Whereas fantasy RPGs have by no means been onerous to seek out by any stretch of the creativeness, Atlus’ RPGs have all the time taken a really completely different method, with the likes of Shin Megami Tensei AND Individual preferring extra trendy and up to date settings. With the upcoming Metaphor: ReFantazio, nonetheless, Atlus is making its first try on the fantasy style, though as one would anticipate, the developer is doing it in a slightly unconventional means.
Talking in a current developer interview uploaded by Atlus, director Katsura Hashino revealed this Metaphor: ReFantazio was initially meant to have a extra standard western medieval fantasy setting, the event group at Studio Zero determined to go together with a fantasy setting that will as an alternative incorporate trendy and up to date parts to provide it a “distinctive twist”. That is one thing that applies not solely to the sport’s aesthetics, but in addition to its story and sport mechanics, in keeping with Hashino.
“We initially developed the sport in a extra western medieval setting, however shortly realized it was turning into a fairly standard fantasy sport,” he mentioned (transcript through Gematsu). “To offer it a extra distinctive twist, we thought concerning the trendy world and what parts we may convey into this fantasy setting, in order that there was a sense of connection between the 2 worlds. Whether or not it is within the narrative construction or in some units of the sport, now we have tried to include this idea as a key essence and attribute of the sport universe”.
Apparently, gamers will see nods to this comparatively extra up to date aesthetic within the fantasy world of the sport not solely with the characters and the way they have been designed, but in addition with what they’re going to put on.
Character designer Shigenori Soejima mentioned, “Even with regards to what a personality is sporting, ‘Relatively than recreating a standard, medieval look, possibly we may incorporate trendy parts?’ “Possibly there are additionally some 60s style tendencies that might match effectively into this fantasy world?” “And assist give it his distinctive model?” These had been a number of the concepts we experimented with.
In the course of the interview, Hashino additionally mentioned that Atlus intends to place itself Metaphor: ReFantazio as a serious flagship property alongside Individual AND Shin Megami Tensei. Within the meantime, extra particulars concerning the sport’s story and setting have additionally been revealed.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is ready to launch in 2024 for PS5, Xbox Sequence X/S, PS4, and PC. The sport is at present within the fine-tuning levels of improvement.
