The PC Gamer work chat has been buzzing about Metaphor: ReFantazio, and contributor Lewis Parker had nothing but praise [[link]] for the game in his . But this is also shaping up to be one of those special moments when everybody reviewing a game shows their cards and realizes they all reached the same conclusion. Here's a breakdown of some of the reviews from other major outlets:
- : 92% PC / 94% PS5
- : 93%
- : 10/10
- : 5/5
- : 5/5
- : 4.5/5
- : 9/10
- : 9/10
Gameplay-wise, reviewers compared Metaphor favorably to Persona 5, with particular emphasis on its version of Persona's social link [[link]] system. Lewis called Metaphor "a social simulator first and a turn-based RPG second" in our review. In 's Metaphor review, Michael Higham wrote that the [[link]] game's Bond/Follower and Royal Virtue systems "are adaptations of Persona's social links and social stats, but refined."
's Ed Thorn offers a dissenting, more cool review, criticizing Metaphor's emphasis on combat and negatively contrasting its sincerity and seriousness with Persona's cool factor and sense of humor: "If you're an anime-liker, you'll get on with Metaphor's earnestness and its overarching lesson: Racism is bad! Be nice to each other! Democracy Rules!"
But even Thorn's review is ultimately pretty positive, and it looks like Studio Zero has continued its string of back to back JRPG dingers. Metaphor: ReFantazio will launch later this week on October 10, and you can wishlist it or check out its demo on .