Metaphor: ReFantaziois an upcoming new RPG from Atlus, which developed other influential series such asPersonaandShin Megami Tensei. The game’s connection to this acclaimed franchise is cause for excitement, but its status as an entirely new IP is that much more thrilling.Metaphor: ReFantaziowill hopefully break new ground in that regard, although a few factors still invite comparison.
WhileMetaphor: ReFantaziodoes share some clear DNA with its predecessors, it makes plenty of cuts tothePersonaformulaas well.Personagames are known for taking a long time to complete, so many may wonder howMetaphor’s similarities and differences could affect its own runtime. Thankfully, Atlus recently released the answer to this burning question.
Metaphor: ReFantazio Runtime Compares and Contrasts with the Persona Series
Metaphor: ReFantazio Is Deceptively Different from Persona
On its face,Metaphorseems rather similar to its peers. After all, its sense of style and combat system initially presentMetaphor: ReFantazioas a genre-swappedPersonagame. However, a few key distinctions show that the game has vastly different priorities. These changes are much more than skin deep, and could lead one to believe thatMetaphorcould have a shorter runtime compared toPersona.
While the fantasy genre remains the first difference that fans are likely to notice, this immediately calls other aspects to attention. For example,Metaphor: ReFantaziolacks significant romanceoptions or plot lines. This is in service of the game’s tone, and vastly different fromPersona, where romance is a high priority. Considering romance can contribute several hours to any givenPersonagame,Metaphorwould have to work overtime in order to make up the difference.
Persona Leaves Big Shoes for Metaphor: ReFantazio to Fill
AlmosteveryPersonagame has a lengthy runtime, nearly making it a subject of infamy at this point. In fact, the games have only gotten longer as time has gone on, and as its developers have become more ambitious. For example, the original release ofPersona 3takes most players between 80 and 90 hours to complete, while The Answer epilogue tacks on an additional 30 hours. By contrast, beatingPersona 5 Royalcan take anywhere between 100 and 140 hours.
This has set a clear expectation for fans, a definedseries tradition thatPersona 6will likely follow. However, fans should keep in mind thatMetaphoris by no means a spin-off. Despite its obvious differences, it’s almost impossible to avoid whetherMetaphor: ReFantaziocan live up to the expectations set by other Atlus games. Likewise,Metaphorridding itself of certain core features has made this conversation that much more pressing.
Metaphor: ReFantazio Sports a Similar Playtime to Persona 5
Looks can be deceiving, and Atlus recently revealed thatMetaphor: ReFantaziowill be similar in length to recentPersonagames after all. Katsura Hashino, thelead developer behindMetaphor: ReFantazio, recently confirmed thatMetaphorwill compare directly toPersona 5in both ambition and runtime. Although this is far from an exact number, players can look back toPersona 5and see the intention of Hashino’s statement.
Persona 5takes most players around 100 hours to complete, meaningMetaphor: ReFantaziowill likely match this length. Apparently, certain exclusions haven’t negatively affected this aspect of the game, asMetaphorhas more than enough additions to make up for it. Most prominently in Hashino’s statement,Metaphor: ReFantaziowill feature an extensive post-game, which is a far cry from thedefinitive endings of mostPersonagames.
The more things change, the more they stay the same.Metaphor: ReFantaziobreaks rank from otherAtlus franchises, but still keeps some important features in line. Fans of lengthyPersonagames won’t have to worry aboutMetaphorselling them short, as the fantasy RPG appears to more than make up for noticeable exclusions.
