It took a long time, but yesterday I finished playing Metaphor: ReFantazio.

I was intrigued by Metaphor even back when it was “Project Re Fantasy,” the mysterious new Atlus JRPG it seemed like we might never see.

Once it was officially unveiled as Metaphor: ReFantazio, I loved everything I saw and named it one of my most-anticipated games of 2024.

And even though I hadn’t played my other anticipated titles yet, I started it right away.

My first reaction to Metaphor was, “So this is just Persona after all.” After all, it’s a turn-based JRPG with a lot of features reminiscent of Persona. There’s a calendar system with deadlines, you can choose an activity each afternoon and night to pass time, you spend time with allies to improve your rank with them, and party members even have a similar sort of “awakening” scene when they learn to use their powers.

But the more I played, the more I saw aspects that really do help Metaphor stand out as unique despite those clear similarities. For example, Archetypes. These are essentially character classes, which give you access to different abilities and combat styles. Not only can you change any character’s Archetype, but you can also equip a certain number of skills from previously-learned Archetypes to do a little mix-and-matching. I loved that sort of system in Final Fantasy V, and I loved it here, too.

Traveling also plays a big role. You travel to different areas, both as part of the plot and for side quests. There are even a lot of side dungeons you can visit, which was fun, although I wish they had more varied designs.

Best of all, not only does the calendar system still come into play while you’re traveling, but some activities are only available on the road. This really helped to break up the formula and made it feel unique.

I found Metaphor to be difficult at times, although more often than not this was because I needed to rethink which Archetypes I was using and switch things around. The Archetype system really opens up a lot of strategic options. I also ended up using a different approach to deadlines than in Persona. In Persona, I almost always do the main dungeon right away, but because of Metaphor’s side dungeons, I often found it more beneficial to do some of the side content first.

Now, it’s a curious thing when it comes to the deadlines and time management. Throughout the game, I never felt like it was being lenient. I felt like I had to carefully manage my time to get everything done. But when I reached the end, I had plenty of time left over. There were a couple of minor missable activities I’d overlooked along the way, but for the most part I got everything I wanted to done and still had time to spare.

That let me enjoy the world even more, and that’s great because I love the world. It’s a fantasy setting, inhabited by various races that don’t get along. You play a young man from the tribe considered the lowest, the elda, on a secret mission to break the curse on the prince. As you travel, you learn more about the world, and there are even these beautiful detours where the characters stop to take in especially interesting landmarks.

While the plot has its share of surprises and a few pretty intense sections, it was a bit more straightforward than I expected and a couple parts felt a little rushed. However, it made up for any shortcomings with its characters. I love this cast of characters, and I really enjoyed spending time with them and getting to know them.

I spent over 115 hours playing Metaphor: ReFantazio, and it was a great experience. While it hasn’t become one of my all-time favorites, I’d love to see another game in this style in the future.

That marks my first completed game of 2025. Not a bad way to kick off the year!