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Metaphor: ReFantazio reviewed by Michael Higham on PC, also available on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. There’s a certain familiarity to Metaphor: ReFantazio, but Atlus takes the principles of its already excellent RPGs and refines them in a way that effortlessly ushers you through its brutal, and sometimes whimsical, fantasy world. The Archetype system brings satisfying progression along with all the new wrinkles added to the turn-based combat for some great hard-fought battles, and the social elements are streamlined to better deliver the most important aspects of the stories they tell. And for all its cliches, there’s a powerful sense of purpose behind this adventure. I felt a unique warmth in its message, because it’s driven by the ideals of a just society and smartly contextualized in surprising ways. Metaphor: ReFantazio is poetic, and at times, idealistic, but it also understands its complexities and that change requires action, and that even far-fetched fantasy stories can serve as inspiration to make our world a better place.
