Metaphor: ReFantazio

Metaphor: ReFantazio
Developer(s)	Studio Zero
Publisher(s)	JP: Atlus WW: Sega
Director(s)	Katsura Hashino
Producer(s)	Katsura Hashino
Designer(s)	Yasuhiro Akimoto Hiroki Fujioka
Programmer(s)	Yujiro Kosaka Toshiyuki Niida Hirotaka Mizuno
Artist(s)	Shigenori Soejima
Writer(s)	Yuichiro Tanaka Azusa Kido
Composer(s)	Shoji Meguro
Series
Engine
Platform(s)	PlayStation 4 PlayStation 5 Windows Xbox Series X/S
Release	2024
Genre(s)	Role-playing
Mode(s)	Single-player
Cabinet
Arcade system
CPU
Sound
Display

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Metaphor: ReFantazio is an upcoming role-playing video game developed by Studio Zero and published by Atlus. It is the first wholly original game from the studio since its formation in 2016, and is being led by a creative team comprising director Katsura Hashino, character artist Shigenori Soejima and composer Shoji Meguro, all of whom previously contributed to games within Atlus' flagship franchise, Megami Tensei and its sister series Persona. The game takes place in a medieval fantasy world that is considered the "mirror" of the contemporary real world, and follows a silent protagonist who must set out on a journey to protect his kingdom while overcoming obstacles and forging bonds with companions he meets along the way.

The game was first announced under its codename Project Re:Fantasy in December 2016 alongside the unveiling of Studio Zero as a subsidiary within Atlus. The game was officially unveiled in June 2023. It derives from many gameplay mechanics previously established by prior Atlus RPGs, such as turn-based combat involving the exploitation of enemy weaknesses, overworld exploration with a calendar system and light social simulation elements, and a mechanic enabling players to develop more intimate relationships with their party members outside of combat.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is scheduled to be released in 2024 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S.

Development

Background

Following the Japanese release of Persona 5 in September 2016, the game's director Katsura Hashino, who had been involved in Atlus' tentpole franchise Megami Tensei as the prior game director for Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne (2003), Digital Devil Saga: Avatar Tuner (2004), Persona 3 (2006), and Persona 4 (2008), as well as the creative producer of the publisher's 2nd Creative Production Department, later known as P-Studio, announced his intent to leave the development team and his duties with the Persona series, citing a personal desire to explore other projects due to what he considered a shift in creative direction with Persona 5. On December 19, 2016, Atlus Japan revealed that Hashino was establishing a new internal development studio within the publisher named "Studio Zero", whose mission statement was to "create for all platforms as the big counter [to modern mainstream RPGs] the current era needs." Alongside Hashino's involvement, Atlus shared that the rest of the staff at Studio Zero was comprised of alumni who had previously contributed to past RPGs published by them, while stating that they would reveal preliminary details on the development team's first game project during a livestream scheduled for later that week.

Development

On December 21, 2016, Atlus officially announced Studio Zero's first game, a fantasy role-playing title under the codename "Project Re:Fantasy", which would be directed by Hashino. The game was also confirmed to feature character art by Shigenori Soejima and music composed by Shoji Meguro from the Atlus Sound Team, both of whom previously collaborated with Hashino on both the Persona games he directed, as well as the action-puzzle platformer Catherine (2011). Alongside the game's reveal, Japanese publication Weekly Famitsu released an exclusive interview conducted between them, Hashino and Atlus company director Naota Hiraoka. The latter outlined the importance of Project Re:Fantasy as a new IP for Atlus, affirming that the goal behind creating Studio Zero was to "aim even higher" with original projects that could stand separately from either the Megami Tensei or Persona franchises, though the development team's formation was previously stifled due to the people of interest to the company being committed to other projects at that time, which partly led to Hashino's selection to serve as creative producer and game director for the project after finishing Persona 5. Hashino himself explained Studio Zero's intentions of creating a role-playing game rooted in traditional fantasy aesthetics, reflecting on his awareness of the publisher's reputation for creating RPGs with contemporary backdrops to counter developers who were more comfortable with the fantasy genre as it went mainstream, and stating that he had always entertained the idea of wanting to "challenge the traditional genre and deliver a title uniquely Atlus." Hiraoka additionally spoke to Soejima and Meguro's involvement in the project, calling them both "indispensable" members of the Persona series development team who would continue to hold their respective roles at P-Studio, but were brought onto Studio Zero and Project Re:Fantasy due to a shared desire between Hashino and Hiraoka to have their talents serve another project away from their typical contributions. On December 23, Atlus opened the official website for Studio Zero, with a foreword from Hashino and an unveiling for further staff involved in the studio and Project Re:Fantasy beyond Hashino, Meguro and Soejima. At this time, Atlus was recruiting locally for more staff to join the game's development, including programmers, planners and designers.

A second concept video for the game was released in December 2017 alongside the announcement that Studio Zero was developing the enhanced re-release Catherine: Full Body for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation Vita. Alongside the teaser, a new developer message from Hashino was released online, where he clarified the team was "very much in the middle of development", but not to the point where they could divulge into specifics regarding the title's gameplay, though the teaser was meant to infer elements of the game itself. In later interviews, Hashino stated that he would have more to share on the game following the Japanese release of Full Body in February 2018. In the November 2019 issue of Game Informer, Shigenori Soejima affirmed his enthusiasm for being involved in the game's development, describing the challenge presented regarding defining "what exactly is fantasy and how can we bring a meaningful fantasy game into this world?". He also asserted that the game was in a state where a concrete direction had been decided upon and the team were moving forward with it. An second interview between Weekly Famitsu and Naota Hiraoka in July 2021 included further anecdotes regarding the game's progress, whereby Hiroaka stated, “PROJECT Re FANTASY is progressing little by little, and we hope to deliver it when the timing is right.”

The game was officially unveiled under its final title Metaphor: ReFantazio during Microsoft's Xbox Games Showcase in June 2023, as a game coming to Xbox Series X/S and Windows. The reveal was accompanied by a developer message from Katsura Hashino that was separately published by Atlus on their social media channels. Later that month, Sega separately confirmed the game was also being developed for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.

Release

Metaphor: ReFantazio is scheduled to be released in 2024 for PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Windows and Xbox Series X/S.

External links

Official website

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