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Metaphor: ReFantazio, the newest game out of Japanese video game company Atlus’ Studio Zero, owes a lot to the Persona games that came before it. From the mind of longtime Persona designer Katsura Hashino, it’s a sprawling role-playing game that combines dungeon crawling with social sim elements, using a daily calendar to dictate your progress.
While there’s no wrong way to play Metaphor—choice is the point, as you decide how you want to spend your days and who you want to spend them with—the game can feel overwhelming at times due to its size and the scope of everything you can do. Whether you’re new to Atlus RPGs or just want some friendly tips to start, here are a few things to keep in mind as you plunge into the United Kingdom of Euchronia.
Prioritize Followers
Throughout the game, you’ll meet characters who become “followers,” including members of your party. Each follower is connected to the game’s archetypes—roles like healers, warriors, or brawlers you equip different characters with for battles—and to progress those skill trees, you’ll need to level up those relationships. You do this by hanging out with your followers. Much of that time will be spent talking and getting to know each other, but each follower has a specific goal they want to achieve.
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Palling around with followers early and often will give you the time to address their needs. Sometimes this means a quest; other times, you’ll have to raise attributes like tolerance or imagination to reach their goals. Aside from the pragmatic aspects of unlocking new archetypes, these character stories are some of the best facets of the game. It’s where the cast shines and achieves real depth as you learn what makes them tick.
Grab Ingredients Whenever You Can
Once you’ve unlocked the game’s gauntlet runner, which you’ll use every time you need to jet off to a new location, you’ll be able to spend downtime on it in a variety of ways. If you’re interested in cooking—which allows you to make food items that can restore your health, clear status ailments, and more—you’ll need to gather the necessary ingredients first. While many can be found at the local markets, some are much trickier, requiring you to fish or forage. Pay attention to any tips you get from characters about different ingredients, and make sure you stock up when you visit smaller towns between campgrounds.
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Don’t worry, meal prep gets easier as you go. Spend enough time with one of the game’s followers and you’ll unlock speed cooking, which allows you to chef it up without losing any of your precious time.
Always Buy Information
Knowledge is power, but it will cost you. Every major city has a local informant who will sell you info about quests, monsters, ingredients, whatever. While it might seem like a ripoff at first, the informants are always worth talking to. They’ll give you good intel on which archetypes to use in dungeons or offer crucial information about quests. The game has a few secrets you can only solve with a trip to one of these sources, so if you’re stuck it’s a good idea to check with them.
Switch Archetypes Often
The great thing about Metaphor’s archetypes system is that any character can assume any role with the right prerequisites. While it might feel a little nerve-wracking at first to experiment with new, low-level archetypes you’ve just unlocked, each tree has a variety of skills worth trying out. If a boss is too hard, you might just need a different set of skills to tackle it. And while the original set of archetypes you start the game with is a solid lineup, certain characters will thrive by stepping outside their assigned roles.
Finish Dungeons Early
In Persona games, players had deadlines. For each big mission, you had to split your time wisely to finish side quests, hang with followers, and complete a dungeon. Unlike games like Persona 5, however, where you’d lose days if you finished early, Metaphor has no consequence for wrapping up a dungeon as soon as possible. If you’re anxious about dates, knock out the dungeons as soon as possible and spend the rest of your deadline enjoying leisure time with your followers.
Lost in a Dungeon? Look Down
As a chronic map watcher, dashing through Metaphor’s dungeons usually meant I kept my eyes trained on where my character needed to be, rather than where I actually was. This meant that occasionally I found myself stumped when trying to navigate the game’s expansive dungeons. If you’re lost, the answer is probably closer than you think. Dungeons are full of hidden crawlspaces you need to look low for, whether it’s to reach new rooms or find treasure.
Gallica’s fae sight—which also allows you to check enemy levels before you get yourself in trouble—is a huge help here. She’ll highlight anything out of the ordinary for you, making it easy to find hard-to-spot holes.
Use Metaphor’s Online Features
If all else fails and you’re stuck with choice paralysis on what exactly to do with your time, you can always check how other players spent their day and what level and archetypes they used to beat dungeons. Make sure your system is connected to the internet when you start, and use the designated button to see what everyone else is up to.
