A completely new fantasy RPG created by the creators of Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5, including Katsura Hashino.Metaphor: rifantagio”. This work is touted as the ``culmination of Atlus,'' which has worked on ``Shin Megami Tensei'' and ``Persona.''
In this article, I will introduce my impressions of this game, which I got from a preliminary play of about 30 hours on the "Normal" difficulty level, divided into three main points: "Story", "Combat", and "Free Action". Masu.
In addition, in the main text of the article,Stories within the official website and official newsIn addition to mentioningImages postedExcept for one (no story element), “Until the first free action period ends (approximately 8 hours of play time)'' stage.If you want to avoid spoilers as much as possible, please be careful when viewing.
Although it is a “fantasy drama”, it is easy to understand, and the story is complete with a “catalog” and “synopsis”.
This work is set in the United Kingdom of Eukronia, where various races live, and depicts the journey of the main character, a young boy, who takes part in a battle for the throne for a purpose and travels around the world. The existence of magic and monsters is treated as a well-known fact, and the style has a strong sense of fiction, with ``magic punk'' technology also appearing.
Compared to works based on the real world like Persona, this work is a medieval fantasy with a different lifestyle, and also deals with social themes such as political maneuvering, discrimination, and disparity.The idea is that it is quite easy to understand and a wide range of people can enjoy the story.” was included.
For example, the races that appear in this work, such as the main character's Elda tribe, are original, and there are also a number of unique settings created using katakana and kanji. some peopleOfficial websiteYou may be overwhelmed by the amount of information just from the description, but when you actually play the game, you get the impression that the number of new words in each scene is modest, except for the very beginning.
In addition to explaining the minimum information you need to know in the scenario, a collection of tips that describe the setting in the form of a "journal" has also been implemented, and as well as a map, you can easily interrupt the conversation. Since you can read the text using the same language, even if you forget the meaning of a word, you are less likely to be left behind in the conversation.
Also, the story is so voluminous that even after playing for about 30 hours, I still feel like there's no end in sight, but there are also scenes where you can look back on the story so far in a natural way, You can also view the ``synopsis'' that summarizes each chapter, so even if you ``haven't had time since your last play'', there are many considerations that make it easy to return to the game.
By the way, Mr. Hashino is in charge of the original story concept for this work, and the lead scenario planner is Yuichiro Tanaka, who was involved in the scenarios for Persona 3, Persona 4, and Persona 5. The ``contemporary drama'' like the ``Persona'' series and the ``fantasy drama'' of this work are different, but the tone of the scenario is similar to that of ``Persona 5,'' with an approximately 8:2 balance of seriousness and comedy.
Due to the themes it deals with, the atmosphere tends to be heavy and tense on average, but the interactions between characters and gags in between are refreshing, making it hard to get bored and providing a lively plot. There are some Atlas-like twists here and there, and if you don't mind "medieval fantasy," this is a story I can recommend.
"Fast & Squad" is a challenging but not unreasonable game where the battle begins even before the battle begins.
The genre of this work is "RPG", and the main command battle (squad) is a press turn battle similar to "Mega Ten". This, combined with strategic party formation, action elements on the field, and convenient features such as retry, results in both challenging combat and comfort.
The battle system is "Press Turn Battle" which is closer to "Mega Ten"
First of all, the command battle of this work is a battle system where enemies and allies use the "press icons" distributed during each player's turn to take action, and when the icons run out, the opponent's turn begins, and so on.
In battle, when you exploit an enemy's weak point or perform a critical attack, the number of icons consumed is halved and the number of actions available increases. On the other hand, when you attack an enemy at a disadvantage or are evaded, the icon is reduced by half. You can enjoy battles where "the compatibility of attacks has more meaning than damage", where you can double or completely consume it.
Systems that add value to weaknesses and resistances have been implemented in various forms in Atlus' works, and although this work's specifications are similar to the "Megaten" series, it also incorporates the "Archetype" and "Ginthesis" systems described below. I get the impression that they are differentiated by the strategic nature of their organization.
"Archetype" and "Synthesis" are important to organize with the whole party in mind.
"Archetype" is a system that corresponds to the "job" in general RPG works, and there are various systems, including those that specialize in magic and physics, and those that are good at mastering. Party members, including the main character, will acquire this archetype and use it properly in battle.
In addition, archetypes have resistances and weaknesses, and each archetype memorizes certain skills, and skills once learned can be inherited and replaced with other archetypes, so you can use recovery and support skills to enhance your strengths, and supplement your weaknesses. You can explore various combinations such as passive skills.
At this point, "Wouldn't the best solution be to assign strong archetypes to all party members and have them inherit strong skills?", "Wouldn't the party lose its individuality if the skill composition is too free?" Some people may be concerned about this point.
In the range that I have played, the content of acquired skills has been adjusted so that strong skills are not concentrated in one archetype, and the number of skills that can be inherited is also small, so overall, "I have made the role of each archetype clear, I got the impression that the balance was such that it was difficult for him to become dexterous and versatile. And with the ``Ginthesis'' that I will be introducing later, the importance of organizing by party is increasing.
"Ginthesis" is a special skill that can be used during battle, and in addition to consuming more press icons than usual, it also has the characteristic that it "cannot be used unless the party has a specific combination of archetypes." Effects include attribute magic that targets all enemies, support magic for all allies, attribute attacks that cannot be performed alone, and many of them are so powerful and useful that you can think of ``forming a party based on Jinthesis''. is.
In "Megaten" and "Persona", skills that could be performed by individual members are also incorporated into "Ginthesis", so when forming a party in this game, it is important to focus on the strength of the entire party rather than the strength of each member. It made me think, “Can I do it?”
Additionally, parties also have the concept of formations, and depending on whether you place members in the front or back row, the "power of melee attacks" and "damage received from enemies" will increase or decrease. When forming a group, consider whether the members will be in charge of melee attacks or magic/support, etc., while during battle you can change the formation without consuming the press icon, so you can move the ally who takes the most damage to the back row. You can also use it depending on the situation, such as "concentrating on recovery for a while."
``Fast'' offers more options before battle, with tactics just like an action game.
I have explained the command battle so far, but this work also has action game elements. This game uses a ``Fast'' system that is an evolution of the ``Symbol Encounter'' method, where battles begin by interfering with enemies roaming on the field.
Many games that use symbol encounters implement the so-called "back attack," in which "if you attack the enemy from behind, the battle will start from an advantageous position." There were some aspects of the system that made it difficult to actively benefit from it, as it was influenced by the situation.
On the other hand, in this work, in addition to back attacks, you can attack from the front on the field and stun the enemy, forcing you to start a command battle from an advantageous position. Furthermore, if your opponent is of a lower rank, you can simply defeat him without entering a command battle.
However, you must be careful that enemies can also attack on the field. If you are attacked by an enemy of the same rank or higher, ``the command battle will start from a position where the opponent has an advantage,'' so it is like an action game where you avoid the opponent's attacks and aim to knock them out with your own attacks. It is a system that allows you to enjoy bargaining.
By the way, regarding the control difficulty level in "Fast", there are easy-to-understand signals before the enemy attacks, and the patterns are easy to read, so "if you are used to action games, you will be able to succeed in knocking out 80% of the time." You can even start a command battle from the beginning without attacking on the field, so even those who don't like or don't like action games can rest assured.
Easy-to-understand tutorials, “retry anytime”, and network functions that allow you to refer to your predecessors
This game seems to have a high hurdle at first glance, as it involves many systems and elements just in battle, but there are also measures taken into consideration for a variety of users, from beginners to advanced players.
For example, not all elements are unlocked at the beginning of the game, but are unlocked step by step with small tutorials in between. Each explanation is long enough not to interfere with the game's tempo, so even beginners to RPGs can gradually get used to the game's combat without being suddenly thrown in front of the enemy.
Furthermore, the command battles in this game are as difficult as any other Atlas work, and are difficult enough to wipe out even ordinary small-scale enemies if they have weak points or bad luck. “It is possible. If you feel like it, you can restart the battle after checking your opponent's resistances and gimmicks, so you can immediately refight even bosses that are difficult to deal with at first glance, making it easy to experiment with trial and error.
Some people may think, ``Wouldn't that make it too easy?'' However, even if you use the retry function, ``the opponent takes the lead,'' or ``I have a skill that is effective against the enemy's gimmick.'' If you start a battle in a disadvantageous situation, such as "I didn't go," even if you try again, the same situation will only be recreated. This function is only meant to make it easier for the current party to make ideal moves, so if you feel unprepared, there may be situations where it is more effective to take the plunge and run away or return to the save/autosave point.
Those who are not used to RPGs may wonder, "Then how should I prepare?", but this game has a network function that allows you to check the party composition of other players when clearing the game, and in-game It would be a good idea to take advantage of these as you can learn useful tips for conquering at the facility.
QoL is also perfect! Daily life according to the calendar inherited from the “Persona” series
Basically, the game progresses one day at a time according to a calendar, and you spend your time freely while aiming to achieve your goal by the deadline, and when the deadline comes, you move on to the next goal with an event in between. ``Persona'' uses a familiar numbering system from 3 onwards, but this work inherits other elements from the same series while adding some new arrangements.
A day is divided into two parts: day and night, and there are various choices you can make during your free time. Specifically, the recent ``King's Qualities'' can be enhanced by improving the protagonist's human abilities, deepening bonds by interacting with ``supporters'', and accepting requests (quests) from people in the town. If you have played the ``Persona'' series, it may be easy to imagine that it is a system equivalent to that.
What I personally focused on in this system is the "interaction with supporters." When spending time with supporters, there are options for conversation and actions, but at least in the range of what I played, “No matter which option you choose``The bond has deepened by one level.
Because this game progresses in a calendar format, you want to proceed with your daily actions efficiently, but with this specification, you don't have to worry about which option will increase your favorability the most. Therefore, you can interact with supporters without stress.
In addition, while you are free to roam, you can quickly check if there is a supporter with whom you can deepen your bond or if there are any requests you can accept, and there is also a function to fast travel to the supporter, making the QoL perfect. . During the request process, I was able to challenge dungeons that were unrelated to the main story, and I was able to spend my free action period without getting bored, as I was never bored or too busy.
This concludes the preliminary play report for “Metaphor: Refantasio.” The author has had a fair amount of experience with Megaten, including the side stories, and has only played through the numbered works in the Persona series, which is derived from the same work, but from this work onwards, he will continue to work on Atlus, which takes over from both series but has been given a new form. I felt that it was an appropriate title for ``The culmination of ``. This title is recommended not only for beginners and RPG fans, but also for those who want to play an RPG that uses a calendar system other than the school one.
“Metaphor: Refantasio” is scheduled to be released on October 11th for PS5/PS4/Xbox Series X|S/PC (Steam/Windows).