Persona 5 devs’ RPG Metaphor confirmed for PS4, PS5 in Atlus tweet

The creative team behind the Persona games revealed its next project at Sunday’s Xbox Game Showcase, Metaphor: ReFantazio, the first game from Atlus’ Studio Zero. Atlus confirmed on Thursday that in addition to Windows PC versions and Xbox Series X, Metaphor: ReFantazioThis fantasy role playing game is coming to PlayStation 4 as well as PlayStation 5.

Confirmation Metaphor: ReFantazioIt seems that the game has arrived earlier than Atlus or Microsoft expected. Atlus deleted the tweet that was spotted by Gematsu and revealed the PS4/PS5 version of the game.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is pitched as Atlus’ “first ever, full-scale fantasy RPG” and it was first teased more than six years ago under the name Project Re Fantasy. That project was originally announced in 2016 as “a complete departure from the [Shin Megami Tensei] and Persona series, and a return to the roots of where the Japanese games industry began with fantasy role-playing games.” Atlus and Studio Zero said they were developing a “traditional fantasy RPG with distinctively Atlus flavor.”

The development team for the game includes Katsura Hashi, Shigenori Soejima (character designer), and Shoji Meguro, composer. Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Based on Metaphor: ReFantazio’s first trailer, that “Atlus flavor” is certainly evident, but whether it’s a “complete departure” from SMT and Persona seems arguable. Metaphor has a Persona-like feel, with its quirky creatures and stylish characters.

Grid View

Metaphor: ReFantazioPlayers are able to control a character with blue hair named Travelling Boy. He leads an ensemble of characters that include Strohl and Hulkenberg as well as the creature Heismay (which looks like a fennec-fox) and Gallica, a fairy. Each character seems to have a role — or Archetype — like knight, fighter, thief, or seeker. As with Persona, the main character appears to develop bonds with other players, perhaps in order for story elements to be progressed and teammates leveled up.

Here’s Atlus’ rather vague official description of what players can expect in Metaphor: ReFantazio:

Write your destiny and rise above fear as you step into a fantasy world unlike anything you’ve seen before. A kingdom on a precipice is rife with mystery and unsettling. The journey begins, with obstacles to overcome and bonds formed between friends.

In a separate video, game director Katsura Hashino said, “Taking on high fantasy will be a fresh new challenge for Atlus. We’re excited to share our unique vision for the genre, crafting a fantasy experience unlike any other.”

Metaphor: ReFantazioIt is scheduled for release in the year 2024.