When was the Metaphor Refantazio release date? This is the first new game from Studio Zero, an internal development studio within Atlus made up of former Persona developers. It is set in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, which is coming to terms with the death of its king and a realm without an heir. You are thrust into the contest to determine the next ruler by gaining the trust and popularity of the people. However, surpassing your rivals and claiming the throne will be an uphill struggle for a relatively unknown candidate of “inferior background”.
Metaphor Refantazio borrows much of the same sense of style from the Persona RPG games. It primarily opts for turn-based combat systems similar to many JRPGs while including the more familiar social mechanics. Below you’ll find all the key info about Metaphor Refantazio, including when it came out. Be sure to consult our glowing Metaphor ReFantazio review if you’re contemplating investing in Atlus’ latest hit.
Metaphor Refantazio release date
The Metaphor Refantazio release date was Friday, October 11, 2024, for PC, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5. The game is available via Steam, but not on the Epic Games Store.
Metaphor Refantazio had been in development since Studio Zero’s formation in 2016, when it was known as “Project Re:Fantasy”. After its announcement in June 2023 for both PC and Xbox consoles, it was re-announced as coming to PlayStation and given a launch window of Fall 2024.
A physical edition is available for Xbox and PlayStation consoles. This included the Archetype EXP Chest Set and Adventurer’s Journey Pack DLC as preorder bonuses, which gave players items to help gain levels quickly, heal the party while in a dungeon, and even some in-game currency.
Metaphor Refantazio Collector’s Edition
A Collector’s Edition was also made available to preorder for the physical console versions, which included the aforementioned preorder bonuses, as well as the following items:
- Steelbook case
- Game artbook
- Game soundtrack
- Atlus 35th anniversary digital history book and soundtrack
- Homo Tenta Metallic pins
- A sticker sheet
- Kingdom of Euchronia cloth map
- Costume and Battle BGM set DLC voucher for the following schools/games:
- Shujin Academy (Persona 5)
- Yasogami High School (Persona 4)
- Gekkoukan High School (Persona 3)
- Seven Sisters High School (Persona 2)
- St. Hermelin High School (Persona)
- Jouin High School (Shin Megami Tensei V)
- Samurai Garb
- Etrian Odyssey Series Classes Costume
Metaphor Refantazio trailers
The first trailer was shown during Microsoft’s Xbox Games Showcase 2023 presentation, and we see the basic premise of the story. The United Kingdom of Euchronia has a huge steampunk influence. We see our silent protagonist riding on a modified blimp contraption known as a Gauntlet Runner across the sandy plains and exploring a city with Victorian-style buildings. We also see the main character establish bonds with party members.
The Royal Tournament trailer expands on the gameplay, with the real-time action shown briefly for the first time. Heading between dungeons and towns via a world map, we see that the weather changes on a daily basis. You are also able to cook recipes using ingredients gathered during your adventure.
In the Creator’s Voice trailer, we get a better sense of what the fantasy world is like. Hashino explains that the game is set “in a world where magic exists, people can’t use it without help.” They need to buy a special piece of equipment in order to cast spells. Historically, magic used to “spring from a person’s imagination,” but over time the knowledge of how to do this was lost.
Hashino also revealed that some characters can “transform their bodies into Archetypes.” These abilities are dormant in everyone at first, with only a select few able to use them. It’s a very similar concept to how Persona works, but as the footage shows, the protagonist has more of a direct influence by talking to characters to help awaken their powers.
Metaphor Refantazio gameplay
While the main battle system is turn-based and very similar to the Persona series, the new real-time combat is typically reserved for when your party would otherwise overwhelm an enemy, allowing you to defeat them directly in the dungeon areas. The player has direct control over whether to take on opponents in turn-based or real-time battles. They can scan their toughness with the help of Gallica, a fairy that joins the leader on their adventure.
Your choices and how you interact with each individual party member will determine which Archetypes are revealed. Each party member has classes with their own rankings, and you can change these in a similar way to the Final Fantasy job system.
Party members can also tap into their Archetypes, which, as the gameplay showcase details, allows them “to undergo a transformation and take on the appearance of various heroic figures to use their skills to fight.” You can check out our comprehensive guide to the Metaphor ReFantazio Archetypes here.
You and your party will learn more Archetypes by befriending and increasing the rank of your bond toward them. This is where much of the Persona influence kicks in, as the mechanic relies on you interacting with these party members during your downtime.
Another similarity to the Persona games comes in the form of social skills. There are five for you to work on: Courage, Wisdom, Tolerance, Eloquence, and Imagination. Increasing these will earn the trust of the people and aid you in getting new followers to sign up for your cause. However, you have a limited number of in-game days, which, as Metaphor Refantazio director Katsura Hashino later explains, is linked more to traveling rather than the typical school days from the Persona series.
Metaphor Refantazio trivia
Metaphor Refantazio is the first game by Studio Zero, the third development division within Atlus, and is headed by Hashino, who was previously the Persona 5 director. He was joined by other former members of the P-Studio division. Though this is not Studio Zero’s first game, as it previously worked on Catherine: Full Body, this is the developer’s debut of a wholly original work.
Metaphor Refantazio’s world design also takes inspiration from external contributors. During the Creator’s Voice trailer, we find out that the designs for the main vehicles, the Gauntlet Runners, were designed by Ikuto Yamashita, who worked on Neon Genesis Evangelion. This is not the only notable artist bringing the world to life as Metaphor Refantazio’s concept artist, Koda Kazuma, was the main designer of Nier Automata.
And that’s everything you need to know about the Metaphor Refantazio release date and gameplay. With Metaphor now out in the wild, be sure to check out all the playable Metaphor ReFantazio characters you can enjoy in-game, as well as the talented list of Metaphor ReFantazio voice actors who have lent their talents to the game.