ReFantazio deserves its GOTY nomination, but I still can’t play it

Metaphor: ReFantazio was nominated for Game of the Year at the Game Awards, and while I think it deserves that recognition, I can’t seem to finish it either. This is in stark contrast to its competitor and fellow JRPG. Final Fantasy 7 Rebirthin which I invested several days of playing time. I’m also a big fan of Atlus’ RPGs, having played them myself Persona 4 Golden And Persona 5 Royal multiple times. So why is Metaphor: ReFantazio Are you causing me so much trouble?

It is certainly not due to technical defects. In many ways metaphor is a much more immersive experience than some of Atlus’ other games. It also has a topical story that seems almost perfectly timed. Since I’m a fan of political stories, it also fits in with my personal interests. And yet, The game just can’t captivate me.

Metaphor: ReFantazio improves on Atlus’ formula from previous games

Although Atlus RPGs are one of my personal favorites, it’s hard to ignore that they have some flaws. Common complaints about the persona The series in particular contain overly long intro sections and the need to go through random encounters in each dungeon to progress. Older entries in the series also made it difficult to know which NPCs could be interacted with on any given day, forcing players to waste time walking around the map checking their usual locations.

Metaphor: ReFantazio has managed to retain all of the attractive elements of the Atlus games while addressing these complaints. For starters, the introductory part of metaphor doesn’t seem to take that long. It also helps that Atlus gave players the chance to play through the launch for free days before the official release. This meant players could jump straight into the action when the actual game came out.

Maybe the biggest of Metaphor: ReFantazioAtlus’ innovation lies in how it handles random encounters. Once players have leveled up an enemy in the overworld, they no longer need to engage in a full turn-based battle to defeat them. Instead, players can hit them with basic attacks now available during exploration, quickly taking them down and earning XP. This makes retreading the ground to level up much less tedious, allowing players to quickly farm XP without having to go through an entire battle full of long attack animations.

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Metaphor: ReFantazio also adds some good quality of life improvements. These include menus that easily show which NPCs are available for quests or interactions, eliminating the need to walk around looking for them. The game also allows players to change the class of their party members in the middle of dungeons, making it much easier to find the right party composition without having to return to a safe point and swap characters. These improvements to Atlus’ formula likely contributed significantly to the game being nominated for an award.

Metaphor: ReFantazio’s story fits today’s political climate perfectly

Metaphor: ReFantazio criticizes power-hungry populists and the electorate

Another possible reason Metaphor: ReFantazio The GOTY nomination received its relevance. The game’s story revolves around a choicewhere the player attempts to stop the antagonist Louis Guiabern from taking control. Louis is a populist who uses the idea of ​​meritocracy to further his own selfish desire for power. It’s hard not to see parallels between the game and current political movements, especially when Metaphor: ReFantazio was released less than a month before the US general election.

It would be wrong to suggest that Louis is a simple one-on-one metaphor for a particular politician in the real world, but his tactics are not unknown. His focus on meritocracy, for example, echoes many of the talking points of right-wing populist movements in the United States, which cite the idea of ​​the American dream as one of their selling points. Louis’ open antagonism towards Sanctism is also not unlike the anti-elitist and anti-establishment sentiments that are the main talking points for politicians like Donald Trump.

It seems highly unlikely that Atlus wasn’t trying to make the game relevant to today’s political climate. finally, the game is literally called metaphorTherefore, it would be a mistake not to understand the story and message. The game’s political commentary likely earned it additional attention from critics and helped it get its nomination. Again, in terms of my own taste, this should mean that Metaphor: ReFantazio is exactly my thing. At least it’s an important reason why I enjoy it Final Fantasy 7 so much so are his radical views on environmental protection and capitalism. And yet…

Metaphor: ReFantazio isn’t a bad game, but I just can’t invest in it

In many ways Metaphor: ReFantazio feels like an updated version of persona seriessome of my favorite games. It also has a compelling and timely story that fits my interest in politics. And yet I can’t seem to bring myself to play the game for more than a few hours at a time, split between long breaks. I don’t have nearly the same drive to finish the game as I did persona title, and when I eventually finish it, I think it’s unlikely I’ll play it again.

An important reason, I think metaphor What struggles to hold my attention is that its characters seem boring. This is ironic because their visual design is unique. Take Heismay, an adorable little bat ninja who is mourning the loss of his son. While Heismay is visually unique in the world metaphorthe character feels very much like a one-note, wise mentor figure. Maybe at some point in the game his character will become more interesting, but so far metaphor hasn’t given me a reason to care enough to find out.

I was surprised that I was so disinterested Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s characterswhile Atlus has always had a knack for making me care about my party members. Persona 4Kanji Tatsumi, for example, initially seemed like just the standard bad boy character that I would hate, but I quickly realized that he was much more nuanced and he ended up becoming one of my favorites. In contrast, all the party members I have met so far metaphor At first I started off as a friendly person and have stayed that way until now.

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This boringness is also reflected somewhat in the game’s soundtrack. While the game’s menus are beautifully stylized, the music feels very generic and imaginative. I can’t help but feel like I would be more interested in playing the game if it had a more stylish and engaging soundtrack, similar to this persona games. The music isn’t necessarily bad, but it just doesn’t motivate me enough to engage in battles or exploration.

Although I have my criticisms Metaphor: ReFantazioI still wouldn’t call it a bad game. On paper it might be one of my favorites. Every time I pick it up, I do so in the hope that that gaming session will be the one that triggers the same obsessive urge to continue that I’ve felt with Atlus’ previous titles. So far, however, I’m still missing the spark of inspiration I need to get through the entire 65-hour running time of the game.

Source: ATLUS West/YouTube

Released

October 11, 2024

developer

Studio Zero

Publisher)

Atlus

ESRB

T for Teen // Blood, language, slightly suggestive themes, alcohol consumption, violence