Metaphor: ReFantazio is the Perfect Evolution of the JRPG formula.

[@Mugthief]

Quick thing: Video is very spoiler free. Avoided all bosses, maybe just a few clips of anything after "chapter 2" which out of context shouldn't mean much. Also, now over 40 hours in since recording this, it just gets better. See you soon.

[@Runeforged]

Mug, as someone who grew up on turn based jrpgs but has long since grown tired of them and avoided turn based almost entirely, are the shake ups to the system different enough to hold my attention?

[@Mugthief]

@@Runeforged if youve never played an atlus rpg, theyre quite different than most other jrpgs as a start. Additionally, I think this is the one with most complexity and freedom to build your party theyve made. Do with that as you will!

[@Runeforged]

@@Mugthief Ty :)

[@zambsDGOW]

a mugthief video about something positive for once, epic

[@nicolaspiredda1252]

Hard to be positive with this industry, but Metafor is soooooooo worth it

[@quintonharvey1957]

Yeah but the negative videos get draining. Wouldn't have clicked if it was another tbh

[@themanicfiddler1152]

Because he moved away from the doomed west block, for a change.

[@aznhomig]

It's a reflection of covering the Western games industry which is an absolute state. The East has been coming out with banger after banger lately.

[@OmarO_721]

Im glad that Turn Based RPGs are getting a resurgence in popularity now. The fact that this game sold a million units in one day, just shows it. I cannot wait to see how well Expedition 33 and the heavily rumored Final Fantasy IX Remake will do.

[@dirge7459]

They've been in resurgence for around 5-7 years now, from what I can see from the Japanese market, whilst action in that region has been on the decline. I wish Japan could just keep the two going strong, instead of seeing the scales tip constantly every near decade.

[@zacharybenn1497]

That job system seems very reminiscent of bravely default, which is one of my favorite games of all time. I am currently playing through persona five and absolutely loving it so when I’m finished, I’m definitely gonna give this game a go.

[@lordrikudouzero9119]

Octopath Traveller as well👌🏾 It’s a great system!

[@MikaMikaMika89]

I am having so much fun with this game, it's been a while since I was able to really engross myself in a game.

[@MikaMikaMika89]

@@enternamehere142 I just love the core gameplay. The interesting characters, the plot, the cool mechanics, the fun combat and the way it's all broken up in to separate loops to keep it fresh.

[@MikaMikaMika89]

@@enternamehere142 would say that's a plot point but not the plot. If it's not for you then that's unfortunate but not every game can be for every one. Difficulty influences how fun the combat is in this, on normal or above I had to actually strategize to some degree with my archetypes and weaknesses/abilities. Less is just an attack spam. I also definitely didn't have enough sp/hp items the first 2 dungeons I did. MC Is male but they often don't put too much personality in the MC so you can self insert a little, this time though he does have voiced lines.

[@planescaped]

@@enternamehere142 I mean, I was initially quite skeptical when I first loaded it up, but it quickly grabbed me and I love it now.

[@FSAPOJake]

Just an FYI, if you really like this game's hybrid combat (real-time combat combined with turn-based) you should check out Trails Through Daybreak. I recommend the Trails series in general because it's amazing, but Daybreak has an extremely similar combat system that combines real-time and turn-based.

[@saltyismymiddlename97]

Do you need to start from trails of sky (if I remember corectly) to play trails series? Or just randomly

[@FSAPOJake]

@@saltyismymiddlename97 I highly highly recommend it. It makes the experience of the later games way better, and those early games are still wonderful and still hold up.

[@Jayy997]

I swear the Japanese studios and indies are the only things keeping the games industry afloat these days. I haven't had interest in a western AAA for years now.

[@totonxxx]

Baldurs gate 3? Elden Ring?

[@ToABrighterFuture]

Persona 5 doesn't lack in interest building. That in medias res opening sequence does set up the structure, yes. But it also makes newcomers go, "Wait...how exactly did we get here?" And yes, it does slow down and draw back, to establish the world and the game. But the frequent "tick...tick...tick..." segues back to Sae's interrogation, do remind you that you had a lot of questions, while setting up the castle arc, and introducing the principal cast. I think the pacing is exactly what it needs to be, but I know that's not the consensus opinion.

[@planescaped]

I thought it was excellent for a first playthrough. Replaying the game though, it drags a lot. But if you're the type to replay the game then presumably that wouldn't matter to you anyway.

[@johnbendheim8163]

@@planescaped Having the fast forward button is so god tier in those games for replay.

[@MisterMonsterMan]

Can confirm. I put a good 10+ hrs on metaphor this weekend and it is awesome. I cant get enough and will probably neglect my responsibilities to play another 5 hrs tonight.

[@jackplisken4738]

there are only 2 responsibilities , work and kids , the rest are side quests XD

[@knox7945]

I'm so invested in this game as well. Such a good game, ATLUS is the golden standard of JRPG.

[@enternamehere142]

Funny bc I put 10hrs in and I’m going to drop it. Does it get better?

[@enternamehere142]

@@knox7945ah yes. Hit weak point and win. Groudnbreaking

[@knox7945]

@@enternamehere142 you can literally say that to every RPG.

[@eugenecarmichael675]

This is my first game from studio zero and I have been enjoying it. Also Mug I want to thank you for inspiring me to start my own youtube channel. I really enjoy your content.

[@wolfranger5526]

Pretty sure this is the first game from Studio Zero.

[@astrea555]

Basically just my GOTY. Playing on hard mode and having a blast. I'm going back to play it!!!

[@proto6948]

I took my first break from the game since launch last night to play the Shrek dlc for Powerwash Simulator. Other than that, Ive been glued to my pc to play this game

[@ChroniclesofNoria]

Thanks for the review Mug. I always love your review videos especially when you enjoy the game in question ❤. Also, hope you feel better soon, and sorry for whoever bit you that you’re reacting to; that looks rough.

[@MilkmanYeti]

I am playing Persona 5 for the first time (first persona) and had never even heard of Metaphor. It definitley seems more my style than japanese high school but I'm like 50 hours into P5. If I ever have time to finish P5, I'm definitely going straight into this.

[@planescaped]

Persona 5 is always great... but man, I'd need a break between them.

[@M247]

I've completed persona 5 royal 10x so it's not that bad 😂

[@CarlMakesVideos]

I don't want to rag on Atlus, because I like a lot of their games, but I'm a bit hesitant to hop in on Metaphor right away when I suspect there will be an enhanced rerelease

[@vetreas366]

You can always just not buy the enhanced re-release. Buying the re-release is what motivates them to keep doing that.

[@foxkentendo1151]

I've been playing this game for hours every day since release, and it continues to surprise me and impress me. Easily one of the greatest releases of 2024.

[@SageofStars]

It's a fun, well made game, which calls back to almost every subseries Atlas and SMT have done together, not only the SMT Mainline and Persona, but the design is an evolved Digital Devil Saga in combat, the overworld combat is similar to some of Soul Hackers stuff, and the overall vibe and tone makes me think of Devil Summoner at times for various reasons. This is a fantastic play, and the fact that it has characters that always hit was one of the great things about it. It has fewer 'followers/confidants/social links' that Persona, but each one is great, and the fewer but longer events help to keep their stories well paced, while the main plot wraps around everything, keeping it all focused, rather than doing weird side tangents. Oh, and as always, these games are great at HAVING difficulty options that matter. No one strategy will allow you to blast through everything, even on hard mode, and while I've heard one or two say even Regicide is easy, they say that, and then admit it kills them all the time, it's just they can beat it...which is like...very weird. Regardless, a fine play, and a good use of your time.

[@PatrickBiggsOBevur]

I'm glad to see Sega succeeding. Nobody is even talking about Sega.

[@oliorogue]

I love this game so far and only have a couple tiny complaints probably not worth mentioning. All the party members are great. Glad they put so much time into this!

[@EatThePath-7]

P3 Reloaded, SMTV Vengeance and Metaphor Refantazio. Atlus just managing to get into my wallet 3 times in a single year while other devs i can't even bother to pirate their games.... now if only they remaster Digital Devil Saga for PC, there could easily be a 4th... just saying.

[@myst3752]

Excuses, excuses. Cut the mop Mug 😂 Glad to see the channel growing. Keep up the great work

[@Eltron92]

I LOVE the job system over the monster collecting of the other games. Also fire emblem mentioned whoop whoo0

[@MrAshJ]

I'm waiting for a discount because 340 RON ( or about 68 euros ) as it cost in my country is a bit much. Loved the Persona series and also great that Atlus put a demo for the game. Keep up the great videos Mug !

[@miguelrubio4166]

I'm not subscribing until i see this man bald

[@greggeiger7532]

I love the game. Does so many things right. I do hope they implement a way to tone down the particle effects in the settings if that’s even possible.

[@number2and3]

30 hours into Persona 5 and I barely knew how to play it lol

[@Dandoskyballer]

I have around 80 hours in the game. Been taking my time with it & grinding. This is my GOTY.

[@darrellhall9141]

I bought this game a couple days ago and it's awesome. I played a little persona 4 and SMT 5 but never finished any of them. I love JRPGs but never got into this series. I bought the 35th Anniversary edition but haven't checked out all the art and soundtrack yet. I can't wait to get home from work later so I can continue my adventure 😎

[@RulerX.]

This game is amazing, I can’t recommend this to people enough.

[@jockpackage1770]

It's funny that your hub is a vehicle, in Persona 5's development there were concepts floating around of it being this road trip kind of story.

[@Dermetsu]

@@jockpackage1770 interesting, seems the road trip idea was repurposed into Strikers then.

[@jockpackage1770]

@@Dermetsu I forgot that was a thing in Strikers.

[@andrewcoehoorn6505]

I've tried Atlus' games before and always bounced off. This one got me though. I'm so in love with this game. Every system feeds every other. My only question now is this going to be Atlus' Bloodbourne for me? Are the next 200 hours of my gaming time spoken for by their other games? Only time will tell.

[@rebellious_red7123]

I love the Persona / Shin Megumi games so I plan on getting this sometime soon just haven’t had the time. I’ve heard nothing, but great things about Metaphor.

[@magusjiro]

I haven't been the biggest fan of the Persona games. Particularly the combat from the old games. But I played the Demo and I freakin love the characters, and the world is interesting. I love having an actual fantasy world. Gallica is an amazing companion. I haven't decided to buy it yet but I likely will just because of story looks so interesting. It also does feel like they have improved upon the combat.

[@kclink1579]

Will be the first one I'll play.

[@captainp367]

I'm at the end of the game right now Loved it and gonna do a ng+ run

[@MoonBunnyLovers]

I hear you. I just realize i must not like jrpg? I tried the demo. I didn't get 5 hours in that people are saying the prologue is and it didn't feel like a game. I signed up for an rpg not a visual novel and the few hours i played felt like a VN.

[@MikaMikaMika89]

These games always have a fairly front-loaded approach to the story, Persona is the same, lots of cutscenes and dialogue up front before the gameplay opens up.

[@alemswazzu]

Ya, unfortunately these games don't really "start" until 10-15 hours, this is no exception.

[@saltyismymiddlename97]

Sadly it is like that lol 😅. Metaphor and persona is a slow burn. Actually the game "starts" when you reach 6 hour mark in demo where protag reach the capital. But suit yourself, this kind of game need to sacrifice some of your time

[@planescaped]

I hate when people say a game is bad because they personally can't get into a story. Generally it is people who value gameplay above all else and the type to just mash through scenes. And to that I say, go play a gameplay focused RPG, like Path of Exile or Grim Dawn. Or play the hot new game where you press the button and your dopamine receptors are directly stimulated! Cut out the middle man. lol

[@CIA_Informant_number_8629]

​@@planescaped video... game... G A M E I like story but come on, your game should be fun when you start not "in 50 hours"

[@Johnniecash26]

Got a like from me soon as you mentioned Fire Emblem 👍🏾

[@nicolaspiredda1252]

I just hope they will do an extension dlc instead of the Royal re release thing

[@anonvoila4883]

I gladly paid for the $100 edition without out even playing the game. My friends been telling about it and as an Atlus fan boy they have yet to miss

[@sam7559]

So far for things that are SMT or Persona related they have been purely limited to easter eggs, things like the SMT 4 helmet being able to be seen in the background of a cutscreen or an archetype that is called a devil summoner that summons SMT demons like Jack Frost for its moves. Nothing that would hinder a new fans enjoyment.

[@ericrios6675]

Now im wondering which brand new games out this year you think are worthy that might come close or beat this game.

[@TheWisdomwing]

Solid gameplay, solid story and character,great pacing and good balance between gameplay and social aspect. Enjoyable game all around. After beating it I’d give solid 8/10, not mind blowing, not revolutionary but very enjoyable ride. It’s sad that game of this quality is so few and far between nowadays. Also yes, there is a Jack Frost in this game 😂

[@queenmarsia]

i love the game but ehhhhh bold/fanboyish take. i wouldnt say its the best formula of modern jrpg. the constant calendar cycle restrictions is still a problem to alot or people. also the combat while fast and to the point feels kinda lacking compared to the usual smt game. SMT5 is what you should really be championing as it did everything better.

[@Eltron92]

Compare how this game handles complex real world issues with final fantasy 16. This story tackles racism, classism, politics, organized religion, so many things and it does so tactfully, tastefully, and in a way that makes you think. FF16 was ok but it just beats you over the head with the message that "slavery is bad. Discrimination based on characteristics is bad." There is nothing beyond surface level to show why people become bigots and the institutions that enforce that ideology. Im not even 1/3 of the way thru im guessing and i can confidently say this is the best Atlus rpg.

[@dogwithsunglasses4051]

The one thing I am not sure what to think about is the scripted "Go Die" Mechanics. They are not everywhere and i know they are a staple of SMT, but there they felt less scripted and more like "Dont be too OP, or the boss will just nuke you" Im talking about stuff like the Goblins going enrage against Healers and Mages. There are several of these, one i just faced today with one of the optional dragon boss. If you have ANY gear that nullifies attacks, no matter what, he gets like 8 press turns and spams you to death. And there wasnt any hint in the Text from the combat to make you think thats the reason. I know, Infobrokers give you the clues. But this feels just way too cheap.

[@SetariM]

Mug, fr, if that bite swells up or changes color please go to the ER. But also, appreciate the look into the game, it didn't interest me on the steam page but I'm slightly more interested now...

[@machete777-l9g]

As someone who never tried out a jrpg, is this a good start in the genre?

[@Eltron92]

Im still fairly early on, i just got the vehicle but i love the adult cast, more mature themes and most importantly, a shorter duration between combat and dungeons. For example, P5 would give you like 25 days to finish a dungeon, you finish in 2, then you sit for sooo long. MRF for the first dungeon gives you 9.

[@Jayy997]

Admittedly there is less stuff to do between dungeons in this but that's not a bad thing either.

[@Eltron92]

@Jayy997 I think there's more stuff to do between dungeons. The side dungeons aren't copy pasted like mementos, the team customization is much better imo than monster collecting, the downtime is lower with less useless activity time since the links are always guaranteed. I like this much better than p5 by almost every metric so far. Only complaint is music, p5 and 4 music is goated. Edit: also the main sidekick character isn't a Ryuji, Yosuke, or Junpei. Also the cast are adults. Also it's not hyper sexualized which is wild since this cast is of legal age and not minors, and not in high school. This game fixes practically all of my problems and peeves with persona while keeping the core structure. As of right now this is my favorite Atlus rpg by a wide margin.

[@Jayy997]

@@Eltron92 I only ran out of things to do in the first city. Then the game opened up a lot. I also agree I like the gameplay better than P5. This is masterfully crafted so far

[@zinv08]

I'm betting on a Shining Shimmering Deluxe edition coning out in maybe 2 years. I'll wait til then.

[@planescaped]

Ya know... you're probably right... >__>

[@vetreas366]

And when you buy that edition you're going to tell Atlus and Sega that re-releasing the game was a good idea because look, you just bought it!

[@spugelo359]

Still waiting for Expedition 33. It seems like it's going to be the next big step in the "JRPG" formula.

[@vinigmoura]

I loved how it tackles democracy!

[@edwinleskin3112]

Getting slight comfy vibes a la ffix😊

[@Padawan333]

Please don't get rid of the stache

[@sleepycowboy18]

The combat system is def more of a mix of digital devil saga (another megaten spin off) with the press turn, the synthesis and skill tree and expanded with a job system a ff like jobs

[@timmygilbert4102]

Schrodinger haircut 😅

[@thingsiplay]

My biggest problem are the menus and HUD elements. They are random, not cehesive and hard to read and decipher. That's one of the reasons I still hesitate to go into these games. But at least its not about children in school.

[@Jayy997]

Plenty cohesive to me. Each page has a slightly different layout and look but that makes sense for the different functions they all have. I think it's a fantastically legible, well organised and stylistically bold UI.

[@thingsiplay]

@@Jayy997 Each page requires a new orientation and finding what the system is. That's not good design in my opinion. But clearly people like styling and graphics over functionality and good organization. Nothing wrong with it mind you, if people like it. Not every game has to be made for me. If you enjoy it, its fine.

[@Jayy997]

@ you may have preferences but the layouts do make functional sense in pretty much every case. Do you have any specific examples where it’s badly designed?

[@thingsiplay]

@@Jayy997 Almost every screen transition to a new layout. No need to point out a specific one, its the entire game like this. Not my cup of tea.

[@marqod1437]

Bets on whether the spider was radioactive?

[@SENATORPAIN1]

I'm enjoying the game alot but damn are the graphics underwhelming and downright ugly most the time.i personally find it very distracting and a definite blemish on the overall product.

[@DenRo82]

hastn there been a controvery about hte localization people the one who translated what she felt the charakters are saying and not what thay actualy said ?

[@daevious_]

There was an attempt at a controversy, but it backfired when it became apparent the people arguing that the characters were written wrong were advocating for direct translation and machine-translation prose.

[@daniellilly3643]

hope you buzz cut it, then DONATE it, as long as possible. Plenty of need for it

[@KosmoAlx]

ALTUS games teach more about logic and critical thinking than school does.

[@MonkeyCurler]

Games always looked appealing, bit I've always hated their characters in previous persona games. It's what made me never touch them. I'm not sure I'm sold on this cast either, but again, I'm torn by the gameplay

[@JokerJK-jg1gi]

The thing is, we know they will release a better version of this game in 1 to 2 years. Replaying it then will not have the same impact, so why not wait and play the best version fresh and with all the DLC included instead of chopped out of the game to sell piecemeal ? Imho, Atlus DLC practices devalue their games.

[@ImarBenIsrael]

Played the demo, was gd . Bought the game and got it on Xbox. Playing modded bg3 o my Xbox sp it's goin have to wait but I do look forward to it

[@yung404error8]

Giving the demo a try, the elf ears BOTHER me

[@vetreas366]

Only problem I have with the video is calling this a "shounen" style story when most shounen usually don't have a guy getting hanged the moment you step into the capital city full of wonder and awe. They also tend to go softer on the amount of strawberry jam that comes out of people when you go stabby-stabby. This is very much a seinen story. Shounens usually have fewer children murdered in cold blood and parents being driven mad by grief, if only because the parents are the ones getting murdered most of the time.

[@Mugthief]

I'm not using shounen in the sense of "for kids", but in the overall structure of the story. A lot of seinen also don't have the main protag as "the chosen one" that inevitably saves the day, frequently having twists and turns and shifting the main focus to other characters for an extended period of time. When weighing it against that, Metaphor is a lot less complex in it's narrative structure and often blunt in it's story, which isn't a knock against it. I just feel like it's a very familiar, very comfortable framework that it uses very, very well. But I thank you a lot for this comment, it's an interesting discussion, and something I'll bring up in my full review. It's an extremely adult story of heavy themes and complex, nuanced topics, but it's framed very very simply. I hadn't considered until thinking about "Is it shounen or seinen" that it's actually one of the things I like about the game.

[@RVBFan182]

Finally something positive! I was about one "industry/game/company bad" video away from unsubbing and stopping recommendations

[@Schnyr]

I will wait for the enhanced version

[@MikaMikaMika89]

I feel like this, like p5, is worth playing twice.

[@TheOneGreat]

They already said they won't do that anymore, see The Answer.

[@Schnyr]

@@TheOneGreat I see, I didnt know that, then I will wait for a sale, thanks for the heads up.

[@planescaped]

@@TheOneGreat That is very good to know, as I was going to not buy it and wait. They'd be better off adding that extra content as an expansion or DLC instead of selling the game twice.

[@revolver2750]

I played shin megami tensei vengeance and completed it.Tried the demo of Metaphor and did't like it. Not sure why but maybe because you feel so trusted in the story and well it doesn't grapple me and i don't like it when stories do that. I just stopped playing after the first boss i had no drive it was just not interesting to me. Something is different about me but i i don't know what. I do like stories and have characters i games i want to know more off but not a whole lot. I don't replay games..

[@mofix11]

Royal summoner can summon jack frost :b

[@ДМИТРИЙФРОЛОВ-р1з]

YOU'RE REVIEWING A GAME AND 50% OF THE TIME YOU'RE SHOWING YOUR MOUTH WITH A MUSTACHE

[@MrSpartan993]

Meh. Not enough to convince me to buy an atlas game. I only ever liked persona five and that was barely tolerable because of how long it was. I watched the whole thing, but these just aren’t my types of games and this one hasn’t convinced me otherwise.

[@kamuisensei9045]

I will be pirating this game since if I bought it legit it would just be a pass to play the game that they could take away at anytime. I recommend everyone else do the same.

[@Dermetsu]

Good luck with that, its got Denuvo and no one in the scene can crack Denuvo.

[@Abobus101]

Have fun in, like, 3 years

[@kamuisensei9045]

@Dermetsu that's not true there are hackers that have already cracked it I don't know if they cracked the metaphor yet but denuvo has been

[@Dermetsu]

@@kamuisensei9045 there used to be Empress but they retired about a year to two years ago, everything since with Denuvo has remain uncracked unless the devs removed it in a patch or made a mistake.

[@kamuisensei9045]

@@Dermetsu yeah well The Game's already on the high seas

[@Mirristal]

Atlus is going too crazy with all these sponsorships, it’s not a good look

[@wm2990]

I agree. I’m trying to decide if I’d like to get the game but everyone talking about it on KZbin is getting paid to.

[@Mirristal]

@@wm2990 I’ve played about 15 hours - I think it’s a great game but they’re kind of shooting themselves in the foot with all these sponsorships. It makes one think the game quality might be lacking.

[@Mugthief]

This isn't sponsored.

[@Mirristal]

@@Mugthief that’s good to know!

[@vetreas366]

I mean that's only if you're making the assumption that paid sponsorship = shill. And even then, just watch the vid and make your own opinions. If you're interested, try the demo since it's free and pretty long. It's only a bad look if you're not actually looking and instead are just standing at a distance shouting about how bad a look it is.

[@skwoogle]

Waitwaitwaitwait...are you saying games can address themes of inequality and societal issues WITHOUT being a preachy shit?! I don't believe you. Most western games haven't been able to, it's impossible

[@knox7945]

Thankfully it isn't preachy and doesn't pander to one side and it shows the good and bad of all side of the spectrum.

[@火災のアイスクリーム]

it's just more persona

[@rclaws3230]

Why? It has a boring story, stale characters, preachy themes, and unpleasant gameplay. I don't get it.

[@scragglie]

@@rclaws3230 hes trying to get sponsored... isnt it obvious? hes just selling out, all youtubers do when they start to get big. the sooner you notice the patterns the better off you are. best to avoid this guys channel from now on when he shills woke slop games.

[@planescaped]

@@scragglie Yikes... I can smell you through the screen.

[@redskins59rocs]

Yeah but do the translators, erase gender from the dialog for nonbinary BS? I will buy this game when it is on sale, I do not support Sega. As far as I am concern, they are the worst publisher in the industry. They some how subtract from products made by some of the best studios in the industry and some how manage to one up the shit every time they release a product.

[@spat3305]

That isn’t an issue with Metaphor. The localisation is fine, none of that “woke” stuff grifter channels talk about is mentioned.

[@redskins59rocs]

​@@spat3305kind of hard to calling it grifting when gender has been absent in RPGs for about 5 years now.

[@alemswazzu]

​@@spat3305it's not grifting if it's an actual problem that needs to stop. All the things that are now so blatantly political, existed before, but weren't done with the current subtlety of an industrial jackhammer.

[@planescaped]

@@alemswazzu You're right, but there totally are a lot of grifter channels who dangle that crap to their audience like jangling keys; turning every molehill into a mountain and exaggerating every little thing into a major conspiracy. Gotta keep them that daily upload schedule...

[@VampireNoblesse]

Goty, but it panders..

[@BrentCox2B]

I checked out the demo but couldn't get into it. The real time combat portion of the combat is an empty shell of a system with no depth, and I just cant be entertained by turned based battles anymore. And I originally started off eith RPGs as my favorite genre way back when I played FF7 on the Playstation 1 but idk, it just doesn't do it for me anymore

[@Jayy997]

Curious as to what games do it for you now?

[@DeathXtremeHaseo]

Huh, a lot of the things you find positive are things I think are negative. MP Issue: Being forced to play Mage to recover MP is ass (you only recover 1 MP per stun or kill), you can't buy MP items except 1 vendor per city (Fruit Cordials) as far as I've found and only later on can you make a food to restore MP. One way to mitigate it is to have a Brawler and post-battle use whoever you have as Knight use First Aid, but you'd still need to have Mage to restore MP and on Hard, Brawler would also need a Healer or they die fast af. Gold issue: Sure you can gets lots of gold with Merchant but some items are hella expensive anyway forcing you to wait for Idlesday/Forgiveness. Mitigated by MAG conversion (also better on those days + bad weather) but given the game wants you to constantly switch classes and inherit skills sometimes, might run into issues later on. Class Changes: I hated it in XB3, I also hate it here. I like sticking to just what I love but then the dungeon throws some stupid mechanic on the enemies or give em stupid resistances (goblins berserk when mages, some enemies have skills that give extra turns). Makes things even more annoying on Hard mode. No AoE: Besides Phys having AoE early on with Swordmaster, Magic doesn't get any AoE until WAY later on so the only AoE Magic until then is through Synthesis skills but you need 2 Magic classes for that. Metaphor is might be harder than Persona and SMT to some (and easier to some others). I find it harder because it doesn't have the QoL that SMTV and Persona have (All-Out Attacks, Tag Team Attacks, Mitama for easy level ups, gold etc). Never had any issues in Persona and SMTV (never played other SMT but I think Nocturne is STILL the hardest overall game?)

[@jbdxiii]

I hear the localization is terrible, though.

[@TheModerateExtremist448]

Metaphor “Re-fan-tot-zio”

[@mr.b1613]

You haven't covered the actual games of the year Astro Bot or FF7 Rebirth

[@Mugthief]

I covered Rebirth.

[@Avalanche8181]

The main character looks wayyyy too goofy for me and I don't like the hybrid combat, prefer turn based. would've played the shit outta this too.

[@mokadelic4037]

If only it didn't have an atrocious english localization...

[@adamhooper7352]

☝️your opinion Meanwhile, Japanese players would rather play with English dub and Japanese sub, because they view the Japanese VA as too " over the top." It's usually the same with anime. Instead of being negative and complaining, maybe be grateful they give people options.

[@mokadelic4037]

​@@adamhooper7352 ☝your opinion. Where is the data? To even suggest that japanese people prefer english over their own language is so unbelievably ridiculous and disingenuous.

[@scragglie]

​​@@mokadelic4037fr bro people just be making stuff up, ive never understood these corporate glazers, actual npcs walking this earth

[@adamhooper7352]

@mokadelic4037 I'm part Japanese and have relatives in Japan. Japanese people usually find Japanese VAs too annoying and over the top. They are also encouraged to learn other languages in their school systems. Most gravitate towards English and prefer English VA with Japanese subtitles to help them learn. My own grandmother, who is Japanese watched American soap operas in English to help her learn English.

[@scragglie]

@@adamhooper7352 when im in a "making shit up" competition, and my opponent is adam hooper, reddit extraordinaire 😰😰😰 japanese people hate foreigners, especially americans. everyone knows this, its why their country and culture is so much better than ours.

[@CyphersBasement]

Solitaire is better.

[@charleswiltshire21]

After i watched one screenshot which tells about equality and INCLUSION,hell no i dont play this game,i want to be EXCLUSIVE ,at least in the game,i have enough of inclusivity in real life,so i dont need this woke bs in the game.Where is my persona games where is my mc is RULE and SPECIAL???? Must be all of them stayed in xenkblade 3 where i someone special

[@scragglie]

i heard the localization is absolute trash. ill pass on this one, never buy woke games guys.

[@NostraSamus]

Its not woke at all…

[@Dermetsu]

You people are retarded.

[@phamkhang7928]

woke what? there is no woke at all, if you hate this game just say it.

[@stoogel]

​@@phamkhang7928 Leonoudakis has in the past completely changed the context of scenes and omitted lines with common Japanese phrases she deemed too sexist etc. Localizers do have too much freedom and there are plenty of examples of them injecting their politics into scripts. In this case I suspect it's mostly people who haven't played the game. Also culture warriors are sensitive to anything with themes about racial discrimination etc

[@NostraSamus]

@@stoogel The differences are cultural. The stuff you can get away with in Japanese media isn’t accepted in the West. There is always something lost in translation. Has nothing to do with “wOkE.”

[@jackplisken4738]

horribly outdated ps 2 like graphics , fantastic story and evolution of persona 5 maybe a goty

[@johnsalchichon3605]

Yea no thanks, stop trying to sell me this game and just say you are sponsored

[@Mugthief]

Hey there John, it's ilegal to not disclose a sponsorship. This isn't a sponsored video, nor do I have any communication or affiliation with SEGA/Atlus beyond them sending me an email without any strings attatched for a game I pre-ordered 7 months ago. Thanks for commenting, hope this clears it up.

[@jackplisken4738]

@@Mugthief pre-ordered seven months ago ? so you admit youre part of the modern gaming proplem

[@drawgam2946]

@@jackplisken4738 But he talks about games as a job, ofcourse he preorders.

[@MikaMikaMika89]

Have you considered that this game is just actually that good? Or are you too disheartened at the sorry state of gaming lately. Which I'd actually understand.

[@Mugthief]

@@jackplisken4738 I happily pre-order games that I know I will play on release if I can find them for cheap. I hold Atlus games to the same regard I'd hold FromSoft, and I guess Rockstar. Rules have exceptions, and for me a flagship Atlus release falls under that.