

The Gauntlet Or Magatsuhi Rails – They’re Both Cool

In essence, the Shin Megami Tensei series isn’t typically known for its open-world gameplay. While some newer installments like Apocalypse and Vengeance offer semi-open environments with multiple large areas to explore, these zones are essentially self-contained regions rather than a fully interconnected world. This structure mirrors older games too, like the tiered Schwarzwelt in Shin Megami Tensei: Strange Journey Redux. Navigation within these zones often involves quick movement between previously visited areas or the discovery of new ones, such as the magatsuhi rails found in Vengeance.

In the game Metaphor: ReFantazio, instead of being just a floating ship called Gauntlet, it functions as my personal transport to traverse diverse regions across the kingdom, and beyond that, it leads me to individual dungeons nestled within and surrounding these areas. Unlike in Shin Megami Tensei titles where I focus on a singular zone, here, it’s the dungeons that tend to grab my attention more.

1 The Class System

ReFantazio Reframes A Classic RPG System

In the context of the Shin Megami Tensei series, it doesn’t have a traditional class system. Instead, players can opt to focus on specific skills by distributing their stats as they level up. However, the party members in these games possess their own inherent attributes that grow with each level-up. Games such as Strange Journey allow players to specialize in magic even though the main character doesn’t learn any magic skills, a design decision that makes sense and caters more to human playstyle.

ReFantazio adopts a more refined strategy for its character archetype system, embodying the concept of ReFantazio itself with a collection of 46 Archetypes categorized into 15 groups. These categories blend Atlus’ distinctive style with traditional high fantasy roles, resulting in an intriguing fusion.

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2024-10-14 00:24