Metaphor: ReFantazio

[h1]Из простолюдинов в короли силой фантазии[/h1] Игра от создателей Персоны, и геймплейно практически полностью ее повторяет. Вместо Персон здесь - Архетипы, а сам сеттинг игры в фентезийном мире, где существует несколько рас, магия и социальное неравество, а заправляет всем Король. Даже визуально герой напоминает персонажа из Персоны 3. А люди в этой истории - огромные безобразные монстры, как из Атаки Титанов. Она не настолько затянута, как Персона, хотя тоже этим грешит очень сильно, особенно под конец. 40-50 часов прохождения можно смело сокращать в 3+ раза. Много кат-сцен, разные города для путешествия на большой карте королевства, достаточно приятный сюжет, хоть и предсказуемый. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3788671212 [h2]Сюжет[/h2] Главному герою можно задать имя самому. Он из низших рас, но подружился с маленьким принцем. Но амбициозный граф Луи, желая отнять престол, смертельно проклинает принца и убивает короля. В результате принц отправляется в бесконечную кому, а герой мечтает найти и убить Луи, чтобы снять проклятие. Буквально это и становится смыслом игры с первых минут и до конца истории. Вместе с ним путешествует фея, постоянно болтая с героем, но почти никак не помогая в бою. Внезапно в небе оказывается огромное лицо бывшего короля, который объявляет, что через несколько месяцев королем автоматически станет тот, кого поддерживает народное большинство. Чтобы подобраться к Луи, герой также вступает в гонку за престол, ведь королем может стать любой желающий. Также на протяжении всей игры придется продвигаться вверх по престижу и узнаваемости, помогая разным городам. Как и в Персоне, герой пробуждает в себе силу Архетипа. Внутренняя сила, трансформирующая героя в большую боевую сущность. И также он может переключаться между разными Архетипами, тогда как другие герои будут иметь только один. И также можно отправляться в комнату вне времени - академию магии, где можно настраивать и улучшать эти Архетипы под руководством Мора. По пути он встречает персонажей разных рас со своими историями из разных городов. Они добавляются в отряд к герою, когда выясняется, что у них могут быть общие интересы. Люди же в этой истории - огромные безобразные монстры, гуляющие по миру и разрушающие города. По пути герой читает фантастическую книжку, где описывается наш реальный человеческий мир, где нет деления на расы и неравенства, все живут в гармонии. Сюжет неплохой, однако не содержит таких ярких злодеев, как в Персоне. Практически все неожиданные твисты читаются заранее. Нет романтических линий. Очень затянут под конец. Для любителей фентезийных проработанных миров зайдет, но не ожидайте слишком многого. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3789851539 [h2]Геймплей[/h2] По сути он почти полностью перекочевал из Персоны, но с некоторыми упрощениями. Симулятор жизни день за днем в фентезийном мире, с пошаговыми сражениями и зачистками данжей. Только прожить тут нужно не целый год, а всего несколько месяцев. И время суток для действия - только день и вечер. Есть удобное быстрое перемещение в любую область и город, в которым уже бывал раньше. Что касается конкретных сроков на миссию, они тут тоже есть. Но опять же, не нужно выжидать 30 дней до наступления ключевых событий. Это время зачастую намного быстрее, от нескольких дней до пары недель. И можно пойти на миссию сразу, не выжидая эти мучительные дни, когда заняться нечем. Хотя заняться всегда есть чем, буквально все и везде выполнить физически не получится. Точно также нужно качать персональные личные качества - их тут 5, а также отношения со всеми тиммейтами. Ну и побочные задания никуда не делись. По городу можно кататься на своем мече, как на скейте - прикольно, но довольно бесполезно. Насчет боевки, тут изменений мало. Сделали разделение на 1 и 2 ряд в бою, от чего зависит количество нанесенного и полученного урона и для бойцов дальнего боя. На мой взгляд бесполезное и ненужное добавление. А так все тоже самое: пошаговые бои, отряд до 4 бойцов, разные типы урона и стихии. Но тут главный герой может умирать в бою, это не дает автоматически поражения. Про подземелья: здесь они выполнены гораздо более короткими, чем бесконечные башни в Персоне. Здесь это просто небольшие данжи на несколько этажей, где нужно найти и убить главного босса, полутавшись в процессе. Врагов можно просто пробегать мимо или убивать их не вступая в бой, если уровень значительно выше. По оптимизации как таковых проблем не было, но при свободном перемещении как будто снижается количество кадров, не проверял точно. При кат-сценах, боях и диалогах все нормально. Но никаких вылетов, багов, сильных лагов точно не было. Небольшие опечатки в тексте, но это простительно на такой огромный объем текста, благо есть официальные русские субтитры. https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=3790398482 [h2]Итог[/h2] Это объективно интересная игра, но я в очередной раз убедился, что жанр JRPG вообще не для меня. Искусственное затягивание сюжета и повторение одних и тех же моментов, как в геймплее, так буквально и во фразах. Однако она была достаточно затягивающей, чтобы пройти до конца. Сюжет сводится к тому, что если сильно верить в силу фантазии, она способна изменить весь мир. Такая добрая сказочка, хотя тут есть и кровь, и убийства, и безобразные монстры. Антагонистов мало на такой хронометраж и они не особо зашли. Не хватало романтических отношений для героя. В сравнении с Персоной могу сказать, что игра послабее, но для любителей фентезийных миров может зайдет и не хуже. Но зато многие моменты здесь укорочены и игра вышла не такой длинной. Для любителей JRPG - можно брать. Незнакомым с Персоной тоже, но обучаться и привыкать придется дольше. [h2]✅ Понравилось:[/h2] - Визуальный стиль - Много игровых моментов сокращено в сравнении с Персоной - Хорошо проработанный фентезийный мир - Наличие русских субтитров [h2]❌ Не понравилось:[/h2] - Затянутость, особенно в конце - При свободном перемещении количество кадров снижается - Нет романтики

Review from someone whose played Persona 3/4/5 Metaphor is definitely a mixed for me, but I'd lean more towards a recommendation than not. Unfortunately, this game is cursed with the comparison to Persona, especially Persona 5. It's made by the same people, published by the same company, shares the same engine, calendar system and social link system, it's essentially modern Persona wearing a fantasy skin, and as a result I will and have to compare it to those games. In my opinion, the inevitable comparison to Persona was cause for A LOT of my complaints with this game. It makes almost everything Metaphor has to offer feel subpar, leaving everything to pale in comparison to the 3 other games I've played from the same team. - The graphics are ugly on the eyes a lot with few exceptions. The big staircase near the end of the first main dungeon overlooking the city has genuinely some of the worst PS2 level graphics I've ever seen, especially from a post 2020 game, but then the fifth city you visit looks pretty fantastic at nighttime. Performance is also inexcusable for a game of this graphical quality. Absolutely no reason that this PS3 looking game should run as bad as it does. - The level design is pretty bad overall. Most of the cities and areas you visit lack any sort of verticality aside from the odd staircase. Areas and rooms are usually way too big and unrealistically open and it just looks weird, and exploring the towns kinda sucks because of the sheer amount of loading screens and transitions between every segment of them. - All of this is nothing in comparison to the dungeon design because oh my god is it awful. The main dungeons range from so short you don't even realize they're main dungeons or WAY too long that they take you hours to get through. The side dungeons are a whole other level of bad though with the same three or so generic templates where exploring feels so mindless they might as well have been randomly generated. Those side dungeons waste so much time and not a single one of them was engaging in the slightest. Coming from the people who made Persona 5, they're incredibly disappointing. Yes there were palaces that dragged on in that game but the general design philosophy of handmade dungeons with different gimmicks and puzzles is absolutely taken for granted. The dungeons here are no different from the Persona 4 corridor dungeons from nearly 20 years ago but with far less interesting designs. - THE MUSIC... I don't think it's very good. Not to say that it's bad, not at all, but I didn't think the soundtrack was memorable in the slightest, again hate to do it, especially in comparison to Persona as well as Shin Megami Tensei. - The enemy design is also pretty bad. I think their designs are pretty ugly overall but there's just so little variation. A quarter of the way through the game you've seen every one and they just keep showing up for the rest of the game. Persona and SMT have hundereds of shadow/demon designs meanwhile Metaphor has like 20. - The characters are alright, but out of the now 4 mainline Atlus games I've played this game definitely has the weakest cast. The main crew never really feels like a team because the story is lacking those moments where everybody bonds together like in Persona. All of the follower rank scenes consist of you and your chosen comrade alone, leaving no room for their stories to tie together and make it feel like their bond is with each other and they aren't just linked together by their mutual relationship with the protagonist and his ideals. - To end off the list with one final topic, the story. I actually don't think it's bad, but I do still have complaints. The game drags on way too much. I don't think the calendar system and sheer amount of mindless side dungeons help this. The story here doesn't really fit that style and just frankly doesn't have enough merit to justify the length. It took 2/3s of the game for me to play a segment that I actually loved and was really invested in, and the rest of the game after that unfortunately didn't keep that feeling going for me (with the exception of a few parts). This is also the first time that I haven't at least teared up at the ending of one of these games, that's how little I felt personally connected to the story. This is a 100 hour long game, I should be bawling my eyes out at the credits but instead I just felt kind of relieved that I was finally finished. Not that the ending was bad, I liked it a lot, but that personal connection just wasn't there. At the end of the day, even though this review is pretty negative, I'd like to think my hundred hours on the game, most of which was in the last two weeks can speak for themselves that despite it all, I did enjoy the game quite a bit, otherwise I never would've made it to those credits. I guess I just found myself disappointed overall, especially when comparing it to other games made by the same people. I personally feel like there's not much of an excuse to justify certain faults here when the same team has done these things better before. Persona 5 both looks and plays far better than this, and hell, Persona 3 Reload, a remake of a 20 year old game came out a couple months before this game, yet the newer one feels like it came out two console generations before. If you're interested, I say try the game out for yourself. I really just wanted to jot down my feelings in words.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is one of the best JRPGs I've played. After spending 248 hours and completing everything in a single playthrough, I can confidently say it's an amazing experience. The game focuses on politics, friendship, loyalty, and personal growth while delivering a memorable story and a fantastic cast of characters. Story: 9.5/10 The story is excellent and focuses heavily on politics, friendship, loyalty, and relationships. There are plenty of memorable moments throughout the journey, and the side quests are enjoyable, although the rewards aren't always worth the effort. Graphics: 9.5/10 I'm a sucker for anime art styles, so this was nearly perfect for me. The visuals are beautiful, every location has its own identity, and even the loading screens are customized based on where you are. Everything feels intentionally crafted. Supports 49 Inch Ultrawide: Yes but with Ultrawide Fix Soundtrack: 7/10 The soundtrack fits the game really well and complements the atmosphere. While it isn't my favorite JRPG soundtrack, it's still memorable and appropriate for every situation. Gameplay: 9/10 As someone who loves turn-based games, this was an easy 9/10. The combat is very similar to Persona with buffs, debuffs, exploiting weaknesses, and strategic party management. The Archetype system also adds plenty of flexibility when building your team. Replayability: 9/10 There's a lot of replay value with New Game+, multiple endings, and everything carrying over. Personally, I didn't replay it because one full playthrough was already a huge time investment, and with the amount of dialogue and content, it can be exhausting to start over immediately. Characters: 10/10 Every major character feels unique and well-written. Each has their own background, motivations, personality, and character development, making it easy to become attached to the entire cast. Romance: None Overall Rating: 9/10 This is not for you if: You don't like turn-based combat You dislike grind-heavy progression You don't enjoy day-to-day calendar systems You prefer action-focused games You don't like reading lots of dialogue You don't like medieval setting Recommended Similar Games: Persona Series - Similar calendar system, social bonds, and turn-based combat. Shin Megami Tensei Series - More challenging combat with deeper demon and party customization. Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Character bonding, strategic turn-based battles, and a calendar-based progression system. The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel Series - School life, relationship building, and an excellent long-form story. Persona 3 Reload - A darker, more emotional take on Atlus' signature formula. Persona 4 Golden - A cozy mystery with one of the strongest casts in JRPGs. Persona 5 Royal - The most polished evolution of the Persona formula with stylish gameplay and fantastic pacing.

The game has a great art style and and alright combat system but the story is very slow to get going and once you enter the second half of the game the writing quality plummets leading to an overall middling experience.

TL;DR Play SMTVV, Nocturne, or any Persona instead. I started on Hard and went in blind. I've died a few times and had to experiment with different classes, called Archetypes. That was a pleasant surprise. The Archetypes keep gameplay fresh, especially as you discover synergies between them. Music is good. The story is bad. Middle school fanfiction bad. "And then the people with the horns were MEAN to the people who had dog ears and tails and I wish we lived in a world where people were NICE to each other." You think I'm joking but I'm not. The plot has all the subtlety of a hammer to the face. The characters are also bland. Nobody is particularly interesting. It's like placeholder backstories and dialogue were created and then nobody ever came back to give them personality. I can't stress enough how generic the dialogue is. You ever hear a pop song that's so predictable you know what the next line is going to be? This is That Song: The Game. Even the character's visual designs don't work. You can tell who is a story character by just how gaudy and outlandish their attire is compared to the drab clothing of all the other NPCs. Everybody else is wearing tan trousers and a cotton top and then suddenly BAM! IT'S YA BOI IN THE PURPLE LEOPARD PRINT TRENCHCOAT-wait, why does he wear a cross??? Not even Jesus could save this game. Oh, the character also wears barbed wire around his neck. There's the middle school fanfic-tier design again. The dungeons and areas themselves feel like they're from the PS1 days, where developers were still getting used to fully 3D environments. It's like someone said "OK there's like a cathedral here but we're busy right now so just copy/paste a bunch of rooms and hallways together and uhhhhh put an elevator in the middle, yeah that's good, players love it when their quest is to get an elevator working again." And then they did that for every dungeon and shipped the game.

Honestly, as a fan of Persona, I wanted to love this so much. But after 10 hours, I just have zero desire to keep going. I know it’s an 80-hour RPG, but a game needs to hook you somewhere in the first 10 hours, and absolutely nothing has happened to pull me in. The narrative is just flat, and none of the characters have any real charm or personality to hook you. I don't care about the world or the people in it. The first dungeon is a slog. It drags on way too long. Finishing it felt like a total chore, and it completely killed my motivation to see what comes next. Combat is passable at best and it gets repetitive fast. On top of that, the Archetype system feels like a terrible, tedious grind just to make progress. Persona with extra steps, that’s exactly what this feels like, except it misses the magic. The calendar system worked in Persona, but here it feels completely artificial and forced just to check an Atlus box. It feels like a copy-paste job with extra layers of unnecessary friction.

补一下测评=< 其实ATLUS的游戏对于我来说是没有任何的抵抗力的，毕竟是ATLUS凯子。不管是金子一马的灵魂画风，还是目黑将司的灵魂编曲。金子一马不必多说，自从女神转生系列那“恶魔绘师”之名就有一种莫名其妙的吸引力。目黑将司更是一绝，还记得各大视频主都特别喜欢用他的音乐，在小时候就耳濡目染了不知多少的p系列的ost。目黑早期受到日本殿堂级器乐流行乐队T- SQUARE的影响，做了不少融合爵士曲风的音乐。后面又将《女神异闻录系列》新约的游戏原声代提升到了一个新的高度，以爵士作为基底，添加了摇滚，电子，嘻哈。但遗憾的是，这两位对ATLUS做出了巨大的贡献，且最能代表ATLUS的两位传奇人物，纷纷离开了ATLUS。 但这次很高兴，目黑将司可以以自由创作者身份，同同为“ATLUS铁三角”组合的桥野贵，副岛成记一起制作了这样一款日式奇幻风格的角色扮演游戏。目黑将司将风格转向古典与合唱的形式，突破了固有的框架。且游戏配乐时常能与实际游玩gameplay结合，加深了游戏的代入感与实际操作爽快感。而我几乎是冲着这三个人去的，毕竟在三人一起在p studio制作了女神异闻录345之后，不再继续制作该系列，将系列的接力棒交给了新人后，果断在zero studio创作了《暗喻幻想：Refantazio》。而女神异闻录345不必多说，至少是许多rpg gamer，也是我心目中排名靠前的作品。 通玩了该作品两遍之后，《暗喻幻想：ReFantazio》或许没有女神异闻录345那样的出彩，但是却给了我不一样的体验。该作品依旧保留了制作组擅长的社会科学塑造世界观的做法，女神异闻录是容格心理学，而这次暗喻幻想则是托马斯·莫尔的《乌托邦》。正如游戏名称而言，也是制作组所擅长的那般，《暗喻幻想》隐喻了许多的社会现象。本作加了一些meta要素，现实生活中的玩家担任“引导者”逐步的引导游戏主人公发现真相，修复世界。且本作的剧情侧重也发生了变化，相较于女神异闻录5，本作剧情的质感加强了不少，该说他具有电影质感还是动画质感呢？总之，该作品剧情的播片能够给玩家在结合meta部分之后，能够发生异常的化合反应，将玩家彻底的带入进“暗喻”这个议题上来。虽然做的不是很成功，但能够给玩家带来或许那么一点点的思考与震撼，那变足够了。 在战斗部分，该作品分为了两个板块，一个是实时战斗部分，一个是指令战斗部分。战斗系统让人感到不新颖，那是因为或许有一些玩家，在游玩一部分轨迹系列中，就已经体会到了该战斗系统的深度。而《暗喻幻想》加入了《真女神转生V》的战斗指令系统后，增强了指令战斗时的爽快感。而这种爽快感，能够和jrpg本身的刷刷刷属性相结合，也是一种得天独厚的意外优势了。然而jrpg至少都离不开迷宫，迷宫设计不说毫无亮点，至少在那贴图一致和如人体肠道般都迷宫内跑力气跑去，或许我会觉得能够忍受。但确实存在迷路的问题，以及离谱的堆怪。但探索迷宫时宝箱的奖励其实还挺好的，且战斗系统做的很爽快，那么既无功也无过。 配角的coop方面，保持着制作组的良好水准，能够完美的将coop支线部分与游戏总基调和世界观相结合。而在配角的设计方面，第一次觉得副岛成记很会设计，和《女神异闻录》那有时感觉土里土气的穿搭不同，《暗喻幻想》虽然是古典的设计套路，实际上看起来却十分新潮。游戏配角的社会身份与个人性格及品味能够在配角的穿搭中体现出来，可谓是十分养眼。 本作官方称历时8年打造，但在故事的后期，出现了明显的赶工/删剧情痕迹。导致该游戏的一些部分与总体衔接割裂，且有一些在剧情中提到的重要的地方直到游戏的谢幕都没有入口能够进入，且没有作为隐藏地图，这一点确实十分遗憾。而ATLUS这家公司，虽然承诺在后续不将游戏的剧情dlc打包成一个新的游戏进行发售，但很显然，《暗喻幻想》这部作品空缺的这一板块，原本是玩家能够完整体验到的内容，但因制作组的原因，新的内容或许需要玩家花钱购买才能游玩，自然是十分愤怒的。本作的dlc不知道何时能够发售，且本作的总体热度不及女神异闻录，且游戏的画面较于落后，不知道ATLUS是否还准备继续制作它新的剧情dlc。 总结：该游戏是日式角色扮演的一部佳作，制作组依旧维持他们一贯擅长的东西。但本作仍然残留着日式角色扮演的一些糟粕，且该游戏的画面比较复古，游戏优化较差，或许开头回劝退不少玩家。游戏拥有不少闪光点，这些闪光点或许残留在某些角落里等待你发现。 个人评分：8.2/10

Metaphor: ReFantazio é uma jornada sobre esperança. Sobre como continuar acreditando, independentemente do quão melancólico, cruel ou injusto tenha sido o caminho até ali. Para mim, esse é o tema central da obra: a esperança não como um sentimento ingênuo, mas como uma decisão consciente de seguir em frente mesmo quando tudo parece perdido. Ao longo dessa jornada, o jogo aborda praticamente todos os grandes temas que acompanham a humanidade. A igualdade é retratada de forma metafórica através das diferentes raças criadas por esse universo, mostrando como elas são constantemente hierarquizadas e reduzidas à posição social que ocupam. Também fala sobre religião e como a intolerância religiosa, muitas vezes, nasce menos da fé e mais da ambição, do medo e do desejo de manipular pessoas em benefício próprio. Além disso, discute convicções, mostrando que princípios só possuem valor quando somos capazes de sustentá-los mesmo diante da adversidade. Mas, acima de tudo, o tema que mais me marcou foi a ideia de que ninguém conquista nada sozinho. Grandes mudanças só acontecem quando existem pessoas dispostas a caminhar ao nosso lado, compartilhando sonhos, sacrifícios e responsabilidades. Os laços criados ao longo da aventura não servem apenas para fortalecer os personagens; eles representam como a confiança, a empatia e a cooperação são capazes de transformar indivíduos e, consequentemente, uma sociedade inteira. O mais impressionante é que Metaphor consegue tratar de assuntos extremamente complexos sem soar moralista ou cansativo. Em vez de entregar respostas prontas, ele convida o jogador a refletir, usando sua fantasia para discutir problemas que existem no nosso próprio mundo. É uma obra que transmite a mensagem de que nenhuma realidade é imutável e que, com boa vontade, união e sacrifício coletivo, sempre existe espaço para construir um futuro melhor. Tecnicamente, o jogo também é extraordinário. A trilha sonora é simplesmente estonteante, grandiosa e épica, transmitindo perfeitamente a sensação de estar vivendo uma aventura fantástica. Os visuais são belíssimos, mas o verdadeiro destaque está na direção de arte. Cada cenário, interface, animação e escolha estética possui personalidade própria, fazendo com que o jogo tenha uma identidade visual imediatamente reconhecível. O combate é, na minha opinião, o melhor que a Atlus já produziu. Ele consegue unir estratégia, ritmo e desafio de forma brilhante, recompensando o domínio das mecânicas sem deixar de ser extremamente divertido. A evolução do sistema de classes amplia ainda mais as possibilidades de composição da equipe, incentivando experimentação durante toda a campanha. É claro que cada pessoa pode preferir outro jogo da Atlus por questões de gosto pessoal. Ainda assim, acredito que Metaphor representa o ápice atual do estúdio. É como se todos os aprendizados acumulados ao longo de décadas tivessem sido refinados e reunidos em uma única obra. O jogo expande a fórmula tradicional da empresa com um mundo menos linear, um universo rico em história, um volume gigantesco de conteúdo e uma narrativa que recompensa quem presta atenção às entrelinhas, explorando política, preconceito, poder, idealismo e o impacto que pequenas ações podem ter sobre o destino de toda uma nação. Metaphor não é apenas um excelente RPG. É uma obra que acredita na capacidade das pessoas de mudar a si mesmas e o mundo ao seu redor.

Metaphoricaly we have persona at home: ReFerence, is a metphorical Frankenstein of the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei franchises with a heavy scoop of fantasy flavouring on top. It is not, in the grand scheme of things, a bad game. It's just not as good as its parent franchises. The game opens on the biological offspring of Aegis and Persona 3 protag (complete with special-boy blue-gold heterochromia) and his honey-I-shrunk-the-Yukari-Takeba fairy companion travelling to the royal capital. They loudly discuss their extra secret mission in a vehicle full of people when, suddenly, bandits attack. The protag gets thrown off the cliff and the gameplay starts. The fairy explains that the BGM is caused by her magic. She does not confirm whether she is also the source of the laundry magic that makes the stains on the protag's jacket disappear between one cutscene and the next. We eventually bump into horny Akihiko-sempai (and with that ends the lineup of characters taken straight out of Persona 3) and we are off to plunder a slightly different portion of Jungian psychology. It's difficult to point out where exactly the game is lacking, because the weak points are scattered all over. For example, while most of the story beats are fine in and of themselves, they tend to be clustered into multiple days of consecutive cutscenes (some unskippable) followed by a long block of free time. This is similar to the calendar system in the modern Persona games, but unlike Persona, where multiple little events are sprinkled through the pre-deadline time-frame, the Metaphor story is unevenly chunky. The battle system introduces us to a supposedly new mechanic - the archetypes. Archetypes are just personas, but there's fewer of them. Unlike Persona (or at least Persona 3 and up), the ability to use different archetypes is not limited to the protagonist. This means that the protagonist does not have any unique ability worth keeping him in the party constantly (until you unlock his royal archetype), but you have to anyway. Just because. You also cannot switch archetypes in battle. For me, this has led to multiple instances of forgetting that party members were using very weak archetypes that I was levelling up, and entering a boss battle I couldn't win becuase the party had no usable attack skills. The enemy variety is severly lacking. You've probably seen screenshots of the bosses - the human type enemies. There are only 6 of those in the whole game. The rest of the enemies are mostly palette swaps of butterflies, goblins, slimes, etc. I don't understand why they didn't just use more of the shadow/persona models from the other games. It's not like no enemies are repurposed personas. The dungeons design is boring. The side quest dungeons are much like the enemies - a bunch of barely distinguishable recolours of a forest, a cave, a tomb, or a tower. There are 4 larger story-related dungeons (I don't count the final form of the final dungeon as a separate instance anymore than I'd count the final form of a boss as a separate enemy) and those I can only describe as ok. Epic, in few places, but mostly just ok. The final boss battle is just too long. Not even in the edging-for-an-epic-climax kind of way. It falls under the same frustrating category of overlong as a meeting you want daydream through, but you can't zone out because someone might say something important. I would sometimes just get up and do other stuff during the final phase of the boss fight because the enemy gets 9 turns every round and you just have to wait for all the attack animations to play out to see if he killed you or not. I could go on and on about little pet peeves like that, but let me finish this complainathon on one final point: the message. The Persona games are, what a modern gamer would call "political", bearing a strong message relevant to life in Japan specifically, but also to young people broadly (e.g. don't kill yourself, don't suffocate your real personality behind masks, take some ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ resposibility for your own actions...). The message of Metaphor, according to the final boss dialogue and the epilogue seems to be: "you have to believe in dreams because systemic change is slow; you will get discouraged by lack of immediate results if you can't hold on to your dreams." It's a good message. The actual game undermines it by the fact that the party is "holding on to their dream" for all of a few months and in the epilogue, one year later, the whole world looks to be sunshine and rainbows. Even the desert around the capital is turning green. There's "show don't tell" but Metaphor does "tell, repeat multiple times, show the opposite."