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Eagerly awaited by fans of Atlus' celebrated RPGs, Metaphor ReFantazio is built on the Persona engine with Persona mechanics, with a fantasy edge. In this extensive review, Oliver Mackenzie focuses on the PS5 code (the only review code offered, alas) but brings in comparisons from the PC and Xbox Series demos where appropriate. As expected, the game is terrific, but there are a number of technical problems and performance issues that demand attention.

00:00 Overview
00:39 Sponsored by MSI QD-OLED
01:22 Visual strengths
08:08 Visual faults
16:02 Xbox Series comparisons
18:08 Gameplay thoughts
20:26 Analysis and conclusion

 

[Luipadre]

Yeah im waiting with this. Pro probably gonna lock this to 60

 

[Gonzito]

How can you release a game in 2024 with these graphics and without proper anti aliasing. Man this is just unacceptable, period

 

[Nankatsu]

Wait PS4 Pro version runs better on PS5 rather the PS5 version?

Elden Ring, is that you?

DF pitching PS5 Pro for this game, doesn't make any fucking sense and it's ridiculous.

Game should just run smoothly on PS5, nothing more than that.

 

[RavenSan]

Disappointing for sure, but with the art style, I don't see it making that much of a difference for me personally. Still day one. When I inevitably do a second play through I'm sure they'll have it fixed.

Tl;dr

 

[Zacfoldor]

How can you release a game in 2024 with these graphics and without proper anti aliasing. Man this is just unacceptable, period

Honestly you just made my point.

Even with these issues the game is a 94. On top of that it is a traditional JRPG that hasn't changed much over time.

That means that the game itself(besides all the bullshit) is so good that it transcends it all and stands tall as the greatest game of all time.

Once the technical stuff is fixed it will takes its rightful place in the pantheon.

Imagine if they release a Royal version with more content, more VA, and improved visuals. 100/100 metacritic day 1.

 

[GHG]

Literal pixel soup on consoles, especially the Series S.

That said, this game shouldn't be so heavy considering how it looks.

 

[adamsapple]

- Striking visual presentation in terms of UI, menu's etc.
- Roughly 80 hour runtime
- Not a lot, if any, enemy model reuse unlike many Atlus games, a lot of new enemies.
- Lighting in smaller areas looks good, but open area lighting can look flat
- Not exactly up to current gen lighting standards overall

- Overall rendering tech still reminiscent of PS3 titles (damn)
- No baked GI, PBR, TAA etc kind of features common in current gen games
- Visual features give the game a bit of a dated feel with low quality textures
- Relatively poor image quality. No anti aliasing and high contrast art style makes it look like an aliased mess, a temporal AA technique could fix this
- PC version can run at high resolutions but doesn't exactly look that much cleaner than console

PS5:
- Unstable 60fps with low 40's at worst
- Renders at roughly 1656p (no mention of DRS)
- Combat can also drop to the 40's, so do indoor dungeons etc
- Game seems to be primarily GPU dependent
- DF thinks the game doesn't use culling properly which causes this kind of drops
- PS4 Pro version of Metaphor runs at a locked 60fps when played on a PS5, but drops resolution (1080p with lower resolution assets, closer draw distance for NPCs etc.

- 120hz support present in consoles without any visual downgrades when 120hz on system level is selected
- No LFC support so drops can still feel jarring.
- The 'nuclear option' is to wait for PS5 Pro

Xbox:
- DF did not have access to the final code so they only had the demo code to compare
- Performance profile is similar to PS5 in both 60hz and 120hz modes
- Series S drops to 1080p with even the UI dropping resolution
- On Series S, Performance drops more than SX and PS5
- VRR does not work properly in the demo on SX where it works on Series S and PS5

 

[adamsapple]

That said, this game shouldn't be so heavy considering how it looks.

They think the game doesn't cull any geometry, even things behind walls are rendered all the times which causes the big drops.

 

[Gaiff]

Why are we still playing a 15-year old?

 

[GHG]

Why are we still playing a 15-year old?

Because that's how old the visuals of this game are.

 

[Punished Miku]

Game should just run smoothly on PS5 PS3 nothing more than that.

 

[owandeseis]

Is the 60 FPS console mode becoming the 40-50 FPS mode now?

Performance mode (but not much)

Also disgusting the amount of artifacts the game has jesus christ, even in 4K native lmao unless you put 200% render scale

 

[Danjin44]

Graphics is never going to stope me from enjoying great game, especially this game which I'm absolutely in love with its aesthetics.

 

[Punished Miku]

Graphics is never going to stope me from enjoying great game, especially this game which I'm absolutely in love with its aesthetics.

Drakengard 3.

 

[finalflame]

- Striking visual presentation in terms of UI, menu's etc.
- Roughly 80 hour runtime
- Not a lot, if any, enemy model reuse unlike many Atlus games, a lot of new enemies.
- Lighting in smaller areas looks good, but open area lighting can look flat
- Not exactly up to current gen lighting standards overall

- Overall rendering tech still reminiscent of PS3 titles (damn)
- No baked GI, PBR, TAA etc kind of features common in current gen games
- Visual features give the game a bit of a dated feel with low quality textures
- Relatively poor image quality. No anti aliasing and high contrast art style makes it look like an aliased mess, a temporal AA technique could fix this
- PC version can run at high resolutions but doesn't exactly look that much cleaner than console

PS5:
- Unstable 60fps with low 40's at worst
- Renders at roughly 1656p (no mention of DRS)
- Combat can also drop to the 40's, so do indoor dungeons etc
- Game seems to be primarily GPU dependent
- DF thinks the game doesn't use culling properly which causes this kind of drops
- PS4 Pro version of Metaphor runs at a locked 60fps but drops resolution (1080p with lower resolution assets, closer draw distance for NPCs etc.

- 120hz support present in consoles without any visual downgrades when 120hz on system level is selected
- No LFC support so drops can still feel jarring.
- The 'nuclear option' is to wait for PS5 Pro

Xbox:
- DF did not have access to the final code so they only had the demo code to compare
- Performance profile is similar to PS5 in both 60hz and 120hz modes
- Series S drops to 1080p with even the UI dropping resolution
- Performance drops more than SX and PS5
- VRR does not work properly in the demo on SX where it works on Series S and PS5

Thanks for this!

 

[Bojji]

Technical garbage - 94 metacritic lol..

Same situation as with Elden Ring, game shouldn't get scores like this if it's a mess from tech perspective.

 

[Danjin44]

Drakengard 3.

I platinum that game I hope one day they release that game on modern systems.

 

[Punished Miku]

I platinum that game I hope one day they release that game on modern systems.

Damn, I thought I had you lol. Just messing with you. That was my limit. Loved the game but I think one of the boss fights literally got to single digit fps, and I had to bail before the end of the game.

 

[Gaiff]

Technical garbage - 94 metacritic lol..

Same situation as with Elden Ring, game shouldn't get scores like this if it's a mess from tech perspective.

Meh, not as stuttery as Elden Ring. Still, this is puzzling for a PS3-looking game. 1656p and unable to maintain 60. They should have knocked it down to around 1200p and add proper AA.

Hopefully, there will be PSSR to get rid of this terrible aliasing.

 

[Shake Your Rump]

- Unstable 60fps with low 40's at worst
- Renders at roughly 1656p (no mention of DRS)
- Combat can also drop to the 40's, so do indoor dungeons etc

I don’t get this. The PS5 demo ran flawlessly. I actually had to check if it was 120hz. Maybe the demo is using newer code than whatever version they had?

 

[Gonzito]

Meh, not as stuttery as Elden Ring. Still, this is puzzling for a PS3-looking game. 1656p and unable to maintain 60. They should have knocked it down to around 1200p and add proper AA.

Hopefully, there will be PSSR to get rid of this terrible aliasing.

PSSR won't work with this game because it doesn't have temporal anti aliasing so forget about it

 

[Shake Your Rump]

Why are we still playing a 15-year old?

Western gamers: why is the protagonist a teenager in this Japanese game?

Also western gamers: you translated one sentence differently than I expected, how dare you alter the artist’s vision!

 

[Danjin44]

Technical garbage - 94 metacritic lol..

Same situation as with Elden Ring, game shouldn't get scores like this if it's a mess from tech perspective.

If the game great I dont give rat ass about tech side of the game. it didn't stop enjoying Elden Ring and is not going stop me enjoying Metaphor.

Heck Horizon had "perfect" high tech graphics and I played it once and I never want to play it again.

Damn, I thought I had you lol. Just messing with you. That was my limit. Loved the game but I think one of the boss fights literally got to single digit fps, and I had to bail before the end of the game.

Metaphor's performance is no where near as bad as Drakengard 3 and end game you had to deal with super unfair bad shit difficult true final boss.

 

[Luipadre]

Meh, not as stuttery as Elden Ring. Still, this is puzzling for a PS3-looking game. 1656p and unable to maintain 60. They should have knocked it down to around 1200p and add proper AA.

Hopefully, there will be PSSR to get rid of this terrible aliasing.

Do you really think Atlus will do a pro patch for this game when the base game is so incompetent in the tech front? Atleast we'll have the boost mode to fix the fps

 

[Punished Miku]

Metaphor's performance is no where near as bad as Drakengard 3 and end game you had to deal with super unfair bad shit difficult true final boss.

No, not even comparable. That was the literal worst performing game I've ever played in my life. I just saw your avatar and was going for a joke, but it failed I guess.

Metaphor performance wise wasn't really a big deal for me at all in the demo. I just thought it looked like it's 100% built from PS3 era P5 assets and engine, and I think DF is backing that part up. Frame drops in a turn based RPG isn't the end of the world for me, but it's a little ridiculous how bad the optimization is for a $70 game.

 

[R3TRO]

Sheesh glad I only use my consoles for sports games.

 

[Bojji]

Meh, not as stuttery as Elden Ring. Still, this is puzzling for a PS3-looking game. 1656p and unable to maintain 60. They should have knocked it down to around 1200p and add proper AA.

Hopefully, there will be PSSR to get rid of this terrible aliasing.

They should add TAA/DLSS/FSR at the same time. There is no reason why this PS3 quality game runs like this and have no AA at all. This game doesn't need Pro, it needs competent developers.

If the game great I dont give rat ass about tech side of the game. it didn't stop enjoying Elden Ring and is not going stop me enjoying Metaphor.

Heck Horizon had "perfect" high tech graphics and I played it once and I never want to play it again.


Metaphor's performance is no where near as bad as Drakengard 3 and end game you had to deal with super unfair bad shit difficult true final boss.

You play this game for ~100h, I would rather not look at slide show and jaggies big as motherfuckers this whole time.

Mess like this should be automatic -1 from final score.

 

[Danjin44]

No, not even comparable. That was the literal worst performing game I've ever played in my life. I just saw your avatar and was going for a joke, but it failed I guess.

I dont blame you, I'm someone who is not all that sensitive in graphics imperfection but even I took pause on Drakengard 3's performance.

SE barely give budget to Yoko Taro to work with and with team who which had barely any experience with UE engine and it was super rushed.

 

[Little Chicken]

I'm convinced that at some point this was a Switch game.

 

[Bojji]

Modder/fixer from PC community have never seen code as shit as this:

I guess the shit is happening on consoles.

 

[Topher]

Figure out the horrible aliasing and it will be fine.

 

[Shin-Ra]

Disappointing for sure, but with the art style, I don't see it making that much of a difference for me personally. Still day one. When I inevitably do a second play through I'm sure they'll have it fixed.

Tl;dr

The art style with pixel/sub-pixel thickness outlines that desperately needs good AA.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

I'm playing it day one on PS5, and while I'm not one to complain about tech issues, I'm a bit baffled by some of the decisions the devs took here, like in the example shown by oliver where the culling system doesn't work as it should (video time stamped). Hopefully they'll continue patching the game post release.

 

[Kataploom]

They said a comment about the game not having complex global illumination and graphics relying mostly on PS3 era techniques... And I have to add: That's mostly an artistic choice than anything. Implementing more realistic graphic techniques in anime style games is a pretty risky thing to do since it would most probably break the style, you would need to test a lot and probably compromise on parts of the original view just to have those effects on it, I know because I've come through the same issues in my side project by using realistic environment textures with old-school anime character.

The only thing I don't like is the shimmering but I don't think it's such a big issue as long as the game is good.

 

[XXL]

I'm going to wait for some patches and the Pro to play it, but I'm 100% buying this. I just have way to much to play right now.

 

[YeulEmeralda]

The 'nuclear option' is to wait for PS5 Pro

This is coming out for PC no?

 

[Punished Miku]

Technical garbage - 94 metacritic lol..

Same situation as with Elden Ring, game shouldn't get scores like this if it's a mess from tech perspective.

And Hi-Fi Rush couldn't even hit 90.

 

[Topher]

Technical garbage - 94 metacritic lol..

Same situation as with Elden Ring, game shouldn't get scores like this if it's a mess from tech perspective.

From what I've played, it still deserves that score. It is a great game.

 

[Hrk69]

Day uno baby

 

[Bojji]

The 'nuclear option' is to wait for PS5 Pro

This is coming out for PC no?

If high end PCs can't get stable framerate (without intervention from modder who fixed game made by large development team using millions of dollars and many years) I doubt Pro will change this.

From what I've played, it still deserves that score. It is a great game.

I don't have any doubt that it's a great game but games should be scored in many aspects: tech (performance), music, gameplay, story etc. Performance is a big thing and I think reviewers should score games with this in mind.

 

[TintoConCasera]

If high end PCs can't get stable framerate (without intervention from modder who fixed game made by large development team using millions of dollars and many years) I doubt Pro will change this.

The Special K fix is no longer needed, Atlus patched the game and it runs much better.

4K/60fps on my end, both in the desert and the city. Might be able to pump the native to 125% for some extra smoothing.

 

[DeepEnigma]

Technical garbage - 94 metacritic lol..

Same situation as with Elden Ring, game shouldn't get scores like this if it's a mess from tech perspective.

They would be a 98-100 then if they were technically flawless.

Just saying.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

See this is how you do it. Who gives a crap about the performance if the game is good? This is just like From Software.

 

[Bojji]

They would be a 98-100 then if they were technically flawless.

Just saying.

You really believe this game deserves that? No Atlus game is near perfect 10 and based on the demo Metaphor doesn't deserve that either.

See this is how you do it. Who gives a crap about the performance if the game is good? This is just like From Software.

Thanks to this mentality next games made by FS and Atlus will have terrible performance as well...

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Btw, for ultrawide support on PC and other fixes & customization there's this unofficial patch on github. Currently works only on the demo build but it will be updated to support the full release.

This is a work-in-progress fix for the Metaphor: ReFantazio demo that adds ultrawide/narrower support and more.

Currently this fix only supports the DEMO version.​

Features​

General​

• Intro skip.
• Adjust gameplay FOV.
• Disable pause when game loses focus.
• Disable ALT+F4/exit handler.
• Remove 60fps cap in menus.
• Fix 8-way analog movement.

Ultrawide/narrower​

• Support for any resolution/aspect ratio.
• Fix cropped FOV at <16:9.
• Correctly scaled movies.

Graphics​

• Disable dash blur + speed lines.
• Adjust ambient occlusion resolution.
• Adjust level of detail distance.

GitHub - Lyall/MetaphorFix: A work-in-progress fix for the Metaphor: ReFantazio demo that adds ultrawide/narrower support.

A work-in-progress fix for the Metaphor: ReFantazio demo that adds ultrawide/narrower support. - Lyall/MetaphorFix

github.com

 

[DeepEnigma]

You really believe this game deserves that? No Atlus game is near perfect 10 and based on the demo Metaphor doesn't deserve that either.

You mentioned Elden Ring.

 

[SEGAvangelist]

Thanks to this mentality next games made by FS and Atlus will have terrible performance as well...

I was half-joking to be fair.

 

[Bojji]

You mentioned Elden Ring.

I LOVE Elden Ring but this shit was unplayable at launch on PS5, constant stutter (I had to play PS4 version in BC). VRR fixed most of the issues but this happened months later and needed "special hardware".

 

[King Dazzar]

I LOVE Elden Ring but this shit was unplayable at launch on PS5, constant stutter (I had to play PS4 version in BC). VRR fixed most of the issues but this happened months later and needed "special hardware".

Only thing you can do is vote with your wallet these days. I simply refuse to buy stuff that runs like shit - these days I dont seem to be spending much... I'm hoping with the Pro there might be some previous releases that become OK performance wise, which I passed on - Elden Ring is one.