Last week, Atlus featured a fun and humorous video interview with NieR series creator Yoko Taro sharing his thoughts on Atlus's highly anticipated fantasy RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio.
NieR Creator Yoko Taro Shares Thoughts on Metaphor: ReFantazio
Metaphor: ReFantazio Looks Like It Cost A Lot of Money To Make
In an interview hosted by voice actress Tomomi Isomura, the voice behind Lina in Atlus's highly anticipated fantasy RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio, NieR series creator Yoko Taro provided fans with his thoughts on the upcoming title developed by Studio Zero. Yoko Taro, known for his unique, and quite macabre, approach to game design, expressed his admiration and respect for the game that has been generating significant buzz within the gaming community.
In the interview, Taro began by praising the game's UI (user interface) design, describing it as "stylish" and polished with active indicators that enhance the experience. He also enjoyed the fact that despite being a command-based RPG, Metaphor: ReFantazio incorporates noticeable action elements, adding that he "really felt like I was playing a next-generation game!" when Atlus invited him to play. Taro even added enthused, "To be honest, while I was playing it, I kept thinking 'this must have cost a lot of money!'"
The hype surrounding Metaphor: ReFantazio is not without reason. The game is being developed by Studio Zero, a development team established by the creators behind the Persona series. Game director Katsura Hashino has previously commented that creating a large-scale fantasy RPG like Metaphor: ReFantazio is a first for both him and Atlus. He mentioned that the studio is using their own unique approach to bring Metaphor: ReFantazio to life.
In an earlier interview with GameSpot in June, Hashino revealed that Metaphor: ReFantazio is significantly larger in scope compared to its predecessors. The game boasts an expansive world filled with a plethora of dungeons, each offering unique challenges and experiences. Unlike the more linear dungeon designs seen in the Persona series, Metaphor allows players greater freedom and agency in exploration. "In this game, you travel a lot," Hashino explained. "And when you get to your destinations, you have a choice of multiple dungeons you can do. And all these dungeons have different difficulty levels as well, so it's kind of up to you how you choose to spend your time. In this way, there's a lot more freedom."
For the Metaphor team at Atlus, the thing that they wanted to make sure was new for the game "was that feeling of journey," Hashino additionally said. Traveling in-game is another highlight feature of Metaphor: ReFantazio, with adventure-filled travel routes packed in. "Planning your travel route is another area of the game where you'll have to strategize carefully," Hashino explained in a recent showcase video.
Additionally, in terms of the core experience, the turn-based combats incorporate elements such as attacking, evading, and dashing, on top of added gameplay features such as traveling, campsite socializations, and other mechanics. Unlike preceding Atlus RPGs, Metaphor: ReFantazio adds extra emphasis on these elements of action—something that Yoko Toro pointed out to have especially impressed him as well.
Metaphor: ReFantazio releases soon on October 11, and can be pre-ordered now!
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Yoko Taro plays new Atlus RPG Metaphor ReFantazio “It’s so stylish, I almost wet myself”
