Metaphor: ReFantazio Review – A Brilliant Fantasy RPG Hampered by Technical Missteps

Metaphor: ReFantazio is an ambitious role-playing game from Atlus that brings together the best elements of their Persona series with a fresh fantasy twist. On paper, this sounds like a dream come true for RPG fans, but as with any dream, reality has its rough edges. While Metaphor: ReFantazio excels in its narrative depth, vibrant visual presentation, and intricate game design, its technical shortcomings cast a shadow over what could have been a truly ground breaking title.

In this review, we’ll dive into the strengths and weaknesses of Metaphor: ReFantazio, exploring what it does right and where it falters. From its stunning visual design and rich story to its puzzling performance issues, we’ll uncover why this game is both a masterpiece and a disappointment, depending on how you look at it.

A Fantasy Persona: Familiar Yet Different

If you’re a fan of the Persona series, Metaphor: ReFantazio will feel instantly familiar. The game blends core mechanics like time management, social links, and turn-based combat with a sprawling fantasy world. But unlike Persona, which is grounded in modern-day settings, Metaphor plunges you into a medieval fantasy realm filled with knights, sorcery, and mythical creatures.

This shift in setting brings a refreshing change of pace to the familiar Persona formula. The world of Metaphor is expansive and rich, with a semi-open world structure that gives players the freedom to explore various locales, each brimming with NPCs, quests, and hidden secrets. However, this increased scope comes with its own set of challenges, particularly when it comes to performance a point we’ll touch on later.

Visual Design: Striking But Imperfect

Atlus has always been known for its unique visual style, and Metaphor: ReFantazio is no exception. The game’s menus and UI are nothing short of stunning. Drawing inspiration from the Renaissance era, the UI design feels like a blend of science and art, featuring intricate 2D character illustrations, bold splashes of paint, and iconography reminiscent of old scientific illustrations. The menus are easy to navigate, despite their complexity, and transitions between panels are smooth and satisfying.

The game also features a striking mix of 2D and 3D art. While it takes cues from Persona 5’s flashy design, Metaphor leans more into texture and color variety, creating a world that feels both vibrant and mysterious. However, not all is perfect in the visual department.

The overall level of graphical fidelity feels somewhat dated, reminiscent of the PlayStation 3 era. Harsh shadowmaps, lack of anti-aliasing, and overly simplistic lighting effects detract from what could have been a more immersive experience. The art style is cohesive, but it’s clear that Metaphor: ReFantazio isn’t pushing the boundaries of modern-day graphical technology.

Storytelling: A Lengthy and Engaging Tale

One area where Metaphor shines is its storytelling. The game’s narrative is long and detailed, taking players on a journey that can easily span 80 hours or more. This sprawling tale is presented through a mix of dialogue scenes, fully-animated 3D cutscenes, and beautifully animated 2D anime sequences. Atlus has done an excellent job of balancing the game’s various storytelling methods, with high-budget cutscenes reserved for key moments and simpler dialogue scenes used to flesh out character interactions.

The story itself is compelling, filled with political intrigue, epic battles, and emotional character arcs. While the game focuses more on its overarching plot than on individual character stories, the companion system reminiscent of Persona’s social links adds depth to the relationships between characters. The pacing is steady, and the frequent cutscenes help keep players engaged throughout the lengthy campaign.

A Larger World: Semi-Open but Constrained

Metaphor: ReFantazio expands beyond the more confined settings of past Atlus games, offering players a semi-open world to explore. The game isn’t quite “open world” in the traditional sense, but the various zones are large and filled with NPCs, quests, and secrets to uncover. Market areas, bustling with life, and dungeons that challenge your wits and combat skills are key highlights.

However, the game is not without its technical flaws in these larger environments. While Atlus has stepped up the complexity of their world design compared to past titles like Persona 5, the game often struggles to render everything smoothly, especially when dozens of NPCs are present on screen. Draw distances are generous, but the lack of polish in the environmental art and the occasional muddy textures detract from the overall experience.

Technical Shortcomings: A Beautifully Flawed Creation

As much as Metaphor: ReFantazio impresses with its design and narrative, its technical performance leaves much to be desired. On PlayStation 5, the game targets 60fps but frequently dips into the 40s, especially in busier areas or during intense combat sequences. Real-time cutscenes also struggle to maintain a steady frame rate, adding to the game’s performance woes.

Perhaps the most glaring issue is the game’s lack of anti-aliasing, which results in jagged edges and noticeable aliasing, even at higher resolutions. The contrast between the sharp, colorful art style and the technical limitations creates a jarring visual experience that may distract players from the game’s strengths.

On PC, the situation is slightly better, with higher-end hardware capable of delivering a more consistent experience. However, even on a powerful setup, the game still suffers from some visual inconsistencies and performance issues. Without proper anti-aliasing or a well-implemented temporal AA solution, the game can feel visually messy, no matter the platform.

Platform Performance: A Delicate Balance

Choosing the right platform to play Metaphor: ReFantazio is a challenge in itself. On consoles, performance is inconsistent across the board. The PlayStation 5 version, despite running at a higher resolution, struggles to maintain 60fps in many areas. Surprisingly, the PlayStation 4 Pro version, when run on PS5 through backward compatibility, offers a more stable frame rate, though it comes at the cost of resolution and overall visual quality.

On Xbox Series X and Series S, the game performs similarly to the PlayStation versions, with frame rates dipping into the 40s in more complex areas. The Series S version is particularly compromised, with lower resolution and downgraded visual settings, making it the weakest platform for playing Metaphor.

For PC players with high-end hardware, the game can run at 4K and high frame rates, but even then, issues with image quality and performance persist. The lack of proper optimization across all platforms is a significant downside for a game that aims to be as visually and narratively ambitious as Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Final Thoughts: A Game of Trade-Offs

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a game of contradictions. On one hand, it offers a rich, engaging fantasy world with an intricate narrative, stunning art design, and compelling gameplay mechanics. On the other hand, it’s marred by technical flaws that hold it back from achieving its full potential.

If you can look past the performance issues and outdated graphical techniques, there’s a lot to love about Metaphor. It’s a game that will appeal to fans of the Persona series and RPG enthusiasts alike, offering dozens of hours of content and a world that’s easy to get lost in. But if you’re someone who values smooth performance and cutting-edge visuals, you might find yourself frustrated by the game’s shortcomings.

Ultimately, Metaphor: ReFantazio is a game worth playing, but with the caveat that you’ll need to navigate its technical limitations to fully enjoy what it has to offer. Whether you’re adventuring through its fantasy world on console or PC, you’ll find a game that’s both captivating and flawed a reflection of the delicate balance between ambition and execution.