Studio Zero’s Metaphor: ReFantazio, a new fantasy RPG from director Katsura Hashino of Persona 5 fame, is releasing in Fall 2024. Following the recent “Year-End Special Main Cast Gathering SP”, a new “Creator’s Voice” video is available where Hashino talks about various aspects of the title. Check it out below.
The story is set in a world where magic exists, but people must use a “special piece of equipment” to harness it. However, the main cast, classified as Archetypes, can become weapons. Some have heroic aspects, which won’t Awaken until after interacting with others.
“For example, you might think that someone acts very much like a knight, or another person might seem like a true warrior. By making this connection, the Archetype of the warrior, which has been dormant within you since birth, is awakened. That’s how the system works,” says Hashino.
The story revolves around a kingdom where the king and his heir have been killed. The process begins to crown a new king, with the player getting involved and trying to gain the popularity of the masses. You embark on a journey across the world, and while time is limited, the order to tackle major events is up to you.
“Maybe you could travel for just a week or two weeks, or you might have only days. By framing this election as a travel experience – something we’ve experienced in modern times – those in the running are faced with the need to travel around the country within a set amount of time.
“To turn the people you meet into supporters, you must fight various battles. The idea is to follow the main storyline and enjoy how it leaves you wondering what could happen next. But in terms of the time between those major events, the strategy you make and the order to do things is all left up to the player. I guess it puts you in a situation where you’re playing, and you’re not sure what the correct answer is, but in a good way.”
One example is having to complete an essential dungeon, and you could either rush through it or complete other quests to level up first. “I don’t know how to describe it, but you can make judgment calls as you play, where you consider the difficulty of each quest or the sense of danger you feel, and you’ll feel a sense of accomplishment for having completed it based on those assessments.
“One of the main attractions of this game is that it takes the good part of the Persona series to date, which progressed on a schedule, and adapts it in a way that perfectly matches the storyline for this work and the travel system we’ve created.”
Metaphor: ReFantazio will launch for PS4, PS5, PC and Xbox Series X/S. Stay tuned for more details in the meantime.