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Metaphor: ReFantazio |OT| Don’t Worry, It’s All in Your Head!

On which platform will you be picking up the game?


  • Total voters
    284

STARSBarry

Gold Member
So I am going to keep this vague, but I just finished the Island dungeon... man wtf was with that difficulty spike? It came outa nowhere, and then I get to the boss room and its a fucking cake walk compared to the rest of the the damn dungeon I just went through. Why the hell did the designer suddenly decide that having a single safe room for like 7 floors is a good idea in tandem with stacking halls with essentially prior boss reskins.
 
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20 hours in and I'm *still* using the Dragon Sword from the Mines with Strohl, haven't found anything that outclasses it yet. Truly one of the best pieces of gear so far and you get it so early on. Having said that it's reached a ceiling for DMG potential based on how far along I am, should be something better soon.

It's interesting that I still haven't discovered any synthesis attacks with Mage, currently leveling towards Magic Knight, think that might have something. I also wonder about having 4x of the same class and whether that opens up some powerful attack, we already know there are passive benefits. Maybe there are specific combinations too like 2 Mages x 2 Warriors that access special synthesis, need to experiment more.

This might be obvious but maybe not so it's worth mentioning. You don't need to actually switch to a new archetype/level it to gain access to it's base abilities, just unlock it. In other words, if I want my Knight Hulkenberg to have a healing spell available just unlock Seeker, don't switch to it, you can now add Dei (or Cyc if you need access to some elemental DMG) to your inheritance slot 👌
 

EDMIX

Writes a lot, says very little
Persona 3 Reload is remake they actually when back and voiced parts that wasn't voiced before, because all other Persona game before Reload was same case as Metaphor, not everything is voiced.

It could be that the choice to do this made sense for Persona 3 Remake, but Metaphor was too far along to do that. I feel with charging full price, the whole game should be voiced, 100% as it odd to have something like this, yet decide to not have voice acting for many part to save money, this doesn't benefit the consumer in anyway and imho, this practice should be done away with and it should be standard to voice all the parts of the game. This is a interactive game, by a major publisher and its odd to have PS2 practices in a PS5 game.

At some point, its no longer some magical tech limitation, it is a choice to save money that isn't passed on to the consumer. I do wish more made a bigger deal about this, as I love the cast so far and only issue i have, is I don't get to hear them 100% thru

BG3 having everything voiced shouldn't be some exception, they had to early access their game, they are not SEGA, any major JRPG publisher / developer should be seeking to make it a standard thing to have everything voiced.

I'd argue this can even spoil parts of the game, as we all know when that 1 character is voiced, it will be some social link type person lol Its kinda like in Law and Order when the celebrity guest star is randomly in some line up lol Like, we know they are the killer lol
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
20 hours in and I'm *still* using the Dragon Sword from the Mines with Strohl, haven't found anything that outclasses it yet. Truly one of the best pieces of gear so far and you get it so early on. Having said that it's reached a ceiling for DMG potential based on how far along I am, should be something better soon.

It's interesting that I still haven't discovered any synthesis attacks with Mage, currently leveling towards Magic Knight, think that might have something. I also wonder about having 4x of the same class and whether that opens up some powerful attack, we already know there are passive benefits. Maybe there are specific combinations too like 2 Mages x 2 Warriors that access special synthesis, need to experiment more.

This might be obvious but maybe not so it's worth mentioning. You don't need to actually switch to a new archetype/level it to gain access to it's base abilities, just unlock it. In other words, if I want my Knight Hulkenberg to have a healing spell available just unlock Seeker, don't switch to it, you can now add Dei (or Cyc if you need access to some elemental DMG) to your inheritance slot 👌
I saw some video of a guy using 3 warriors claiming it was really OP early on. They all get that Heat Up damage bonus for having multiple of the same lineage, plus they get both a 2 person combo and a 3 person combo that do heavy/severe slash damage respectively + give you an extra turn if they land the killing blow.

Really interested to see what other wacky combos are possible.
 

Hrk69

Member
At some point, its no longer some magical tech limitation, it is a choice to save money that isn't passed on to the consumer. I do wish more made a bigger deal about this, as I love the cast so far and only issue i have, is I don't get to hear them 100% thru
This is where (eventually, in the future) AI will come in and make these kind of games fully voiced. At some point AI wil be indistinguishable from real actors and gaming is going to benefit hugely from it.

And I agree with your other points too. There's an certain encounter in this game where an unique enemy keeps saying the same line during each attack. Was it that hard or expensive to record 3 or 4 more lines for some variation? Cmon now

And Baldurs Gate 3 is such a good example of what voice-acting can do for a game. They really did a phenomenal job with it.
 
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Hrk69

Member
Got to the end of demo

Gotta say, I'm hovering that finger over the buy button... Haven't experience such a fun jRPG in a long time and just the demo, I hear the full game goes another notch above.
I haven't played the demo myself so I'm not sure where it exactly ends

But I've played about 25 hours of the full game and it keeps getting better and better. I think it's a safe buy if you like what you've played so far.
 
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Buggy Loop

Member
I haven't played the demo myself so I'm not sure where it exactly ends

But I've played about 25 hours of the full game and it keeps getting better and better. I think it's a safe buy if you like what you've played so far.

Yea I would normally jump on it, but past 2 weeks I spent a huge sum on an inground pool and backyard. Feels like I'm being stupid to spend money in this situation when I also have such a huge backlog of games on Steam. I should probably slow down on spending. There were a couple of extra $$$$ in there I had not planned on.
 

Topher

Identifies as young
Yea I would normally jump on it, but past 2 weeks I spent a huge sum on an inground pool and backyard. Feels like I'm being stupid to spend money in this situation when I also have such a huge backlog of games on Steam. I should probably slow down on spending. There were a couple of extra $$$$ in there I had not planned on.

What's an inground pool cost? $20 grand? Yeah....that $70 game is the tipping point to financial ruin my man.

Red Wine Ugh GIF by Married At First Sight


lol....I'm just messing with you bro
 

Klosshufvud

Member
Damn yeah prices have risen quite a bit. Preorder pays off I guess. I got mine from Eneba, which is still the cheapest seller at 53€
Yup I have actually never seen a game this expensive even on third party key sites. But I guess it reflects changing times. The days of buying a key from cdkeys brand new for 25€ are long gone.
 

Nankatsu

Member
The mashing square battles outside of the turn based ones really do wonders in this game. Imagine if you had to do all those fights in turn based style.

I know it's a very simple thing, but I actually think it does the farming / dungeon exploring become much more enjoyable.
 
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MMaRsu

Member
If the game is over 100 hours, did they stretch the game time artificially? Is the game long-winded?

Supposedly its not stretched at all. But thats according to reviews. Only 16 hours in myself or so. Pacing is great so far.
Yup I have actually never seen a game this expensive even on third party key sites. But I guess it reflects changing times. The days of buying a key from cdkeys brand new for 25€ are long gone.

Yeah I bought mine for 40€ from Eneba though, six days before release so I think that was a great price.
 

A2una1

Member
There are so many games that put out a full priced definitive/complete edition and nobody is crying about those
But most of them are only bundled editions, containing the Additional dlcs Released after the Initial Release. Fully Campatible withe the original game
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
re. Hulkenberg and Strohl’s follower ranks, how can I increase them? I still have them both at level 1. A couple guides I checked say I should be able to rank them up but nothing happens when I talk to them and it doesn’t show up on the follower menu as being ready.

Are there certain points in the game where it’s unavailable to increase their rank? I’m on
7/6 just after recruiting Heismay
 

MMaRsu

Member
re. Hulkenberg and Strohl’s follower ranks, how can I increase them? I still have them both at level 1. A couple guides I checked say I should be able to rank them up but nothing happens when I talk to them and it doesn’t show up on the follower menu as being ready.

Are there certain points in the game where it’s unavailable to increase their rank? I’m on
7/6 just after recruiting Heismay

Yeah I chatted it up with Hulkenberg in Grand Trad, then later in the Gauntlet Runner

Same with Strohl
 
re. Hulkenberg and Strohl’s follower ranks, how can I increase them? I still have them both at level 1. A couple guides I checked say I should be able to rank them up but nothing happens when I talk to them and it doesn’t show up on the follower menu as being ready.

Are there certain points in the game where it’s unavailable to increase their rank? I’m on
7/6 just after recruiting Heismay

I had them both at rank 3 before even recruiting the 4th party member. You should have seen messages pop up saying "I hear a voice..." followed by a comment like "maybe I should check up on _________", that's your cue that SL conversation is available. Unlike Persona you will level them after each of these conversations, your answers simply determine how much MAG is awarded.
 

Astray

Member
I had them both at rank 3 before even recruiting the 4th party member. You should have seen messages pop up saying "I hear a voice..." followed by a comment like "maybe I should check up on _________", that's your cue that SL conversation is available. Unlike Persona you will level them after each of these conversations, your answers simply determine how much MAG is awarded.
Add to this that some times you don't get that message, so the way to do it is to ask Gallica at every free time slot about followers.

If you don't know where the follower is specifically you can fast travel to them via the follower menu.
 

Thick Thighs Save Lives

NeoGAF's Physical Games Advocate Extraordinaire
re. Hulkenberg and Strohl’s follower ranks, how can I increase them? I still have them both at level 1. A couple guides I checked say I should be able to rank them up but nothing happens when I talk to them and it doesn’t show up on the follower menu as being ready.

Are there certain points in the game where it’s unavailable to increase their rank? I’m on
7/6 just after recruiting Heismay
You might have a bug or something, because that's not normal. Seen someone on reddit mentioning a similar thing, btw.

 
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re. Hulkenberg and Strohl’s follower ranks, how can I increase them? I still have them both at level 1. A couple guides I checked say I should be able to rank them up but nothing happens when I talk to them and it doesn’t show up on the follower menu as being ready.

Are there certain points in the game where it’s unavailable to increase their rank? I’m on
7/6 just after recruiting Heismay
Yes, there are times that you cannot bond with anyone. It seems you can only have bonding time when you have free time in town or
while traveling on the land runner.
The game does explicitly tell you this.

I had a long period where I couldn’t bond with anyone. Eventually I could. You have had plenty of chances earlier in the game. I guess you just did other stuff? However, the game does explicitly pop up a “thought” each time telling you that someone wants to speak with you.
 

The Cockatrice

I'm retarded?
Im around 10 hours in and I know theres more to see but so far its very jarring how very Persona with a different skin the game is. Not really a bad thing, but not really a good thing either. I think this will diminish its uniqueness/identity in the long run. Anyway, I like it so far, combat music is good, exploration music in the city not so much, I mean its fine but its not a tune I enjoy hearing nonstop unlike the chill tunes Persona has, it's very epic/choiral and its more suited for certain moment. I also dont like the music choice whenever a character get their archetype, it doesnt have that oomph. Japanese voice acting is fine. Combat is very hard no doubt as Im playing on Hard, sometimes its really a gamble and without starting the fight with the stun, you're completely fucked. Not sure if it gets better later in the game. Archetypes and the way its handled is again just a different Persona skin, I assume later in the game Ill be able to change them in combat as well. I hate the main protagonist look tho. He's just a tiny asexual dweeb and I cant see him as a cool epic figure, his clothes dont help at all. Horrible design.

Overall so far it's def an 8/10 and inferior to Persona 5 Royal in every way.
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
Yes, there are times that you cannot bond with anyone. It seems you can only have bonding time when you have free time in town or
while traveling on the land runner.
The game does explicitly tell you this.

I had a long period where I couldn’t bond with anyone. Eventually I could. You have had plenty of chances earlier in the game. I guess you just did other stuff? However, the game does explicitly pop up a “thought” each time telling you that someone wants to speak with you.
I focused on bonding with
Maria and Brigitta
first, got them both to level 4. Weird thing is I just went to
the tomb to retrieve the cursed ring, and on the gauntlet runner when I talked to Hulkenberg and Strohl
it said something like “I should spend some more time with them when we get back to town”. I’ll see what happens when I return.
 

Nankatsu

Member
papis, any advice for the minotaur? he is kicking my ass

Use Pierce attacks, since he is weak to it. By exposing his weakness, you basically get double turn.

Take someone who can heal you on a constant basis, or at lest has the skill.

I did it with two Knights and one Warrior.
 

Gonzito

Gold Member
Use Pierce attacks, since he is weak to it. By exposing his weakness, you basically get double turn.

Take someone who can heal you on a constant basis, or at lest has the skill.

I did it with two Knights and one Warrior.
Which archetype has the pierce attack option?
 

Northeastmonk

Gold Member
Started this yesterday. The production value is insane. Named the MC Will because that’s apparently what his canonical name is?
 

Buggy Loop

Member
What's an inground pool cost? $20 grand? Yeah....that $70 game is the tipping point to financial ruin my man.

Red Wine Ugh GIF by Married At First Sight


lol....I'm just messing with you bro

Fuck man, those bills come in fast :messenger_downcast_sweat:

But I'm also on a everspace 2 playthrough and probably another half dozen game started but not finished on the side. I only did first level of system shock remake for example even though I loved it. Got displaced by Elden ring DLC & Black Myth Wukong.

I can't keep up with 2024 gaming output, at least not day 1. It keeps having bangers after bangers.

Even if its not about money, I feel guilty to push over a game I was just playing and having fun with on the side to then enter a 100h journey RPG. 1st day FOMO I've kind of ignored for a while now. SH2 also was pushed on the side. Metaphor though is probably the hardest.
 

Topher

Identifies as young
Fuck man, those bills come in fast :messenger_downcast_sweat:

But I'm also on a everspace 2 playthrough and probably another half dozen game started but not finished on the side. I only did first level of system shock remake for example even though I loved it. Got displaced by Elden ring DLC & Black Myth Wukong.

I can't keep up with 2024 gaming output, at least not day 1. It keeps having bangers after bangers.

Even if its not about money, I feel guilty to push over a game I was just playing and having fun with on the side to then enter a 100h journey RPG. 1st day FOMO I've kind of ignored for a while now. SH2 also was pushed on the side. Metaphor though is probably the hardest.

I hear ya man. I've got a stack of games I want to play and I probably should have held off on Metaphor myself. Guess too many games is better than not enough.
 

amigastar

Member
I hear ya man. I've got a stack of games I want to play and I probably should have held off on Metaphor myself. Guess too many games is better than not enough.
True, i have many games to play so i'm waiting for next month, maybe then i will tackle Metaphor.
 
I saw some video of a guy using 3 warriors claiming it was really OP early on. They all get that Heat Up damage bonus for having multiple of the same lineage, plus they get both a 2 person combo and a 3 person combo that do heavy/severe slash damage respectively + give you an extra turn if they land the killing blow.

Really interested to see what other wacky combos are possible.
Triple Warriors is what I ended up using for the
Zorba and subsequent Human boss fights.

Wish I'd discovered it for myself, but I found it when looking up how to beat those bosses because I was already on Day 3 of running that dungeon and didn't want to lose any more time.
 

Arsic

Loves his juicy stink trail scent
Main character as merchant. Level up your magic every time you level your level. Then use hero leaves etc on mage class tree. Simply use the 3 free slots you’ll unlock to add to merchant with wizard spells so you have 3 elements on the ready.

Now you make fat money every dungeon and do big damage.

What sucks is the money bonus doesn’t seem to work if it’s on another character. Has to be the MC. Otherwise I’d stick Heismay with it.
 

Raven117

Member
Im around 10 hours in and I know theres more to see but so far its very jarring how very Persona with a different skin the game is. Not really a bad thing, but not really a good thing either. I think this will diminish its uniqueness/identity in the long run. Anyway, I like it so far, combat music is good, exploration music in the city not so much, I mean its fine but its not a tune I enjoy hearing nonstop unlike the chill tunes Persona has, it's very epic/choiral and its more suited for certain moment. I also dont like the music choice whenever a character get their archetype, it doesnt have that oomph. Japanese voice acting is fine. Combat is very hard no doubt as Im playing on Hard, sometimes its really a gamble and without starting the fight with the stun, you're completely fucked. Not sure if it gets better later in the game. Archetypes and the way its handled is again just a different Persona skin, I assume later in the game Ill be able to change them in combat as well. I hate the main protagonist look tho. He's just a tiny asexual dweeb and I cant see him as a cool epic figure, his clothes dont help at all. Horrible design.

Overall so far it's def an 8/10 and inferior to Persona 5 Royal in every way.
This was my impression as well from the demo. That said, I am interested in the story through once it gets through the set up.
 

DonkeyPunchJr

World’s Biggest Weeb
Loving the game but the amount of dialogues sometimes is too much. This studio needs to learn to say more with less words
IMO this is very true for most JRPGs. I wish they’d learn to show and not tell. Don’t treat the audience like idiots, don’t make the characters point out obvious shit and externalize every little thought in their heads.

TBH I think Metaphor is better than average in this regard.

This is also why I’m glad that not every line in the game is voiced. I don’t want to listen to paragraphs worth of spoken dialog every time my character takes a shit.
 
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