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[Arsic]

Really? Haven't played the Trails games yet, so I'll trust you and take back what I said before.

This game shines in ways trails doesn’t. Presentation is key. Visuals, voice acting, cut scenes, etc.

Trails has plenty of cringe generic anime tropes but that combat? Shiiiiiiiiit. Try that demo too after this one. It is impressive.

 

[Mister Wolf]

I’ll say this - the combat is not innovative.

This is the same system from trails daybreak. When I played that demo I wondered if this is what metaphor is going to do, and sure enough that is what it is.

Its worse than Daybreak.

 

[a'la mode]

I played through the demo and while it was a bit of a mixed bag, I'll still day 1 it. It felt strangely cheap at the start, but it got more interesting towards the latter half.

 

[mpgeist]

Maybe I'm just getting old, but I find the UI and general visual noise in the game overbearing and obnoxious. It's not enough to stop me from playing it, but I wish I could toggle some things.

 

[SF Kosmo]

Maybe I'm just getting old, but I find the UI and general visual noise in the game overbearing and obnoxious. It's not enough to stop me from playing it, but I wish I could toggle some things.

It's certainly maximalist, even more than Persona. I can see it being a little disorienting

 

[Mercador]

If you have to depends to captions like me, it"s moving too much, the text box isn't stable.

 

[drganon]

Downloaded it today, but got distracted playing astrobot, will check it out tomorrow.

 

[Bojji]

I didn't know this game is in 120hz mode by default on PS5 and that framerate in town is ~50fps (it's good that with VRR comes LFC most likely). Probably stutter fest on 60hz displays.

It's super heavy for such simple looking game.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

Short behind the scenes vid with the devs from a 3rd party channel.

 

[Go_Ly_Dow]

I didn't know this game is in 120hz mode by default on PS5 and that framerate in town is ~50fps (it's good that with VRR comes LFC most likely). Probably stutter fest on 60hz displays.

It's super heavy for such simple looking game.

Hopefully P6 is UE4/5. I am completely cool with the visuals and love the art direction in Metaphor, but more so from an optimisation/stability perspective their in house engine is now showing its age. P3R was more crisp and smooth on UE4. Although the game world here looks much more detailed overall and the environments are magnitudes bigger.

 

[Little Mac]

Based on this demo … would you recommend this game or Persona 3 Reload to someone who has never played a modern Altus rpg?

Or is the question dumb because they are two very different kinds of rpgs? I have no experience with modern Altus rpgs but really enjoyed the Metaphor demo other than the dated in-game graphics. Persona 3 Reload looks better but is the combat and mechanics as good?

 

[Miyazaki’s Slave]

Based on this demo … would you recommend this game or Persona 3 Reload to someone who has never played a modern Altus rpg?

Or is the question dumb because they are two very different kinds of rpgs? I have no experience with modern Altus rpgs but really enjoyed the Metaphor demo other than the dated in-game graphics. Persona 3 Reload looks better but is the combat and mechanics as good?

Persona....on the off chance they like it there are more for them to play...if they don't like it they wouldn't like Metaphor (imo).

Where as suggesting Metaphor isn't indicative of the quality of the Persona games....they would loose out on better games if they start and hate Metaphor.

 

[Arsic]

Based on this demo … would you recommend this game or Persona 3 Reload to someone who has never played a modern Altus rpg?

Or is the question dumb because they are two very different kinds of rpgs? I have no experience with modern Altus rpgs but really enjoyed the Metaphor demo other than the dated in-game graphics. Persona 3 Reload looks better but is the combat and mechanics as good?

I would say persona 5.

Persona 3 suffers from god awful pacing. I was over 20 hours in and just felt like nothing was ever happening. Plus P5 has better dungeons.

Otherwise? Metaphor is much better right from the jump compared to P3.

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Short behind the scenes vid with the devs from a 3rd party channel.

Oh shit, that Archipel Atlus documentary is finally coming together. Can't fucking wait!

 

[Flabagast]

Based on this demo … would you recommend this game or Persona 3 Reload to someone who has never played a modern Altus rpg?

Or is the question dumb because they are two very different kinds of rpgs? I have no experience with modern Altus rpgs but really enjoyed the Metaphor demo other than the dated in-game graphics. Persona 3 Reload looks better but is the combat and mechanics as good?

I would say this game, Persona 3 could bore you out slighlty of the formula, which will otherwise feel very cool if you experience it for the first time in Metaphor

 

[Astray]

Based on this demo … would you recommend this game or Persona 3 Reload to someone who has never played a modern Altus rpg?

Or is the question dumb because they are two very different kinds of rpgs? I have no experience with modern Altus rpgs but really enjoyed the Metaphor demo other than the dated in-game graphics. Persona 3 Reload looks better but is the combat and mechanics as good?

Personally I'd prefer going for P3R then P5R or Metaphor.

I dislike going backwards in QoL and Dungeon design tbh. Did the same for Trails as well if you're interested in that.

 

[Kurotri]

I feel so dumb lmao. The demo performed like absolute trash on my PC and the .dll file from that one guy made the performance even worse and I just gave up. I spent 4 hours playing this demo in what felt like sub 30 fps. I then found out that on max settings the game defaults to 200 % resolution scaling. I do not know what that means. However adjusting that to 150 and limiting the fps to 60 transformed the game into a buttery smooth experience. I just wish I found out earlier because I think I'm almost done with the demo haha. So if you are an idiot like me wondering why the game performs like shit adjust your resolution scaling and if it helps limit the fps. Worked wonders over here.

Anyway, the demo is much beefier than I expected. 4+ hours is pretty damn generous. I think this game has all the ingredients it needs to become a fantastic (heh) game and maybe even rival Persona if it truly lands on its feet. It has such a unique world, amazing character designs and music, the atmosphere also feels very distinct and sophisticated. It's got many things that mirror Persona and SMT (hell, there are some item and skill names that are 1:1), along with the *style* of presentation and storytelling that is present in Persona. I almost want to say that it's Persona in a fantasy setting, but it feels different enough when you actually play it that makes you say oh, this is its own thing. This isn't about teenagers growing up and being confronted with life but more about political themes, facing anxiety in tumultous times of upheavel and racism than Persona ever tackled. I've come around to appreciate the decision to not include romance, because the story, characters and world are framed in such a way where it would just kinda stand out like a thumb.

Gameplay is great and a more upgraded version of Persona. I like the whole forward backward strategy thing for what its worth. I think this is a hit, probably not Persona 5 level but I at this point *expect* a fantastic RPG. Can't wait to dive deeper into the worlds lore and its characters and especially how they handle side quests.

 

[TintoConCasera]

I do not know what that means

It means that if you set it 200% and your resolution to 4K, the game is actually being rendered at 8K (200% of 4K) which is quite the performance hog.

 

[amigastar]

It means that if you set it 200% and your resolution to 4K, the game is actually being rendered at 8K (200% of 4K) which is quite the performance hog.

You sure about that, i have Full HD with 200% and with 100% it looked all like 720p? It didn't look like native Full HD.

 

[TintoConCasera]

You sure about that, i have Full HD with 200% and with 100% it looked all like 720p?

Yeah pretty sure. The game has no antialias solution at all, so it's normal that it looks super jaggy at 100% scale.

In fact I'd bet that the reason for the resolution scale to be set at 200% by default is the lack of AA.

 

[Danjin44]

Gameplay is great and a more upgraded version of Persona.

Its is basically SMT Press Turn with Job system which is god damn match in heaven, for me personally this game definitely has better combat than Persona with MUCH better challenge.

 

[Kurotri]

It means that if you set it 200% and your resolution to 4K, the game is actually being rendered at 8K (200% of 4K) which is quite the performance hog.

Christ, no wonder. Thanks for the explanation. So if I want to play at 1440p setting it to 100% would just be flat 1440p right? I'll knock it further down tomorrow.

 

[amigastar]

Yeah pretty sure. The game has no antialias solution at all, so it's normal that it looks super jaggy at 100% scale.

In fact I'd bet that the reason for the resolution scale to be set at 200% by default is the lack of AA.

But i play my games all the time without AA and it doesn't look bad.
Anyways with 200% it looks really nice.

 

[TintoConCasera]

SMT Press Turn with Job system

Christ, no wonder. Thanks for the explanation. So if I want to play at 1440p setting it to 100% would just be flat 1440p right? I'll knock it further down tomorrow.

No problem! And yeah unless I'm terribly mistaken then you are correct, 2K at 100% scale is just 2K.

But i play my games all the time without AA and it doesn't look bad.

That's weird. Do you usually play with DLSS or something? In any case Metaphor is specially bad when it comes to the jaggies, you could even cut yourself while playing if you aren't careful.

Anyways with 200% it looks really nice.

Yeah it should! Much smoother for sure.

 

[TintoConCasera]

MUCH better challenge

Tell me all about this man. Do you felt like the demo was challenging enough? I love my SMT but a good part of it is thanks to the challenge they provide, and I don't know if I could go back to Persona levels of challenge.

 

[Danjin44]

Tell me all about this man. Do you felt like the demo was challenging enough? I love my SMT but a good part of it is thanks to the challenge they provide, and I don't know if I could go back to Persona levels of challenge.

I played the demo on hard Its MUCH more challenging than Persona, you really need to do proper resource management because even in rest area you dont recover HP/MP.

You also have team skills but it uses your press turn, its not great idea to use it mindlessly especially against bosses.

The best thing about the Job system is unlike Persona or Demons in SMT you cant switch between different job in middle of the battle, choosing right job when against boss is important.

Edit: Also recover items and Armor/weapons are very pricy.

 

[TintoConCasera]

I played the demo on hard Its MUCH more challenging than Persona, you really need to do proper resource management because even in rest area you dont recover HP/MP.

You also have team skills but it uses your press turn, its not great idea to use it mindlessly especially against bosses.

The best thing about the Job system is unlike Persona or Demons in SMT you cant switch between different job in middle of the battle, choosing right job when against boss is important.

Sounds perfect. Thanks mate, I'm even more hyped than before lol.

 

[Nankatsu]

Decided to change to English VA. It's pretty damn solid and enables more immersion on my end, since I don't need to 100% look into subtitles.

 

[StereoVsn]

Based on this demo … would you recommend this game or Persona 3 Reload to someone who has never played a modern Altus rpg?

Or is the question dumb because they are two very different kinds of rpgs? I have no experience with modern Altus rpgs but really enjoyed the Metaphor demo other than the dated in-game graphics. Persona 3 Reload looks better but is the combat and mechanics as good?

I would recommend Persona 5R or even better Persona 4 Golden. Note the latter doesn’t have the latest modern bells and whistles though, but I like it the best out of Persona series.

So get P5R or P4G or both as they are inexpensive especially on sale. And you can give SMT III an shot afterwards for a different take on Atlus game.

If you haven’t played an Atlus game, no reason to plunk $70 right off the bat.

 

[Danjin44]

Decided to change to English VA. It's pretty damn solid and enables more immersion on my end, since I don't need to 100% look into subtitles.

I would say english voices pretty damn good and fits the setting much better than JP voice.

 

[StereoVsn]

Played the demo a bit and it kind of ran like shit on my 3080Ti and 7800x3D. Not sure what Atlus is doing here, and lack of AA and/or modern scaling capabilities is puzzling.

I also found the interface overly busy, even more so vs Persona where P5 was already pushing it a bit but didn’t cross the line.

I think I am going to wait and see if Atlus fixes this game over next couple of months, plenty of other stuff to play.

 

[TintoConCasera]

Played the demo a bit and it kind of ran like shit on my 3080Ti and 7800x3D. Not sure what Atlus is doing here, and lack of AA and/or modern scaling capabilities is puzzling.

I also found the interface overly busy, even more so vs Persona where P5 was already pushing it a bit but didn’t cross the line.

I think I am going to wait and see if Atlus fixes this game over next couple of months, plenty of other stuff to play.

Did you try it with the Special K fix mate? Does it still run bad after that?

 

[Jinzo Prime]

Honestly, the performance is damn near unacceptable, but the story, voice acting, and gameplay do a lot to make up for it.

I'm very conflicted, this is a full price game that runs like its early access, maybe gamepass it for now?

 

[StereoVsn]

Did you try it with the Special K fix mate? Does it still run bad after that?

It ran better so I was perhaps a bit hyperbolic. But confiding what the game seems to be doing and the visual quality something f is definitely off.

I was also hoping to play it in either my Deck or Ally but it will not run well at all there.

I am kind of tired of companies that keep doing this shit. If they out in such a shoddy job I am not putting in full price for the game.

It’s like Rise of Ronin on PS5. Game kind of runs meh and instead of optimization their solution is to buy PS5 Pro.

Kind of tired of this shit. I will instead buy new expansions to CK3, Stellaris and Old World and let strategy games lag the f out of my system in late game.

 

[Shin-Ra]

I didn't know this game is in 120hz mode by default on PS5 and that framerate in town is ~50fps (it's good that with VRR comes LFC most likely). Probably stutter fest on 60hz displays.

It's super heavy for such simple looking game.

Funny thing is the anime cutscenes shoot up to the max ~118 fps VRR output but still judders heavily similar to 24fps straight output as 60Hz so they’re not making the most of VRR flexibility. The video’s probably not encoded to the native animation framerate.

 

[CloudShiner]

damn fixed minimap, doesn't seem to be an option to make it rotate like in a lot of rpgs. hate fixed, find it harder to get my bearings when im moving forward and the map is moving different direction.

 

[PeterBazooka]

Game is fantastic! Great pacing. Not your typical boring tropey jrpg story where the characters speak like 12 year olds… *cough Visions of Mana*.. lol

Like already mentioned, setting the res scaling to 100-125 makes a huge difference in performance.

 

[april6e]

The demo wasn't bad but the game definitely underwhelmed from what I was expecting. The combat is just Persona 3-5 again (even down to summoning thing) with extra steps. The entire UI and art direction of the game is extremely jarring with the smeared watercolor motif. This definitely just feels like a game I'd skip and wait for them to release the second version that Atlas always does.

 

[Danjin44]

The combat is just Persona 3-5 again (even down to summoning thing) with extra steps.

Not really it’s SMT’s press turn which different than Persona’s once more system, also transforming to job class is much more similar to Digital Devil Saga’s transformation and unlike Persona you can’t switch between jobs at middle of the combat.

 

[SnakeB]

Based on this demo … would you recommend this game or Persona 3 Reload to someone who has never played a modern Altus rpg?

Or is the question dumb because they are two very different kinds of rpgs? I have no experience with modern Altus rpgs but really enjoyed the Metaphor demo other than the dated in-game graphics. Persona 3 Reload looks better but is the combat and mechanics as good?

Out of the modernized Persona games for me:

Best gameplay, social systems and world-building: P5R

Best story, characters and themes: P3R

Now that P3 has good combat, they are very equal in quality. The main difference is that P3 starts super slow with the story but throws you into the combat fast and ends with a bang. P5 starts really strong in the story but then drags too much, at least for me.

 

[Imru’ al-Qays]

Just got out of the cave, loving it so far. Soundtrack is sweet, best looking PS3 graphics I've ever seen, gameplay is that well-oiled Megaten fun with a much better character progression system. And while the story is a little juvenile for my tastes it's a lot better than P5.

 

[Arsic]

Beat the demo. Almost 7 hours.

Opted to just go through the last dungeon and didn’t do the side quest day consuming activities. Figured since I have 10 days in full release to kill the necromancer I’ll bum rush the dungeon , get to the final boss of it, then back out to do all side quests in town. Once they’re done I’ll bop him to make best use of my time allotted.

Getting brawler archetype was sooo satisfying. Put that on Leon right away.

 

[Raven117]

Not as “cool” as P5 is.

But I’ll keep playing the demo. I may just wait for that inevitable second release. I’m only good for a run through a 100 hour game once.

I just miss that P5 sounds. It was so good

 

[Arsic]

Tried to play ff7 rebirth after finishing this demo. Got to the junon part where I had to do a rhythm mini game then it wanted me to go recruit people to do the parade.

Turned that shit off so fast.

Metaphor wanted me to play it and respected every bit of my time in those 7 hours.

Fuck other JRPGs. Waste of time with filler nonsense horse shit I can’t stand.

 

[Dynasty8]

Kinda wish this game was rated M now.

 

[Danjin44]

Kinda wish this game was rated M now.

It’s already more M rated than Persona games.

 

[acidagfc]

So glad that they put out the demo, as apparently, this is NOT the game I wanted.

The trailers looked so good and I was eager to play this one, but the setting and story setup is such a basic fantasy anime, full of it's regular tropes and one-dimensional characters, that I don't think I can bear it for 100+ hours. All the good guys are perfectly good with a tragic backstory, all the bad guys are comedically bad.
The world and characters LOOK great, but as far as the story and character motivation goes it's just same old of the worst kind (for me personally at least).
Persona games are more or less the same, but IDK, maybe a modern day setting just hides the paper-thin motivations better, than this fantasy one.

The combat is familiar in a good way, it's all I need from a JRPG really. The day structure from Persona games is whatever, although I am a bit tired of it. The art is gorgeous, though a lot more busy that P3R\P5, to a point of making it less readable.
The buttons layout is baffling honestly. Entire Dualsense touchpad just for the online menu? Square for virtues menu that you do not ever need to look at? And yet the main menu on a Start button, the most uncomfortable one on the gamepad?

I will wait for reviews to see if they touch on the story and if it becomes anything interesting, but so far this went from a day one purchase to "wait for a Golden\Royal edition".

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Tbh, I didn't felt that the native PS5 version was running badly. Yes, it can dip into the low 50s and then it goes upwards of 65 fps, but I have a VRR screen and I didn't notice any annoying stuttering or jittering during actual gameplay. That said, it's worth considering what this dude is saying here with regards to the PS4 version being played through back compat on PS5 (getting some Elder Ring PS4/PS5 flashbacks).

 

[MMaRsu]

Based on this demo … would you recommend this game or Persona 3 Reload to someone who has never played a modern Altus rpg?

Or is the question dumb because they are two very different kinds of rpgs? I have no experience with modern Altus rpgs but really enjoyed the Metaphor demo other than the dated in-game graphics. Persona 3 Reload looks better but is the combat and mechanics as good?

Do you want to play a great rpg thats over 100 hours long, and focusses a lot on social stuff as well as battles? GO Persona 5 Royal
Do you want to play a great rpg thats not over 100 hours long, and focusses mostly on the gameplay aspect? Go Shin Megami Tensei Vengeance

I wouldnt recommend this or Persona 3 for someone who's never played a modern Atlus RPG.

 

[rotorfire]

I'm about three hours in to the demo and mostly enjoying. The combat is grand, the story is interesting enough, the music is good, the characters are fine, and the voice acting is generally solid. Saying that, nothing has really hooked me. Negatives - the visual noise is extreme (even compared to PS5), the art style is taking some getting used to, and the MC just looks a bit... off.

It also reportedly being a 100+ hour game isn't a plus point for me nowadays. I'm going to hold off Day 1 for now and probably pick up on sale after I finish Unicorn Overlord and my (slow) replay of P3R.