Metaphor: ReFantazio

I just finished this game and I wanted to give my full open honest review on it to reflect and process what I played. To begin, as many other reviews have stated, it comes from the same people who made the persona games, and is bound to draw comparison. That's okay though, and I think theres aspects of this that reveal highlights of this game and its drawbacks. Also, for reference I've only played this and Persona 5. Theme- I think the overall theme of this game is great. It isn't something new, but a reminder that its okay to feel anxious and withdrawn by a lot of the chaos in our world right now. We just need to continue facing it and moving forward, striving for change. I really like this. I think the political point is making does leave out a few things (obviously) but it definitely draws a reminder that there is no such thing as a Utopia, but powerful change while striving for it is whats most important. And that power comes from everyone, regardless of their view. It reminds the player to always be humble and understanding, as ones actions may be irrational to you but logical to themselves. I think overall the theme of this game does a great job at reminding everyone to keep striving for a better society and that there is still hope, even in the face of a volatile political climate. Story- I think the story in this game was meh shmeh. There was a lot of times where it felt like they were just pulling stuff out of no where and at times it made me feel like it lost the plot. In the span of maybe 2-4 hours of gameplay (the story gameplay scenes at that) it bounced between Louis being the assassin to Forden being the Assassin to finally Rella being the Assassin. I think this just couldve been done with more tack. I think the acquisition of characters was nice though, and the lore it delves into is interesting and enjoyable. I really liked when you go into the Dragon Temple and end up seeing skyscrapers. Overall, I think the story line of the game is fine, but it has its highs and lows. Its highs being when it leans into world building and lore, and its lows when it pulls a bunch of shock factor twists. Gameplay- I'll break this section up into two. First, battle mechanics. I played this game on the "Hard" setting. I honestly found it really enjoyable. There was many times where I was pushing my MP to the limit and scared I wasn't going to be able to do it. There was also a lot of times where I had to change up my team and take time to think about how I was going to fight a strong enemy. The turn system can almost be like a game of chess, where you have to account for so many things and balance keeping your team alive vs. if you should try to max DPS the enemy down. I really, really, enjoyed it. However, theyre were some shortcomings with it as well. I do believe that the game has a bit of a balancing issue at times, where you can just grind and grind and grind and become super strong for minimal effort. Theres a little tooth monster that told me "You have to fight stronger enemies to level up" and I kinda just laughed. I think that the Merchant archetype really shows you this because just running around killing enemies gives you a lot of money, and shows that you can do it more and more. I think as well the fact that there isn't a respec option really hurts as well. Maybe not even infinite respecs, but just one. The game starts you off as the "Seeker" but the class and whole Archetype lineage just blows chunks. So, if you were unlucky like me and went into another class that is magic based, you were behind when introduced the "Prince" archetype. Even though levels and stat distribution don't matter as much late game, it still effects me when I haven't put a singular point into strength the WHOLE GAME. Who knows though, maybe thats just a skill issue. Overall, I really like the way battling felt. It was hard, rewarding, and fun. However, it can become easily cheesable and the lack of respec options irked me. Second, is out of combat gameplay. This is in reference to characters, towns, and gauntlet runner activites. I think the character bond growing activities were fine. I think for the relationship between them and the protagonist, all the storys I felt fine with. I more so felt like I was leveling them up for the reward rather than investment in their stories, but at times the scenes were entertaining and had me focused. I think that when the game chooses to thought their is a lot of bloat. The characters tend to say the same thing over and over and over again and it can become irksome. I think especially at the end of the game, where you're forced to have a long cutscene discussion with them really sent me over the edge. It felt like I had to spend thirty minutes through dialogue I didnt care about just to fight the final boss. Next, towns in this game were mid. They all have a similar layout, and some are more disappointing than other. The highlight of citys is Altabury, where it feels really big and theres a lot of nooks and crannies I missed while running through. Still, it fit the same layout as other cities and didn't offer much. The worst was Grand Trad. It's supper disappointing to me that the ROYAL CAPITAL only has three explorable areas. It just makes it feel so small and cramped for a city that's supposed to be where the king resides. Lastly, I think stuff in the gauntlet runner is okay. I think its good because it helps you to manage time better than when youre in persona. I feel like in persona I was struggling with leveling all my bonds with people up and getting my stats up as well, but with this game I felt no worries. I think though that some aspects are confusing. The bath is a big one for me. As a player I'm not going to prioritize the bath until I have all my stats up so I can ensure I am getting everything I need out the game. When it was time for me to be able to use it, it was one of those things where I had no option too unless I went on a multi day adventure, which late game when I felt I could use it was really no longer an option. Minimal complaint, but it just annoyed me. Overall, I think the games mechanics here were meh shmeh, and could use some improving for more immersion. Music- I think the music was alright. I really only liked three songs. The one when you open the book, the one thats intense when you get into a strong encounter, and the one for eht ria island. Other wise, they all kinda sound similar to me / didn't strike a good nerve. Overall, I enjoyed this game. I don't know if its something I'll ever replay though. I think its worth a buy and it's worth the time, but don't expect it to change your life.

This game is overrated. persona and SMT are way way better than this. The story is not engaging.

if not persona, why persona shaped?

好玩

去买个p系列和真女神转生比这玩意强多了。。。。。。。

jogaço pra krl, a historia e a trilha sonora desse jogo é incrível

好玩 爱玩

I love atlus

absolute fantasy

If you like Persona series, you won't regret it. Great narrative, nice world, nice combat system and of course Archetypes. Recommended.