THE PEOPLE'S WILL - Metaphor: ReFantazio - 3

[@NicoB]

For my American penguins, I hope you all can escape from real world events with this Metaphor episode that is definitely, in no way, reflective of the current political climate. Absolutely no way. Not at all. Nopppeeee...

[@pr_manager]

😢

[@QuizMasterEntertainment]

Well shit

[@Dekumon]

The irony of Atlus dropping this on an election year does not escape me.

[@ZenoKnightShade]

God, if only a giant floating rock face would appear in the sky to force an unbiased competition for the office of President…. God that sounds weird.

[@pr_manager]

@@NicoB i have belief we can weather this storm, inevitably someone younger who sees the world our way will make it in, until then we just have to wait and work to minimize the damage

[@Thebrawlbro]

Fun fact, in the followers menu, you can see everyone's favorite food. Sthrols used to be "Nothing in particular" but after the scene in the Honeybee Inn, it changes to "Redgrass-roasted bidou". Just a neat little touch.

[@RakkiXIII]

26:00 actually no, a common law marriage is when you are technically NOT married, but you've been living together for so long that everyone assumes you're banging anyway.

[@DanielPereira-ey9nt]

A common law marriage is a union without a marriage license or religious recognition. It being considered a type of marriage or not depends on where you live, for example Canada acknowledges common law marriage but most states in the US do not

[@7thlittleleopard7]

Pretty much, you've lived together as partners long enough that you're treated as though you were legally married in a lot of ways by the courts and society.

[@nataliecoronado4206]

Yeah, it's pretty much when a couple has all the hallmarks of a marriage and considers themselves married. It's just not officially documented by the government

[@arnoldoaad]

Also I cant remember if the games tels you but I always got the impression that inter-tribe marriages were just simply not recognized by the church

[@LianteakaLia]

Thank you for telling us that! I had no idea what it meant. :)

[@ubermenschen01]

I love that Louis just showed up, said "Yeah I killed the king, and I'd do it again", and had no idea about the King's Magic or Grius. He clearly isn't stupid, and he reacts to new info quickly, but did he even have a plan besides "Gimme the throne"? He's a fascist through and through, and I'm glad the writers didn't wimp out and try to make him sympathetic here. His ideology is "Strength is the only important thing: join beneath me or be slaughtered".

[@colt1903]

... Not necessarily, but yes that is the gist. 😂

[@mastermindmonokuma]

Maria: Im good at waiting Me: *Nanako flashbacks* Grius: *drowning in deathflags*

[@KeeperOfUntoldDreams]

Honestly, I've been calling Maria "Nanako with wings" since day one.

[@Qwade]

So, I think most people saw Grius' death during his assassination attempt coming. But I do really appreciate the fact that I couldn't have seen how the death happened coming. I was fully expecting Louis to see Grius coming, killing him in response and as a way for the player to see how deadly of a threat Louis is. But instead we get the full tragedy of seeing that Louis was legitimately surprised at Grius' ambush, there's a good chance this attempt could have worked, but the king's magic stopped Grius in his attempt, as we can do nothing but watch Louis make an example out of him. Instead of feeling like you're up against a threat of immense power that is Louis, you're instead stuck watching as your ally and friend is killed due to a stupid system made up by the old king.

[@7thlittleleopard7]

Yeah at that exact point I was like "Maybe Louis has a point". Then I remembered Louis chose to slit Gruis' throat like an ass, and petty me went "NO POINT FOR YOU LOUIS, YOU GIRL-NAME-HAVING MOTHERFUCKER! >:O!"

[@cat100ize]

i didnt see it coming but i thought it odd he didnt get an awakening cutscene

[@nataliecoronado4206]

Yeah that's the worst part. With how genuinely surprised Louis was with the ambush, there's a very real chance Grius's assassination attempt would have been successful if the Royal Magic waited just a few more minutes to kick in

[@Amberle38]

Yeah the death flags were coming from everywhere for poor old Grius, but the execution (no pun intended) was an unexpected twist for sure! And quite ironic at that, talk about screwed over from the least likely angle...

[@colt1903]

I don't think it's a stupid system, just flawed, and not even in a way he can be blamed for. Not like the guy had time to fine tune that shit on his deathbed.

[@HallowedKeeper_]

So Nico, the reason that so many people still are siding with Louis due to a few things: 1) It is clear there was already Civil unrest amongst the people, as the nobles looked down upon the common folk. 2) Louis is very charming and has a reputation as a great military leader and a very powerful individual on top of that.3) After the events surrounding Grius and his threats, it causes the populous to believe themselves to be under the chopping block and can be killed with so much as a flick of the wrist. 4) The Dead King went out of his way to stop what happened. 5) Louis is currently in the lead by default, and seemingly by a significant margin at this point, and remember the people don't know that Louis is responsible for the Prince who was very beloved among his people whilst the King was not as beloved. In conclusion, a lot of support for Louis is done out of fear and a hatred of the other nobles as Louis was once a commoner who achieved nobility thus inspiring hope in others. I'd be more confused if he wasn't getting that much support

[@salasy]

just a correction Louis isn't in the lead, Forden is the one that is currently leading the election also Louis specifically promised that he would make everyone equal no matter the tribe, so many people for the lesser tribes support him just for that many follow him for that alone and not because of fear or hatred

[@arnoldoaad]

Nah, thats too many reasons to just say Economic Anxiety

[@Gestrid]

I think Forden's in the lead at the moment, actually.

[@colt1903]

Basically, just like the American election, He's winning cuz he just happens to suck the least out of the two main choices, and we're the third party trying to claw our way into relevance.

[@Angrenost02]

I mostly agree, but it still makes no sense from Louis' perspective to send a guy to ravage the Cathedral and rise all the corpses. At the very least the necromancer should NOT tell he's serving Louis. This whole even should cost him a LOT of votes.

[@DRAG0NSPIRIT10]

I like to headcanon that every time something dramatic or sad happens, Gallica franticly scrolls through her playlists to beam an appropriate tune into the protags mind.

[@loftwingheropon2743]

Me as the DM going through my dnd Playlists during a session in a nutshell.

[@DRAG0NSPIRIT10]

@@loftwingheropon2743 Hahaha! I also thought it felt like DM when thinking about Gallica's music, wonder if she's ever accidentally played the cow mooing sound when trying to select the emotional heartbreak tune 😆.

[@loftwingheropon2743]

​@@DRAG0NSPIRIT10or if ads interrupt the music at all. That's an annoying issue for me atleast.

[@DRAG0NSPIRIT10]

@@loftwingheropon2743 Hahaha! Oh god that sounds like a nightmare. Have you ever just made the ads a part of session? Like having a Bard character that has this pesky little creature constantly following them around and interrupts them mid-song to talk about stuff nobody cares about.

[@loftwingheropon2743]

@@DRAG0NSPIRIT10 I usually just mute it but this may be a good idea for a less serious campaign.

[@Vinylmelody1517]

8192 isn't how many people know you, it's your placement. For example Louis,based on his position on the rocks, has a rank of 2 right now. The old man, forden is rank 1. You have 8191 people ahead of you who are more popular as a candidate for the throne

[@MementoMortis21]

Honestly, even that starting rank seems high, all things considered. A relatively unknown person who's a member of the most discriminated tribe, among a nation that must have at least hundreds of thousands of citizens.

[@colt1903]

​@@MementoMortis21 There's probably some hidden criteria that eliminates most of the nation from running. I'm guessing it's probably whether or not you have the potential to awaken an Archetype. I mean, we're literally told by our Archetype that you must have a heroes spirit or something like that in order to be a candidate for the throne.

[@d_wiseman3409]

I actually wanna talk a little bit about the late King's "Royal Magic" from a narrative standpoint and why it makes so much sense and I don't consider it a Deus ex Machina. It seems to be a perfect fit for something the king we were told about would make before his death. He's reportedly, an idealistic fool who didn't enforce or try to pursue his ideals in a tangible and realistic way, thus seen as useless. Then additionally he got more cynical but once again, without any real change and spent that time not learning from his mistakes, but pouring it into that magic. And it reflects that. The "Royal Magic" that enforces this "Election", gives power of choice to the people and gives anyone a chance, just like the king's ideals. It protects the most promising candidates and shows them for everyone to see, to encourage people to think about their choice seriously until the day. But it doesn't prevent anyone scheming, doesn't lay out all the rules, and is overall a tool to be used by those already in power and popularity to further convince or convert those that still could've fought to stop them, without them being able to do anything about it. Those weaker and unkown have to fight and claw their way out of obscurity to even try to topple these known and full of resources political giants. In other words, a good choice, a nice idea, but not completely realistic and tangible execution of those ideals. Just like the late King.

[@joelsasmad]

To be fair, if Grius didn't succeede in the assassination then Louise would have 100% caused a civil war. As overly idealistic as the king's efforts here are, they are preventing alot of bloodshed.

[@braystar8578]

@@joelsasmad But we know that the assassination *would* have worked if it wasn't for the Royal Magic. The king is protecting his assassin from getting his due diligence

[@d_wiseman3409]

@joelsasmad correct, they are ultimately a good choice. My point was that they reflect the King's character. He was a good person, so it prevents bloodshed and harm. He wasn't a decisive ruler that made active changes that he was dreaming of, so it's not focused, and protects those already at the top. It's a great tool to tell a lot in this story and a fascinating look at the King's views and rule, when we don't know him or his ruling days very well.

[@d_wiseman3409]

@@braystar8578 exactly. As a character study, this fits what we were told of the King. A well meaning idealist that would treat everyone fairly and without prejudice. But not a good enough realist to make tough choices and actually Look realistically into a situation and how to make it better. It's why Louis, despite being how he is, can manipulate the people. He's not exactly wrong in his judgement. A well written manipulator.

[@colt1903]

I feel like there's a metaphor in there for something somewhere but I just can't put my finger on it😂

[@Christian_Kim]

Bizzle: Why do I have a bad feeling something bad is going to happen? Moore: This my friend is what we writers call a “Death Flag” and usually what happens to older mentor party member. Bizzle: Ah, dang it!

[@IrfanFakhrianto]

I think everyone whos ever consumed any media ever knew Grius was gonna die, but the way he went out was still both emotionally scarring and narratively really interesting at the same time, as not only the plan *would have worked* if it wasnt for the kings magic as Louis was actually caught off guard, Grius' death was also used to showcase just how terrifying said magic can be, forcing everyone to bend to the rules. On top of Louis' grand entrance, it really does set an incredible tone for the story.

[@genesys3357]

Ikr. My boy got taken out by literal plot armour.

[@7thlittleleopard7]

The fact that it was the King's magic to do him in like that when he was doing what he did on behalf of the king made me big sad.

[@phillemon7664]

@@7thlittleleopard7 I feel like it's a metaphor for something...

[@jameslawrenson1208]

Grius still lasted longer than Guernica.

[@colt1903]

​@@jameslawrenson1208Grius lasted longer than most do. Like 90% of his archetype(haha) don't even make it out the prologue.

[@williamstokes4282]

Grius just had to raise all the death flags Veteran/mentor character Plan to resolve the plot at the start of the game Gets the power central to the story without a whole big scene Has a loving daughter and "Wife" waiting for him at home And worst of all he promises to see them later Yeah I'd have been surprised if he had survived

[@salasy]

the only thing missing was him saying that this will be his last job before retiring

[@krasherom]

funny how Grius ended up as more of a Vandam than Vangarr from Xenoblade 1.

[@colt1903]

Plot twist, he comes back as the main villain later😂 God, I wish. I wanna see a story pull that off well damn it!

[@Mirality]

Yeah, they kinda gave away Grius' fate the moment he got the power without getting a social link popup. ​@@colt1903Have you played Jade Empire?

[@Silentbobx]

*after fending off the dragon* Strohl: I can’t believe it! We beat a dragon! Gallica: Check it out! It was guarding some treasure! Let’s go and grab it! Bizzle: Sounds good! *Bizzle goes to open the treasure chest when suddenly…* Treasure chest: Hey ESTELLE! Have you come to loot me and hear some hilarious dialogue! Grius: What in blazes!? Gallica: It talks?? Wh-why does it talk!? Treasure Chest: Sure I do! Wait! You’re not Estelle!! You’re just a wimpy looking JOSHUA! Bizzle: The fu- Treasure Chest: That’s okay! I’ll just talk your ear off like I do ESTELLE!! RAHB RAHB RAHB RAHB!! Strohl: Uh, Bizzle, let’s just burn this thing… Bizzle: Yeah, let’s do that! Treasure Chest: RAAAAAAAGH!!!

[@dorianTFF]

What I really like about Louis as an antagonist so far is how he talks about an equal people with no difference between tribes. He wants the same thing as a normal hero does, equality and an equal chance for all. Yet from all we’ve seen he is THE bad guy, THE antagonist. It makes me really excited to see where this narrative goes from here and how they build on that

[@phillemon7664]

one simple distinction that set's them apart: Social Darwinism... will not add any more but it will make sense in time

[@nevermore7285]

Yeah, similar beliefs but different ways to come about it. The protagonist wants to unite the tribes and have them work together, while Louis wants to destroy the Tribes and have everyone able to work for themselves.

[@colt1903]

He's like Armstrong. Where's his nanomachines? He traded them for the King's plot armor magic😂

[@oreotaku4017]

@@phillemon7664Bro is chaos hero?😂

[@yasudakojo]

Strohl: Bizzle, what are you doing? Bizzle: Hang on, I'm looking at the Phan-site to see how popular I am Gallica: What the hell is a Phan-site!? *Meanwhile In another Universe* Morgana: Joker, What are you doing? Bizzle (P5): Hang on, Arsene kept telling me that I'm a Nameless Wretch and gain some popularity Morgana: Why do I get a sense of deja vu right now?

[@krasherom]

funny thing is I almost never used that after the begging purely due to forgetting it and also feeling it unneeded most of the time I did remember.

[@DRAG0NSPIRIT10]

I'd prioritize raising your Knowledge to Rank 2 (what you need to unlock purification) as soon as possible, as the weapon you get from beating the dragon becomes a lot better after it's purified. Getting to rank 2 Knowledge can be done very easily thanks to help from one of the first few requests you get.

[@Mathamus1]

reaching it quickly is also thanks to how the game made the requirments to get level 2 knowledge alot lower than getting level 2 anything else. which was nice of them to do.

[@DRAG0NSPIRIT10]

@@Mathamus1 I'm glad they did that, it would've been pretty mean to put two early Rank 2 roadblocks and not reduced the threshold to reach that point.

[@NotaStalker1000]

*Ahem* Wisdom.

[@DanielPereira-ey9nt]

Grius and Fabiane's relationship is pretty interesting. Despite being technically married neither refers to themselves or each other as such, and Grius sees her sheltering them and taking care of Maria as favors rather than something she'd naturally do as his wife. This points to their common law marriage very likely been for convenience so people don't question their connection, which wouldn't be necessary to keep up for the party qs they're already involved with the resistance. However she did care about him a lot as can be seen by how distraught she was at his passing, so it is still somewhat ambiguous if there was something between them or not

[@krasherom]

Fabienne isn't his wife, just a close friend that now serves as Maria's new caretaker.

[@bahamutxero9573]

@@krasherom I think it's mentioned in the memo section that they did have a common law marriage, so I think it was more for convenience than any emotions.

[@OsnosisBones]

@@krasherom As bahamut pointed out already, the memo section does point out that her and Grius had a common law marriage. There's also a throwaway line near the end of the game where she fondly refers back to Grius and calls him something to the effect of her late beloved. So while it's uncertain if there was genuine feelings between them or that was just a joking way to think back on him they are technically married, even if it might only be for the sake of convenience.

[@GurenEinzbern]

1:29:26 I guess the King chose to believe that the people would choose a worthy "successor" regardless of the risk. Anyway even without the King doing this.... I can see Euchronia descending into a civil war, so its not like the worst decision he made?

[@mastermindmonokuma]

Considering Louis would still have done what he did yeah, in a somewhat serindipitus sense, it prevented a larger conflict or at least postponed it.

[@kmaster57]

Future tip for nico: I would recommend using the newest archetypes the game offers as soon as possible more than likely they would help you with the enemies you encounter. For instance when you unlock healer, the undead enemies are weak to light so the game expected you to be on the healer archetype.

[@willthemost]

Hey Nico, not really related to the video but just something I wanted to say! A few months ago you posted about how you decided to commit to the gym and changing your diet and just getting your health together and that was the final push I needed to actually get me into it. I had a very similar physique to the first photo you posted from a year ago so it was just a reminder that "wait if I wanted to do this...I can!" so I went ahead and did it. Lifting 5-6 times a week and a total diet overhaul for the last 4ish months and the change in every aspect of my life has been SO noticeable it's amazing. Just wanted to say a thank you because that really helped convince me to get myself back into shape!!!

[@mastermindmonokuma]

I wish I had that level of follow through good luck bro

[@Amberle38]

Good for you, always nice to see someone doing well for themselves & changing their life for the better!

[@FalcnPWNCH]

1:11:00 So a mind-blowing detail I found out researching out of curiosity in regards to this very grand surname she has: Hulkenberg shares her name with the german F1-driver Nico Hülkenberg, and to go along with this the MoneyGram Haas F1 announced a partnership with Metaphor: ReFantazio and the their F1 racecars literally have ReFantazio stickers with Hulkenberg smacked dab in the middle of the car - ATLUS partnering with the freaking F1 is literally the last thing I thought i'd ever see but here we are

[@TheY0shi08]

As a Formula 1 fan I was surprised to see the partnership, but knowing now that there's a Hulkenberg in Metaphor makes it even funnier

[@josephnew5025]

So, Grius tries to kill the guy who killed the king, but is himself killed by the killer because of a spell cast by the king that ends up protecting the killer because he's a potential candidate for the king's position... Huh?

[@nevermore7285]

The King wants to follow the people’s will and faith. If that will and faith is in his killer, so be it. The king won’t allow ‘cheating’ by just assassinating the upper candidates.

[@sharmilamehmood]

I like that Maria and Bizzle are reading aloud in his room while Strohl is trying to sleep.

[@Zribuieb]

The king is now watching your battles unfold, hence the change to the victory transition screen as well as appearing in battle at the top where the turn icons are. Just a lil UI change.

[@KeeperOfUntoldDreams]

I ADORE this game's battle system so much, between the fact that you can assign any Archetype to any character, the Skill Inheritance system, and the Igniters, the game does a great job of making every character feel valuable.

[@ZenoKnightShade]

Louis is arguably one of my favourite antagonists Atlus has ever made. He’s so utterly unapologetic, it loops back to being charismatic

[@Omeyrolx_theChessmaster]

I honestly really like that, for how calculating and charismatic Louis is, he's not omniscient. He was genuinely surprised by the king's magic creating a democracy, and was also caught off-guard by Grius's surprise attack. There's a chance he would've died if it wasn't for literal plot-armor.

[@nataliecoronado4206]

I just appreciate that he's a Meritocrat that isn't a hypocrite about it. So many others like him in other RPG's end up being people who are from the upper class, immediately negating their message because they were born into a place where they have more time and resources to earn their merit than those at the bottom of the hierarchy just trying to survive. Louis had nothing to his name and through sheer determination he managed to actually earn his station. Having the skill and intelligence to back it up, as well. He's still a manipulative bastard in every sense of the word, but at least he practices what he preaches.

[@DRAG0NSPIRIT10]

Nico: "Dimitri's just all like brooding and angry, vengeful and hot." Oh yeah, those moments of Dimitri talking to his hallucinated 'ghosts' of his loved ones or declaring he'd "Kill every last one of them!" was really just him having an angsty teen moment 😆.

[@pablothecoffeelover2551]

just a SILLY BILLY doing a little genocide

[@DRAG0NSPIRIT10]

@@pablothecoffeelover2551 He's more Piglet than Boar 😆.

[@pablothecoffeelover2551]

@@DRAG0NSPIRIT10 Yeah But you know There was a moment where Dimitri crossed the line It was when he call byleth a lame oh 😥

[@weirdguy1495]

That was an angsty adult moment to be fair.

[@pablothecoffeelover2551]

@@weirdguy1495 like I say just little silly Billy

[@XainRussell]

“How bout we NOT let the crazy megalomaniacal dude get into power, right? …RIGHT?!” Apparently that’s too much to ask in ANY reality.

[@FlareSouL]

Edit: Btw if you are wondering why my comment below looks sanitized af, you can blame _current events_ for shadow deleting my original comment and many other edited versions before this one went through. God. So this is honestly a cool twist into the moment of Grius’ failed attempt to stop Louis. While the game was not hiding the fact that it is obvious the plan will fail due to Louis being the spotlight bad guy this early into the game, *It’s how the plan failed than the villain anticipating it.* In the few moments you see Louis turn around to Grius nearly getting his blind side, you actually can tell he is shocked by it, implying if the King’s chains did not stop Grius it's very possible Louis would be done. It is very unfortunate for our group that the race to become King prohibits other possible competitors from cutting short of the top ones which so happens to be Louis. And the event starts because the King was finished by Louis to where no one expected the King’s Will to live on and host this competition. It happening in the stage where people are fiercely fighting who has the right to be the next King shows this direct cause and effect situation. And I like that scene because it shows Louis isn’t full on omniscient. He is of course heavily implied to be very intelligent and strong, but I appreciate that the game shows he wasn’t completely invulnerable before then. It makes sense.

[@_mycenae]

Louis has supporters because at the moment, he's the most vocal opponent of the Sanctist church. As we've seen, the Sanctist church, with the backing of the royal family, support the ideas that individual happiness comes second to social order, that social order is maintained through clear distinctions in race and class, and that those in power have a duty to silence and oppose individual citizens who refuse to contribute to this idea of a stratified social order based on inequalities of wealth and class. Louis, a populist military leader who was born a commoner, is saying "Individual rights matter, everyone deserves equality, and the royal family and church both ignored this massive Human problem because they were too caught up in maintaining their precious social order. I'm the one who put an end to it (by killing the king), and I'm the only one prioritizing your safety and freedom instead of protecting the status quo." Most citizens are still resistant to change, but right now Louis is the only candidate for those who aren't satisfied in the church, and even once others show up, Louis's dramatic display with the slain human puts him in position to be the most visible opposition candidate by far.

[@hakuamper365]

Metaphor dragon: “Seriously dude? Can’t a dragon get some sleep without a bunch of anime characters showing up just to mess with us?” Trails dragon: “Tell me about it”

[@Mathamus1]

I like that Louis was only saved by the kings magic and did not see grius coming beforehand(and grius didn't do the stupid thing of yelling and getting his attention before striking as alot of characters tend to do in other games/media). It shows that he is not some all powerfull god but just a (very strong) man. If anything I think it makes it scarier how nonchelant he is about the whole thing. Guy almost died and just does not care. Healer passive is great if you know how to reliably proc it. It works when one of your party members jumps in on overworld combat and heals a percentage of your max hp for each strike they hit. meaning that if they are equiped with an weapon which has many hits in their animations, just one proc can fully heal your entire party. The key to triggering party support attacks is to dodge at just the right time when an enemy attacks, you will know you have done it right when your main character taunts the enemy during the dodge. they can also jump in after you perform an attack but I feel like that breaks the stun gauge too quickly meaing you would have to wait for the enemy to unstun to get more healing. Later on you can get something that also allows you to heal MP on party support attacks. And I found that a quicker way to restore my party than using the mage passive.

[@Zekegreymon237]

52:26 Ariadne’s Thread - never leave town without one! Or two, in case you run into a squirrel. This is the first of many Etrian Odyssey references, as Ariadne’s Thread has the exact same cost and effect in both. They’re an absolute necessity to have in Etrian games since resource management is a major limiting factor of exploration there. Metaphor is more lenient in that respect, so the need for threads is greatly diminished, but it’s cool to see regardless.

[@zackfair711]

I just had a glass shattering realization.. More might be a reference to Sir Thomas More, the author of a book that speaks about an ideal version of the world.. ..aka Utopia Metaphor is more meta than I thought 🤯

[@Aaronrules380]

This has been widely discussed for ages lol

[@zackfair711]

@Aaronrules380 sorry but I try to avoid discussions because I myself am just about to start, so no spoilers please 🙂

[@roninwarriorsfan]

Nico, in mainline smt: Hama & Mudo deals Light/Dark damage, and has a chance of instakill, it's only in persona where they exclusively instakill (but are balanced with low accuracy)

[@wyldloganroth5303]

"I found running two mages made that bird fight piss easy" Oh yeah, if you're in a boss fight and you know the weakness, but it's too annoying or too bulky, you can just make everyone the same job class and run over whatever it is you're fighting with ease. Especially jobs within the Mage lineage or other backrow classes you'll find later

[@chaoscat1499]

Me, clicking on this video: "This will help me avoid The Horrors(tm), right?" Nico: "YYeeeesss...." Video: _actually full of The Horrors(tm)_

[@aneonfoxtribute]

Be sure to never, never, ever buy items outside of two very specific days. The end of the week, Idlesday, ALWAYS puts every item on sale. The last Metalsday of the month gives you an even greater discount on weapons and armor. Try not to make purchases outside those two days, because money is very precious and you need to save all you can

[@mastermindmonokuma]

it's not though, money was the one thing I was never short on in this game and i played on hard. Mag I was short on more often than not.

[@aneonfoxtribute]

@mastermindmonokuma I have had a hard time with money very frequently, even using the money making trick (you know the one). Granted I'm not grinding it out, but still

[@scooterliar8830]

@@mastermindmonokumaI was actually relatively fine with both. MAG can be fine if managed properly. Usually MP is what was hard in the middle game for me.

[@mastermindmonokuma]

@@scooterliar8830 Actually you reminded me i was fine for MAG on Hard, it was on regicide where it became a problem because for SOME reason on that the MAG costs on Archetypes is doubled or something

[@ubermenschen01]

Maybe to start, but after the 1st major dungeon you can have as much money as you need. They clamp down EXP gain when you outlevel enemies by a few levels, but they don't clamp money.

[@whitenova4980]

Glad your back with metaphor very enjoyable. Tip: Its best to have all your team in the back row at the beginning of battle and then move then up for physical attackers. You can in to party setting to keep everyone in back row.

[@krasherom]

The Front/Back Row System is SOOO good and especially useful/busted later on after getting certain skills.

[@crazybagel9979]

*Insert current world political joke that’s somehow relevant to this game here*

[@darthkingedededbobo6117]

👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

[@colt1903]

I mean it's not even hard, which is why it's so funny 😂

[@QuizMasterEntertainment]

There are so many jokes I could do about how the king gave the town a fair chance to vote, but this is the wrong day for every single one.

[@Dekumon]

Maria is a precious vanilla cupcake, and must be protected at all costs! She's also a very useful follower.

[@destinydivided8689]

I never heard vanilla cupcake to describe someone precious, usually it's cinnamon roll

[@krasherom]

@@destinydivided8689 I think I've heard cupcake used for someone cute/adorable? As for Vanilla, I'm guessing that's because of her hair color.

[@roflnagi15]

when hulkenberg is introducing herself, she says the berg part with proper german pronunuciation and i was stoked when i heard this.

[@PhantomVizor777]

I did not expect actual plot armor to be the cause of Grius's demise.

[@Atlas_Vane]

Hey Nico. I just wanted to say thanks for all the videos these past few years.I started watching your channel during your Kingdom Hearts 2 LP,and I've been a subscriber ever since then. Life has NOT been easy for me,these past 22 years I've been alive,and the next few years are probably going to be even harder. In spite of that,you have,and will always be a source of joy and light in this,sad,dark world. So,thank you Nico. For everything.❤

[@joshuabean7805]

Stay strong dude, we all have our demons to deal with but I promise with perseverance it will get better or at least easier to shoulder.

[@Satoru11037]

Its gonna be ok man, things look bleak right now but best thing all of us can do is walk with our heads held high and keep moving forward. Things will get easier with time

[@SJK9000]

They should've called this game RefantaKANDE. Eh? Get it? 'Cuz... 'Cuz they changed the name of the electric spell from "Zio" to "Kande"? Refantazio... Refantakande... Get it? Funny stuff, eh? Anyway. There's a reason for the renaming, by the way. It's actually a reversion to an old name. You probably know that Persona, Devil Survivor, and bunch of other games are all spin-offs from Atlus's main series, Shin Megami Tensei ("True Goddess Reincarnation"). What you may not know is that SMT is, itself, a spin-off/sequel to an even older Atlus franchise called Megami Tensei ("Goddess Reincarnation"). Back in the OG Megami Tensei, the fire spells were called 'Bot', the electric spells were called 'Kande', and so on and so forth. In the sequel, Megami Tensei II, they changed names to the more familiar Agi/Zio/Etc. The new names stuck when they made SMT, and were kept in all the SMT spin-offs. Because Metaphor was designed as big 35th anniversary celebration game, it has references and callbacks to a huge bunch of Atlus games. Like how the elite archetype of the Seeker lineage is called "Soul Hacker" in reference to the Soul Hacker subseries. Reverting all the spells names to how they were in Megami Tensei is just another way for them to tip their hat. The reason Tarukaja and whatnot haven't changed is because those spells either already had those names in MT, or else didn't exist back then so there's no older name to revert to.

[@mastermindmonokuma]

Huh thats actually kinda neat, though i feel bad for the poor schmucks who still cant wrap their heads around persona and smt skill names lol

[@Leddy51]

A quick tip about the combat, cause this game doesn't even allude to this being possible until it just starts happening with later skills: Buffs and Debuffs stack in this game up to 3 times (which something that happens in other of SMT games) and these are actually quite big multipliers that can easily make you win or lose fights in this game, so keep in mind how much many you have at once. You can easily tell how many stacks someone has by targetting them with any move (regular moves for enemies, stuff like healing for allies).

[@Tayruu]

Something that I thought was impressive even in the demo (which this ep was about where it stopped) is just _how many_ animated cutscenes there are. And specially animated (the letterboxed) cutscenes too. So much love is put into making this game's presentation shine.

[@YukiMizuno]

Fun Fact: The king's name, Hythlodeous, means "Nonsense Talker" (or something similar to it) in Latin. Basically the name of someone who never stops talking or says ridiculous things all the time. I heard of this name in recent years in another game (Final Fantasy XIV... A game you will never play even though it's right up your alley with the narrative it tells), so imagine my surprise when I hear the name again a few years later. XD

[@khepri3198]

FYI, both instances actually reference the principal character of Thomas More's Utopia, the one that describes the utopian island to the author. That's why the name's literal meaning doesn't really fit either character - it's specifically meant to evoke Utopia. You might also find that we've seen the author's name recently as well, heh.

[@YukiMizuno]

@@khepri3198 I see. :O

[@joelsasmad]

@@khepri3198 oesn't that just mean that Utopia is a fundamentally flawed concept? That those who speak of utopia are usually ignoring reality or proposing what would be a dystopia to some.

[@krasherom]

@@joelsasmad more specifically a Utopia that is born of human imagination/intervention is impossible as people in general have a limited capability and it is arrogant for us to think we can produce perfection which is something that can only be achieved by god.

[@theadmiral4157]

​@@khepri3198this Thomas More, is it the same Thomas More that's become a saint? Because I remember that there's a saint named Thomas More that loves novels and such. Dunno if they're the same person tho

[@SilverSonic72]

The king seemed to value the will of his people above himself and his own ideals. Louis has convinced people that the Royal Family is undeserving of their crown. That his murdering of him was justified and necessary to expedite the inevitable if nothing else. The king doesn't care who it is, as long as the people believe them to be worthy. His own personal bias doesn't come in. That's why he stopped Grius. Because the man he attacked was a popular choice of the people. If he hadn't had so much support from the get-go and didn't appear on that coronation rock thing, the king may have allowed the assassination. Because he said anybody could be king, but he isn't likely to stop every single attempted murder as long as its someone who's still a nobody in the eyes of the people.

[@jacalynnepuder1172]

First: i think the king offed greous (sorry for the mispronouncing, I'm going by what it sounds like here) because he didn't see the point. He thought it was pointless for someone to seek vengeance on his behalf, im sure, like a true noble would. Second: any other American penguins find it hilarious that nico got to this point around election time here in the states?

[@krsynx]

Bizzle: I can't believe Grius is dead, this is so sad. Gallica play Despacito!

[@shadowrmidnight]

Nico: Why is your name More? More: It's a play on my old nickname Nico: What was your old nickname? More: Mur Nico: What's Mur short for? More: Murder! *Takes out knife* Nico: That's a weird name!

[@PatrickkT]

Bizzle: Great we unlocked the healer from maria’s social link, now Grius when can we get yours, what cool archetype will you unlock? Maria: I love my papa and can’t wait for him to come home so we can all be a happy family together! Bizzle: Wait, where’s your social link? Grius: … Bizzle: Grius! Grius: I love you maria, prepare dinner for us when we come home Bizzle: Stop raising death flags Grius: Don’t worry ill just end this game in 5 minutes with this tiny knife and we will all live happily ever after Bizzle: …

[@mastermindmonokuma]

Those death flags sure are *stabbing* into him. eh eh

[@mastermindmonokuma]

Ok so real talk and random tips: If you want to see all the memorandums, there is a very easily missable one on 6/15 (you cannot complete the dungeon if you want it), it's on the path out of Hushed honey bee inn. Very missable kinda silly. For Royal virtues focus, start with getting Wisdom to 2, and then whatever else the order after that is up to you. This game is very lenient about the royal virtues and bonds, compared to persona, even 5. You can easily finish everything and have 2-3 weeks worth of days to spare!

[@LoneWolf982]

Given that this game is only four months long they need to give you some leeway.

[@mastermindmonokuma]

@@LoneWolf982 less about that and more just the differences between this game and persona's interpretation of the social sim mechanics allow for more leeway in general.

[@dajungle4010]

Yeah I figured Grius was doomed as soon as he didn't get his own archetype and had to borrow someone else's. Man was practically screaming that he was gonna die.

[@seanlocke2228]

RIP Grius. You really were this game's answer to a certain Xenoblade character. Also, Majora's mask moon!!!

[@DeiManThe1]

Atlus isn't just referencing smt and persona with this game but also another of their francises namely etrian odyssey as the ariadnes threat is from that game. There are also dlc outfits from etrian odyssey and there is also a whole dungeon as a reference to the series

[@insomniacnerd5592]

Maria is, like, the most important bond to rank for her benefits. They’re too damn good, man. Her Archetype is what I used for the MC for the majority of my play time too.

[@yorzaaa]

Just a quick tip. In my opinion, having characters learn all archetypes is probably not a good idea. Example, Strohl learning Mage when his magic stats are low. It would be a waste of MAG. Especially, they do get expensive later. But maybe you have a greatest grand plan that I did not foresee. I apologize, your honor.

[@UchaNekome]

First off Nico I highly suggest you use the Healer archetype in the upcoming dungeon as nearly all "undead" enemies are weak to light. Second, that number is your ranking NOT how many people follow you. As of now you are in 8,121'st place, which given that you're an unknown Elda kid from who knows where is actually not too bad.

[@Blacktwinswords]

I got to say, I appreciate this game asking the question: what happens when a democratic-esque competition is placed in a fantasy world where feudalism/aristocracy is dominant? Answer: Chaos.

[@josephnew5025]

Or, as a certain mentally challenged man in blue space armor would call it... Malarkey.

[@NockNox]

"I understood that reference."

[@joelsasmad]

To be fair, Louise was absolutelly about to start a civil war here. An election limits the bloodshed.

[@selwynljz]

The dragon fight actually shows one thing about this game. It has a TON of secrets hidden around which are not even indicated on the map or even on the NPC. This game is just pure atlas Easter egg

[@tebeakim3670]

So much is happening in that part and it is quite surprising wht happened at the funeral. Grius death is tragic, but it was a bit predictable, because he had some death flags. It is still sad that he died, especially when he also had a family, too, but I wonder if there will be a substitute for him somehow, because he was the "mage". I am so curious how this continues.

[@KeeperOfUntoldDreams]

I just thought it was insane that Grius himself explained the reputation that proceeds Louis, but still thought he'd be able to get the drop on him. I mean, maybe it would've worked without the king's magic interfering, but, I still feel like he could've died regardless.

[@redrebel1734]

What perfect timing to upload this video

[@Finfran]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who goes bisexual mode when seeing Strohl

[@kenw4574]

Time marches on, and the age of a new -president- king draws near…

[@phillemon7664]

Bruh, who's going to unlock the archetype ability in our world. We can use someone like that rn

[@ShinyMew888]

Strohl is so adorkable, I love having him around

[@fafaaf61]

Man I sure am glad that this game is pure fantasy. I mean it's not like a guy who openly admitted to a crime then caused a riot in a place of great political importance could ever have a huge supporter base that can hand him the keys to the kingdom. Pure Atlus fantasy, right guys?

[@leos8813]

That's a stretch. Louis assassinated the king then used the military to start his campaign. The other guy told the unarmed rioters to leave and not do anything violent. He also recommended higher security that day, but it was denied.

[@UchaNekome]

They say reality is stranger than fiction.

[@bartvshomer]

​@@leos8813Yep, don't forget all the social media at the time took down his speech for the protesters to go home in peace to make him look bad. But no one seems to like bringing that fact up.

[@phillemon7664]

Hahaha... about that 😬

[@phillemon7664]

@@bartvshomer "Proud Boys, stand back and stand by" doesn't sound like his heart was in it. You are an IRL Louis supporter but that's okay friend. Fantasy isn't dead yet because the Bible (our version of the protags book), shows that he's got to answer to the Big G and Big J in four years after he's messed everything up

[@keyblademaster6348]

Dang it, man. I really like grius too. What's crazy about his death is that he died on the third episode just like vandham in xenoblade 1&2. Example: xenoblade 2, we meet vandham on ep 8, two episodes later he dies and second example: xenoblade 3, we meet the other vandham first time on ep 3, that was his first and last appearance in xenoblade 3, and he dies at episode 3. And unfortunately for grius it was both.

[@SuperMandibleclaw]

Rhoag tribe: Holds grudges for 3 generations Holy shit...DIO is part of the rhoag tribe!!!

[@StarBornMichael]

Some of the items sound like they are from the the hack series.

[@Flutterdark_]

as a note about general smt and this game if you have a setup that absolutely decimates the enemy, it does not matter what the setup is. and a metaphor specific info eventually you master an archetype, once you do and stick around, it produces items that allow you to level other archetypes (1k exp earned in a mastered archetype make a 1k exp item)

[@IrfanFakhrianto]

Man, I cant believe there are still people who support the person who admitted to a crime in front of everyone.

[@Zombieberry27]

Sounds familiar 🤔

[@lisabarnes924]

… **slow glance towards the US**

[@Official_RetroMania]

Sure but you also need to understand the circumstances. The "Humans" are a treat and Louis is the strongest character in that Kingdom who can protect them, so it makes sense for the general public to support him even after the King's death. It also makes sense from the viewpoint of the "lesser" tribes because they don't like the King because he didn't do anything to lower the discrimination they are receiving, so it makes totally sense why they would stand behind Louis.

[@bartvshomer]

Hey, better him then a woman who had a high chance leading us into WW3 with her atrocious foreign diplomatic abilities.

[@bartvshomer]

​@@lisabarnes924Based USA

[@colt1903]

Damn... Y'know I take it back. Louis has more balls than Griffith ever did. 😂

[@1408alejandro1408]

You keep asking, so remember the king said upon the sky he is nigh omniscient, at the end of a battle that's the king eye watching your prowess, actually you can see his face at the top of the screen every time there's a transition between your turn and the enemy's turn, he is always watching. Also just you wait, this gets very game of thronessy, there always multiple things happening ALL THE TIME, it's a constant "you activated my trap card, well YOU activated MY trap card, actually the both of you activated......" You get the point hahaha

[@theadmiral4157]

Just realized, the word "closurei" sounds like a mumbled "close your eye"

[@EternalFireLynx]

And now we have the Nanako of this game.

[@dedsecturbotowns6069]

Ay! I was wondering if anything from Etrian Odyssey was in this game, and lo and behold: Ariadne's Thread! Still does the same thing(Kinda, takes you to a dungeon entrance rather than all the way back to town)!

[@J.P1981]

There's something that I really appreciate about this game, and it's moving at a break neck pace. It's refreshing and the points of the story are laid bare quite early on. It reminds me of older rpgs from the 90s and ealry 2000s.

[@Official_RetroMania]

Louis is a GIGA CHAD! He might be very evil from the inside but God can he make a good speech! Also the cut scenes and dialog in this game are just INCREDIBLE! That's what I expected from a studio made from previous Atlus veterans.

[@jackratscratpack9323]

Louis is the ends justify the means type character

[@Official_RetroMania]

​@@jackratscratpack9323 Yeah true, he is definitely something.

[@KeeperOfUntoldDreams]

My favorite thing about him is how calculating and candid he is, he's manipulative and cunning, but he's not completely dishonest. I love it.

[@Official_RetroMania]

@@KeeperOfUntoldDreams He is definitely a force to be reckoned with. Definitely one of the best antagonists in a JRPG.

[@KuroMochiKimchi]

54:00 - Hey nico, just as a heads up. That number for quantity, never resets. So once you buy the stock, I don't think it ever comes back unless it is a specific merchant that specifies they change inventory.

[@scooterliar8830]

Nico, just want to give a heads up that the MP restoring items you buy at shops don’t restock at all. While this, of course, won’t be the only location where you’ll be able to buy MP items, do be careful not to overuse them until you have further MP restoring items.

[@pierocaramelli1493]

Many people say that this game’s Utopia’s book is an idealized version of our society, but if we approach it from another angle, our society would be seen as impossibly accepting and egalitarian from the perspective of a medieval society like the one in game (HECK most modern dictatorships would bê seen as extremely accepting and egalitarian from such perspective)

[@SuperiorPosterior]

8:30 Take it from me, calling it a dramatic difference is underselling it. I've beat the game once and hopped into Regicide Mode, and it isn't fooling around in the slightest. I brought a bunch of health stat boosters into NG+ and loaded up on them, and *_Captain Klinger_* one-shot me with a basic fireball despite my health being almost thrice the starting amount. I haven't had my rematch with the dragon yet (a new MMO I've been waiting for dropped last night), but I'm expecting it to be pretty dang awful, lmao. I can't wait!

[@bahamutxero9573]

What MMO?

[@izzadk86]

I'm not gonna say how you play is "wrong" cause if it works it works But as you can see and experience it (off screen), unlike persona where you can change your persona in battle, you need to do this in advance. And since you are still in the tutorial chapter, the game expect you to switch to what ever new archetype you just got, hence the mage while in the mines cause the enemies are weak to fire and ice and here you'd need the healer cause typical undead are weak against light magic. So 99% of the time I'd say play how you want. But that 1% is that you NEED to do More's quest ASAP and get healer to rank 10. And there are a few other stuff that you need to do this early game to unlock the QoL stuff as soon as possible

[@4LeafedDragon]

It is baffling for Nico not to use the Archetype that has the element that is super effective on undead enemies, as while they are weak enough to die from single hits, the boon of having an additional attack can add up to assure an unscathed bonus.

[@MrPeaTearGryfin]

To try not to dive to deep into spoilers, but also explain both the King and Louis' actions. It can be implied already that the kingdom has been divided for quite some time. The church and nobility look down on the lower class and have been subjugating them for quite some time. We are effectively joining the story in media res. Louis has been spending years building a reputation as anti-church and anti-nobility. Louis' little speech at the funeral was an attempt to capitalize on years of mistrust among the people. In he and his supporters' eyes, it is a good thing he killed the King because he is basically promising a revolution. The reason the King stops Grius is because he had the same aspirations as both Louis and the protagonist. The floating head in the sky is just a representation of the king's magic. It isn't clouded by bias. If the people want Louis as their king in spite of what he did, the floating head will not intervene.

[@rugludallur7]

actually the amount of mp restoring items you can buy in this game is very limited since the merchants that sell them only have a set amount of them and they never restock so once you buy them all you can't get any more for the rest of the game

[@mastermindmonokuma]

I dont envy your mods, this week nico, GOOD LUCK GUYS!

[@theKingdomKid]

There is actually one other way that you could get the anxiety status ailment and that is if your attack is repelled/absorbed. I can’t remember if it also has a chance to give it to you if your attack is blocked but yeah. Don’t know why the tutorial only said you can get it only by getting ambushed or by getting hit with a critical

[@Barriertriostruckapose]

A guy named Louis descends from the heavens and declares the person the people cravenly worship is dead... where have I heard that before

[@taddad2641]

think the true issue is that people take things to extremes too willingly rather than working thruogh.

[@StripofPaper]

Seeing Nico with the Xbox buttons is wild to me 😂😅

[@joshuabean7805]

Yeah honestly was a bit surprised he wasn't playing on PS5 since Sony seems to be his go to for most multi platform titles, considering his first episode was sponsored by Atlus I'm guessing they sent him the copy for Xbox.

[@fenrohr2548]

Can we talk about how incredible even the normal battle theme is

[@dirtybirdperson4020]

One of my favorite gaming tropes is physical obstacle my irl fatass could easily just climb over but team of gallant magic welding heroes is stopped fucking dead

[@cameronmclean6804]

Akademia’s theme reminds me of Tili Tili Bom by Vivinos

[@xtty7644]

I thought the aliasing issues with this game were just a PS4 issue and that if I eventually get a PS5 it'd go away (or be very reduced), but it seems it happens on all platforms? Does anyone know if there is less aliasing on PS5 in this game?

[@VesaKo]

Grius: I shall kill Louis with the arms of man. We mustn't attract unnecessary attention. Bizzle: Didn't you want to get the power of a GOD to kill him or something? Grius: No, God no. I just thought it was badass, like damn! I want some of that. Bizzle: Oh... Grius: Now, I must be off to sharpen this blade. For all he's done, I need to feel his blood on my scars. Strohl: Are we really going with this? We powerleveled our Archetypes for twenty hours. Bizzle: I know, brother. He's gonna die anyway with a plan like that, let's make sure and cast Megidolaon on both of them. Strohl: ... We are the good guys, right.