Calling all Atlus enjoyers, the Metaphor ReFantazio release date has finally been announced for Friday, October 11, 2024! The developer has confirmed the all-important date during its recent ‘Atlus Exclusive’ showcase, in which creative director Katsura Hashino delves into everything we can expect from the upcoming PS5 and Xbox game.
During the presentation, Hashino calls Metaphor ReFantazio “a culmination of our RPGs” – it certainly wears its Shin Megami Tensei and Persona influences proudly on its rather swanky sleeves. It already looked stylish enough, but the deep dive has only reinforced my belief that Atlus is cooking a full seven-course meal – I’ll be shocked if this doesn’t become a The Loadout best games list candidate when it launches. Exemplifying the drip, the UI is the stuff dreams are made of design-wise, and you can even ride your sword like a skateboard, blending high fantasy with modernity – it’s dope as fuck.
Though we know Metaphor ReFantazio’s narrative is based on a more classic ‘rags-to-ruler’ trope, Atlus is looking to put its own “unique take” on it. “In a kingdom thrown into chaos by the King’s assassination, a royal magic is triggered that establishes an election,” Hashino says. “This magic allows any individual of any social status to become the next king by gaining the people’s support, which sets a battle for the throne in motion.” I stan magical democracy – though it’s going to be a bit more complicated than putting ballots in a box.
By the looks of things, our journey through the new PS5 game and new Xbox game won’t be a linear one in terms of power scaling. For example, the early game is fraught with terrors that far out-level the protagonist – something Hashino says has been done intentionally to give players “a sense of both tension and accomplishment.” I love seeing level variation in open-world games, as it adds a sense of progression as you revisit areas later down the line.
The combat itself is certainly one of the most interesting aspects of Metaphor ReFantazio, blending real-time and turn-based elements to form the RPG game’s hybrid system. It’s a super interesting evolution of Atlus’ traditionally-turn-based system, and one which it could continue to reiterate on (hello, Persona 6) in the same way Square Enix has continuously built upon its Active Time Battle system in Final Fantasy over the past decade or so.
Alongside the Metaphor ReFantazio release date, Atlus has also dropped the deets on pre-order incentives and Collector’s Edition content. You can check these out below
Metaphor: ReFantazio Collector’s Edition Contents:
- Base Game
- Artbook
- Soundtrack
- Homo Tenta Metallic pins
- Sticker Sheet
- Steelbook
- Kingdom of Euchronia Cloth Map
- ATLUS 35th Digital History Book
- ATLUS 35th Digital All-Time Best Soundtrack
Metaphor: ReFantazio Pre-order Incentives:
- Archetype EXP Chest Set
- 10x Hero’s Incenses (Increases Archetype Experiences by 100)
- 5x Hero’s Fruits (Increases Archetype Experiences by 500)
- Adventurer’s Journey Pack
- 30,000 Reeve (In-game currency)
- 5x Expensive Medicines (Restores 200 HP to one ally)
- 5x Revival Medicines (Revives an ally)
- 3x Magical Breads (Gradually recover MP while in dungeon)
- 2x Stale Blackbreads (Deals 300 Almighty damage to one enemy)
From what I’ve seen so far, October 11 can’t come around sooner. I can’t wait to sink many, many hours over spooky season into what could become Atlus’s magnum opus (at least, for now). But, until then we’ll have to wait patiently. Fortunately, we’ve got a recent Persona 6 leak to tide us over, as well as a potential Fortnite Persona collab to look forward to – I never saw that coming.
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