Metaphor: ReFantazio Demo Impressions (Anime Expo 2024)

[@heethanthen]

The way Atlus handles “original” jrpgs reminds me of that one episode of SpongeBob where everything he tries to cook ends up turning into a Krabby Patty.

[@edwardsuou]

Yeah but come on Atlus did make one of the most creative game in the 7th generation which is Catherine and a nice follow up in Fullbody. Ok it was a side project to test the new engine they used ever since but I'm sure many hardcore atlus fans would love another experiment like that. My point being that they don't do that as they can't or didn't think about that but because they are a pretty big company and invest an insane amount of money in their projects nowdays. They can't afford a failure in sales and their best bet is always a turn base persona-like JRPG. If I was asked to keep Atlus as wealthy and alive as possible I would definetely take that direction too no question.

[@heethanthen]

@@edwardsuou Catherine isn’t a jrpg so my point still stands

[@MinatotheGreenLantern]

Lmao

[@edwardsuou]

@heethanthen well yeah but it's a bit much to ask to a company to do many different interpretation of a same genre (much better to just switch genre and Atlus can and I would really love if they did a JRPG hybrid with another genre but that would not appeal to the masses who wants the same thing from atlus, wouldn't it?) and I would still argue the persona format and the nucturne-strange journey one are just that. While the second is underexpeessed they still both go on. You don't see that much variety in other software houses, do you? My point is also to consider the importance of financial stability over creative expression.

[@t_bone2145]

I don’t mind if the gameplay feels similar but I wish they’d get new writers and make more rpgs based on books. They used to do this like once every decade with megami tensei, persona, and digital devil saga but I think that was the last time they did it like 20 years ago. It’s very disappointing to get games with similar or just bad stories from a company that prides themselves on “story-driven” experiences

[@DuskoftheTwilight]

> Atlus announces a game > Ask if it's SMT > They're confused > Explain the signature traits of SMT games > They laugh "Its a fantasy game" > Try the demo > Its an SMT game

[@ereviscale3966]

It's exactly what I want and they know that. Bastards.

[@konstantinos-iliasstrempas4594]

it's their mark so everything they create will in the end have some smt stuff with in it

[@rifway22]

Disappointing that it's still an SMT game. Why not just called it that, instead of this new IP? It's misleading. I've been playing their games for 20 years now, it's getting old now, might have to try other JRPG series

[@nr2676]

So like ... Digital Devil Saga ?

[@shawklan27]

​@nr2676 they don't remember that ip

[@skyFxd]

"There are ONLY about 40 archetypes" Excuse me, ONLY?? That's a lot of jobs, anyone who played classic FF or DQ knows that

[@alpsilva]

But every archetype has about 2 upgrades (so each job actually is represented by a chain of 3 archetypes). Probably it will have 15 or so jobs in the end.

[@skyFxd]

@@alpsilva well that's actually better imo, having 40 jobs is literally impossible to balance...

[@sharebear421]

@@alpsilva15 is great

[@casuallycloaked]

I checked some sources and its mentioned that archetypes are "divided between 14 lineages"

[@riouxp2787]

I think its more that it feels small compared to the amount of Personas/shadows/etc that are typically in SMT/Persona. For a standard RPG 40 is actually massive even if split between branches. I think Xenoblade 3 only managed like, 25?

[@Lonewulf321]

This game is essentially a spiritual successor to Digital Devil Saga. The battle system is pretty much the same, with press turn and synthesis system are pretty much 1:1 with DDS like Nyarly stated in the video. Archetypes are very similar to Atma Avatars Akademia is pretty much similar to the mantra mechanic where you can spend points to where you can manipulate and customize characters skills and passives and you have combos. Even the story is similar, with different groups trying to fight to become the top group to create their versions of “Utopia”

[@toryficarola]

This makes me really want the DDS games ported to consoles and super sad that it never will. 😢

[@Lonewulf321]

@@toryficarola I think the last time was on ps3?

[@alpha_c.]

i haven’t looked into the game at all yet but from what you’re saying those sound like the most vague possible connections to dds considering it’s an atlus game

[@Lonewulf321]

@@alpha_c. if you want I can tell you how it also pulls from every single SMT and Atlus RPG in the last 20+ years.

[@alpha_c.]

@@Lonewulf321 ngl i think its basically just another smt game in terms of combat

[@klaus.sfc01official30]

As far as i understood it refantazio is meant as a celebration ans something reminiscent of every atlus title will probably be included with maybe some new things

[@mantraki]

So the equivalent of astral chain but for Atlus?

[@corey2232]

No, they said it's a reference to the fantasy genre itself, and them choosing to do their own twist on a modern version of classic fantasy (which is why it was originally called "Project Re:Fantasy") The Metaphor part is supposed to reference aspects of the game that reflect our real world.

[@StillCisTho42]

With the now available demo we found that there are easter eggs to the other atlus games in the acrhetype/job system like: Persona master, Devil Summoner, and Soul Hacker. So you were actually kinda right

[@stoshslaes6484]

I could be the odd man out, but I feel like someone mentioning a key might go to a certain door is realistic dialogue. Like, if you and your friends were hanging out in a building and you come across a locked door and later find a key - I feel like someone would actually say, “hey - maybe this key fits that door.” Again, maybe it’s just me.

[@elliejoestar]

True, but when you find a key in every building you go to with your friends eventually someone will say "yeah no shit, we find keys and locked doors everywhere" y'know? It's a small thing that feels annoying and redundant eventually

[@demifolk8940]

such an odd thing to nitpick honestly lmaooo

[@stoshslaes6484]

@@demifolk8940 not sure if you’re referring to my comment or the video, but I definitely thought it was an odd thing to complain about, especially since he only encountered it once.

[@stoshslaes6484]

@@elliejoestar I would love it if the writers included in the dialogue lol it would be a nice little self awareness. I get what you mean and I understand what he’s trying to say. It’s annoying when games give away every solution to puzzle with dialogue. It takes away from the challenge. But saying a key might go to a door isn’t exactly spoiling anything. If you couldn’t figure that out on your own, that’s on the player. People will have something to say. It’s not like people will stop acknowledging something after they encountered it two or three times. It would be weird if people stopped commenting on things all together.

[@demifolk8940]

⁠@@stoshslaes6484the video, i agree with you. its definitely a nitpick from narly since we are supposed to believe he can suspend his disbelief for all the other shit this game does but brings up the shit about the key like cmon man its just a video game thing to look for keys lmao

[@mostsatisfied1053]

As a newer persona/SMT fan, i'm actually totally fine with this just being another spin on similar ideas. It seems different enough for me, but I can see why a veteran would be disappointed.

[@naboume466]

Don't worry that's just how old Atlus fans are, they are never satisfied with anything and they complain about everything. This is the same reaction every time a new game gets announced.

[@demi-fiendoftime3825]

​@@naboume466Mainly because they're more a fan of 90s- early 00s anime astetics and upset the series drifted away from 90s cyberpunk meets the ocult when those tropes aren't what they were when SMT 2 and Nocturne were made anymore

[@naboume466]

@@demi-fiendoftime3825 That's actually a really good point, I always think of this whenever I see someone saying that smt has become too anime, they were always anime, it's just that what anime was then is not what it is now.

[@demi-fiendoftime3825]

@naboume466 Exactly SMT 1,2 and if, Devil Summoner, Soul Hackers and Persona 1&2 all feel like something that would be at home on the first few years of the toonami block. Nocturne, DDS and Persona 3&4 all are more like early 00s anime like Code geass, rahxephon, Fullmetal Alchmist, death note, Eureka 7, and bleach Meanwhile more modern titles like SMT4 and 4A Persona 5, SMT 5/Vengeance, and Soul Hackers 2 feel like modern stuff from the 2010s and curent day stuff like Attack on titan, Overlord, My Hero Academia, Demon Slayer, Chainsaw Man. SMT and all its spin offs have always matched the trends of whatever is popular in Japan at the time of their devlopement Only outlier to this is strange journey which drew on western sci fi tropes and defiantly does feel like something you see on Sci-fi channel in the mid 00s

[@ltb1345]

@@naboume466 True.

[@gilded_lady]

As much as it would have been interesting to see Atlus really stretch its legs, it feels like its picking the best parts of all of its existing franchises plus a dash of Kuro no Kiseki and as a fan of these systems, I'm not mad.

[@yass3425]

I thought that you would say otherwise XD

[@alexevaldez]

As a game dev I've been studying this game for a while since the announcement. But holy crap for a guy who kept watching the last footages, not everyone would notice but these new UI improvements from your footage are really really good.

[@ShadowoftheMask]

I don't think its just case of "game treating you like idiot" it might also be symptom of trying to make characters react to things and writers not thinking of anything better for them to comment on than basic "what you just did/need to do next" :'D

[@ShatteredPedestal7]

Also because the average gamer doesn’t hold onto information about the game they are playing.

[@backupschmliff1156]

@ShatteredPedestal7 True words never been spoken. It's unbelievable how many people misinterpret Persona 5's story despite how many times it repeats information. It's almost like they are willfully ignorant and just ascribe a random theme like "adults bad" despite many adults being portrayed in positive or victimized lights.

[@tbnwontpop8857]

Yeah if anything this is just a precautionary measure to prevent points getting docked in reviews. Journos are the ones ruining gaming, not tutorials.

[@MrJ4k3R]

Ngl, this take doesn't make sense to me. It's like if someone saw Elden Ring, the culmination of all of FromSoft's Souls Like games set in a new fantasy world, and they said they were disappointed because it was basically just Dark Souls. I'm sure someone HAS said that, but it's dumb, because Elden Ring is an epically amazing game because it is just that. A culmination of all the best parts of all the games in one. I feel like it's essentially going to be the same for ReFantazio.

[@etriantrujek286]

Same

[@sandwhale1862]

Heaps of people were saying that about elden ring before release! Meanwhile fans of the series were still going crazy about having a jump button.

[@joji197]

You have a very good n valid opinion im sold on the game personally

[@gatst7680]

I'm that guy, I'm the guy who was disappointed in Elden Ring because it's basically Dark Souls + Breath of the Wild I am EXTREMELY hyped for Metaphor though, so I really don't get the complaint either I guess...

[@titmit6940]

But Elden Ring really is just Dark Soups but bigger, I liked Elden Rings just as much as how much I liked Dark Souls, probably even less than Dark Souls 3. There are just many more people who played Elden Ring as their first Soul Like and realized that hard games are fun

[@garrettsweet9826]

Irs actually giving a lot of Kuro no Kiseki in the mechanics, thats super interesting.

[@tenkakuch]

I was about to make the comparison but ya beat me to it. The whole hybrid combat thing sounds like how kuro works where you can damage the enemies on the field and swap to turnbased.

[@gilded_lady]

That was legit my first thought too. I'm not mad at that.

[@KenronTheGamer]

It literally does.

[@danielalexandru5415]

Playing Kuro atm for the first time and I gotta say that whole field combat seems so filler for me personally. It's like devs heard feedback that turn based combat is stale ( one I fully disagree with ) and in order to address it added this which I even struggle to actually call a combat mechanic given how bare bones it is

[@deadspacemasseffect]

That expand more on it in kuro 2, and kai looks even fuether expanded, i imagine next 2 arcs will also expans it beyond Kai​@@danielalexandru5415

[@hahyhnsw]

4:00 Aigis Jumpscare

[@genexis_]

Nier and Evangelion in one sentence. GG

[@BladeVoltz]

I got to try the demo myself at AX as well, and I absolutely loved it. I only played the dungeon segment but I loved how fast paced the game felt when running through the dungeon. Being able to take out trash mobs with the action combat felt good and being able to fight tougher enemies down a bit before entering into a turn based battle felt very fluid. The artstyle, animations and UI were absolutely gorgeous. And I just can't get over how amazing the OST for this game is, it truly shows how good Shoji Meguro is at what he does. One thing that I was NOT expecting was that the protagonist is fully voiced and all dialogue options that you can pick are voiced, this completely caught me off guard during my session and I am so glad that its a thing! My only con for the demo was the overall camera FOV as it was a bit close/narrow, really hoping we get a FOV slider in the official release so we can get a wider FOV. But overall this demo solidified my hype and excitement for the game!

[@wesleybcrowen]

I cant wait to buy this game again in 2028 when it gets rereleased as Metaphor Re:ReFantazio: Festival of Golden Royal Vengeance. Or at least its going to be one heck of a season pass.

[@therealjaystone2344]

Atlus is done with that 20 year old rerelease formula

[@DigitalStarry]

@@therealjaystone2344say that but they just did a rerelease last month lol

[@AraleNorimaki-b1c]

​@@therealjaystone2344 They're really not. I'm 100% sure they're gonna release a P3 Reload FES Edition sometime after The Answer releases, and Vengeance is showing it.

[@elcomp2178]

​@@therealjaystone2344I have seen a lot of people say that. Did someone from Atlus say that or people are just assuming that from the expansion pass of P3R?

[@nonanimeprofilepic]

@@therealjaystone2344 yeah right and i have a girlfriend. When did they say that?

[@zeedar412]

I laughed so hard when you called it "not Persona", because that is exactly what my friends I call this game whenever it comes up. Regardless, I'm really looking forward to "not Persona", I'll definitely play it when it releases.

[@papipepino.]

Not really

[@Azrailswrath]

A breath of fresh air honestly

[@chrispeart1394]

It seems like it's a mix of the best elements between SMT and persona. Which makes sense

[@aleatorio._]

Imma be honest, I'm happy I'm gonna get my persona friends to play a game with press turn for the first time. Huge W

[@TheBaxes]

They won't be able to play Persona again after experiencing peak combat gameplay

[@Sonic171K]

@@TheBaxesYou’re joking right? Everyone will jump on Persona 6.

[@ghoulishgoober3122]

​​​​@@Sonic171Kin persona 6 they'll let you baton pass nuclear launch codes between the party to erase the very files of your enemies from the game's memory. I find that while one mores and baton passes are cool, baton passes are emulating the press turn combat and adding more control, as well as bonus damage and such to it that remove strategy beyond hitting weaknesses. If you can get a knock down that's just free damage dependent on level iirc. Strategy may come down to just having a party member with damage that can strike weaknesses so you can stack up damage with baton passes, maybe one healer even if they can't baton pass. Buffs and debuffs can be important but I've never used them that much in my playthroughs of the persona games, not nearly as much as in the smt games. Also just fuse Yoshitsune and he'll do anything for you. If they absorb or reflect phys get pierce on him and you're good. Press turns in how simple and limited they are forces more strategy from the player to make them work. You don't need to have everyone generate a press turn. If 1st action only uses half then the next demon to act can do anything, and it will only use up the remaining half turn which still leaves 3 for the rest of the party. Their action could even generate another press turn, allowing the next 2 demons to do anything without worrying about wasting a turn. They can buff, debuff, try to inflict an ailment, heal the party, life drain/spirit drain. Being able to just pass the turn if the demon really can't do anything. Only using one half turn can still be very vital, in Nocturne because your demons cannot use items being able to ensure the turn can move to demifiend is great for extra healing or using an attack/magic mirror. Especially popping bead chains if you want the rest of your team to deal damage.

[@bobthegamingtaco6073]

Honestly I like both the Press Turn and 1 More systems equally, both are really elegant solutions (though I do think 1 More is a little less harsh, because an enemy can't just use Mazan 4 times in a row because a single party member is weak to force)(and yeah, I know the counter is to have a party member who nulls each element, but sometimes I just wanna play Jack Bros: Vengeance and not get my crap kicked in by fire)

[@LucasDarkGiygas]

I'm sorry, what's Press Turn?

[@andregarner8187]

I don't think it's that much of a big deal. Just think of it like Bloodborne vs Dark Souls.

[@SleepyMook]

@@polodhtip6061Armored Core 6 (though more like they went back on their older formula) and Sekiro.

[@ShatteredPedestal7]

@@polodhtip6061 it prints money, so they won’t stop anytime soon.

[@maroXUprising]

@@polodhtip6061that reminds me, enchanted arms was such a gem for the ps3 era.

[@maroXUprising]

@@polodhtip6061 I’d be down to see Fromsoftware make a hidden jrpg gem like enchanted arms again. Would be nice though.

[@shutup1037]

If that all they care about they wont bother to make another​@@ShatteredPedestal7

[@soliddrake11]

The point about Metaphor being like Persona reminds me a lot of the criticism Elden Ring got before release. Building upon a rock solid foundation and taking it to new heights is not an issue to me. If you’re fully reusing maps and it’s just a reskin that’s annoying. This doesn’t feel like that at all to me

[@FSVR54]

Persona is not a rock-solid foundation. Way too much dialogue and cut-scenes.

[@chrispeart1394]

​@FSVR54 imagine complaining about dialog and cutscenes in a rpg

[@FSVR54]

@@chrispeart1394 well, yeah, if it sucks and is corny and repetitive

[@Rickseriastar]

More Persona/SMT style gameplay? As someone who loves the style of gameplay they offer, this is just more incentive to get the game. I’m a simple creature. I know what I like, and getting more of it is great. Some old vets of the series may whine about it or complain, but then there’s those like me who just enjoy having more options. This game comes out in perfect time to be a birthday gift to myself, so I’ll be picking it up 100%.

[@rexdavis12]

I hope you can swap out moves like in Digital Devil Saga. That’s my one gripe with Nocturne. Hyped for the game but hope DDS gets ported eventually

[@sonickhable]

You had me at Xenoblade

[@kingofcheshire]

This game has nothing in common with Xenoblade tho that comparison was dumb

[@yzois]

Nyarly self admitted he didn't like Xenoblade and didn't finish it. Don't trust him about that statement

[@mrHowlll]

Definitely looking forward to this. Hope we see a downloadable demo.

[@LesoTheGamerboy]

That would be awesome but I don't think so

[@Raziel236]

First time I've heard someone mention Stella Deus, that game had great gameplay, and I enjoyed the story, but I was a lot younger. Only thing that bothered me at first was the pixel-stretching/zooming effect when in combat, but I got over that.

[@111wizo]

Everyone is hyped about the new game meanwhile here I am, still waiting for another Devil Survivor.

[@bricktastic-acular1298]

My main concern is difficulty, so far I've heard good things about it and that the game is actually challenging. I'm always worried persona adjacent atlus projects are gonna suffer in the difficulty area because of the current trends of P5R and P3R being really easy.

[@ereviscale3966]

Press turn instead of knocking down weaknesses really helps the battles be more interesting

[@garynguyen4253]

Yeah after playing vengeance on hard and it being super satisfying with me changing my builds and demon with essences I really hope metaphor hard mode emphasizes experimenting with archetypes to get past the boss fights otherwise meh. I'm sure it'll be a fantastic game regardless but after how vengeance treated me man

[@danielelbow]

The setting changing from a Spooky Japanese High School is what I've wanted from this franchise for over a decade... even the main SMT can't escape the setting. The combat and game systems have never been a complaint. Metaphor looks amazing to me.

[@chu_tonight]

every negative you had is actually a positive for me, like characters telling me what a locked door or a key is for, I love it! Even if it happens a hundred times~

[@Kimo-Cyrus]

Thats a pretty fair criticism, but the way you describe your experience and what I've seen is very exciting to me as it just sounds like the best of what they've made over the years in 1 game. I've been waiting so long for this game and I'm very excited. One thing you said that made me a little relieved was that synthesis skills were necessary or at least worthwhile as i honestly didn't use fusion spells much in dds so i was worried they wouldn't be all that worth it to use.

[@nr2676]

10:12 Yeah, it's definitely SMT game. It have even Minotaur as a miniboss :D

[@SSBBPOKEFAN]

Marsh just lost 5 sanity with that statement.

[@nr2676]

@@SSBBPOKEFAN Mataphor have also most generic Minotaur design i have seen in Megaten series.

[@leandroborrego9780]

This is the game that I’m waiting the most this year. Megaten being Megaten is not a bad thing.

[@BearyCoolDude]

I am so heckin excited for this. There is a Demonic Compendium worth of talent behind this team, it is absolutely insane. It looks to be doing exactly what SMT did whenever it first came out: change the game of how we view JRPGs. It's not reinventing the wheel, but it's adding enough changes and flare that it looks like a new wheel altogether.

[@YetiCoolBrother]

The only thing keeping me hesistant about this game is wondering whether we'll get "Metaphor: Royal" like a year after release for another $70.

[@BrianOblivionB]

If it sells well yes. If it sells poorly no.

[@tobiasdoesthings9546]

Man I can’t wait for Re:Fantazio, I don’t really care if it’s similar to Persona or SMT, I like that it’s based in the fantasy genre while still keeping with something similar to the Press Turn System because I love it so much

[@Solid--Snake]

the game is a celebration of the SMT franchise as a whole, and i'm completely on board with it

[@jackjohnson8305]

You had me at Xenoblade, we will be there day 1

[@dolphinboi-playmonsterranc9668]

There's always a "but" with Atlus.

[@heroofkokoto4707]

...Wish it had an extra "t" instead, sometimes. Sighses.

[@shindrow]

@@heroofkokoto4707🤨🤨🤨

[@zoltando]

Truer words have not been written

[@victorbergstein3764]

yes becouse nothing is perfect, no game will ever be perfect, every game has a 'but'

[@therealjaystone2344]

Day 1 dlc

[@DupreehEnjoyer]

As someone whos only really played persona games and not a ton of other atlus games this video was actually really informative and helped me set what i should expect from it so thanks. Honestly didnt even know this game was in the making for 10 years only heard about it when the first trailer was shown but, i can see how that is could seem disappointing knowing that info. Still excited though!

[@deykuzor]

>Make an entire new internal studio to do something new >Take the key producer of the Persona series to lead it >Borrow key members from the Persona and Maniax internal studios to help >Just make Raidou Kuzunoha x Persona x Digital Devil Saga with Last Bible aesthetics >Congratulate yourselves for a job well done Honestly, this video made me more interested in Metaphor: ReFantazio than when I thought it was more Persona.... but also deeply disappointed it's not more unique, or a return to something we haven't seen in a long time.

[@kenzoo21]

most sane comment

[@ye9945]

god i hate Megaten fans with a burning passion

[@winghong3]

"..or a return to something we haven't seen in a long time" --- what exactly would that entail? Curious

[@Seth_Is_Here]

No this legit looks so good as a die hard fan of persona I want something new and refreshing, you can take one good look and just see the move and effort that is going into this game

[@lukeluke333lukeluke]

Same. I can't wait for this game to come out. Game looks fantastic.

[@TheBlackOtaku]

I was in line to play this game at AX, but sadly I couldn’t because the line was way too long so I’m like you know what F it. I’ll just wait when it comes out.

[@sarkastikartist7044]

Honestly, mixing Shin Megami Tensei and Persona together sounds absolutely amazing. Im not sure if this is really a hot take, but no JRPG game hits the same as SMT and Persona in my book. Not everything Atlus makes is Gold but seeing them put this much effort into a game of this caliber reminds me of the classic PS2 Passion Projects of yesteryear. I just pray history doesn't repeat and that we'll keep getting this level of quality in the face of close minded fans.

[@goonballoon]

yeah i agree, im not a veteran so i cant really have a valid opinion but when i got into persona and saw smt, i wasnt interested like at all, my fav parts of persona is the social and world building. this game is likely gonna get me into smt hopefully

[@SonplaysMinEcraft]

people said the same thing about Tokyo Mirage Sessions and we all know how that turned out

[@sarkastikartist7044]

@@SonplaysMinEcraft Tokyo Mirage Sessions is not a bad game, it's just that literally no one played it because it was on a Dying Console. Not to mention SMT X Fire Emblem has much much less chemistry overall.

[@demifolk8940]

@@SonplaysMinEcraftpeople didn’t like it because it promised a cross between FE and SMT and ultimately didn’t deliver on the setting or atmosphere of either game, and did its own thing. the game is surprisingly fun and polished, it just wasnt what fans wanted from a crossover game of two of the most hardcore jrpgs out there. Also as someone else pointed out, it was on an infamously dying console. Metaphor on the other hand is polishing beloved mechanics of the megaten series and seemingly mixing them in natural ways. From what i have seen, its also a pretty unique but still familiar fantasy setting. The game can still be bad, dont get me wrong but this is not the same situation whatsoever

[@samus88]

"mixing super mario bros and mario kart sounds amazing" When are people going to stop talking about Persona as if it were a different franchise? Persona is part of SMT.

[@lackof79]

I played the tutorial part of the demo because it advertised the story which I wanted to see more of instead of just more persona gameplay. It was okay. It got into the characters a little bit during a mission and what their motives were, which conflicted with the objective of retrieving someone. However, I thought it was weird that even the dialogue choices felt persona like, especially when you interacted with your fairy as the comic relief, since given the assassination trailer I thought this game would have a darker tone. I kind of regretted it since I waited a long time for something I kinda sped through but I'll still wait for a general consensus. Glad you had a fun time at Anime Expo!

[@GamingWithSpoons]

I cannot wait to play this game I'm okay with it feeling like Persona or SMT set in a fantasy world.

[@TitaRussellTrails]

Interestingly prior to the reveal with the official name the largest nod project ReFantasy had was being a DLC character design in Etrian Odyssey Nexus

[@BrightShinyShadow]

Not as big into the social systems aspect which kept me from getting into persona but i do like the visual style and the combat. I may wait to check it out if it comes to the switch successor

[@KenronTheGamer]

The battle system reminds me of Trails through Daybreak.

[@NEOSANTRAX]

I ended up attending the Panel with Nyarly with regards to Re-Fantazio. While I share some of the sentiments, they (Hashino primarily) really pushed the narrative of this being a very unique distinct experience which isn't really the case. I am slightly disappointed how it took them half a decade to more or less create a fusion of both Persona and SMT elements. Not to mention, Trails through Daybreak which also had a playable demo at Anime Expo shares the same "unique and distinct" light action-based combat before pressing a button to initiate turn-based combat. Nonetheless, gameplay is still fun and I am hoping that this game definitely expands the JRPG scene on Xbox as the remote-play capabilities on that platform are phenomenal.

[@NEOSANTRAX]

Also PS2 era megaten is back baybee JUST NEED A DDS REMASTER

[@ThreeKingdomsSeshBox]

It has press turn, bless.

[@javonjames4573]

Definitely can't wait to get this game

[@TheOmniBlade]

Xenoblade mention? Based. This really is the year of Atlus. P3R was everything I wanted, SMT V: Vengeance isn’t disappointing, and I know I’ll love Unicorn Overlord when I get to it. Can’t wait to get this one too and try it

[@DioBrandoWRYYYYYY]

Man I wish SMTV had presentation this nice..

[@BearyCoolDude]

100% needs to be a thing for SMTVI. I LOVE Vengeance, but the UI looks like it's from 2005. I don't need the pizazz and flash of Persona, that wouldn't fit with the SMT vibe, but giving it some style and character is needed. Looking at this and P3R in comparison to Vengeance is really jarring.

[@ruikirisame1744]

I don't know. I think having a bombastic UI would should hinder SMT on breaking off from persona

[@TheExpressionless1]

I dislike flashy UIs. SMT does well with the great atmosphere and shot compositions of its cutscenes instead of the shitty persona anime scenes (which this game will unfortunately retain)

[@DioBrandoWRYYYYYY]

I'm not talking about the UI necessarily, I meant more that the world of SMTV feels very lacking in anything particularly interesting to look at. It's a very boring and generic post apocalypse setting. Nocturne has a better presented world and that game came out 20 years ago. The Canon of Vengeance is a much better campaign than the Canon of Creation, but even that can't really fix everything about the game

[@DioBrandoWRYYYYYY]

@@TheExpressionless1 iunno bro, have you played SMTV? it's not doing a great job at being "atmospheric" and it has like no confidence in it's own game design

[@KarasuMayonaka]

So wait a year after it comes out to buy the definitive version

[@arvox1417]

More like 3 years

[@therealjaystone2344]

@@arvox1417doubt

[@andregarner8187]

It's going to be more so 3/4 and good luck dodging spoilers.

[@almondmilk7319]

dont lie to yourself you're gonna buy this game day 1 and then also the re release on day 1

[@Kingdom850]

@@almondmilk7319 Swear these fools got one joke but are guilty of the same shit.

[@40grams1990]

I used to always just push through the time/school management in Persona games to get to the dungeons so when I played Nocturne HD (yes that was my first time) I fell in love with the press turn combat and no school yayyy! 🥳🎉🎈(currently playing SMT 5 Vengeance on PS4🔥)

[@shinmegamitalks]

The game looks stylish however I can't help but feel like I played it before. Ive come to conclusion that Atlus knows what its good at and why alter it attitude. It's a bit disappointing. Meguro has been brilliant since day one, he's always welcomed.😊 Great Mini impressions

[@loope9421]

This is not the game I expected, looks like they’re playing it safe. This was the perfect time to really be experimental, looks good but then again, ATLUS has more eyes on them than ever before. I’ve been playing SMT since 2013, and to be honest I’m gonna wait on this one.

[@aerordoido]

well, my first Atlus game was persona 4 Golden which i finished not so long ago. So im completely fine that this game will be an Atlus Frankenstein. Ill experience new mechanics while still feeling familiar. PERFECTION!

[@LP-mh6ri]

thanks to this video I finally managed to unlock the door so I could get into my apartment.

[@conradsmith9441]

Definitely getting this when and if I can get a deal. I LOVE turn based JRPGs with good music and art like the persona series and this game looks so cool! I just don’t really want to spend 60 or 80 dollars on another game I need to play in my library of 200 games I still haven’t played.

[@Spongeman25]

Hey if something isn't broken, don't try to fix it. They probably just wanted to make a different series.

[@deviantknight7009]

I get the hand holding but let us remember the game journalist's performance on the cuphead tutorial

[@Cindolintoe]

That incident becomes more relevant with each passing day. That's half the reason I'm so attached to independent reviewers like Nyarly. I don't trust gaming news/review sites as far as one can jump over a tutorial platforming obstacle.

[@goonballoon]

honestly the hand holding i think is good, not because people are idiots but its just in case, it if it was removed and the average player may forget the exact door and *might* get stuck. also since games are so accessible nowadays, younger people might play it so the game is really just making it accessible for everyone

[@Daidan21]

LMAOOOO So you were THAT guy, I was wondering if the demo was that good to play it again. I lost the demo on Hard against the tentacle boss monster when he gives itself more turns. Loved the book giveaway they gave you in the panel/demo.

[@greggeiger7532]

The art direction of this game is bonkers I love it

[@vide0gameCaster]

This game is living rent free on my hand! I need it right now!

[@Nyarlartt]

I was a bit excited seeing the hack and slash part, then I saw the turn combat and can't think of this game as anything but "persona 6 at home"

[@SeanTxty]

I'm excited by the direction because I'm a bit burned out on collecting and fusing basically the same demons, but this time this one is better than that one etc. The job system seems potentially a bit more fresh.

[@Kotsoros37]

The reason i am excited for this is because its like persona 3 reload and 5 which i love and made by the director of all these awesome persona games.

[@MidnightBlackandVictoria]

Meguro isnt just one of the most talented in gaming, but in the world. As someone who made a living as a musician some years back, you tend to see talent different than a casual listener would. Kind of like the way a programmer see's how game coding work's when he looks at a game vrs a gamer looking at the same thing. And in that context and imho, Meguro is a phenomenal musician and a once in a lifetime prodigy of the art.

[@adamshadow9881]

I was playing as soon as the hall was closing. And I admittedly started rushing and wanted to just leave. So I planned on dying so I could leave earlier. But one great positive from the demo is that if the main character dies in battle. It's not an instant game over. Like with most Atlus JRPGs. You can revive him in battle and continue like normal. And I know it's not demo exlcusive due to the voice lines added for such an event.

[@SpontaneousPudding]

The battle theme chant it so goofy I love it

[@dogwithsunglasses4051]

To be honest, i rather have them stick to mechanics that worked well then try to do everything new and making a huge Mess. SMT and Persona are already on s very good sweet spot between complex and simple while a lot of other JRPGs go in either of both directions way to hard

[@kohiek]

I hope that this game experiments more than with just art and setting. But if it isn’t, I am still already sold. But if this game is a great fusion of Persona and SMT, then that will be great too. So basically, I am 100% sold, but I hope this game pushes ATLUS to new levels.

[@fredericauger1492]

The sad thing about atlus games is as amazing as they always are/look you know they're alway going to come 2-3 years later with a "golden" version that makes me question buying the base game

[@Classic_DionysuS]

Cannot wait to play this game.

[@LiterallyArchusWake]

Persona but with DDS mechanics, hell yeah! Just what I’ve been waiting for! I am worried about that “treating you like an idiot”-thing, tho. It left a really sour taste in my mouth in Persona 5.

[@senorapples1115]

I think the class based mechanic probably going to save it from being like persona because you really don't have to replace or switch characters often. It seems you can build actual characters and not temp members that only meant to fill niches. Tiny things i like is the fact they are using the physical elements from persona 3 because i always thought it would make it interesting to have more diversity for physical attackers in smt series

[@greengamerstudios2935]

my own personal thoughts is that i will be buying day 1 as i am a mindless consumer of media

[@danielalexandru5415]

Wasn't expecting anyhting too different honestly, for me the fact that it's Persona core mechanics but with the SMT combat model is more than enough

[@zachtwilightwindwaker596]

Oh yeah I almost forgot about this game. I want to play it. I am not a fan of the Xenoblade series. But if this is an Atlus RPG it may be better than that. If it's like Persona I may enjoy this. I think it's unfair to judge it negatively if it's not Persona 6.

[@claudiegarnier4560]

Im so glad I could pre order my collector

[@growingapprehension185]

I was initially a bit disappointed when I saw that it was basically fantasy Persona, then I was happy that it's fantasy Persona.

[@shutup1037]

What? 😂

[@Lohmatiyshmel]

After playing Trails through Datbreak I understand where Atlus found inspiration for battle system

[@wakeupsweep8278]

I appreciate a game that has refined concepts. Seems like everything is trying new things that aren't as interesting or fun.

[@BeansEnjoyer911]

i'm super excited to post this regardless.. but i do feel a bit cheated that this is just another SMT game like i said.. i'm still going to buy it and love it most likely but i would have enjoyed them stepping out of their comfort zone a bit

[@nnnneeeeuuuu]

I just want to play this for the art direction alone

[@valletas]

Yeah this is a megaten game allright cant wait for this game monsters to just be labeled as "megaten demons" in the wikis and stuff

[@fartoplata308]

Mention DDS, I'm sold. Loved every little bit of DDS. Loved sticking with and levelling through the skill trees of the Atma. Something about that was more motivational since it ultimately pays off. Never loved tossing away Personas and mining for skills, always preferred the Atma system. Also preferred DDS's take on press-turn. I just hope the story ends up being good. But yeah, the hype is somewhat muted since this is completely familiar Atlus fare which poses a risk for burnout before finishing it.

[@wraith2715]

I would get this game but, I think I'm going to wait a few years and see if they make a second version.

[@luxxias6744]

Metaphor: ReFantazio: Reload Royal: Vengeance edition

[@shenpai_ren]

It was announced in 2016? wow. Now I feel old.

[@aussakagamine8862]

So I'm buying an SMT/persona game, as a smt/persona fan I'm sold.

[@OOFUS4103]

“Atlus can we have Digital Devil Saga?” “No we have Digital Devil Saga at home.” *Digital Devil Saga at home:*

[@aquatrez]

I'm really excited for this game, particularly because of the setting. I'm just really worried that they're going to re-release it in a few years as an expanded version. I can handle these re-releases where I have to start over from scratch after pouring hundreds of hours into the base game.

[@Psychokyuubi666]

Stoked. Can’t wait :)

[@PaulAup62]

Kinda wild of them to showcase it on an ultra wide when it doesn't support it.

[@aarons.2323]

I think I mirror Nyarly's feelings, just from looking at the game and not actually playing it. I'm excited to play this game, but there is a twinge of disappointment that the developers didn't seem to try to be all that different. "Stick with what you're good at" could apply, I guess, but when they announced they were working on a high fantasy game I thought that meant they were really going to try to broaden their horizons. Silly me. There is one thing I don't like about this game, which is a severe nitpick, but it's pretty constant for me. I hate the sparkly stuff in the air. I haven't read or watched too much footage of this game because I want to be in the dark about a lot of it, so I'm sure it's lore significant (maybe?), but I think it's distracting and detracts from how cool the game actually looks visually. It honestly just ends up looking like someone who's allergic to pollen's worst nightmare.

[@reikurokaze3988]

Tbf if it isn't broke why fix it? Depending on how you look at it, sh2 was atlus trying to do a departure and it didn't stick the landing for most folks, so sticking with what they know and improving is honestly the best bet

[@alsaiduq4363]

SH2 wasn't really a departure tho. It had the same combat as their other games..

[@Kisaru1000]

@@alsaiduq4363 While it shares a lot of the DNA, the *way* you play Soul Hackers 2 is quite a bit different from how you play Persona or SMT. Depending on how the final product turns out (which hey, I could be eating my words), I would agree that it's probably more of a departure than what Metaphor is doing.

[@M00nlightOfficial]

Honestly SH2 felt like if TMS had the spirit of SMT back.

[@mbe102]

Damn, that menu is gorgeous though :O.

[@ShadowXeldron]

I love the press turn system from Nocturne so I might actually get this when it goes on sale.

[@someminority]

looks pretty good but that many loading screens in the big 2024 is crazy