Last week, we posted about the first review for Metaphor: Refantazio and how it's getting eager fans hyped for the full release - and, well, it's looking like that hype was more than merited.
The broader review embargo has now lifted, and we have a bunch of reviews rolling in for Atlus's new JPRG. Here at Pure Xbox we're almost 50 hours into our playthrough, but we aren't quite ready to deliver our verdict just yet. It's coming very soon, though!
In the meantime, here's what other critics are saying about Metaphor: ReFantazio so far:
Checkpoint Gaming (10/10)
"I've always wanted Atlus to tackle political fantasy as a genre and of course when they finally do it with Metaphor: ReFantazio it's one of the best RPGs in years. This is the result of 20 years of incredible game craft that has taken shape in the best and most refined version of the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei formula that we've ever received. Probably the best we'll ever get. This is their magnum opus."
VGC (5/5)
"Metaphor: ReFantazio could have so easily been Persona with the names filed off, but it's so, so much more than that. It matches fun, expansive combat with an excellent cast of characters that make the near 100-hour journey an unforgettable one."
Eurogamer (5/5)
"Taken as a straightforward fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio is hard to beat, as Atlus expertly merges nostalgia and modernity. If its lofty thematic goals of ending prejudice and overcoming society's collective melancholia are too idealistic, perhaps that's actually the sort of positivity and hope we need right now. Maybe, above all, the true purpose of fantasy is to provide comfort as we reflect on our own world. If that's the case, Atlus' game is essential."
Push Square (9/10)
"Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of the most memorable RPGs we've played in years. In pursuing a new property, complete with a fantasy setting, Atlus has allowed its creativity to blossom, resulting in a brilliantly rich experience — both in terms of narrative and audiovisual design. While Metaphor takes obvious gameplay and structural cues from the developer's previous projects, it combines and refines those elements to make an epic, kingdom-hopping adventure that feels unique and deeply fulfilling."
TheSixthAxis (9/10)
"Metaphor ReFantazio is sublime. Persona fans will have an absolute blast playing this, and hunting out the subtle (and not-so-subtle) nods to its franchise cousin. A couple of minor annoyances make it feel a little rough around the edges hold it back from an otherwise perfect score."
Wccftech (9/10)
"Those who harbor an innate distaste for the social systems and time limits of modern Persona titles will find no solace here, but those who are willing to embrace what very well could be the sixth Persona title in all but name alone will experience one of the most stylish Japanese roleplaying games of 2024."
GamesRadar (4.5/5)
"Metaphor: ReFantazio is a triumphant evolution of Atlus' best, and offers a gripping new story supplemented by a loveable cast, dungeons begging to be explored, and a gorgeous art direction that makes you feel like you're wandering the pages of a fairytale book, although it takes a while to reach its greatest heights."
Well, there you go then - Metaphor: ReFantazio is looking like a serious 2024 GOTY contender on Xbox from Atlus. It's currently got a Metacritic score of 94 and an OpenCritic rating of 92, which is just fantastically high praise all around, really.
If you'd like to see what all the fuss is about ahead of the game's full launch on Friday, you can play through a super-generous prologue demo right now on Xbox. For all the details on that, check out the link down below.
Excited, JRPG fanatics? Tell us if you're surprised at all by these scores down in the comments.
Comments 16
Removed - offensive remarks
Damn! That's some pretty good reviews. I'm a bit worried about the length of the game, and be becoming bored as I near the end. Do they manage to keep the interest going until the end, @Kezelpaso?
@Fiendish-Beaver I want to try it, but Persona 5 was not for me. I did not like the content or the social aspect of it. I dont mind long games, but I dont like unnecessary bloat.
Oh, this game keeps looking better and better... I am now considering buying it day one (or close to launch date).
I really enjoyed Persona 5 so Metaphor was always on my watch list once i was aware of it but i just don't have the time available for this sort of game right now.
Will most likely be a sale purchase early 2025 when things hopefully settle down for me & I can give it my undivided attention.
Xbox has the marketing, yet the vast majority played it on PS. Xbox can't catch a break
Removed - trolling/baiting; user is banned
Excellent News!
Played the demo and loved it. But I wont buy it now because Persona 5 burned me out on their formula.
Shame MS have done sod all marketing despite paying for marketing rights.
@UBERSICKO this was obviously always going to be the case, as it was with FFXV and the marketshare has gotten worse since then.
I completely forgot this game was a thing and that it was coming out this year. That said… it looks really good! It’s definitely something I’ll check out once I finish my current lineup of games.
I thought the writing was cringe and the story was following the usual predictable hero tropes when I played the demo. There are a couple of things I liked but I came away from that demo very mixed. I’m not sure I trust all these high scores.
Dang, I never buy full price games but I'm so tempted. I already have too many Atlus games barely started to even consider finishing. P3R, P5 Strikers, Soul Hackers 2, SMTV, and yet, that demo seriously hooked me on this much more than I expected and I'm so tempted.
@UBERSICKO Xbox has the marketing, but they didn't market it very well. They sent it in the TGS blast emails and all so it's there, but they don't really have marketing that reaches outside the customer base, they didn't highlight it outside "Japan games"....heck they're barely marketing CoD.... Xbox marketing just sucks, and this game didn't get the marketing they paid for, even though they did some.
Plus most of Atlus' install base is on PS (or Nintendo but this game's not on Nintendo (yet)), just historically, predating Xbox' existence.
@FarmDog08 Persona is all about the social sim aspect, it's the core of the game as a genre bend between social sims and dungeon crawlers. SMT is pure dungeon crawler with no social element. From the demo, I'd say Metaphor takes a line between. They include some amount of Persona's "you can take one action every half day and some of that involves interacting with a character to build a bond" but it's not emphasized as the core game like Persona. But it's also not pure, raw, dungeon crawl like SMT either.
Playing the demo and it’s pretty awesome, especially if you’re a fan of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei
This might be my GOTY.
It has all the strengths of a Studio Zero game (except maybe dating, lol) and combines those with the more punishing and tactical combat of SMT (it's huge that this game punishes a character when their attack is dodged or blocked, and even on Normal, it can be a little challenging). Plus, it's a fresh, new IP, which is not something you get very often out of Atlus for big releases.
I didn't think anything could top SMT V: Vengeance for me, but that demo makes a VERY convincing case for the quality of this game.
Leave A Comment
Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...