Game News Industry veterans! I played a one-hour preview of Metaphor: ReFantazio and anime fans will not be disappointed
SEGA presented several video games at gamescom, Europe’s largest video game trade fair. In addition to Sonic x Shadow: Generations, the Japanese publisher also presented one of the most anticipated JRPGs of the year. I was able to watch the beginning of Metaphor: ReFantazio and give you my opinion on it.
The kingdom in political conflict
It’s been barely two months since we last saw Metaphor: ReFantazio. The next game from the team behind the excellent Persona 3; Persona 4 and Persona 5 (but not behind the re-released versions of those games), it offered players present at Summer Game Fest a glimpse of its exploration, its dungeons, and at the same time a taste of its combat. So much so that the plot of this new game was still a bit vague due to the races.
To be honest, I ventured into a 60-minute gaming session because I didn’t understand the overall themes of Metaphor: ReFantazio. For me, a perfect demo since it was in reality the beginnings of the game. It represents a kingdom under a political regime close to royalty, except that, in a surprising twist, the king is assassinated. Something that plunges the kingdom of Euchronia into chaos, especially because the crown prince is bedridden… Then it is our protagonist, alongside the fairy Galicica, who must solve the problem. So at the beginning of the game it is a matter of infiltrating the army to find a contact who knows the prince’s position: it is up to us to treat him.
A quality cast
JRPG fans shouldn’t be disappointed, as Metaphor seems to build on the same foundations as its predecessors. During my hour of play, the cutscenes and dialogues followed one another like a waltz in 1000-beat timeSo much so that when I counted up the fights, I was only able to try three (including a boss fight that was interrupted at the end of the test). But this emphasis on the story made me think of one of Atlus’ strengths in terms of its productions: the quality of its cutscenes and its voice actors.
So let’s take advantage of this last paragraph to look back at the line-up chosen by the studio. We find Productions IG in the animation field, known to fans of Japanese animated series (Haikyuu or Tengoku Daimakyou For example). Likewise, those who opt for the Japanese voices will recognize those of Natsuki Hanae (Tanjiro in Demon SlayerAshiro in Daylight saving time rendering); that of Sumire Morohoshi (Emma in The promised neverland); or the voice of several famous antagonists with that of Akio Ootsuko (All for One). In My Hero Academia ; Blackbeard in A piece”).
