Ahead of the launch of Metaphor: ReFantazio, much of the discussion surrounding the title centered around how the game would differentiate itself from director Katsura Hashino's previous work on the Persona franchise. As the first original project from Hashino's new development division, Studio Zero, most expected that Metaphor: ReFantazio would have at least some elements in common with the Persona franchise, and those expectations ended up being founded in reality. Rather than rest on its laurels as a fantasy re-skin of Persona, though, Metaphor: ReFantazio reimagines and reinvents many of that series' signature elements, including the Calendar system that's been the franchise's framework since Persona 3.
Beginning with Persona 3, the core gameplay loop of the Persona franchise has been guided by the Calendar system. Both a guide to help players manage their time and a driving element behind the day-to-day life of the protagonist and their allies, the Calendar system is a double-edged sword. While there are plenty of players who love the guidance and structure the system provides, there are some who find themselves turned off to the franchise based on the feelings of being under the gun or missing out on certain elements that the Calendar system enforces. While it's still omnipresent in Metaphor: ReFantazio, the game smartly rebalances it in favor of the player.
The Calendar System Never Feels Oppressive in Metaphor: ReFantazio
In terms of how the Calendar system works in Metaphor: ReFantazio, it should feel immediately familiar to fans of the Persona series. Most days begin with the protagonist and their allies discussing strategy before giving way to the first of two player-controlled segments in which they're free to pursue any available activities. On special days with story-driven segments or predetermined deadlines, the player has specific, set destinations they must visit or quests that need to be completed, giving players a helpful guide for when major plot points will occur and providing some incentive to make sure the party is sufficiently powered up by those dates.
Where Metaphor branches out from the Persona series, though, is in the generous amount of time it gives players to complete activities between major story missions, often weeks or even a full month. Further, major dungeons can be completed in phases and returned to at a later date just like in Persona, but smaller dungeons for Bounties and other side quests typically only take a single day to visit and explore. Similarly, if players are focusing on using a day to build Bonds with allies or strengthen the Kingly Virtues, they can make meaningful progress in a single day and still not feel that they've missed out on anything important thanks to how necessary both activities are toward developing the Archetype tree.
The Return of Persona 4's Weather Events Adds a Layer of Strategy to Metaphor's Calendar
After their absence from Persona 5, the weather events that factored into Persona 4's Calendar system make a return in Metaphor: ReFantazio. Not only do these different weather events add a welcome layer of strategy to the pre-dungeon planning that extends beyond devising party composition and Archetype selection, but they also balance out the additional time Metaphor gives players by adding a risk/reward mechanic. During days with inclement weather, enemies deal more damage and players don't earn extra turns for exploiting their weaknesses in battle. The trade-off is that the party earns significantly more experience.
With more time afforded to the player and the addition of weather events, players have more agency over where they choose to go and when they choose to do it. If characters aren't quite up to snuff to face a particularly challenging set of enemies with extra health and no extra turns, the player can simply choose to spend the day strengthening Bonds and the Kingly Virtues, returning to adventure later when weather allows without feeling like they're pressed to make a difficult sacrifice. Metaphor somewhat eliminates the FOMO of the Persona series with its implementation of the Calendar system, and it's a more accessible experience as a result.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 93 /100 Critics Rec: 98%
- Released
- October 11, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen // Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Studio Zero
- Publisher(s)
- Atlus
- Engine
- GFD
- Number of Players
- 1
- Steam Deck Compatibility
- Playable
WHERE TO PLAY
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
