Summary
Metaphor: ReFantaziolooks like it could be a powerhouse title among Atlus' repertoire, bringing in the talent of longstanding creators in the company. FromShoji Meguro’s involvementas a composer to Katsura Hashino as director, the project is set to encompass much of Atlus' creativity over the years, a feat tying into its visual design. Its distinctive artistic approach can be credited to both Shigenori Soejima and Koda Kazuma, working on the title’s character designs and concept art respectively; in the case ofMetaphor’s monstrous ‘human’ designs, the scale and terror of the title’s enemies could be one ofits defining traits.
Metaphor: ReFantazio’s ‘humans’ serve as the title’s enemies, with the term holding interesting implications for its world. The humans ofMetaphorare far from what one might expect of the name, both grand and monstrous in ways that make them incredibly foreboding. Their designs have been likened to the works of Hieronymus Bosch, serving as strange, uncanny looks at creatures that wear human features in all the wrong places. In some cases, these designs appear almost biblical, as is the case with what looks to be an earlyMetaphorboss, complete with winged appendages sprouting from its head and red apples dancing at its side.
Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Human Enemies Epitomize Atlus' Visual Creativity
Humans as Formidable Foes
The sheer scale ofMetaphor’s humans gives the sense of just how formidable the enemies are, framed as towering over the game’s party members by land, sky, or sea. Their designs bear resemblance to the bosses ofCatherinein that sense, making the game’s cast feel small by comparison. The way the human designs integrate into the game’s combat brings into account their physical features, like the Sea Horror Homo Sabara, whose legs take damage separate to its body while affecting how many strikes the creature can land. From the glimpses available ofMetaphor’s combatso far, this bodes well for its other boss encounters having similarly strategic elements.
Tying Humans into Metaphor’s World
The same can be said about how much of a threatMetaphor’s humans pose to its world, as they do not appear to discriminate in their destruction. Fallen soldiers strewn at the feet of the flying Homo Gorleo show that they are capable of taking out swaths of their foes, though whether they attack unprompted or as a result of aggravation remains to be seen. Their framing as being human, alongside the human characteristics they wield, could indicate that there’s more than meets the eye when it comes toMetaphor’s bosses. In the context ofMetaphor’s diverse Kingdom of Euchronia, the humans could be seen as a common threat that unites the masses, though it will be interesting to see just how much they play a part in the game’s election plot.
The range of human boss designs will likely be as far-reaching asMetaphor’s approach to its fantasy population, comprised of “tribes” across the Kingdom of Euchronia that differ in both ideology and physical appearance. So far, the title seems like it will delve into tensions between the different groups, including differences in class structure that paint its fantasy setting as beautiful yet cruel. WithMetaphor’s emphasis on diversity in its cast of party members, it looks like a lot of the game will be focused on dismantling the prejudices of its world, though whether that extends to the monstrous humans will be interesting to note.
ThoughMetaphor: ReFantaziohas drawn comparison to other Atlus titles likePersona 5,SMT: Digital Devil Saga, and more, the same can be said for how it looks to be making its own tracks. Its human enemies feel set up to have interesting repercussions for the game’s world, which could make its depictions of diversity and acceptance multi-faceted. As Katsura Hashino has emphasized the idea of “tackling anxieties and fear” in the game’s themes andsummoning ofMetaphor’s archetypes, the idea of facing the distorted visages of humans could be tantamount to restoring a brighter humanity to the Kingdom of Euchronia itself.
