Metaphor Refantazio: Ranking EVERY Story Arc!

[@JDN910]

My god how dont you have more subscribers? This video was so good

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@JDN910 I’m so happy you enjoyed this video and you saying that means the world to me :,) I won’t stop making videos, and what’s most important to me is that ppl come here and feel welcome to share their thoughts and have a conversation. If the subscribers come, cool, but if not I’m more than satisfied just making videos having convos with ppl like yourself :) hope to see you under other videos as well, always feel free to leave your thoughts on the vids or anything I discuss. I have a few other videos on Metaphor as well, if you enjoyed this one you might enjoy those too so feel free to visit my channel!

[@hartfantom]

LOL it be like that bruv 🥲. It’s hard for us smaller channels to make it out the mud 😂. I ain’t gonna lie, today’s KZbin culture is shot dead. Back then, KZbinrs collab’d but that concept is kinda dead today. Most collabs now are more political than anything as opposed to making fun and creative content.

[@trifle140]

My disappointment with the ending is that Basilio didn’t open a café

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@trifle140 maybe after he retires from government :) my man still got a job that he loves with people that he loves, so it’s not all bad.

[@andersonborges5377]

I really believe that things like that didn't happen because there's still things to happen in a possible sequel(I also believe that that's the true reason there's no romance, they probably didn't want to deal with import save shenanigans).

[@system_ai9248]

Tbf it's only been a year

[@jesuisradmusic]

Altabury Heights is so crazy it's what I think about now when people talk about 9/11

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@jesuisradmusic out of pocket 💀💀💀

[@fitken5909]

what the-

[@S1EEPLES5]

I really liked the island arc it felt like the calm before the strom

[@LordKhuryGaming]

It definitely had a good energy to it - the shift in scenery, the music, the different culture&ppl, the voyage to get there. All of these things were key components that made it feel like a bit of a nice vacation from the chaos of the mainland. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@oreofilledjoy302]

Altaberry Heights was truly the MVP section of the game. I couldn't stop playing. I literally stayed up just to do the whole thing in one go.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@oreofilledjoy302 thanks for watching and dropping a comment. I ofc completely agree. Like a crazy roller coaster ride, you can’t get off halfway through, no choice but to see it all the way through! For me, truly one of the best segments of story Atlus has done so far in any of their games.

[@ilidot5892]

Me too! I was telling myself I’ll stop at 10pm and save and go to bed since I got work in the morning…then Altabury Heights had me in a chokehold and I went “I’m working from home tomorrow”

[@ReezyDoesIt]

Just finished the game, no question one of my favorite RPGs of all time. Glad to see a great breakdown of the story like this. Earned a sub for sure

[@LordKhuryGaming]

Appreciate you bruh, super happy for you that you enjoyed the game (and the video!) Seriously, it means the world to me that I earned your sub. I got more Metaphor content on the way, and a few other Metaphor videos on my channel already if you're interested!

[@ReezyDoesIt]

@@LordKhuryGaming Definitely gonna check those out. This was amazing so I don't doubt I'll enjoy the other videos

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@ appreciate the kind words more than you know :,) hope you like those too!

[@Michael-pe9ef]

So hard to find quality content on Metaphor, love how you explore the writing of this amazing game.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@Michael-pe9ef thank you, appreciate you! I was just thinking to myself the other day I was surprised at how little coverage this game is getting, especially relative to how much persona 5 Royal got. Happy to cover this game so ppl have a space to discuss it. If you want more Metaphor content, I did a video analyzing metaphor while comparing and contrasting it to Persona 5, and I also did a tier list for metaphor where I ranked every single character in the game :) there's also more Metaphor content yet to come of course! If you celebrate, hope you had a great Christmas

[@dafire9634]

20:16 imo there's guaranteed to be a dlc/"regal" edition to this game, cut content shows 2 playable characters and 7 bonds, and it is extremely obvious that the mage academy was supposed to be a dungeon to the point everyone says it, imo that's the content in the "updated" edition

[@LordKhuryGaming]

If they remake this game and add the very few things they left on the table, it could leap up to being my favorite game ever tbh.

[@ArcaneSeason4]

I really like Martira as a location just because of how homey it felt. Sure it absolutely isn't as big or grand of a place as Grand Trad or Brilehaven, and doesn't have much to look at, but the small size of it and its relative simplicity gave a cozy feeling of coming home to a familiar place. And the calmness of the music adds to this, at least for me.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@ArcaneSeason4 I agree with everything you said. Tbh it’s so hard to rank the arcs when (imo) every single arc in the game is great 😅 I do think you make a great point, it hits a different vibe that no other area in the game hits and does deserve plaudits for that. btw thanks for sharing your thoughts

[@ArcaneSeason4]

@@LordKhuryGaming Np! I do also agree with you. Its honestly astounding how all the arcs and locations ALL manage to be as great as they are.

[@AnimeFanOmega]

To me I think the Martira section is bolstered a bit from the reveal at the end with More. The theme of family and the inspiration we leave behind and how it connects to the despire that we witness in Martira is truly an interesting parallel. Whereas in the beginning we think that only Heismey has a link to the mother's despair, in actuality our own father went through what she experienced and as a result lost his hope in his own goals and worldview. Really, really clever writing imo and makes re-experiencing that arc all the more interesting. Also us being half and her son being half and that prejudice being what killed him makes that aspect even more important and hard-hitting.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@AnimeFanOmega very astute point. That’s actually one of my favorite things about Metaphor’s writing, is that a lot of the stories are more relatable to adults than they are for children/teens/young adults. Like any parent who plays this game will really feel a lot of emotions at various different points. Even stuff like how Strohl lost his parents or how Eupha lost hers, those are also things that parents would feel the impact of much deeper.

[@mreverything7056]

Tbh I kinda agree with your points on Martira, even though that’s why I actually enjoyed this arc a lot more. It’s a bit more self contained compared to the other arcs, but I could often feel myself one step ahead of the plot. For example, when we go all around town and no one tells us how to get to Heismay, but Moris just says “Oh yeah everyone knows this”, that was me basically confirming he’s evil and somethings going to go wrong. Surprisingly, the one thing I never thought would happen was Heismay actually being a good guy! My initial theory was that he and Morris were working together and that Bardon would join the squad.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@mreverything7056 ohhhh that would’ve been a cool subversion of expectation! Part of why I figured Heismay would join, was the fact he was a Eugief too, I kind of tracked early on that they were going the ‘member of each tribe’ route for party comp and Bardon would’ve been redundant. Also, I can tell you played this game blind (so basically not watching trailers or promotional material) because I’m pretty sure Heismay was present in a lot of promotional stuff too. I always advocate for and try to play games as blind as possible myself, but with this game I couldn’t cuz I made a video about it for the channel lol. But my point is, you were able to immerse yourself in the story more and consider other possibilities that other players who had watched trailers, wouldn’t have been able to. And I think that’s cool dude. Lastly, I enjoyed Martira a ton too! But something had to be last unfortunately, yk. Thanks for sharing your thoughts, and for watching the video!

[@dorrrrrian]

big agree on altabury being #1. that entire stretch of the story genuinely had my heart racing. what a masterpiece of a game, its hard for me to articulate all the things i love about it. great video man, subscribed! eupha my girl fr

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@dorrrrrian thanks so much :,) welcome! And I’m so glad you agreed on this video. If you love Eupha, DEFINITELY look at my video I just uploaded. It’s all about Eupha!

[@Ryzer235]

27:40 It is still so funny to me that we have maybe the biggest lore dump in the entire game with some insane revelations about how Metaphor’s world came to be, and then Heismay just says ‘so let me get this straight’ 😂

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@Ryzer235 🤣😂 OG was pressed

[@Infighter]

Just paused on the Rella part (of which I agree with everything 100%) to point out that the game does mention Rella gaining believers even before Forden's death! It happens when you check the statues of the king's magic after some big event, altho I don't remember which specifically. Gallica mentions that Rella's face is getting bigger and starting to show. It's a neat foreshadowing of what happens after.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@Infighter that’s cool! I didn’t get that line of dialogue :/ I like how many details and implications you can find when you really look in games like this. That said, I don’t think that addresses the minor plot hole if you will, that Rella’s face wasn’t on the stone from the beginning, due to her status as the people’s Saint. A missed opportunity for the story to play around with that imo!

[@Infighter]

@ oh absolutely. I wasn’t implying otherwise, just pointing out a neat (missable) detail! I agree with your take about that arc completely, including the fact that it really needed a dungeon to flash it out better. A part of me even believes there was a scrapped one at one point during development considering how many days we get for the last section of the game. Hopefully if they ever consider a definitive edition of metaphor we get one!

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@ I’m with you on that my friend! A definitive edition of Metaphor could honestly become my GOAT video game tbh

[@mintqo]

Super AWESOME video i dont understand how you dont have more subscribers and views!! love your explanations on everything

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@mintqo thanks SO MUCH! I’m honored that you feel that way. Hope to see you on future videos, if you want more Metaphor content, I’ve done other videos on this game as well. I’ve ranked every character in the game in a tier list, and I’ve also done a bit of an analysis on the relationship between this game and persona 5 royal in my head. Take a look if you’re interested, no pressure!

[@amadeusayala5266]

Had a blast watching your video - just finished the game yesterday after two months and having this perfectly crafted review of the narrative felt like completing my experience. For me, the whole sequence from Virga Island to Eldan Sanctum was one of the best pieces of entertainment I've ever had and it was just great to briefly relive it. Keep up the good work!

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@amadeusayala5266 thank you so much

[@michaelhorvath62]

Really well done and well articulated points. Commenting mostly to boost the algorithm for you. Keep up the great work!

[@LordKhuryGaming]

That's really considerate dude! Appreciate you, and so happy you enjoyed the vid :)

[@haydersdk5088]

great video, one of the best videos i watched about metaphor on youtube and i agree that altabury heights is the best arc it was so hype and the ending of the arc with Basilio's awakening left me in tears. definitely my GOTY of 2024, keep up the good work man 🙏

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@haydersdk5088 thanks so much for saying that :,) glad you enjoyed. That was definitely a heavy part of the game! I didn’t attach to fidelio as much as others, and it was still pretty emotional for me going through that sequence. I made another video ranking every single character in this game in a tier list, I think you might enjoy that one if you did this one. Aside from that, I definitely plan on making more Metaphor content! I feel like it’s a game that really deserves to be analyzed, so keep an eye out for that :)

[@andrewholmes2850]

Just wanted to say this was a very good video. You have a way of describing concepts which is both eloquent and concise. I think you'll do well in the future.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@andrewholmes2850 Aw thanks so much man!!! I’m gonna keep at it, hope to see your thoughts and insights on future videos

[@pavin9956]

Omg i remembered how my anxiety peaked during Altabury like no other game did this to me. I remember going to bed and rewatching the Opera House cutscene cuz I didn't focus at Junah's song at all. As much as I loved the implications they did with Virga Island, the dungeon made me scream internally in pain LMAO to the point I was so out of it by the end of the Drakodius arc.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@pavin9956 lmaaooo good example of how gameplay can impact storytelling. That dungeon was quite a dungeon crawl, I can definitely understand how that could fatigue you out of enjoying the story. + Altabury was a trip!! Im right there with you 😂 I’m glad you enjoyed the video, thank you so much for watching and dropping your thoughts!

[@Youtubeguy7777]

Another great video! As someone who loved this game, I'm really enjoying how deeply you are covering it and it's themes. Hope to see more!

[@LordKhuryGaming]

Appreciate the support and glad you're enjoying the content!!

[@neguscw2058]

It’s crazy I don’t see more popular videos on this game bro the altabury heights opera house section had me feeling some shit I’ve never felt before

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@neguscw2058 all facts!! Thanks for watching :)

[@TheHermitZ]

This was the type of video I was looking for after finishing the game, thanks!

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@TheHermitZ I’m so glad! Thank you so much for watching :) I got a few other Metaphor videos on my channel rn if you need more (ranking every character in the game, and another one doing a cross analysis of metaphor vs Persona) And there’s definitely more Metaphor content to come! It’s game and story that deserves analysis :)

[@WesleyC5771]

Great video! Honestly I would’ve put Virga islands a bit lower just because i feel like that was where the pacing of the story slows down quite a bit. I won’t go into too much detail rn but I think for its placement in the story and for its narrative as a whole it goes on for way too long. I found myself getting bored at this part and wishing to get to the next part quickly lol. Also I get your points about Martira but I truly think this is one of the best arcs of the story and one of the most memorable!

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@WesleyC5771 that’s the beauty of this game - I could see either arc placing that highly! They’re all extremely well done :) Martira has some of my favorite moments in any game ever!

[@mitsuyo3475]

Great video, thank you for the entertainment while at work

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@mitsuyo3475 thanks for watching!! So happy you enjoyed it and that it helped you during your work day :) I used to work security, and KZbin really clutched up a lot of those long hours LOL

[@carsonminter3020]

Great video man! It’s always interesting to see such high quality and well scripted content and then go “Wait, what do you mean he isn’t at 10k subs?” Also just great for me to see black men talking about JRPGs. I feel a little bit more community everytime I see it.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@carsonminter3020 thank you my brotha!! it means more than you know, ong. Whenever we make it to 10k subs, I’ll literally give you a shout, cuz man I genuinely appreciate you taking the time to comment this. Obviously we don’t have a ton of representation in this space (both from the content side of things and in the games themselves) though that’s slowly changing and rlly cool to see. I actually talked about that briefly in my video before this one, where I ranked each character in the game in a tier list. I think when I got to Brigitta, I commented how dope it was to see her and Neuras in the game as central characters. The day we get a black jrpg protag in a mainline+mainstream game will be crazy fam.

[@vittoriopugliese3352]

Have you watched Blazingknight too? He too is a black man, he mostly talks about Fire Emblem

[@jayanicygnus]

Obsessed with your ability to methodically get your points across so well 😱. Loved everything you had to say in the video 🙂. The Martira section was predictable, but there is an appreciation of the mundaneness around this town, considering everything else was stimulating to the max. Heismay got to shine and might be one of Metaphor's most enriched and well-written characters. I enjoyed his follower path the most (along with Alonzo). Do you have a favorite follower?

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@jayanicygnus thanks so much :,) it means more than you know!! So actually funny you should ask, I did a video prior to this one where I ranked every character in the game in a tier list. While I did it mainly based on how good I felt the writing was behind the characters, the character I ranked on top was indeed my favorite follower in the game. If you don’t have time to watch though, just lmk and I can tell you right here who it is LOL

[@jayanicygnus]

@@LordKhuryGaming omggg, I will check it out now, no worries ☺

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@jayanicygnus thanks!!

[@banquoviaquo9220]

I dunno if I agree with all of these placements, but all the same, I love how thoughtfully it was all presented.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@banquoviaquo9220 thanks so much dude, means a lot to me! Lots more metaphor content on my channel if you wanna take a look :) Also, feel free to share how you would’ve ranked them! I’d love to know and have a chat about it

[@SKTyrone]

Amazing video bro, I love your explanation on each arc and why you placed them 🔥🔥

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@SKTyrone thank you, I appreciate you watching and I’m so glad you enjoyed the vid :)

[@TheRealTalkingLemon]

This is the kind of video that should pop off

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@TheRealTalkingLemon those few words mean more to me than you know :,) thank you so much and I’m glad you enjoyed it !!

[@divinereaperr6236]

About More being a good person but can't fit to rule Stroll calls this out at the very start which whether it i intentional or not is really creative foreshadowing.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

It's been so long since I played the beginning of the game that I actually don't recall that specific comment from Strohl 🤔 I think him saying that really speaks to how well thought out every single line of text is in this game. The themes, foreshadowing, implications, are all really tight and consistent throughout the narrative

[@eva24gelion]

Oh my god thank you for tbis video. I agree with generally everything you've said and you've pieced certain plot/character elements together for me that I was right on the cusp of grasping. Thank you. Also, glad to see another Wifey, I mean Eupha fan ❤ I love her so much 😅

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@eva24gelion lmao I appreciate you more than you know, I’m so glad you enjoyed the vid and thanks for dropping your thoughts! Wifey - I mean Eupha is definitely one of my favorite characters I’ve encountered in fiction

[@Chocopyro1]

The Mustari are also my favorite tribe. I love my iron aged-Germanic Pagan/Polynesian Seafaring folk. Walking around like they just stepped out of a medieval Tahiti-themed Mummer's Dance. Only instead of animal heads, and wicker baskets, or even maori war masks, they have these freakin literal mind palaces depicting architectural fort styles from around the world. Not sure who in Atlus had the crazy idea to smash together a franken-culture with those influences and somehow make them distinct, believable to the setting, and interesting. However, I'm not sure I agree with you on Martira. As much as I love anything otaku, one thing J-RPGs don't do all that well is creating a historically authentic-ish castle town. Most get in this weird cookie cutter "Medieval flavored" fantasy style that doesn't come across as believable, which is why I can personally appreciate when it looks like someone actually may have read over some anthropological notes. Martira not only captures the look and feel of one in architecture, but in scale and layout as well. Sure, in Fantasy, you can call it generic. But the kinda world building we see here, just like the Mutsari, is taking real world slices and layering over them. So you take that believable medieval town, layer over it with the setting's homebrew tribal demographics, and give the locals a strange cuisine that makes sense with what is available in the region... Which turns out to be Bugs. Hey, plenty of cultures IRL eat weirder things. So in my opinion, It's an interesting glimpse into rural life beyond the capital, and I couldn't help but notice Atlas likely drew some inspiration from one of France's most notorious medieval noble serial killers out there, Gilles de Rais, who interestingly fought along side Joan de Arc... Consider the name. Lady Joanna. That being said. I love your video, and enjoyed listening to your analysis.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@Chocopyro1 wow. I think you definitely highlighted a few gaps in my knowledge, that definitely increases my affection for Martira a bit more. I’m not sure it would be enough for me to place it higher, but you’ve definitely given me a few things to think about and research. Thanks so much for sharing these thoughts, I mean it. The more I look into Metaphor the more I’m realizing just how many real world cultures/peoples/ideas the game took inspo from. Really appreciate comments like this as they save me a lot of time finding the right paths to go down. Hope you enjoyed the video!

[@Chocopyro1]

@@LordKhuryGaming Sure did enjoy it. And I wouldn't worry about those gaps so much. You understand writing, characters, and story structure better than I do. My strengths in writing lean more in world building, so I'm kinda a fountain of useless anthropological/sociological facts, since I tend to get side tracked very easily when researching cultures for my homebrew projects and D&D games.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@ I’ll expect you to check me on future videos with things I may have missed! Thank you friend :)

[@Pixel_Rocket23]

tbf with the "how did Junah join the group" thing, i always thought she was referring to Grius.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@Pixel_Rocket23 they really don’t make it clear at all, and leave a ton up to imagination. If she was, she would’ve/should’ve name dropped him since so many ppl in the party had close relationships with Grius.

[@gravemind76]

What i found funny is the mc is pretty much a biracial black person. Look at the murals in the sanctum and you see the mom was black with white hair like brigetta or storm. Elda's was also the last remnant of human kind.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@gravemind76 I caught onto that, but without a character portrait for the mom I didn’t want to make that claim in any of my videos :( would be so cool if they said it with their chest, and maybe had the mc’s mom appear as a ghost as well when she’s talking to Hytholodeaus/More at the end. Maybe if they remaster this game, we can get something like that. Thanks for dropping a comment my friend I hope you enjoyed the video!

[@gravemind76]

@LordKhuryGaming it doesn't need to be said but I understand with how people are when it comes to us. The mc also is the closest thing to the black America experience in the 1950s definitely in the first half of the game. A Lil kid even thought that it would be funny to see you lynched In Grand trad. This game bring a lot of uncomfortable truth and doesn't hold back.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@ completely aligned with you fam. I spoke about in another video (a video where i compared and contrasted persona 5 royal and Metaphor) about how the world building of a world built on discrimination hit pretty close to home. I’ve been turned away from a store due to the color of my skin, so the fact that actually happens in this game (when you first go to purify a weapon at the church in Grand Trad) was a moment where I thought to myself they’re doing a good job making the discrimination feel realistic in a variety of ways

[@jaybee4288]

Yeah this game was crazy woke i am stunned it escaped the wrath of all the content creators who ripped dragon age apart, this was far more woke than that.

[@ThyFloorestFloor]

@@jaybee4288 The game was good and they couldn't pretend their criticisms where anything but the fact that it was woke. Same thing happened with Baldurs Gate 3 which despite being as woke as one can be, was not attacked as publicly as other games were.

[@LucyTheLamia]

The Drakongrace Shinjuku reveal admittedly had less impact on me because i was just like "wait this is just the Land of Morytha from Xenoblade Chronicles 2 again" lol

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@LucyTheLamia aye fam careful with the spoilers 😂 don’t want anyone playing xenonlade to catch a stray here! And that’s the beauty and the curse of consuming a lot of media… eventually you realize how similar alot of stories can be!

[@oponomo]

i do agree with your analysis that Louis is not driven by selfish ego, but i disagree that he's doing it for a better world or for the people (in his own eyes). I think he knows that making everyone a human will turn the whole world into mindless beasts and he is in denial that it is the only possible equality/justice. He seems emotionless because he is supressing his anger but it is showing in the form of this denial of "i'm not emotional, i racionaly want to make a world of humans because it's equal." denying a self search. The biggest tell are his bouts of anger retorts at the end talking about destroying the current world.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@oponomo I think it’s probably subjective what exactly Louis’s motivations are imo, and your take is definitely valid. Personally I read his bouts of anger toward the end of the game to be frustration instead at people not understanding that what he was doing was for the betterment of everyone (in his opinion)

[@bobobobobbbbo]

Apparently the maps from the Dragon temple are lifted straight out of Etrian Odyssey.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@bobobobobbbbo I enjoyed that factoid a lot. Maybe I’ll talk about the lore implications in a future video!

[@hartfantom]

Me personally, the best story is the main story as boring as that may be. It was strong and well built and I love the beginning and ending. It’s cohesive, well paced, well written, and well concluded.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@hartfantom hey now, nothing wrong with that. I completely agree, the narrative as a whole is cohesive and executed excellently. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@bobobobobbbbo]

The very end of the game where they break the 4th wall and address the player directly is brilliantly and is very timely. That can't be an accident. It's talking directly to the people currently falling into the clutches of populists and the Russian/Chinese propaganda machine.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@bobobobobbbbo my friend, I plan on exploring a bit of that in the future video! In terms of the moments that they talk to the player directly :)

[@bobobobobbbbo]

@@LordKhuryGaming looking forward to it 🙂

[@henrymontes3626]

While playing the game I kinda thought that Louis was going to be the protag's half brother or something but I'm glad it wasn't that predictable of a story

[@LordKhuryGaming]

Seems you have good instincts, them being from the same secluded tribe is basically close enough!

[@Arctic7985]

I'm glad someone did mention my thoughts about the protagonist being a reformist. The game seems to be surprisingly pro monarchy, even though the game is about you learning the skills to be a good king i'm not entirely convinced that the protagonist has the right policies to meaningfully address crime. I'm aware it's mostly just a metaphor(re:fantasio) for how self actualization requires you to build diverse friend groups and seek out diverse experiences but the fact he doesn't immediately replace monarchy with a social democracy is kinda making my leftist self cringe a bunch.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@Arctic7985 hmmm that’s interesting. I assumed (perhaps wrongly) that the protagonist was running the kingdom pretty democratically, considering how he set up the 6 Partisans and basically delegated a lot of his power. They talk about in the epilogue for example how Batlin holds routine court meetings where the public can come and voice any of their concerns. So it’s clear the protagonist is creating a system where the people largely decide most things, and the king just guides the decision making. That’s what my impression was, and of course it’s reflected in the fact that they show that the protagonist makes a habit of roaming the streets and speaking to people incognito so he can authentically steer the kingdom in a way that reflects the people’s desires, not just his own. I think from a fantasy/video game perspective, had the protagonist immediately said “aight this king shit is over!” That would’ve been unsatisfying and anticlimactic, cuz you spent so many hours trying to ascend the throne and become king. I don’t want the protagonist to be a face in the crowd, I want him to be a righteous king. It’s a fantasy. He’s a very democratic king and I think that’s enough for me. I think to enjoy it to the max we gotta slightly separate our real world standards a bit tbh from our expectations of the protagonists resolution in his fantasy world. That’s my two cents!

[@Arctic7985]

@LordKhuryGaming I completely forgot about that part, so i actually would say my opinion has been changed. I sort of focused on the term "king" and didn't consider the 6 partians at all. I also didnt consider that him roaming the country incognito would sort of keep his ear to the ground. He also ends the game travelling off to solve problems personally which I think does reflect a desire to improve the people's conditions. I think the biggest thing is that the protagonist is supposed to be a reflection of the player so there aren't really any opportunities for him to talk about like, economic materialism or anything. Although granted I didn't do any of the podium debates.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@ yeah in the podium debates you’re mainly refuting the other candidates mostly inane points, so you’re right in terms of the lack of capability to kind of define your policies. That would’ve been very cool, if at the end of the game you were able to design your policies and then the time skip into the epilogue, the epilogue would look different based on what you picked

[@NA-jd6wy]

This was an incredible video! Very well-articulated and eloquent. However... Please, turn down the music or turn it off entirely. Its difficult to focus on your voice and the music at the same time.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

Thank you so much for the constructive feedback! I'll put some more focus into tuning the music in the next vid :) Apologies that it was a little loud :/ Appreciate you commenting your thoughts and I'm so glad that you enjoyed the video!!

[@Socioromanticism]

Great overview. I still disagree with your list and from the jump to the end. But! You had a lot of good reasons for why your list was the way it is. One point I disliked in the story was how everyone was seemingly going to die as the MC goes to fight Louis. And it's like "no lol we just didn't." It made the final encounter with Louis seem tragic despite everything, including when you basically nixed yourself instead of becoming a human again. But it felt a little comical that everyone was just fine after all.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@Socioromanticism thanks for watching and even moreso for dropping a comment with your thoughts!! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas (if you celebrate). The thing is, if people disagree with this list I couldn’t respect it more, because this game’s narrative imo is so great top to bottom that it’s very hard to actually rank each arc. Just followed my heart on this one, very subjective stuff. So my understanding of that sequence you’re referring to, was that everyone survived because of the people’s hopes and faith in the protagonists party. So in other words, it was exactly like how the royal magic worked, with how it was a magic that drew power from the people of Euchronia. The people’s support basically kept the protagonist and his party alive. So it was magic that kept everyone alive. Make of that what you will! I personally don’t think I mind the idea of this, as it felt like a tangible benefit to gaining the people’s support, and winning over the masses. It felt like an extension of the idea that whoever the people truly wanted to be king, would ascend. The game could’ve done a better job of making it clear this is what they were going for, but at the same time I think the obscurity might’ve been intentional.

[@AngryAnimeFan2]

The game certainly made me feel exciting. Louis was in some manner an intresting villian. However, what I would say is that the Tyrant Star is also were his true self gets reflected the most. As he always have said, he never lied and he never fully lied about disliking the society either however he never told the truth either But seeing the protagonist and group stand up for hope causes him to falter. He, who always said you needed strength which makes him succumb to melancholy that he accused others of fallen so easily to. And once he becomes a human he even condemns the Tribe, showing that his wish for equality is a slight farce for he really does burn with anger toward them. The tv tropes page put it best themselves. Louis hypocrisy, gets shown best there. But I’ll agree, the arc of the true mastermind is perhaps the best. Yet Forden death feels somewhat, not satisfying enough even if was both humiliating and dramatic toward him

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@AngryAnimeFan2 thanks so much for watching and taking time to comment

[@AngryAnimeFan2]

@ merry Christmas to you too And your analysis were good So, since you wished a merry, I’ll grant a Christmas poem I granted to some as a present: Merry Christmas and happy holidays Says the shade form the shadow, neither lonely nor socially. Not an exile just a being wondering, where is light for a being as such? And so the Christmas poem read: “They say the cold exist in more then sky. For even the heart of ice, carry a cold of loneliness. A warmth not a hug can melt for the warmth of kindness can be rejected by thoose that are afraid and lost. Because a gift or a hand is sometimes gusts in the wind, forgotten a next day. Even so, a true warmth is a desire to see more than just granting a gift. It is a guide to overcome the doubt of within. So that the day when darkness are darkest, a light to guide emits within. The warmth of will overcomes the cold of doubt. A history of a Christmas gift, granting the strength to find more then are given”

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@

[@jaybee4288]

I feel like Martira was the best part of the game by some way. I did like dragon temple as well but overall I felt most of the arcs were too repetitive and similar. 3 of the “palaces” were basically the same building with the same boss. I missed the variety of persona 5 arcs.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@jaybee4288 I feel you, and I talked about that specifically in my video where I compared and contrasted metaphor and persona 5 royal, you might like that one. The variety persona had in its palace designs was unrivaled, and really made it stick out for me in metaphor how much a lot of areas lacked creativity gameplay wise. Completely respect your Martira shout, Martira literally had some of my favorite moments I’ve ever played in any game so by no means do I consider it a bad arc.

[@ElliotButch23]

8:47 This is incorrect. Immediately after you kill the human there is a guard that specifically says "you killed that human. So we don't need to rely on Louis to do it" or something close to that

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@ElliotButch23 I know. There are a few guards who witnessed it and thanked you for it, but nobody in the city i.e the public at large, knows that you did it or acknowledges it.

[@ElliotButch23]

@LordKhuryGaming Oh that is fair. At this point I just kind of chalk that up to RPG logic. I wish more games would have NPCs acknowledg the horrifying cataclysms the experience

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@ElliotButch23 You're 100% correct on that, and I suppose I should've taken that into consideration before I listed that as a qualm. Thanks for the chat :)

[@ThyFloorestFloor]

@@LordKhuryGaming It is implied by some NPC's after the cataclysm that the church claimed it was the guards who took down the human.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@ThyFloorestFloor right, but I'm addressing the lack of eyewitnesses, considering where the battle takes place. It'd be more believable to me if there were at least some rumors circulating amongst npcs about 3 heroes who used the legendary archetypes to take down the humans.

[@ZrayMina]

Great video! Btw, where did you get that image of louis on the thumbnail?

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@ZrayMina thanks a bunch!! I believe it’s Louis’s character portrait from the game, I just edited it up and cleaned off the text box. If you’d like to have it, shoot me an email and I can email you the jpg :)

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@ZrayMina (my email is on my channel’s homepage)

[@ChaosSower99]

Some of my concerns include the fact that even when Will is officially the King now, Maria stll wear ragged clothes. She and Fabiene deserve better.

[@RobertBuzz0420]

Of course Martira’s music was sleepy it was supposed to depict a sleepy little country town I liked it better than the battle theme that sounded like Donnie from the Wild Thornberry’s grew up and decided to take on a music career

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@RobertBuzz0420 I can understand the choices behind the musical direction for sure, just didn’t have a great impact on my experience there :/

[@Megidolaon999]

Someone not afraid to criticise and point out flaws in ATLUS games, a rare sight these days. Great video. Im going to be honest, while I love this game, I seriously hate martira. The whole party’s reaction to Joanna is completely and utterly insane, ESPECIALLY Heismays. I do disagree with an awful lot of the placements, but you articulate your points really well so great video.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@Megidolaon999 thanks for commenting even if you may disagree on a lot! I appreciate your perspective. Since you disagree on a lot, I’d be curious to know what your #1 placement would be? Also, I feel you on the Atlus thing, it definitely feels like for the most part people are over the top and hate on their games and claim they’re horrible or mid (not the case) or they get offended at even the slightest criticism and consider the games flawless.

[@thomasnguyen4427]

very good fanfic tierlist! hopefully I’ll be able to compare side-by-side the faithful AI tl vs the common fanfic rewrite someday

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@thomasnguyen4427 ??

[@oponomo]

i just wish you could turn down or even off the music my man. I'm really trying to listen to your words with my undivided attention but my comfort levels are dropping fast with the internal battle.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@oponomo one other person mentioned that. Thanks for letting me know too, I’ve taken it into consideration. In videos I’ve posted after this one, I don’t think you’ll find that to be the case! Apologies my friend hope you were able to hang in there.

[@melchiorsmokes]

opera house / altabury SOLOS

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@melchiorsmokes LOW DIFF

[@bobobobobbbbo]

When "Lewis" is spelled in the French form - "Louis" - then you should also use the French pronunciation. Is this an American thing to butcher it? I'm so glad that I used the Japanese audio.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@bobobobobbbbo hmmm I’m not sure, I just say it how they say it in game! Maybe it was just a creative choice where they prefer the pronunciation they went for? If you do a future playthrough I’d highly suggest you give the English audio a try, they genuinely did a great job with it!

[@bobobobobbbbo]

@@LordKhuryGaming sorry I'm talking about the game not you 😅

[@bobobobobbbbo]

@@LordKhuryGaming I'll give it a try if I do new game+ (not in a rush as I cleared almost everything first time).. the JP cast is stunning, they're all S-class seiryu who voice iconic anime characters.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@bobobobobbbbo then maybe next play through I’ll give the Japanese voices a try! Thanks for letting me know about that, appreciate you taking the time to comment :)

[@bobobobobbbbo]

@@LordKhuryGaming thanks for making an interesting video. Keep it up and your channel will explode :)

[@karmenion]

I hinestly think that Luis's airship and Opera house were the best part of the game imo, Castle Brailhaven was really nice arc because of Heismay and everything else was simply Atlus level game. I know what I will say next might trigger some people, but even tho I think this game is easily 7 or 8/10, I really disliked how drawn out it felt at the end. Like when it was revealed that royal palace wasn't final dungeon I was slightly annoyed, but when Luis excapes after his boss fight and you need to fight him again and again I was really loosing my patience. Also really dislike the reveal in Dragon Temple. Ruins the fantasy setting for me. And lastly I really dislike how cartoonishly evil all villains are, makes me take them less seriously. And as I said I still like the game, just disagree with people calling it amazing story.

[@LordKhuryGaming]

@@karmenion you are free to having your opinion!! It’s always welcome here and I genuinely appreciate it. Obviously mine is in the video for the most part, so I won’t get to in depth on which points I disagree on. But I do empathize with you on how the end could feel ‘drawn out’. If you’re like me and you’re loving everything that’s going on, then you’re thinking “wow this is awesome, there’s more!” But I totally see how if your opinion is anything less than that, the ending part of the game could feel ‘drawn out’. Thanks for sharing your opinion! Completely respect it and enjoyed hearing it.