Metaphor: ReFantazio review: like a brilliant fantasy Persona, only with one major catch

Graham asked me if I’d discovered what the metaphor in Metaphor: ReFantazio might be, and I replied, “I don’t know haha”, or something along those lines. Having given it more thought, I think there are two metaphors: 1) It plays quite like Persona. 2) Its story is like a commentary on our society… or something to that effect.

Metaphors aside, though, the game is a gigantic fantasy RPG that’s technically better than Persona 5 in a lot of ways. Structurally, it feels less repetitive. It has more animated cutscenes that elevate those key story moments. You can brush aside weaker enemies in real-time combat, rather than face them in tiresome turn-based tangoes. And overall, I think it’s the best game Persona or Persona-like Atlus have put out – it really is brilliant. But there’s a part of me that feels like it’s missing something that’ll leave it less ingrained in the memory than Persona 5 once its final chapter has closed.

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Talking Point: After A September No-Show, Will There Be An October Nintendo Direct?

No Nintendo ‘nnouncements?

We’re now one full week into October following the first September since 2016 without a really big Nintendo Direct.

Looking back at our Nintendo Direct broadcast history guide, it’s all there in black and white (well, red and white). 2020’s Direct might have been a Super Mario-focused job themed around that series’ 35th anniversary, but that caveat aside, 2016 — the year before the Switch launched — was the last year there wasn’t a full, flagship Nintendo Direct in September.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Metaphor ReFantazio: hands-on report

Anyone familiar with Atlus’s deep and involving role-playing games has been eager to see what the strange and magical Metaphor: ReFantazio has in store. And while it’s not directly connected to the popular Persona series, there are some intriguing touchstones across its aesthetics and mechanics to hook fans and newcomers alike. Let’s take a close look at some of these intriguing similarities and differences ahead of the October 11 release date.

Combat is unleashed

Fans of Persona’s fast-paced yet detailed turn-based combat will find themselves at home here, but Studio Zero has given it a little twist, too. You can engage in real-time combat with low level enemies, taking them out with a handful of targeted strikes or even a single blow if your current level totally outclasses them.

There’s a dedicated dodge button to avoid their attacks if they see you before you can act, which is also handy for foes which are too tough to take out in real-time. In which case, you can initiate a turn-based battle after you’ve softened them up with an action strike – especially handy if you can catch an enemy off-guard first, giving you a free hit during the turn-based Squad Battle.

Real-time combat can be used to any monster’s advantage, too. During one instance I thought some vicious beasts were blocked by some barrels, but they smashed right through them, initiated the Squad Battle, and got a free hit on my party in the process. Lesson learned – I used the protagonist’s Fae Sight a lot more often from that point to be more aware of nearby enemies and have Gallica assess their threat levels. But if things are going really badly, you can also press L3 to restart the battle.

Time management is key

As the game’s main plot develops, one of your aims becomes balancing tasks through the day to gain democratic popularity while completing other objectives to become more powerful, creating bonds with other party members or hitting certain story milestones. As in Persona, each of these consume time as you creep towards specific events, and not meeting deadlines for critical ones results in a game over.

So mapping out each day, knowing when to enter time-consuming dungeons and when to rest – or even kill time by doing more peaceful tasks – can make all the difference. Thankfully, all activities are clearly denoted with how much time they eat up, so you shouldn’t be caught off guard. 

Exploring the United Kingdom of Euchronia

Metaphor: ReFantazio wastes no time establishing that we’re not on our Earth… or in a particularly safe land. The game’s inciting incident comes from a savage act of regicide, and things only get wilder from there with its medieval fantasy setting exploring themes of bigotry and the value of imagination, especially when overcoming our own fears and anxieties.

Humans are far from human

In fact, the term ‘human’ in the game is synonymous with often giant, grotesque monsters feared by the varied fantasy races of the game. Even our blue-haired protagonist – who arguably looks the closest to a traditional Persona character – is a rarity in a world full of the horned Clemar Tribe, elven looking Roussainte Tribe, fairies, and many other species.

The music is more operatic

Persona is known for its eclectic range of tunes, from rock to acid jazz to electronic inspired beats. Given its setting, Metaphor: ReFantazio soundtrack leans towards the more orchestral, with tense strings, dramatic drums, and chants present in its wonderfully composed battle themes that are already subject to deservedly flattering memes. Fans of the parent series, Shin Megami Tensei, might find their toes tapping in its sweeping tonal familiarity.

Less summoning or fusing, more transforming

While Metaphor: ReFantazio’s powerful Archetype forms are similar toPersona’s summoning system, there are some notable differences. Archetypes are typically awakened when a party member confronts and overcomes a certain fear or anxiety, causing them to tap into a magical armored form capable of enhanced attacks and abilities.

These transformed figures are part of a job system where your party members can switch between the 40+ differently skilled Archetypes, spread across 14 different lineages to suit your playstyle. For example, despite which characters you have in your party, you can put together a Saviour from the Healer lineage, a Ninja Thief and a Devil Summoner. Or a Magic Knight, Dragoon Gunner and Martial Artist Brawler. And with them create combos in battle via spectacular Synthesis Skills.

Exploring a safe haven

It isn’t long in the game before you’re transported to the mysterious Akademeia, by the equally mysterious More. This magical library is a spirit home where you can learn about Archetypes via books and lectures, and unlock additional aspects of their abilities. Initially you’ll not have much choice in going to Akademeia, but as the game progresses, you’ll be able to choose when you visit via the protagonist’s novel or More’s ghostly figure.

There’s much More to Akademeia than first appears

While acting as an enemy-free hub to study and grow, Akademeia also gives space for Metaphor: ReFantazio to delve into the tale’s meta commentary, examining the power of imagination and the nature of storytelling. Without giving too much away, this is also tied to one of your very first acts in the game, where you as the player type in your own name. Oh, and there’s also a cute cat you can pet… which I often did. Priorities, right?   

Persona’s not the only one with style

Sure, you might have played medieval fantasy RPGs before, but have you played one as stylish as this? From its anime cutscenes to its fun battle chatter to its slick victory outros, Metaphor: ReFantazio rivals Persona for its sheer sense of flair. The UI also maintains a sense of familiarity without being a direct mimic, opting for a slightly more uniform aesthetic.

Similarly, the game knows when to use a bold mixture of colors and when to opt for a more naturalistic palette, delivering an eye-pleasing blend of what we’d expect for a classic fantasy genre without sacrificing the Atlus panache and polish.

Your protagonist has a voice

Perhaps the most notable aspect of Metaphor: ReFantazio’s cast is that your protagonist is voice acted in the same way the rest of the characters are. Although you can name him whatever you wish, as the bulk of the in-game dialogue is still delivered via text with occasional vocalizations.

A union of tribes

Tellingly, every party member you develop throughout the game represents each of the main tribes of the land. For example, the stoic knight Hulkenberg is a Roussainte, while the rodent looking Eugief tribe is represented by Heismay, who awakens the thief archetype. And the diminutive but faithful fairy Gallica might not be able to fight, but offers valuable advice and guidance on your journey.

Creating bonds with Followers

Romantic Persona fans won’t necessarily find the same starry-eyed connections in Metaphor: ReFantazio, but building relationships is still important. At various points you have the opportunity to interact with other party members and NPCs, and spending specific time with them forms a bond. In turn, this can help awaken new Archetypes, with deeper rapports unlocking further abilities.

Real life connections help, too

Staying online with the game gives you the option to explore the handy Travellers’ Voices page. A press of the Touch Pad shows you what other players have done in the section you’re currently in. So if you’re stuck in a dungeon, you can check out what party formations others have used and what levels they cleared that area with, as well as changing your formation to match another player’s for a better chance of success.

Travellers’ Voices also works in towns as well, handily letting you know where players have spent their time most during the day. A nice little feature if you’re looking for a bit of guidance as to how to while away some free time in Euchronia.

Rich, constantly surprising and stylishly elegant, Metaphor: ReFantazio is not only a delight for fans of Atlus’s games, but will charm newcomers with its magic, too. If you’ve not already found out for yourself via the PS5 demo, you’ll get the chance when the full game launches October 11 on PS4 and PS5.

Undisputed Review

Boxing fans have gone far too long without a serious contender stepping forward in video gaming. Fight Night Champion is the last true heavyweight in the genre that Punch-Out started, setting the bar high with its weighty focus on realism over a decade ago in 2010. Developer Steel City Interactive’s presumptively named Undisputed comes in as the plucky underdog looking to knock the king off its throne, but while it is a split decision in some areas, it is clear the newcomer still needs to put in a bit more time on the speed bag before it can end this particular dispute.

To its credit, Undisputed does an excellent job of capturing a convincing simulation of what it’s like to rise through the ranks of the boxing world via its Career Mode. As soon as I started, I was impressed by the character customization options. There are dozens of hairstyles, tattoos, and wardrobe options, giving free rein to make an imposing, serious character or try and recreate real-life fighters thanks to its in-depth character model system. You can even make a wacky monstrosity, similar to the WWE 2K series, as the creation center lets you stretch out faces, give big dumbo ears, or rock a green afro akin to a chia pet.

Alongside that visual creativity, Undisputed also features various fighting styles, both from a cosmetic animation and functional gameplay standpoint. Emulate Mike Tyson by creating an offensive-mind bruiser with a Swarmer who focuses on inside power punches, or float like Muhammed Ali by using reach as an Outside Fighter who wears an opponent’s health down with speedy jabs while draining their stamina by dodging instead of blocking.

I created my character centering around defense, using The Wall archetype. While I may have sacrificed stamina and power, the benefit of an improved guard to reduce the damage of incoming blows and a boost to accuracy for landing punches was worth the trade-off. I found this worked out in the long run, but my lack of power and speed, combined with how slow Undisputed fights feel at the start of Career Mode when stats are lower, took some patience.

Fights feel slow at the start of Career Mode when stats are lower.

For my first four fights, my character’s stamina was drained after just a few punches, leading to many matches ending by decision. This is the one area in Undisputed where realism can drain my gaming stamina just as fast as my character’s. After two or three matches, I was on the ropes and wishing for a more arcade approach to fights – I really just wanted to knock a fool out for a change.

Thankfully, Undisputed’s approach to setting up each fight was enough to keep me entertained even when the fights themselves didn’t. It follows an RPG approach to negotiating and training for opponents, mirroring how the process occurs in real life. I had control over almost everything, including the challenger I selected (within reason of rankings), how much of the fight’s earnings I received, and even the amount of time I was required to spend on social media promoting the bout.

Successfully negotiating before each contest results in buffs to important features like fame, attribute improvements, and the time you have to spend training. Improving fame means you fight better opponents; Fighting better opponents results in an increase in money you receive and improved stats. You’ll need to improve your attributes before getting into these fights, so allocating resources and time is a delicate balance.

On top of that you have to juggle tasks during the weeks leading up to an event. They can be spent training to get into fight-ready shape, resting to improve stamina and ensure you’re injury-free, or going on social media to reach the required level of promotion needed to fight in the first place. Weight also plays a significant role: Spend too much time on training and resting and you can end up overweight, which would mean the fight won’t count – not only will you get less fame and money, but also risk injury for no gain.

Finding the right combo of jabs and power punches was very satisfying.

Finally, managing the contracts of your Coach, Cutman, and Manager is also vital in Undisputed. Each staff member comes with abilities and perks that improve your fighter’s attributes, and they grow alongside you with each win. At first, I set out to keep the same manager my whole career in the hopes of forming a bond similar to Rocky and Mickey. However, the further on into my career I got, the pros of sticking with the same team started to fall too far behind the cons. Yes, I lost a few buffs when I had to start with a new coach, but with the extra ability slots – combined with the similar base stats that came alongside the better staff members – I could recruit with my higher notoriety, and that made it easy to replace the original team as Career Mode went on. Being offered increasingly meaningful benefits to kick my loyal crew to the curb made that decision more of a chin-scratcher.

Back in the ring with those improved stats allowing me to be more active, it didn’t take too many fights for me to appreciate the flow and rhythm of Undisputed’s combat. Figuring out the right combination of quick jabs and power punches and the chess match of attacking the body or the head depending on the opponent’s weaknesses and guard was very satisfying. Just like in real life, damage adds up and plays a vital role in fights.

Consistently aim for one side of the head with a solid combination of jabs or powerful hook shots, and nasty cuts or swollen eyes will appear. Not only do these affect stats like accuracy, but they can also lead to technical knockouts (TKOs), where the referee stops the fight. However, the more I played Undisputed, the more I found these mechanics lacking when directly compared to the 14-year-old Fight Night Champions.

In that game there are a handful of different types of cuts, bruises, and swelling. Between each round, there is also a cutman minigame that, when done successfully, gives an extra stat boost to the fighter’s health and wear-and-tear. Comparatively, Undisputed’s wear-down features are limited to the same three swelling, cuts, and bruises in every fight, which gets repetitive quickly. There’s also no cutman minigame or interaction between each round to break up the routine.

The lack of minigames leading up to fights is a missed opportunity.

The lack of minigames in the lead-up to fights is also a missed opportunity. Instead of automating every training boost, adding an option to hit the speed bag or work on defensive skills manually that can be applied to in-ring action would have been a helpful way to prepare. That is a standard tutorial method in sports games like EA Sports FC 25 and NBA 2K25, so I was disappointed this wasn’t in Undisputed.

In fact, the only minigame that Undisputed does include is ridiculously hard – though to be fair, it shouldn’t be too easy to get up when someone has knocked you on your back. When your fighter is down you have to press and focus the right and left triggers to line up with green bars to make the count. The issue is the bars are located in different spots, so it’s a little like trying to rub your head and belly simultaneously to make your fingers do different things with precision. Improving stats like Heart doesn’t do anything to make this minigame any easier, either. It’s mostly a problem on higher difficulties, especially after I struggled to get up after going down twice while my opponent got to his feet after being knocked down seven times.

While the gameplay is fast and fun when fighting with better boxers, it’s not all that pretty to watch in motion, and in these ways it’s still considerably behind where the Fight Night series left off. Knockdowns and rising animations are identical each time, featuring about as much personality and variation as its commentary team. While I appreciate that Steel City Interactive got pros like Todd Grisham and Johnny Nelson to comment on fights, their descriptions of the action rarely matched what was occurring in the ring. They also had terrible memories: One moment they’d call it an even-sided round, only to make a polar-opposite statement about how my character was dominating a few seconds later as the bell rang. It sounds like they’ve taken a few too many blows to the head.

Dizzying camera angles and cornermen standing at ringside popping into the frame and blocking the fight also made for some pretty frustrating moments. While those are minor, I certainly felt my immersion slipping away when I’d get near the ropes and end up feeling like I was stuck behind a tall guy in the movie theaters mid-match.

Multiplayer is enjoyable, but be ready to run into the usual players who won’t choose anyone but the most powerful characters, Muhammad Ali and Canelo Alvarez. With nothing to balance them out online, those fights don’t have the variety they should. Your best bet is to play with friends or hope to find an opponent that wants to fight with evenly matched fighters. Otherwise, you’ll end up frustrated facing The Great One every time – which feels like the modern-day equivalent of fighting OddJob in GoldenEye.

I really hope turn-based horror RPG Lurks Within Walls gets combat worthy of its lovely claustrophobia

My default movement mode in horror games that actually scare me is: meandering. I seek to approach without approaching, scooting back and forth across the path like a stray hamster, worrying at the corners and avoiding clear perspectives of the route ahead, while keeping the route behind me in my peripheral vision. I have been trained to do this especially by Amnesia, where tilting your gaze too decisively at anything nasty drives your character nuts.

Lurks Within Walls has no time for my hamstery antics. Developed by Here Be Monsters, it’s a grid- and turn-based first-person dungeon crawler – a long-lost cousin of Etrian Odyssey that has wound up in an asylum jammed with internet cryptids, reminiscent in cinematic texture of F.E.A.R. In keeping with other grid-based dungeon crawlers, it only lets you turn the view by 90 degree angles and travel in straight lines. Going by the demo, it’s a promising restraint for a horror game, though they really do need to expand on the combat, which is currently a slight waste of some terrific creature art.

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Director of Original Silent Hill 2 ‘Not Satisfied’ With Limited Camera From 23 Years Ago, Much Prefers the Remake’s Modern Perspective

Now Bloober’s Silent Hill 2 Remake is out in the wild, the director of the original Silent Hill from 2001 has offered his thoughts on this reimagining of his work, and he’s full of praise.

In a series of tweets, Silent Hill 2 director Masashi Tsuboyama began by saying he is “very happy” about the remake and how a new generation will get to play the horror classic. “It’s been 23 years,” he said. “Even if you don’t know the original, you can just enjoy the remake as it is. Whether it’s good or bad doesn’t affect the original.”

Tsuboyama went on to discuss the change in camera perspective from the original’s limited camera to the remake’s modern over-the-shoulder camera perspective. This change — debated by fans in the context of the original tank controls’ crucial role in Silent Hill 2’s famously oppressive atmosphere — has a “significant impact” on everything from combat to level design, and even art creation. “While the impact on the story may be relatively small, it brings a big change to the playfeel of the game,” he added.

It sounds like Tsuboyama has come down in favor of the switch, saying: “The over-the-shoulder view definitely adds to the sense of realism. In other words, it makes me want to try playing the even more immersive remake of Silent Hill 2.”

Tsuboyama, as he has done before, said he isn’t happy with the original game’s camera, but this time added some context as to why it had to be as constrained as it ended up being back in 2001 on the PS2.

“Games and technology are constantly evolving, resulting in significant differences in constraints and levels of expression,” he explained. “This is a common issue with media arts in general, but it is not easy to maintain and appreciate the environment of the time.

“To be honest, I’m not satisfied with the playable camera from 23 years ago. Depth and angle were limited by the processing load,” he said. “It was a continuous process of hard work that was not rewarded. But that was the limit.”

To be honest, I’m not satisfied with the playable camera from 23 years ago.

One aspect of Silent Hill 2 Remake Tsuboyama doesn’t sound thrilled about is Konami’s marketing for the game. He says “it seems like they’re [Konami] not doing enough to convey the appeal of the work to the generation that doesn’t know Silent Hill,” while pointing to the inclusion of the Mira the Dog Mask and the PS5 exclusive Robbie the Rabbit Mask DLC pre-order bonuses.

The original Silent Hill 2 had plenty of goofiness in among its horror, so Tsuboyama may be upset at the idea of players running around the game wearing the DLC masks during their first playthrough, rather than their second or third.

Either way, the Silent Hill 2 Remake is going down well with fans and critics, with IGN’s Silent Hill 2 Remake review returning an 8/10. Unfortunately, trolls are trying to ruin the fun — the Silent Hill 2 Remake Wikipedia page had to be locked down after its list of review scores from the press was edited to make them lower. Check out the Silent Hill 2 Remake’s global release times to find out when it’s playable in your region, and while you wait, check out the remake’s awesome Silent Hill 2 HD Collection Easter egg.

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Silent Hill 2 Remake Fans Are Loving This Amazing HD Collection Easter Egg

2012’s Silent Hill HD Collection is perhaps best known by fans for inexplicably changing the Silent Hill Ranch sign font to Comic Sans. It was a tweak to the beloved original that baffled Silent Hill fans and has become infamous in the 12 years since the HD Collection’s release.

Fans had wondered which font Bloober would go with for its remake ahead of release, and so now with early access available it has come as some relief to discover the developers did indeed ditch the HD Collection’s Comic Sans sign in favor of the original’s. X/Twitter user @Wario64 showed off this new/old look.

However, Silent Hill 2 Remake players have discovered that if you clip through or go out of bounds in the PC version when at Silent Hill Ranch, you can find the HD Collection’s Comic Sans sign among other discarded rubbish in an abandoned warehouse (right where fans will say it belongs).

Twitter/X user @GmanLives surfaced the change, since verified by other users, declaring Silent Hill 2 Remake GOTY for this awesome nod to Silent Hill HD Collection.

The apparent Easter egg is certainly going down well with Silent Hill fans. “… Bloober Team and Konami are genuinely amazing for that,” said NONAMEDREDDITER. “… Bloober are officially god tier,” added Low-Positive5888. “Bloober, my heart grows bigger and bigger for you every day,” said stinkyratboiii. “Suck it HD Collection!” declared cyb0rganna.

Generally, Bloober’s Silent Hill 2 Remake is going down well with fans and it’s certainly a hit with critics. However, trolls are trying to ruin the fun — the Silent Hill 2 Remake Wikipedia page had to be locked down after its list of review scores from the press was edited to make them lower. Check out the Silent Hill 2 Remake’s global release times to find out when it’s playable in your region.

Image credit: xRudeAwakening / reddit

Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.

Epic detail plans for Unreal Engine 6 and share vision of a metaverse spanning “Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite”

Epic Games laid off over 800 people a year ago, following what CEO Tim Sweeney confessed was an “unrealistic” period of investment designed to “grow Fortnite as a metaverse-inspired ecosystem for creators”. Now, it’s time to start talking about brighter, metaversal tomorrows and hopefully, not do the whole thing all over again. Epic have detailed early plans for Unreal Engine 6, which Sweeney says will combine Unreal Engine with Fortnite’s easy-to-use Unreal Editor to create a gigantic, “interoperable” metaverse platform that lets developers sell stuff that can seamlessly be transferred to other games, whether they run on Unreal Engine or not. Stealth blockchain post? Genuinely, I can neither confirm nor deny.

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Random: Fans Discover A Hidden Credits Screen In Zelda: Majora’s Mask

The GameCube version, that is.

If you were lucky enough to own a copy of The Legend of Zelda: Collector’s Edition promotional disc for GameCube and still happen to have it lying around, you might want to dig it out and try out this neat little easter egg hidden within The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.

As highlighted by YANIS4224 over on Paste Bin (thanks, Gaming Reinvented), if you enter a specific combination of button presses during gameplay, you’ll be treated to a single credits screen showcasing the developers responsible for engineering the N64 emulator for the GameCube release.

Read the full article on nintendolife.com

Silent Hill 2 Remake Global Release Times Confirmed

Konami has revealed the global release times for the Silent Hill 2 Remake across PlayStation 5 and PC via Steam.

The publisher shared launch times for each region in an X/Twitter post, below, across its October 8 release date, confirming exactly when survival horror fans can get their hands on the highly anticipated remake.

It sees players take on the role of protagonist James Sunderland as he follows a mysterious letter from his late wife to the terrifying town of Silent Hill, which teems with nightmarish monsters out for blood. “Silent Hill 2 is a great way to visit (or revisit) one of the most dread-inducing destinations in the history of survival horror,” IGN said in our 8/10 review.

Silent Hill 2 Remake PS5 Release Times

  • Los Angeles – 9pm PDT (on October 7)
  • New York – 0am EDT
  • São Paulo – 0am GMT-3
  • London – 0am BST
  • Paris – 0am CEST
  • Warsaw – 0am CEST
  • Istanbul – 0am GMT+3
  • Riyadh – 0am GMT+3
  • Hong Kong – 0am HKT
  • Tokyo – 0am JST
  • Sydney – 0am AEST

Silent Hill 2 Remake PC via Steam Release Times

  • Los Angeles – 9pm PDT (on October 7)
  • New York – 0am EDT
  • São Paulo – 1am GMT-3
  • London – 5am BST
  • Paris – 6am CEST
  • Warsaw – 6am CEST
  • Istanbul – 7am GMT+3
  • Riyadh – 7am GMT+3
  • Hong Kong – 12pm HKT
  • Tokyo – 1pm JST
  • Sydney – 3pm AEST

Those on Xbox will have to wait a tad longer, as Sony itself has confirmed Silent Hill 2 is a PS5 console exclusive for one year. And some fans seemingly upset with the remake’s release took to Wikipedia to falsify lower review scores than Silent Hill 2 actually received, to the point where the website itself had to lock down the page.

Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He’ll talk about The Witcher all day.