Metaphor: ReFantazio is yet another 80+ hour JRPG from Atlus, but its director says the studio "didn't want to bore our players by keeping it the same the entire time"
Oct. 14, 2024The game is admittedly “pretty voluminous”
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Metaphor: ReFantaziomarks the beginning of a brand-new title from Atlus' Studio Zero, but the new JRPG is definitely following in the footsteps of thePersonaseries when it comes to its length and sheer story depth.
Speaking in a recent interview with Xbox, legendary director and producer Katsura Hashino admits that Metaphor: ReFantazio is “a pretty voluminous game.” According to the lead, the developers “really hoped to keep it very exciting” despitehow long it is– a whopping 80 to 90 hours or so. “We didn’t want to bore our players by keeping it the same the entire time.” That’s why the story boasts plenty of “twists and turns,” says Hashino.
“By the time it takes you to beat the game, which is going to be a fair amount of time – it’s a pretty voluminous game – we’ve tried to continue to surprise our players in both the system and the twists and turns the story takes.” As someone with a good few hours in-game already myself, I’d argue that the devs have certainly accomplished this – and ourMetaphor: ReFantazio reviewexpands on just how they managed to do so.
The JRPG’s impressive size isn’t the only feature reminiscent of Atlus' other beloved titles, either. It borrowsPersona’s iconic calendar system, too, meaning that players can easily lose almost 100 hours in-game doing everything from spending days in dungeons to exploring the city at night. Overall, it can be said that Metaphor: ReFantazio feels as though itboth is and isn’t a Persona game– in the best, most Studio Zero way possible.
Lord of the Rings initially inspired Metaphor: ReFantazio, before Atlus “threw out” all its fantasy research to preserve “the originality that defines us”
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After spending years with her head in various fantastical realms' clouds, Anna studied English Literature and then Medieval History at the University of Edinburgh, going on to specialize in narrative design and video game journalism as a writer. She has written for various publications since her postgraduate studies, including Dexerto, Fanbyte, GameSpot, IGN, PCGamesN, and more. When she’s not frantically trying to form words into coherent sentences, she’s probably daydreaming about becoming a fairy druid and befriending every animal or she’s spending a thousand (more) hours traversing the Underdark in Baldur’s Gate 3. If you spot her away from her PC, you’ll always find Anna with a fantasy book, a handheld video game console of some sort, and a Tamagotchi or two on hand.
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