Metaphor: ReFantazio is the Perfect Evolution of the JRPG formula.
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- Опубліковано 18 жов 2024
- Here's my review for Metaphor Refantazio is the new game from the creators of many Persona and SMT Games, and it's a triumph in RPG design, aesthetics, music, and pretty much everything. If you're looking for Game of the Year contenders and like RPG's you should hop on in.
/ mugthief
Quick thing: Video is very spoiler free. Avoided all bosses, maybe just a few clips of anything after "chapter 2" which out of context shouldn't mean much. Also, now over 40 hours in since recording this, it just gets better. See you soon.
Mug, as someone who grew up on turn based jrpgs but has long since grown tired of them and avoided turn based almost entirely, are the shake ups to the system different enough to hold my attention?
@@Runeforged if youve never played an atlus rpg, theyre quite different than most other jrpgs as a start. Additionally, I think this is the one with most complexity and freedom to build your party theyve made. Do with that as you will!
@@Mugthief Ty :)
a mugthief video about something positive for once, epic
Hard to be positive with this industry, but Metafor is soooooooo worth it
Yeah but the negative videos get draining. Wouldn't have clicked if it was another tbh
Because he moved away from the doomed west block, for a change.
Im glad that Turn Based RPGs are getting a resurgence in popularity now. The fact that this game sold a million units in one day, just shows it.
I cannot wait to see how well Expedition 33 and the heavily rumored Final Fantasy IX Remake will do.
They've been in resurgence for around 5-7 years now, from what I can see from the Japanese market, whilst action in that region has been on the decline. I wish Japan could just keep the two going strong, instead of seeing the scales tip constantly every near decade.
I swear the Japanese studios and indies are the only things keeping the games industry afloat these days. I haven't had interest in a western AAA for years now.
That job system seems very reminiscent of bravely default, which is one of my favorite games of all time. I am currently playing through persona five and absolutely loving it so when I’m finished, I’m definitely gonna give this game a go.
Octopath Traveller as well👌🏾
It’s a great system!
Persona 5 doesn't lack in interest building. That in medias res opening sequence does set up the structure, yes. But it also makes newcomers go, "Wait...how exactly did we get here?"
And yes, it does slow down and draw back, to establish the world and the game. But the frequent "tick...tick...tick..." segues back to Sae's interrogation, do remind you that you had a lot of questions, while setting up the castle arc, and introducing the principal cast.
I think the pacing is exactly what it needs to be, but I know that's not the consensus opinion.
I thought it was excellent for a first playthrough.
Replaying the game though, it drags a lot. But if you're the type to replay the game then presumably that wouldn't matter to you anyway.
Can confirm. I put a good 10+ hrs on metaphor this weekend and it is awesome. I cant get enough and will probably neglect my responsibilities to play another 5 hrs tonight.
there are only 2 responsibilities , work and kids , the rest are side quests XD
I'm so invested in this game as well. Such a good game, ATLUS is the golden standard of JRPG.
Funny bc I put 10hrs in and I’m going to drop it. Does it get better?
@@knox7945ah yes. Hit weak point and win. Groudnbreaking
@@enternamehere142 you can literally say that to every RPG.
Just an FYI, if you really like this game's hybrid combat (real-time combat combined with turn-based) you should check out Trails Through Daybreak. I recommend the Trails series in general because it's amazing, but Daybreak has an extremely similar combat system that combines real-time and turn-based.
Do you need to start from trails of sky (if I remember corectly) to play trails series? Or just randomly
@@saltyismymiddlename97 I highly highly recommend it. It makes the experience of the later games way better, and those early games are still wonderful and still hold up.
This is my first game from studio zero and I have been enjoying it. Also Mug I want to thank you for inspiring me to start my own youtube channel. I really enjoy your content.
Pretty sure this is the first game from Studio Zero.
I am having so much fun with this game, it's been a while since I was able to really engross myself in a game.
@@enternamehere142 I just love the core gameplay. The interesting characters, the plot, the cool mechanics, the fun combat and the way it's all broken up in to separate loops to keep it fresh.
@@enternamehere142 would say that's a plot point but not the plot. If it's not for you then that's unfortunate but not every game can be for every one. Difficulty influences how fun the combat is in this, on normal or above I had to actually strategize to some degree with my archetypes and weaknesses/abilities. Less is just an attack spam. I also definitely didn't have enough sp/hp items the first 2 dungeons I did.
MC Is male but they often don't put too much personality in the MC so you can self insert a little, this time though he does have voiced lines.
@@enternamehere142 I mean, I was initially quite skeptical when I first loaded it up, but it quickly grabbed me and I love it now.
Basically just my GOTY. Playing on hard mode and having a blast. I'm going back to play it!!!
I took my first break from the game since launch last night to play the Shrek dlc for Powerwash Simulator. Other than that, Ive been glued to my pc to play this game
I am playing Persona 5 for the first time (first persona) and had never even heard of Metaphor. It definitley seems more my style than japanese high school but I'm like 50 hours into P5.
If I ever have time to finish P5, I'm definitely going straight into this.
Persona 5 is always great... but man, I'd need a break between them.
@@planescaped you're probably right. I don't think persona actually ends. It's so long.
30 hours into Persona 5 and I barely knew how to play it lol
I've been playing this game for hours every day since release, and it continues to surprise me and impress me. Easily one of the greatest releases of 2024.
I'm not subscribing until i see this man bald
I'm betting on a Shining Shimmering Deluxe edition coning out in maybe 2 years. I'll wait til then.
Ya know... you're probably right... >__>
I LOVE the job system over the monster collecting of the other games. Also fire emblem mentioned whoop whoo0
I love this game so far and only have a couple tiny complaints probably not worth mentioning. All the party members are great. Glad they put so much time into this!
I'm glad to see Sega succeeding. Nobody is even talking about Sega.
I bought this game a couple days ago and it's awesome. I played a little persona 4 and SMT 5 but never finished any of them. I love JRPGs but never got into this series. I bought the 35th Anniversary edition but haven't checked out all the art and soundtrack yet. I can't wait to get home from work later so I can continue my adventure 😎
P3 Reloaded, SMTV Vengeance and Metaphor Refantazio. Atlus just managing to get into my wallet 3 times in a single year while other devs i can't even bother to pirate their games.... now if only they remaster Digital Devil Saga for PC, there could easily be a 4th... just saying.
I love the game. Does so many things right. I do hope they implement a way to tone down the particle effects in the settings if that’s even possible.
YOU'RE REVIEWING A GAME AND 50% OF THE TIME YOU'RE SHOWING YOUR MOUTH WITH A MUSTACHE
I'm waiting for a discount because 340 RON ( or about 68 euros ) as it cost in my country is a bit much. Loved the Persona series and also great that Atlus put a demo for the game. Keep up the great videos Mug !
This game is amazing, I can’t recommend this to people enough.
It's funny that your hub is a vehicle, in Persona 5's development there were concepts floating around of it being this road trip kind of story.
Excuses, excuses. Cut the mop Mug 😂
Glad to see the channel growing. Keep up the great work
I love the Persona / Shin Megumi games so I plan on getting this sometime soon just haven’t had the time. I’ve heard nothing, but great things about Metaphor.
I haven't been the biggest fan of the Persona games. Particularly the combat from the old games. But I played the Demo and I freakin love the characters, and the world is interesting. I love having an actual fantasy world. Gallica is an amazing companion. I haven't decided to buy it yet but I likely will just because of story looks so interesting. It also does feel like they have improved upon the combat.
So far for things that are SMT or Persona related they have been purely limited to easter eggs, things like the SMT 4 helmet being able to be seen in the background of a cutscreen or an archetype that is called a devil summoner that summons SMT demons like Jack Frost for its moves. Nothing that would hinder a new fans enjoyment.
Finally something positive! I was about one "industry/game/company bad" video away from unsubbing and stopping recommendations
Now im wondering which brand new games out this year you think are worthy that might come close or beat this game.
I gladly paid for the $100 edition without out even playing the game. My friends been telling about it and as an Atlus fan boy they have yet to miss
I just hope they will do an extension dlc instead of the Royal re release thing
Atlus is going too crazy with all these sponsorships, it’s not a good look
I agree. I’m trying to decide if I’d like to get the game but everyone talking about it on UA-cam is getting paid to.
@@wm2990 I’ve played about 15 hours - I think it’s a great game but they’re kind of shooting themselves in the foot with all these sponsorships. It makes one think the game quality might be lacking.
I hear you. I just realize i must not like jrpg? I tried the demo. I didn't get 5 hours in that people are saying the prologue is and it didn't feel like a game. I signed up for an rpg not a visual novel and the few hours i played felt like a VN.
These games always have a fairly front-loaded approach to the story, Persona is the same, lots of cutscenes and dialogue up front before the gameplay opens up.
Ya, unfortunately these games don't really "start" until 10-15 hours, this is no exception.
Sadly it is like that lol 😅. Metaphor and persona is a slow burn. Actually the game "starts" when you reach 6 hour mark in demo where protag reach the capital.
But suit yourself, this kind of game need to sacrifice some of your time
I hate when people say a game is bad because they personally can't get into a story. Generally it is people who value gameplay above all else and the type to just mash through scenes. And to that I say, go play a gameplay focused RPG, like Path of Exile or Grim Dawn.
Or play the hot new game where you press the button and your dopamine receptors are directly stimulated! Cut out the middle man. lol
@@planescaped video... game...
G A M E
I like story but come on, your game should be fun when you start not "in 50 hours"
Still waiting for Expedition 33. It seems like it's going to be the next big step in the "JRPG" formula.
Schrodinger haircut 😅
Solid gameplay, solid story and character,great pacing and good balance between gameplay and social aspect. Enjoyable game all around. After beating it I’d give solid 8/10, not mind blowing, not revolutionary but very enjoyable ride. It’s sad that game of this quality is so few and far between nowadays. Also yes, there is a Jack Frost in this game 😂
My biggest problem are the menus and HUD elements. They are random, not cehesive and hard to read and decipher. That's one of the reasons I still hesitate to go into these games. But at least its not about children in school.
Will be the first one I'll play.
I've tried Atlus' games before and always bounced off. This one got me though. I'm so in love with this game. Every system feeds every other. My only question now is this going to be Atlus' Bloodbourne for me? Are the next 200 hours of my gaming time spoken for by their other games? Only time will tell.
I loved how it tackles democracy!
I'm at the end of the game right now
Loved it and gonna do a ng+ run
I will wait for the enhanced version
I feel like this, like p5, is worth playing twice.
They already said they won't do that anymore, see The Answer.
@@TheOneGreat I see, I didnt know that, then I will wait for a sale, thanks for the heads up.
@@TheOneGreat That is very good to know, as I was going to not buy it and wait.
They'd be better off adding that extra content as an expansion or DLC instead of selling the game twice.
Mug, fr, if that bite swells up or changes color please go to the ER.
But also, appreciate the look into the game, it didn't interest me on the steam page but I'm slightly more interested now...
The combat system is def more of a mix of digital devil saga (another megaten spin off) with the press turn, the synthesis and skill tree and expanded with a job system a ff like jobs
Im still fairly early on, i just got the vehicle but i love the adult cast, more mature themes and most importantly, a shorter duration between combat and dungeons. For example, P5 would give you like 25 days to finish a dungeon, you finish in 2, then you sit for sooo long. MRF for the first dungeon gives you 9.
Admittedly there is less stuff to do between dungeons in this but that's not a bad thing either.
@Jayy997 I think there's more stuff to do between dungeons. The side dungeons aren't copy pasted like mementos, the team customization is much better imo than monster collecting, the downtime is lower with less useless activity time since the links are always guaranteed. I like this much better than p5 by almost every metric so far. Only complaint is music, p5 and 4 music is goated.
Edit: also the main sidekick character isn't a Ryuji, Yosuke, or Junpei. Also the cast are adults. Also it's not hyper sexualized which is wild since this cast is of legal age and not minors, and not in high school. This game fixes practically all of my problems and peeves with persona while keeping the core structure. As of right now this is my favorite Atlus rpg by a wide margin.
@@mattmilliken1510 I only ran out of things to do in the first city. Then the game opened up a lot. I also agree I like the gameplay better than P5. This is masterfully crafted so far
Getting slight comfy vibes a la ffix😊
Please don't get rid of the stache
hope you buzz cut it, then DONATE it, as long as possible. Plenty of need for it
Giving the demo a try, the elf ears BOTHER me
hastn there been a controvery about hte localization people the one who translated what she felt the charakters are saying and not what thay actualy said ?
There was an attempt at a controversy, but it backfired when it became apparent the people arguing that the characters were written wrong were advocating for direct translation and machine-translation prose.
Played the demo, was gd . Bought the game and got it on Xbox. Playing modded bg3 o my Xbox sp it's goin have to wait but I do look forward to it
The thing is, we know they will release a better version of this game in 1 to 2 years. Replaying it then will not have the same impact, so why not wait and play the best version fresh and with all the DLC included instead of chopped out of the game to sell piecemeal ?
Imho, Atlus DLC practices devalue their games.
Games always looked appealing, bit I've always hated their characters in previous persona games. It's what made me never touch them. I'm not sure I'm sold on this cast either, but again, I'm torn by the gameplay
Compare how this game handles complex real world issues with final fantasy 16. This story tackles racism, classism, politics, organized religion, so many things and it does so tactfully, tastefully, and in a way that makes you think.
FF16 was ok but it just beats you over the head with the message that "slavery is bad. Discrimination based on characteristics is bad." There is nothing beyond surface level to show why people become bigots and the institutions that enforce that ideology. Im not even 1/3 of the way thru im guessing and i can confidently say this is the best Atlus rpg.
I played shin megami tensei vengeance and completed it.Tried the demo of Metaphor and did't like it. Not sure why but maybe because you feel so trusted in the story and well it doesn't grapple me and i don't like it when stories do that. I just stopped playing after the first boss i had no drive it was just not interesting to me.
Something is different about me but i i don't know what. I do like stories and have characters i games i want to know more off but not a whole lot. I don't replay games..
Meh. Not enough to convince me to buy an atlas game. I only ever liked persona five and that was barely tolerable because of how long it was.
I watched the whole thing, but these just aren’t my types of games and this one hasn’t convinced me otherwise.
I'm enjoying the game alot but damn are the graphics underwhelming and downright ugly most the time.i personally find it very distracting and a definite blemish on the overall product.
Huh, a lot of the things you find positive are things I think are negative.
MP Issue: Being forced to play Mage to recover MP is ass (you only recover 1 MP per stun or kill), you can't buy MP items except 1 vendor per city (Fruit Cordials) as far as I've found and only later on can you make a food to restore MP. One way to mitigate it is to have a Brawler and post-battle use whoever you have as Knight use First Aid, but you'd still need to have Mage to restore MP and on Hard, Brawler would also need a Healer or they die fast af.
Gold issue: Sure you can gets lots of gold with Merchant but some items are hella expensive anyway forcing you to wait for Idlesday/Forgiveness. Mitigated by MAG conversion (also better on those days + bad weather) but given the game wants you to constantly switch classes and inherit skills sometimes, might run into issues later on.
Class Changes: I hated it in XB3, I also hate it here. I like sticking to just what I love but then the dungeon throws some stupid mechanic on the enemies or give em stupid resistances (goblins berserk when mages, some enemies have skills that give extra turns). Makes things even more annoying on Hard mode.
No AoE: Besides Phys having AoE early on with Swordmaster, Magic doesn't get any AoE until WAY later on so the only AoE Magic until then is through Synthesis skills but you need 2 Magic classes for that.
Metaphor is might be harder than Persona and SMT to some (and easier to some others). I find it harder because it doesn't have the QoL that SMTV and Persona have (All-Out Attacks, Tag Team Attacks, Mitama for easy level ups, gold etc). Never had any issues in Persona and SMTV (never played other SMT but I think Nocturne is STILL the hardest overall game?)
I checked out the demo but couldn't get into it.
The real time combat portion of the combat is an empty shell of a system with no depth, and I just cant be entertained by turned based battles anymore.
And I originally started off eith RPGs as my favorite genre way back when I played FF7 on the Playstation 1 but idk, it just doesn't do it for me anymore
Metaphor “Re-fan-tot-zio”
I will be pirating this game since if I bought it legit it would just be a pass to play the game that they could take away at anytime. I recommend everyone else do the same.
Good luck with that, its got Denuvo and no one in the scene can crack Denuvo.
Have fun in, like, 3 years
@Dermetsu that's not true there are hackers that have already cracked it I don't know if they cracked the metaphor yet but denuvo has been
it's just more persona
Waitwaitwaitwait...are you saying games can address themes of inequality and societal issues WITHOUT being a preachy shit?! I don't believe you. Most western games haven't been able to, it's impossible
Thankfully it isn't preachy and doesn't pander to one side and it shows the good and bad of all side of the spectrum.
Yeah but do the translators, erase gender from the dialog for nonbinary BS? I will buy this game when it is on sale, I do not support Sega. As far as I am concern, they are the worst publisher in the industry. They some how subtract from products made by some of the best studios in the industry and some how manage to one up the shit every time they release a product.
That isn’t an issue with Metaphor. The localisation is fine, none of that “woke” stuff grifter channels talk about is mentioned.
@@spat3305kind of hard to calling it grifting when gender has been absent in RPGs for about 5 years now.
@@spat3305it's not grifting if it's an actual problem that needs to stop. All the things that are now so blatantly political, existed before, but weren't done with the current subtlety of an industrial jackhammer.
@@alemswazzu You're right, but there totally are a lot of grifter channels who dangle that crap to their audience like jangling keys; turning every molehill into a mountain and exaggerating every little thing into a major conspiracy.
Gotta keep them that daily upload schedule...
I hear the localization is terrible, though.
Why? It has a boring story, stale characters, preachy themes, and unpleasant gameplay.
I don't get it.
@@rclaws3230 hes trying to get sponsored... isnt it obvious? hes just selling out, all youtubers do when they start to get big. the sooner you notice the patterns the better off you are. best to avoid this guys channel from now on when he shills woke slop games.
@@scragglie Yikes...
I can smell you through the screen.
If only it didn't have an atrocious english localization...
☝️your opinion
Meanwhile, Japanese players would rather play with English dub and Japanese sub, because they view the Japanese VA as too " over the top."
It's usually the same with anime.
Instead of being negative and complaining, maybe be grateful they give people options.
@@adamhooper7352 ☝your opinion. Where is the data? To even suggest that japanese people prefer english over their own language is so unbelievably ridiculous and disingenuous.
@@mokadelic4037fr bro people just be making stuff up, ive never understood these corporate glazers, actual npcs walking this earth
@mokadelic4037 I'm part Japanese and have relatives in Japan.
Japanese people usually find Japanese VAs too annoying and over the top.
They are also encouraged to learn other languages in their school systems.
Most gravitate towards English and prefer English VA with Japanese subtitles to help them learn.
My own grandmother, who is Japanese watched American soap operas in English to help her learn English.
@@adamhooper7352 when im in a "making shit up" competition, and my opponent is adam hooper, reddit extraordinaire 😰😰😰 japanese people hate foreigners, especially americans. everyone knows this, its why their country and culture is so much better than ours.
Goty, but it panders..
The main character looks wayyyy too goofy for me and I don't like the hybrid combat, prefer turn based. would've played the shit outta this too.
Solitaire is better.
i heard the localization is absolute trash. ill pass on this one, never buy woke games guys.
Its not woke at all…
You people are retarded.
woke what? there is no woke at all, if you hate this game just say it.
@@phamkhang7928 Leonoudakis has in the past completely changed the context of scenes and omitted lines with common Japanese phrases she deemed too sexist etc. Localizers do have too much freedom and there are plenty of examples of them injecting their politics into scripts. In this case I suspect it's mostly people who haven't played the game. Also culture warriors are sensitive to anything with themes about racial discrimination etc
horribly outdated ps 2 like graphics , fantastic story and evolution of persona 5
maybe a goty
Yea no thanks, stop trying to sell me this game and just say you are sponsored
Hey there John, it's ilegal to not disclose a sponsorship. This isn't a sponsored video, nor do I have any communication or affiliation with SEGA/Atlus beyond them sending me an email without any strings attatched for a game I pre-ordered 7 months ago. Thanks for commenting, hope this clears it up.
@@Mugthief pre-ordered seven months ago ?
so you admit youre part of the modern gaming proplem
@@jackplisken4738 But he talks about games as a job, ofcourse he preorders.
Have you considered that this game is just actually that good? Or are you too disheartened at the sorry state of gaming lately. Which I'd actually understand.
@@jackplisken4738 I happily pre-order games that I know I will play on release if I can find them for cheap. I hold Atlus games to the same regard I'd hold FromSoft, and I guess Rockstar. Rules have exceptions, and for me a flagship Atlus release falls under that.