Metaphor: ReFantazio Launches 'Prologue' Demo

At the Tokyo Game Show, Atlus made an exciting announcement: a demo for Metaphor: ReFantazio, its upcoming RPG, is set to be released. Initially exclusive to Asia, the demo is now rolling out to Western audiences starting today, September 25. By tomorrow, players worldwide on PC, PlayStation, and Xbox consoles will have access to this much-anticipated demo.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is the latest large-scale RPG from Atlus, developed by Studio Zero, led by Katsura Hashino, the visionary behind the Persona series. Due to Hashino's involvement, it's natural for comparisons to arise between Metaphor: ReFantazio and Persona, despite the distinct themes that separate the two. However, fans can still expect to see familiar elements, such as Social Links and a calendar system that restricts daily actions, pushing players to balance their time before progressing the main storyline.

The demo allows players to delve into the complete prologue, offering around five hours of gameplay. Atlus has confirmed that any progress made during the demo will carry over to the full version when it's released. While five hours may seem substantial for a demo, the director indicated that the overall duration of Metaphor: ReFantazio is akin to that of Persona 5, suggesting that the main narrative could provide roughly 100 hours of gameplay. For those curious about size, the demo is approximately 60GB on Xbox and 23GB on PlayStation 5.

Demo Details and Unique Features

The Metaphor: ReFantazio demo includes the first four dungeons and allows players to unlock seven of the over 40 classes, known as Archetypes, available in the game. Players will also get the opportunity to interact with six of the game's followers. While many have labeled it a high-fantasy version of Persona, Hashino has assured fans that Metaphor: ReFantazio will introduce its own distinct mechanics, making the gameplay more challenging than that of Persona, with its difficulty aligned with the game’s overarching theme.

One significant departure from Persona is the Social Links system. Unlike Persona, which allows players to cultivate romantic bonds with NPCs, Metaphor: ReFantazio has been confirmed to omit romance entirely. Hashino explained that given the protagonist's role as a ruler in an electoral race context, romantic relationships wouldn’t fit within the narrative framework. However, he reassured players that the Social Links interactions will still include lighthearted moments, ensuring that the RPG maintains a balance between seriousness and fun throughout the experience.