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Metaphor: ReFantazio |OT| Don’t Worry, It’s All in Your Head!
- Thread starter Thick Thighs Save Lives
- Start date
- |OT|
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Same bro. Even have the "gamer blues", don't want to play anything.The more I return to this thread to see what other people might say the more I start missing this game. I hope whatever Studio Zero is working on next doesn't take another 8 years..
sloppyjoe_gamer
Gold Member
OMGSH.....the chanting dude from the battle OST did it live at TGS!!! Fucking Amazing!!!
Dorito dork needs to get this guy to be there live at the Game Awards!!!!
Dorito dork needs to get this guy to be there live at the Game Awards!!!!
Kurotri
Member
everyone loves the monk, it would definitely be wild if Geoff managed to pull that off
TwiztidElf
Gold Member
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Apparently there's a very big and very obvious reference to Etrian Odyssey that went completely over my head because I haven't played those games.
DonkeyPunchJr
World’s Biggest Weeb
FFS this game never ends. I thought I was right before the last boss then “let’s head back to town to prepare for the final confrontation” “okay now you better go have another conversation with every one of your followers”
NOOOOOOOO
Think I’m really at the true final save point. I’ll see if I can finish it tonight.
NOOOOOOOO
Think I’m really at the true final save point. I’ll see if I can finish it tonight.
vagabond-
Neo Member
my goat
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Think I spent 4 (four) hours between reaching the final boss and seeing the credits, so good luck with that lol.
DonkeyPunchJr
World’s Biggest Weeb
Jesus Christ, that’s what I was afraid of.
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
I loved the ending but I think it's wise to start it at an early hour, so you avoid going to bed at 4 AM like I did last night.
DonkeyPunchJr
World’s Biggest Weeb
Yeah I think I’ll put it on the back burner til Saturday. Then I’ll wake up at 5:30 AM, take some Ritalin, and finally get this damn game finished.
adamsapple
Or is it just one of Phil's balls in my throat?
The final boss:
NotMyProblemAnymoreCunt
Biggest Trails Stan
Shake Your Rump
Member
That is around the point that I found the exposition to become longer than the actual gameplay, so I empathize. So many hours spent with auto-play on, controller off to the side, while I essentially watched a movie.
Be prepared for long sessions between the action. I don’t recall ever feeling that the “downtime” in Persona 5 was long, but Metaphor did tempt me to skip dialogue at times (although I never did).
Nankatsu
Member
I already skipped some dialogue. I don't understand why they cut so much VA moments in this game.
Grildon Tundy
Member
Maruki did nothing wrong.
Kurotri
Member
It's the same reason why I skipped it too. I never partake in stuff like that in any game. But judging from my own experience, you would do well to partake in it just to level yourself up and be stronger. You are gonna need all the strength and tools that you can get at the end of the game.
DonkeyPunchJr
World’s Biggest Weeb
Totally unnecessary IMO. I saved it until I had some free time before the final dungeon, then went and effortlessly plowed through the colosseum events, just to get the achievements and a few decent accessories from the ranked battles.
If you want to power level, it’s much easier to do that in dungeons by killing enemies 3+ levels below you (so you don’t have to party battle). You can find those endless enemy spawning crystals. Also enemies all regenerate if you go to Akademia or the entry area of the dungeon. Use Mage’s hero passive if you’re running low on MP.
Yeah I know all those strats, and I try to go through the game without grinding or cheesing (on hard). Makes the combat challenging but really interesting as well
Schmendrick
Member
This game is too long for its own good. Could have done with minimum~15 hours less. It seriously dragged its feet toward the end and I started skipping every bit of dialogue around the 10 hour mark already.
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
I wouldn't have minded another 50 hours lol, to each their own.
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
DonkeyPunchJr
World’s Biggest Weeb
Arsic
Loves his juicy stink trail scent
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
Increase Royal virtue, do hunts or even fight in colosseums.
Topher
Identifies as young
How do you increase virtues when not on the runner? I tried reading a book when it isn't going anywhere and I can't.
DonkeyPunchJr
World’s Biggest Weeb
IMO bounties and sidequests are much higher priority, because usually you have to take the runner and then you can kill 2 birds with one stone by increasing your virtues on the gauntlet runner.
Anyway there are other ways to increase virtues. Look for the icons on the map. IIRC in the first town there’s a guy near the inn who can increase your tolerance, a guy near the bar who increases your imagination, and a bench you can sit on to increase wisdom (every town has one of these)
Topher
Identifies as young
Revolutionary
Member
When do you guys decide to stop farming a dungeon? Been farming a stormy dungeon for like 2 hours now lol
Edit: new patch out on Steam. Has a toggle for the motion blur effect while dashing
store.steampowered.com
Edit: new patch out on Steam. Has a toggle for the motion blur effect while dashing
Metaphor: ReFantazio - Patch Notes 1.09 - Steam News
Hi Metaphor: ReFantazio players, patch 1.09 is now available. Please see the notes below: New ON/OFF toggle setting for motion blur animation when dashing. *Dash effects setting can be changed from SETTINGS > System Setting > Dash Effects. Fixed an issue where a quest in the Catacombs cannot be...
Last edited:
Thick Thighs Save Lives
NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
This battle theme live performance is chef's kiss. Hopefully Geoff will invite him to perform at the TGA.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
Persona Master is one of the best job class, I managed to beat the dragon boss that repels every element on hard difficult thanks to this class.
This also the first Atlus game I played Mage can out damage physical attackers usually in both SMT and Persona physical focus character will be your main DPS but in Metaphor elemental damage can out damage physical and even almighty attacks.
This also the first Atlus game I played Mage can out damage physical attackers usually in both SMT and Persona physical focus character will be your main DPS but in Metaphor elemental damage can out damage physical and even almighty attacks.
Last edited:
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
My sweet summer child.gif
Nankatsu
Member
Last edited:
TintoConCasera
I bought a sex doll, but I keep it inflated 100% of the time and use it like a regular wife
Hell yeah it is. Being able to create weaknesses even if for just 1 attack helped me a lot during the endgame.
That, the assassin's skill to dodge and the knight's Holy Proclamation are imo between the most usefull skills in the game. Basilio's Wanton Destruction is amazing as well, I was dealing 2500+ damage to the final boss with it.
Shit's crazy lol, specially early to mid September.
Nevermind
Yo, this shit becomes a roller-coaster.
Last edited:
DonkeyPunchJr
World’s Biggest Weeb
FINALLY beat it! That would make this game the first modern (as in, Persona 3 onward) Atlus game I’ve finished.
I’m not crazy about turn based JRPGs. What made this one good for me was:
- being able to kill weaker enemies without having to do a party battle
- if you know the enemy’s weakness often you can end the battle in a single turn
- I’m a sucker for games with a job system where you can mix and match abilities.
Loved:
- the story
- the music
- the characters
- Louis is a top tier villain
Hated:
- TOO MUCH FUCKING TALKING. This game’s favorite thing to do is have characters standing and talking. It’s like the only way they can convey any idea to you at all, just have characters stand there and talk talk talk. Every time you open a door, every time you pick a location on the map, every time there’s some new mechanic in a dungeon, etc etc they just have to break out into another damn conversation. I just skimmed most of the dialog by the time I’d reached the halfway point.
- ugly ass budget PS3 graphics
- bland and boring dungeon design
- the follower stories were hit or miss. They would’ve been more effective if the story weren’t conveyed almost entirely through endless talking
- just too long in general
Overall it’s probably a 7.5 or an 8 for me. If they had trimmed it down to like 50 hours, and conveyed more of the story visually instead of relying on dialog for everything, it easily could’ve been a 9.
I’m not crazy about turn based JRPGs. What made this one good for me was:
- being able to kill weaker enemies without having to do a party battle
- if you know the enemy’s weakness often you can end the battle in a single turn
- I’m a sucker for games with a job system where you can mix and match abilities.
Loved:
- the story
- the music
- the characters
- Louis is a top tier villain
Hated:
- TOO MUCH FUCKING TALKING. This game’s favorite thing to do is have characters standing and talking. It’s like the only way they can convey any idea to you at all, just have characters stand there and talk talk talk. Every time you open a door, every time you pick a location on the map, every time there’s some new mechanic in a dungeon, etc etc they just have to break out into another damn conversation. I just skimmed most of the dialog by the time I’d reached the halfway point.
- ugly ass budget PS3 graphics
- bland and boring dungeon design
- the follower stories were hit or miss. They would’ve been more effective if the story weren’t conveyed almost entirely through endless talking
- just too long in general
Overall it’s probably a 7.5 or an 8 for me. If they had trimmed it down to like 50 hours, and conveyed more of the story visually instead of relying on dialog for everything, it easily could’ve been a 9.
SaniOYOYOY
Member
Prince physical crit build is too strong, its legit one shot city on endgame.
Danjin44
The nicest person on this forum
For me combination of Element Mage and Persona Master I can do close to 4k damage each turn, its how managed to beat all Trial of Dragons on hard difficulty.
TheDarkPhantom
Gold Member
"What is the problem with Metaphor and why do I love it despite it's myriad issues?" this is the main question I've been contemplating having finished the game a couple of days ago after clocking 90+ hours, did every sidequest/hunt, completed the coliseum, all virtues/followers maxed, all beetles found, all guide-free. It's an important question because, as much as I enjoyed my time with it, I feel it could have/should have been a lot more. This has been a *massive* year for JRPG's with Rebirth undeniably being the biggest (and best, it's so damn good despite it's own flaws) to the point where Metaphor's metacritic score seems suspect... but that's a topic for another day!
I believe Metaphor's biggest problem is it's decision to be shackled to the Persona formula and the restrictive calendar system in particular. In the context/setting of Persona the calendar is a brilliant idea, going through a school year and all it entails with a group of ragtag students who ultimately band together to fight evil when they aren't studying for exams and hanging out. Metaphor was an opportunity for Hashino's team to truly break free and create something more befitting a grand adventure. I'll always give credit where it's due, they definitely tried in one way: enter the Gauntlet Runner.
The Gauntlet Runner is ingenious, I'm in love with it. What an fantastic way to instill a sense of scope and scale when you're just moving from point A to B on a flat 2D map. It serves as both a traversal mechanic and a story-telling device, the wonderful narrator fleshing out the world around you. Going up on deck and seeing the ever-changing landscape whiz by never got old and fostering relationships with my crew made the Runner feel like a home, a simpler version of something like the Normandy in Mass Effect. Alas, I wonder how much further they could have taken it but I appreciate what's there.
Of course, the wholesale copying of Persona doesn't end there (I wrote about it in my demo thoughts) but Metaphor's saving grace is it (mostly) improves upon those systems. SL's automatically move up a level so there is no time wasted, virtues are precisely tracked. Archetypes are a more streamlined but ultimately superior system to Personas with one big caveat: I miss the unique, character specific Personas for each character, made them feel special and hearing Ryuji yell out "Captain Kid!" in the middle of battle for example was just *cool*. While we get Royal Archetypes here they are essentially faceless avatars and come way late in the game to really feel exceptional.
Another big flaw is Metaphor's visuals and copy/paste dungeon design. I said it before but I'll say it again, more often than not this looks like a PS3 game and it's visuals are inferior to P5 vanilla, a game that came out a little over 8 years ago, let that sink in. Bland dungeon design that often repeats itself throughout the campaign doesn't do Metaphor any favours either, it's mostly just uninspired and boring. I don't need a game to be a cutting edge, visual powerhouse with production values off the charts, I play everything from AAA to lo-fi Indy. I *do* expect each successive game from tne same studio to push things forward though and that really didn't happen here.
Unicorn Overlord is a great example of a game that is drop dead gorgeous without having a Rebirth style budget. A final point mentioned in my previous post but bears repeating: the artistic choice to have Magla schizophrenically spazzing across the screen at all times is one of the worst decisions I've seen in my nearly 40 years of gaming, it's jaw-droppingly ugly and distracting. Also doesn't help that framerates couldn't stay consistent, would have expected that at the very least.
Clearly I have myriad criticisms with Metaphor but it shines where it matters most in a JRPG: narrative and characters. This is one of my favourite casts in the history of the genre, not one weak link, every character voiced to perfection, each individual with their own compelling background I got fully invested in. The central narrative likewise delivers the goods with the masterly premise of garnering favour with the public to win an election, this is as non-cliche as it gets and it subverts the trope of doing random, menial tasks for the inconsequential NPC while trying to save the world. Here it makes perfect sense that you're delivering magical water to Thelonius McDougall the Third, you need his vote after all!
When the twists eventually come they come hot and heavy, I'll forever remember those foreboding days in September... The main villain is a good one, not the best but one that's well written and whose motivations make sense however wrong we innately know they are. I also appreciated the overall world-building with nine different "races", the social hierarchy, the inherent prejudices etc, it's well thought out and brings Euchronia to life.
I agree with what many have posted about the game getting way too talky, it can get tedious and kill the flow. Ditto the frequent cutscenes for the simplest things like opening a door, Metaphor often gets in it's own way. However, the idea of "skipping dialogue" is fundamentally antithetical to this genre of game so I listened to every conversation and indeed would revisit towns after big story events to see what the common Paripus had to say about unfolding events, his voice mattered to me! It's fair to say I got the FULL Metaphor experience.
The OST is heavenly, I love it and just wish there was *more* of it. Impossible to pick a favourite track, this one is incredibly stirring, wistful, achingly beautiful:
And when the strings kick in on this track it's nothing less than majestic:
During the final battle one of the best tracks in the game gets reworked and taken to it's absolute pinnacle. To say it's spectacular is an understatement, a fitting, operatic finale to close out our grand adventure.
Combat is another place where Metaphor shines, the press turn system opening up layers of strategy though it becomes very easy to "break" the game with OP builds/combinations deeper into the adventure. Being able to finish certain battles without Squad engagement was a brilliant (and I'd say necessary) idea. While I appreciated the synchronization system none of the attacks had the same visual flair/sense of impact as P5's Showtime attacks for example, this is something they *should* have borrowed more from. Overall though it felt great across dozens of hours of dungeon crawling and that's what matters most.
Metaphor was one of my most anticipated games of 2024, a game I was on media blackout for almost a year until the demo and a game I had the special edition pre-ordered for. It mostly delivered, it's in my top 10 for 2024 in what has been a very strong year. We can love something and still be critical of it (and should be!) but I'll always be there day 1 for whatever this team puts out, would love to see something completely out of left field like Catherine, one of my favourites from the PS3 era.
I wanted to talk about Metaphor's strange reliance on Hieronymus Bosch's artwork to inform much of it's creature design but that's a whole other topic so I'll leave it there for now. Can't wait to finally here P6 news and I hope Metaphor continues despite my criticisms, there is so much here I adore
.
I believe Metaphor's biggest problem is it's decision to be shackled to the Persona formula and the restrictive calendar system in particular. In the context/setting of Persona the calendar is a brilliant idea, going through a school year and all it entails with a group of ragtag students who ultimately band together to fight evil when they aren't studying for exams and hanging out. Metaphor was an opportunity for Hashino's team to truly break free and create something more befitting a grand adventure. I'll always give credit where it's due, they definitely tried in one way: enter the Gauntlet Runner.
The Gauntlet Runner is ingenious, I'm in love with it. What an fantastic way to instill a sense of scope and scale when you're just moving from point A to B on a flat 2D map. It serves as both a traversal mechanic and a story-telling device, the wonderful narrator fleshing out the world around you. Going up on deck and seeing the ever-changing landscape whiz by never got old and fostering relationships with my crew made the Runner feel like a home, a simpler version of something like the Normandy in Mass Effect. Alas, I wonder how much further they could have taken it but I appreciate what's there.
Of course, the wholesale copying of Persona doesn't end there (I wrote about it in my demo thoughts) but Metaphor's saving grace is it (mostly) improves upon those systems. SL's automatically move up a level so there is no time wasted, virtues are precisely tracked. Archetypes are a more streamlined but ultimately superior system to Personas with one big caveat: I miss the unique, character specific Personas for each character, made them feel special and hearing Ryuji yell out "Captain Kid!" in the middle of battle for example was just *cool*. While we get Royal Archetypes here they are essentially faceless avatars and come way late in the game to really feel exceptional.
Another big flaw is Metaphor's visuals and copy/paste dungeon design. I said it before but I'll say it again, more often than not this looks like a PS3 game and it's visuals are inferior to P5 vanilla, a game that came out a little over 8 years ago, let that sink in. Bland dungeon design that often repeats itself throughout the campaign doesn't do Metaphor any favours either, it's mostly just uninspired and boring. I don't need a game to be a cutting edge, visual powerhouse with production values off the charts, I play everything from AAA to lo-fi Indy. I *do* expect each successive game from tne same studio to push things forward though and that really didn't happen here.
Unicorn Overlord is a great example of a game that is drop dead gorgeous without having a Rebirth style budget. A final point mentioned in my previous post but bears repeating: the artistic choice to have Magla schizophrenically spazzing across the screen at all times is one of the worst decisions I've seen in my nearly 40 years of gaming, it's jaw-droppingly ugly and distracting. Also doesn't help that framerates couldn't stay consistent, would have expected that at the very least.
Clearly I have myriad criticisms with Metaphor but it shines where it matters most in a JRPG: narrative and characters. This is one of my favourite casts in the history of the genre, not one weak link, every character voiced to perfection, each individual with their own compelling background I got fully invested in. The central narrative likewise delivers the goods with the masterly premise of garnering favour with the public to win an election, this is as non-cliche as it gets and it subverts the trope of doing random, menial tasks for the inconsequential NPC while trying to save the world. Here it makes perfect sense that you're delivering magical water to Thelonius McDougall the Third, you need his vote after all!
When the twists eventually come they come hot and heavy, I'll forever remember those foreboding days in September... The main villain is a good one, not the best but one that's well written and whose motivations make sense however wrong we innately know they are. I also appreciated the overall world-building with nine different "races", the social hierarchy, the inherent prejudices etc, it's well thought out and brings Euchronia to life.
I agree with what many have posted about the game getting way too talky, it can get tedious and kill the flow. Ditto the frequent cutscenes for the simplest things like opening a door, Metaphor often gets in it's own way. However, the idea of "skipping dialogue" is fundamentally antithetical to this genre of game so I listened to every conversation and indeed would revisit towns after big story events to see what the common Paripus had to say about unfolding events, his voice mattered to me! It's fair to say I got the FULL Metaphor experience.
The OST is heavenly, I love it and just wish there was *more* of it. Impossible to pick a favourite track, this one is incredibly stirring, wistful, achingly beautiful:
And when the strings kick in on this track it's nothing less than majestic:
During the final battle one of the best tracks in the game gets reworked and taken to it's absolute pinnacle. To say it's spectacular is an understatement, a fitting, operatic finale to close out our grand adventure.
Combat is another place where Metaphor shines, the press turn system opening up layers of strategy though it becomes very easy to "break" the game with OP builds/combinations deeper into the adventure. Being able to finish certain battles without Squad engagement was a brilliant (and I'd say necessary) idea. While I appreciated the synchronization system none of the attacks had the same visual flair/sense of impact as P5's Showtime attacks for example, this is something they *should* have borrowed more from. Overall though it felt great across dozens of hours of dungeon crawling and that's what matters most.
Metaphor was one of my most anticipated games of 2024, a game I was on media blackout for almost a year until the demo and a game I had the special edition pre-ordered for. It mostly delivered, it's in my top 10 for 2024 in what has been a very strong year. We can love something and still be critical of it (and should be!) but I'll always be there day 1 for whatever this team puts out, would love to see something completely out of left field like Catherine, one of my favourites from the PS3 era.
I wanted to talk about Metaphor's strange reliance on Hieronymus Bosch's artwork to inform much of it's creature design but that's a whole other topic so I'll leave it there for now. Can't wait to finally here P6 news and I hope Metaphor continues despite my criticisms, there is so much here I adore
.
Last edited:
Kurotri
Member
"What is the problem with Metaphor and why do I love it despite it's myriad issues?" this is the main question I've been contemplating having finished the game a couple of days ago after clocking 90+ hours, did every sidequest/hunt, completed the coliseum, all virtues/followers maxed, all beetles found, all guide-free. It's an important question because, as much as I enjoyed my time with it, I feel it could have/should have been a lot more. This has been a *massive* year for JRPG's with Rebirth undeniably being the biggest (and best, it's so damn good despite it's own flaws) to the point where Metaphor's metacritic score seems suspect... but that's a topic for another day!
I believe Metaphor's biggest problem is it's decision to be shackled to the Persona formula and the restrictive calendar system in particular. In the context/setting of Persona the calendar is a brilliant idea, going through a school year and all it entails with a group of ragtag students who ultimately band together to fight evil when they aren't studying for exams and hanging out. Metaphor was an opportunity for Hashino's team to truly break free and create something more befitting a grand adventure. I'll always give credit where it's due, they definitely tried in one way: enter the Gauntlet Runner.
The Gauntlet Runner is ingenious, I'm in love with it. What an fantastic way to instill a sense of scope and scale when you're just moving from point A to B on a flat 2D map. It serves as both a traversal mechanic and a story-telling device, the wonderful narrator fleshing out the world around you. Going up on deck and seeing the ever-changing landscape whiz by never got old and fostering relationships with my crew made the Runner feel like a home, a simpler version of something like the Normandy in Mass Effect. Alas, I wonder how much further they could have taken it but I appreciate what's there.
Of course, the wholesale copying of Persona doesn't end there (I wrote about it in my demo thoughts) but Metaphor's saving grace is it (mostly) improves upon those systems. SL's automatically move up a level so there is no time wasted, virtues are precisely tracked. Archetypes are a more streamlined but ultimately superior system to Personas with one big caveat: I miss the unique, character specific Personas for each character, made them feel special and hearing Ryuji yell out "Captain Kid!" in the middle of battle for example was just *cool*. While we get Royal Archetypes here they are essentially faceless avatars and come way late in the game to really feel exceptional.
Another big flaw is Metaphor's visuals and copy/paste dungeon design. I said it before but I'll say it again, more often than not this looks like a PS3 game and it's visuals are inferior to P5 vanilla, a game that came out a little over 8 years ago, let that sink in. Bland dungeon design that often repeats itself throughout the campaign doesn't do Metaphor any favours either, it's mostly just uninspired and boring. I don't need a game to be a cutting edge, visual powerhouse with production values off the charts, I play everything from AAA to lo-fi Indy. I *do* expect each successive game from tne same studio to push things forward though and that really didn't happen here.
Unicorn Overlord is a great example of a game that is drop dead gorgeous without having a Rebirth style budget. A final point mentioned in my previous post but bears repeating: the artistic choice to have Magla schizophrenically spazzing across the screen at all times is one of the worst decisions I've seen in my nearly 40 years of gaming, it's jaw-droppingly ugly and distracting. Also doesn't help that framerates couldn't stay consistent, would have expected that at the very least.
Clearly I have myriad criticisms with Metaphor but it shines where it matters most in a JRPG: narrative and characters. This is one of my favourite casts in the history of the genre, not one weak link, every character voiced to perfection, each individual with their own compelling background I got fully invested in. The central narrative likewise delivers the goods with the masterly premise of garnering favour with the public to win an election, this is as non-cliche as it gets and it subverts the trope of doing random, menial tasks for the inconsequential NPC while trying to save the world. Here it makes perfect sense that you're delivering magical water to Thelonius McDougall the Third, you need his vote after all!
When the twists eventually come they come hot and heavy, I'll forever remember those foreboding days in September... The main villain is a good one, not the best but one that's well written and whose motivations make sense however wrong we innately know they are. I also appreciated the overall world-building with nine different "races", the social hierarchy, the inherent prejudices etc, it's well thought out and brings Euchronia to life.
I agree with what many have posted about the game getting way too talky, it can get tedious and kill the flow. Ditto the frequent cutscenes for the simplest things like opening a door, Metaphor often gets in it's own way. However, the idea of "skipping dialogue" is fundamentally antithetical to this genre of game so I listened to every conversation and indeed would revisit towns after big story events to see what the common Paripus had to say about unfolding events, his voice mattered to me! It's fair to say I got the FULL Metaphor experience.
The OST is heavenly, I love it and just wish there was *more* of it. Impossible to pick a favourite track, this one is incredibly stirring, wistful, achingly beautiful:
And when the strings kick in on this track it's nothing less than majestic:
During the final battle one of the best tracks in the game gets reworked and taken to it's absolute pinnacle. To say it's spectacular is an understatement, a fitting, operatic finale to close out our grand adventure.
Combat is another place where Metaphor shines, the press turn system opening up layers of strategy though it becomes very easy to "break" the game with OP builds/combinations deeper into the adventure. Being able to finish certain battles without Squad engagement was a brilliant (and I'd say necessary) idea. While I appreciated the synchronization system none of the attacks had the same visual flair/sense of impact as PS5's Showtime attacks for example, this is something they *should* have borrowed more from. Overall though it felt great across dozens of hours of dungeon crawling and that's what matters most.
Metaphor was one of my most anticipated games of 2024, a game I was on media blackout for almost a year until the demo and a game I had the special edition pre-ordered for. It mostly delivered, it's in my top 10 for 2024 in what has been a very strong year. We can love something and still be critical of it (and should be!) but I'll always be there day 1 for whatever this team puts out, would love to see something completely out of left field like Catherine, one of my favourites from the PS3 era.
I wanted to talk about Metaphor's strange reliance on Hieronymus Bosch's artwork to inform much of it's creature design but that's a whole other topic so I'll leave it there for now. Can't wait to finally here P6 news and I hope we Metaphor continues despite my criticisms, there is so much here I adore
Good writeup man, love reading lengthy opinions about this game here.
Personally, something I omitted from my "review": I'm not really sure if Metaphor has the ingredients to make it as a series. Despite being such a strong game, I'm not sure what they can do in sequels that would make each experience shine in their own way. Persona is pretty simple, just drop highschoolers into a town somewhere in Japan and tackle modern issues. The framework of leading a double life for a year as a highschooler I think has a strong appeal. Hell, with the nature of shadows and personas, they don't even have to stick to high school, as Persona 5 was initially supposed to be a globetrotting adventure with the theme of "finding yourself", think Persona 5 Strikers but not exclusively in Japan.
Metaphor in contrast has you trying to become king. If you decide to make a series about becoming a king each time, I think that concept would wear itself out much faster. It's too high stakes from the get go and is pretty confined in the way gameplay is designed, because it'd be your job to help citizens as a throne candidate every game. If you decide to do something else, like the inital plan with Persona 5, you'd kinda "downgrade" the game because now it's not as cool as trying to usurp the throne. It would also change gameplay radically because you'd have a different framework.
Maybe I'm just not creative but it's a little hard for me to envision sequels or a series for this game. However, if they find a way to keep things fresh and make it all work, I'm fully on board. I also want to return to this world, this game in general, just don't see how it'd work.