Developer – Atlus Publisher – Sega Platforms – PC, Xbox Series, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (reviewed) Review copy given by publisher Ever since Atlus announced their next big JRPG back in the Xbox Showcase 2023, I’ve been patiently waiting for its imminent arrival. Well it’s finally here: Metaphor: ReFantazio in all of its might and glory. This captivating new IP from the masterminds of Persona and Shin Megami Tensei weaves a fantastical and politically charged narrative with fantastic gameplay that is sure to keep you engaged for hundreds of hours on end. The story begins with the ruler of the Kingdom of Euchronia being assassinated with no direct successor to his throne. Thus begins a tournament where various factions, including cat people, horned people, and elvish people, compete, each with their own ideologies. You play as an Elda, a species of people that are generally discriminated against, accompanied by a cute little fairy called Gallica. Themes of class struggle, racism, and interplay between church and state are explored heavily, making this a complete 180 from Persona’s teenage after school vibe. If you take the time to see this gripping narrative to the end, I guarantee it will be worth it. Of course you are going to have your traditional turn based gameplay, but Atlus changed things up a bit this time around. The Job system you know from Persona is known as Archetypes here, and there are a whopping total of 46 of them. The actual combat itself is a blend of real-time and turn-based as you can clear trash mobs in the overworld with a sword swing without the need to enter turn-based mode. For the stronger mobs, you can still strike them in real-time, which in turn builds up a stun gauge that can give you a pre-emptive strike in battle. Instead of the Press Turn system where you get an extra turn if you take advantage of enemy weaknesses, you only take up half a turn here. On the other hand, you lose a turn if you miss an enemy.  You need to be strategic when it comes to fighting because this game isn’t a walk in the park, even on Normal difficulty. I appreciate that Atlus has implemented a ton of quality of life features, such as auto battle along with a rewind button to start battles over. There’s a good amount of planning needed before you jump into combat as you can quite literally get comboed to death if you aren’t careful. Once you start unlocking new Archetypes, you’ll also be able to combine two together in fights to execute Synthesis attacks, which deal devastating damage. For the most part, the level design in dungeons is spectacular, featuring various secret areas that reward the most dedicated of players. The main dungeons are an absolute treat and give a good number of challenging puzzles. But alas, a condition most JRPGs suffer from are the repetitive and copy-pasted side dungeons, which unfortunately Metaphor: ReFantazio contains. It’s not as bad as some other games though, like Persona 3, where each floor of Tartarus is the same over and over again.  When you’re not busy fighting baddies in dungeons, you’ll be spending your time on the Gauntlet Runner, a gigantic ship that serves as a home of sorts on your travels. You can cook, garden, and even go to the bathroom! Trust me, it’s not just there for comedic purposes, as you do get something out of it!  It wouldn’t be an Atlus game without social simulation elements weaved in too. In Metaphor: ReFantazio, you have both party members to build bonds with as well as followers. After all, you need people to support your cause right? Days are broken down into afternoon and evening sections, and you can either choose to raise your social stats, known as Royal Virtues, or dive into dungeons. Increasing your bond with followers can unlock new Archetypes, side quests, and new abilities, so don’t neglect them! You do need to complete a main dungeon by a certain day on the calendar, so use your time wisely. Veterans from previous Atlus games will already know what to do. It kind of sucks that you can’t control anyone other than the Protagonist in the overworld, but this is just a minor gripe. I’m usually one to stray away from dialogue heavy or visual novel-like titles because I simply don’t want to read through tons of text. But the writing and narrative implications the bonding episodes with companions have are monumental and excellently written. Everyone offers a unique perspective on the world and it makes you understand Euchronia a bit better. You have Strohl, a noble from the Clemar tribe who joins the army and has a heart of steel. Then you have Hulkenberg, a loyal knight from the Roussainte tribe and former member of the royal guard. Later on you meet Heismay, a member of the Eugief tribe with a mysterious past. Visually and aurally, the game is a feast for the eyes and ears. The dark fantasy setting is brought to life with detailed environments and character designs that reflect the diverse humanoid tribes inhabiting the world. The characters designed by Shigenori Soejima are not only memorable, but also inhabit incredible emotional depth. The audio is the other highlight, as the game features a fantastic English voice acting cast. Usually JRPGs are only voiced in Japanese, but you know they went the extra mile with this title. Lastly, I just wanted to touch a bit on the performance of the game on PlayStation 5. I’m always a bit more lenient when it comes to turn-based games that have more of an animated aesthetic. This game isn’t going for a super photo-realistic feel to it, so it shouldn’t be judged as such. Yes there are some frame dips, but it’s honestly not a big deal at all. The game performs great. No bugs, no glitches, no crashes.  Metaphor: ReFantazio checks all the boxes for