Summary
- Prioritize aggressive playstyle, explore combat mechanics, and experiment with archetypes for a fresh experience.
- Utilize the healer archetype early on, seek magic restoring items, and combine skills for powerful characters.
- Pay attention to story details, complete NPC requests, and utilize Hero's Incenses to reduce grinding in Metaphor ReFantazio.
Drawing many common elements from Persona, Metaphor: ReFantazio is Atlus's new intellectual property that brings the formula that made the developer famous into a medieval fantasy universe. It offers players a completely new story without abandoning familiar mechanics, all while introducing fresh elements.
Amid numerous new features blended with familiar details and systems, players can make various decisions to optimize time and character power. The initial hours can be challenging, but these beginner tips for Metaphor: ReFantazio will make the start of this epic journey more enjoyable.
Metaphor: ReFantazio - 7 Unique Combat Mechanics
Metaphor: ReFantazio brings a lot of gameplay mechanics from other Atlus games, but also has a lot of things that make it unique.
10 Embrace An Aggressive Playstyle
Explore The Game's Combat Mechanics Thoroughly
A novelty in Metaphor: ReFantazio is the combat system. In addition to the traditional turn-based battles, it introduces action moments, a mechanic that should be utilized frequently. If attacks are executed well, there are no downsides and several positives.
For instance, even if enemies aren't defeated by these attacks, players can initiate the turn-based combat phase with an advantage, causing initial damage and leaving foes paralyzed. Adopting an offensive stance in Metaphor: ReFantazio is a tip many players should follow.
9 Experiment With Different Archetypes
Don't Limit Characters To One Role
Metaphor: ReFantazio encourages character customization, allowing players to change the class not only of the protagonist, but also of all party members. This is done through Archetypes, which loosely resemble the Personas from Atlus's titular franchise.
Even if an Archetype seems to fit a character's concept, players shouldn't restrict themselves to it. Many options emerge throughout the game, each with its own strengths and weaknesses. A great beginner's tip for Metaphor: ReFantazio is to adapt to the challenges the game presents and not limit oneself to a few options.
8 Prioritize Studying The Healer Archetype
Essential Utility Throughout The Entire Journey
Early in Metaphor: ReFantazio, players meet Maria. Befriending her unlocks the Healer Archetype, a class option that should be considered for the party as soon as possible. In addition to being highly useful against enemies in the Grand Cathedral, it remains potent throughout much of the game.
JRPGs generally require good support in the team to enable other characters to deal damage, and that's the role of the Healer Archetype in Metaphor: ReFantazio. Players can equip it on the protagonist, who likely has the highest magic values at the game's start, or assign it to another character.
7 Seek Out Items That Restore Magic
An Important But Scarce Resource
Although they are easy to deplete by using spells and abilities against enemies, Magic Points aren't easily restored during dungeon explorations in Metaphor: ReFantazio. Items that replenish this resource are typically rare and sold in limited quantities.
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Therefore, players should always keep an eye out for chests or merchants, investing substantial gold in these items when possible. By utilizing the full potential of Archetypes, it's easy to run out of mana, which can make some encounters tougher or force an early retreat from a dungeon. Make sure to have a way to keep it topped up.
6 Utilize Formations During Turn-Based Battles
Alternate Between Advancing And Retreating Characters
A tip the game doesn't delve into deeply, but that beginners in Metaphor: ReFantazio should explore, is the formation mechanic during turn-based battles. It allows characters to advance or retreat during combat, affecting how certain skills interact with them.
A frontline character will deal more damage to enemies, but is also more susceptible to powerful enemy attacks. Conversely, retreating a character can be a good option to protect them, albeit at the cost of offensive potential. Recognizing the right moments to make these decisions is crucial, especially against bosses.
5 Combine Skills From Different Archetypes
Create More Powerful Characters
While the game encourages frequent switching between Archetypes, it's also possible for skills from one to be learned by another class, allowing greater customization among characters. Doing so is essential, as well-executed builds can devastate enemies with ease.
For example, the Warrior Archetype has access to a passive skill called Heat Up, which grants a 10% increase in physical attack damage. Combining it with other offensive classes is an interesting possibility. To achieve this, players need to speak with More at the Akademia and have sufficient MAG to learn these new abilities.
4 Complete NPC Requests
Helping Side Characters Is Important Throughout The Game
In the gameplay loop of Metaphor: ReFantazio, players will find themselves exploring dungeons and interacting with their party members most of the time. However, they should also make room to complete requests. These small side missions are simple but can also be useful.
Spread throughout all the maps, the objectives are almost like fetch quests. Players must go to a certain place to retrieve an item and deliver it to the requester. Many of these missions don't consume a day's time slot and are along the paths players would normally take. So, in addition to helping an NPC, the rewards can also be beneficial.
3 Utilize Hero's Incenses
A Good Way To Reduce Archetype Grinding
At some point, most JRPGs require grinding to obtain the best items or other in-game resources. This can also happen in this Atlus title, especially concerning Archetypes. A beginner's tip for Metaphor: ReFantazio is to always use Hero's Incenses or Hero's Fruits.
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These items grant additional experience to an Archetype of choice, increasing progress toward unlocking new skills. Progress can also be made through battles, but sometimes, particularly when some classes lag behind others, using incenses or fruits is essential to balance the characters.
2 Explore Enemy Weaknesses
Seek To Gain More Actions In Combat
Veterans of Atlus games are already familiar with this mechanic, but it's a golden tip for newcomers to Metaphor: ReFantazio. One of the best ways to succeed in the game's battles is by exploiting each enemy's elemental weaknesses.
It's important to always experiment with new attacks to discover which elements or damage types they are strong or weak against. By exploiting these weaknesses, players can earn extra turns in combat. However, it's worth noting that the same applies to enemies, who can also exploit the main characters' weaknesses, especially at higher difficulties.
1 Pay Attention To The Game's Story
Atlus Created A New Setting From Scratch
It’s essential for players to pay close attention to the story of Metaphor: ReFantazio. Atlus has crafted a universe filled with information scattered across dialogues, cutscenes, and recorded in the game's Memorandum. Many important details about the plot and world can be missed if not observed carefully, especially in the early hours.
To fully enjoy the experience, focus on dialogues and consult the guide whenever doubts arise. The deep narrative and details spread throughout the game are fundamental to completely understanding the universe of Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
- Released
- October 11, 2024
WHERE TO PLAY
- Developer(s)
- Studio Zero
- Publisher(s)
- Atlus
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
