Some minor spoilers ahead.

MANILA, Philippines – The year 2024 in gaming started with a barrage of must-play titles in the first quarter. 

The epic Final Fantasy VII Rebirth led things off, of course, along with other big name big-hitters Tekken 8 and Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth. 

There was also the surprise hit Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown; the intimidating yet engrossing Dragon’s Dogma 2; the cheeky multiplayer, democracy-loving Helldivers 2; a game that more than scratches the itch for strategy-RPG fans Unicorn Overlord; and the underrated perhaps misunderstood Rise of the Ronin. 

All of these came out from January to March 2024. It’s already hard to get me out of the house, but these games made it even harder. 

After that first quarter storm, there was still a steady influx of quality games through the months. 

Again, let’s list all we can: Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree (an expansion good enough to get Game of the Year nominations), the sexy Stellar Blade, China’s most well-produced game ever Black Myth: Wukong, the Silent Hill 2 remake, and a legitimate Super Mario rival, Astro Bot. 

But among these, the game that has really chained me to the house again is Metaphor: ReFantazio, released in October. 

If you’re reading this, you know its story. It’s from the same guys who made Persona 5, led by director Katsura Hashino who’s now leading a new development team called Studio Zero, but is still under the same publisher, Atlus. 

Persona 5 was a Game of the Year nominee for the 2017 Game Awards, but lost to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, ultimately coming home with the Best Role-Playing Game trophy. 

This year, Metaphor: ReFantazio is looking like it will get a nomination again in the year-end awards, where it will likely go up against favorites like FFVII Rebirth, slight underdog Astro Bot, and potential black horse Black Myth Wukong. 

It’s an exciting race, but if FFVII Rebirth does indeed win, it would be the second time that Katsura Hashino’s team — brandishing a game that boasts bold art direction and novel character bonding, and character building qualities — would lose to a gaming mega-franchise.

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What do you get with ReFantazio?  

First off, you get a weird name. Metaphor: ReFantazio. Certainly more of a mouthful than Persona. 

But the name isn’t the only thing that’s bold about it. Its art direction, especially with the user interface (UI) shown below, is still fresh and striking, taking major cues from Persona 5. Big, bold letters on the menu. Large splashes of color. A quirky obsession with focusing on a body part (your hero’s face on the main menu; his hand for the Skills tab; his feet for the Quest tab etc.) It’s not just the UI but that energy just gives the game so much life. 

It’s especially notable as the post-modern, artsy elements jive well with what is essentially a medieval fantasy setting. These same elements were present in Persona 5, but that was set in modern Japan, so they almost fit expectations. But in this case, the modern visual elements offer a memorable contrast to the game’s throwback, medieval setting in an alternate-world in the year 793. 

The boldness extends to some of the creature designs. There are some that look so insane as if taking cues from renowned Japanese manga artist Junji Ito. Strangely enough, the most feared monsters in the game are called “humans” though in a nightmarish form more than usual, like the one below.

And those designs would mean nothing if they weren’t so fun to take down. 

The game’s main battle system is fast-paced and exciting, anchored by its “Archetype” system, which basically has you turning into a high-powered, magical alter ego with all the special skills. Some basic ones include the Warrior, Seeker, Healer, Brawler, and Knight Archetypes. 

These Archetypes “evolve” into more powerful forms, most of them having three tiers. The Brawler for example can reach the top-tier Martial Artist Archetype. 

But here’s where it becomes even more fun: You can learn skills from other Archetypes, and add them to your primary one, allowing you to shape your own powerful Archetype. I have not seen the full potential of the system, but I have great hope it’s as fun as I imagine.

In Persona, you enlist the help of demons, whose skills you’re able to use. It’s somewhat a similar system in ReFantazio, only this time, you’re basically the one who turns into a high-powered entity, instead of summoning help. 

There is a similar ebb and flow to clearing dungeons. Major quests will give you a time limit in completing quests, according to the game’s day and night cycle that are forwarded through in-game activities. 

Do too many side quests, and you won’t have enough time to clear the primary dungeon quest, leading to a game over. 

Inside a dungeon, you try to go forward as much as you can, clearing enemies, then looking for a safe spot, so you can start there the next time you take on the dungeon again. 

You’ll run out of magic power, and supplies, so you have to exit the dungeon at one point, rest at the inn, and try again the next day. Eventually, you come across the boss, and you clear it. 

All along, you can take it easy on some days, doing quests for the townspeople, or doing activities that enhance your “Royal Virtues” such as your intellect, eloquence, tolerance and others. You need to raise them because some quest requires a certain level of these traits. 

Doing these activities also consume time, much like going on a dungeon run. It’s this time element — like in Persona 5 — that encourages the gamer to be more purposeful with their moves. 

There’s an opportunity cost when doing a side quest here. Doing one means you might have to let go of another, so you have to make your brain work: What do I really want or need my character to do? 

The time element is still really one of the standout traits of the game, really highlighting the need for you to prioritize. 

The story is also something I’m drawn to. The basic setup is, no pun intended, archetypal: a general who comes to power, through his amazing skill, attempts to usurp the throne.

But the game makes it compelling again with its style in presentation, the addition of fanciful elements, anchored by themes of anti-racism. 

In this fantasy world, there is a novel describing a utopia of a fairer society in the future that appears to be set in our modern world now, described as a world with “Towers of glass that reach the heavens. Safe nights with no dark shadows. Busy streets well traveled.”

Granted, our real world is far from a utopia at this point, but it’s just striking to see of this medieval world dreaming, fantasizing of our world of today — like a reversal of us immersing into medieval fantasy worlds. 

In the game, the writer of the said novel, named “More,” and shown below, is imprisoned by the king, and the novel is banned. 

There is no clear reason given in the game, but you probably know that when real-world tyrants ban ideas and books, the reason is never good for society’s progress. 

Other than stopping the usurper, it is implied that you are to free the imprisoned novelist as well and his book — who also, by the way, plays the role of your guide when using Archetypes. 

The Archetypes are almost a metaphor for a person maximizing his talents and skills, in the service of becoming a force for progress. 

In the game’s capital city, there are various races — horned ones, winged ones, those with different-colored eyes, those with pointy rabbit ears etc. that emphasize a sort of visual difference beyond skin color — and some get more privilege than others, some are bluntly discriminated even at a place of faith as shown below, and there is a manner of segregation. 

It’s quite a relevant theme, isn’t it? And all of these — kings banning books, finding your power to contribute to the making of an ideal world, racial discrimination — make for a compelling, relatable story with all the gameplay trappings of what made Persona 5 so great, without feeling like it forces such political matters down your throat. 

Is it the most nuanced take on these themes? It’s not, but it’s certainly among the most creative and memorable. 

On Metacritic, the game shares the highest aggregate score this year with Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, and Astro Bot with a score of 94. 

Suffice to say, it has a real shot at the top Game of the Year trophy. But trophy or no, Metaphor: ReFantazio is not to be missed for RPG fans. – Rappler.com 

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