Atlus is one of the biggest household namesin the industry, with a plethora of fantastic video games to its name, from developing the cult-classic Shin Megami Tensei series to publishing critically acclaimed narrative blockbuster titles such as 13 Sentinels.
A majority of mainstream audiences might recognize them forthe Persona franchise, as well as some who’ve delved deeper into their catalog over the past couple of years withMetaphor: Refantazio, which, to me, is genuinely one of their magnum opuses.
Metaphor: ReFantazio: Best Armor, Ranked
Equipment fit to become the king.
And as someone who’s had a worryingly high amount of playtime across each of the individual modern Persona entries and even the latter title from 2024, I’ve taken the authority to bring you this list of the Persona games vs Metaphor: Refantazio, where I’ll compare each feat of these games and determine who comes out on top.
For transparency’s sake, since all of them are relatively familiar on the surface, I’ll be comparing the modern Persona trilogy against Metaphor: Refantazio and considering the strongest element from each game for the respective category.
10Art Direction
Metaphor: Refantazio
While I thoroughly love the glitz and glamor that accompany the visuals of the Persona games, whether it’s the cozy town of Inaba or the bustling streets of Shibuya, none of those can truly match the awe-inspiring art direction of Metaphor: Refantazio.
Aside from the glimmering fact that Hieronymus Bosch’s Renaissance influenced a few key details, such as enemy and boss design, the entire visual artistry in Metaphor’s world-building is easily one of the most underappreciated aspects for me.
There’s never a dull moment when you’re adventuring in the lands of Euchronia and stumble on a vista or landmark where you can get to soak in the magnificent and awe-inspiring visuals on display here.
Either that or just the sheer scale of some of the main story dungeons from their entrance is enough to make you want to take some deep breaths before you jump into them, because I know I did when I saw the Dragon Temple in the distance during the Virga Island arc.
9Dungeon Design
Speaking of dungeons, this one had me thinking for a good minute, considering the vast amount ofmain story and side dungeons present in Metaphor,until the existence of the palaces from Persona 5 Royal washed that speck of doubt away.
You can argue against me all you want with the massive size and structural layout of Metaphor’s dungeons, but Persona 5 Royal’s palaces are in a league of their own; unique layout, dazzling visuals and design, and each one has a more complex puzzle than the previous one.
Metaphor’s quantity and quality in this regard may easily outdo Persona 4’s cookie-cutter dungeons and 3’s Tartarus. Still, the palaces in Royal are truly where I consider Atlus went above and beyond in the creativity department, especially with end-game ones like Maruki’s Laboratory of Sorrow.
10 Best JRPGs For Non-JRPG Fans
JRPGs are an acquired taste for some, but these games are tasty no matter what.
8Soundtrack
Let’s be real; Shoji Meguro’s brilliant OST composition shines in everything he lays his hands on, and that’s no exception to both the Persona series and Metaphor: Refantazio. Almost every single track is a banger and a work of art to listen to.
Metaphor’s soundtrack is meticulously designed and befitting for the game’s fantasy-inspired setting, from the jolly-esque Virga Island theme that I couldn’t stop humming, to even hearing the infamous Buddhist vocals in the main battle theme, which is an unforgettable memory.
Giving Metaphor the win here would’ve meant me not giving my long-overdue flowers to the beloved soundtracks of the past three Persona games. I mean, c’mon, you’re able to’t help but applaud whenever Lyn Inaizumi and Lotus Juice hit their intense vocals in their respective tracks to hype up audiences.
7Party Members
This one might spark some heat, but I’ll stand by when I say thatMetaphor’s main charactersare easily some of the most well-written party members I’ve seen in a JRPG. Well, that’s until a certain JéRPG came to the fold this year to sweep me off my heels.
But listen before you get upset; I love the Phantom Thieves, I absolutely adore our Inaba Investigation Team, and I’d even place the SEES group at the top just because of how they’re my personal favorite cast of characters from the three games.
However, it does pain me a bit when I don’t have fondness for a few of them whatsoever, like Ryuji from P5, or Yukiko and Rise from Persona 4. Compare that to, well, the much more sophisticated backstories and mature character development of the Metaphor cast, and I think there’s a clear winner here.
And I may even be crossing the limits here, but even the overall social links (or well, “Followers”) are miles better for the party members and, dare I say, the other NPCs. Shout out to my goat, Alonzo.
6Storytelling
This one’s another draw because we both know Atlus never misses in the writing department. From simultaneously balancing character and plot-driven stories together for an emotional farewell - it’s ultimately what makes Persona such a relatable game for many fans.
However, on the other hand, you have a fitting story in Metaphor: Refantazio that relies on mature and provocative elements from tribal diversity, prejudice, and political struggles, and, above all else, embodies the heart and soul of a fantasy tale straight out of a novel.
It’s hard to undermine either one in this instance, because the main narrative, the characters, and even the protagonists (well, not all of them in the case of Persona) are rich in every layer, making every hour so engaging.
10 Highly Reviewed JRPGs That Would Flop Today
Time heals all wounds, including those inflicted by outdated game designs.
5Combat System
I’ll go on a limb and say that while Metaphor’s Press Turn combat system does a reasonably great job of incorporating strategy and difficulty, the One More system in the Persona games also earns a spot and some respect here.
The best possible version of the latter was in Persona 5 Royal. While the base combat foundation has evolved since Persona 3 to be more snappy and fluid, the improvements with Baton Passes, Technicals and other QoL things really made it one of thebest turn-based combat systemsof the modern era.
And with the Press Turn system that’s been passed down from the SMT series down into Metaphor, it allows you to be flexible with several factoring details that can turn the tide of battle in your favor in a jiffy.
I know it’s incredibly customizable and trivializing thanks to the Archetypes. But you’ll still get your teeth kicked in the endgame if you’re not careful enough managing your turns or the enemy’s, even on normal difficulty.
4Personas Vs Archetypes
I’ve spent an unhealthy number of hours trying to min-max my Personas across the three games just to verify my overpowered Yoshitsune or Alice can easily one-shot the secret boss or endgame fight with ease on an NG+ savefile.
Comparing this to the feasibility and customization I mentioned earlierfrom Metaphor’s Archetypes, they’re, quite honestly, a breath of fresh air and hook you in with the build-crafting potential. To me, they’re relatively on the same pedestal as Final Fantasy 12’s Jobs.
Consistently switching Archetypes rewarded me with having to do a less taxing grind to unlock further evolutions, and each one provided a fundamentally different gameplay loop for the character, even if certain Archetypes hardly benefited their core kit.
8 Best JRPGs Where You Play A Rebel
In some games, our protagonists are rebels; in others, we’re part of a rebellion.
3Calendar Life
Metaphor Refantazio
While I absolutely love the Persona series' progression system with the social sim activities bundled with the dungeon-crawling gameplay, Metaphor: Refantazio just does that to such a next-level extent thanks to its open-ended progression.
In Metaphor, you have the luxury of tackling your social links and increasing your social stats as you typically would in Persona, but there’s much more flexibility here with what you can go after from several side dungeons, bounty targets, or even re-visiting locations for side quests.
I understand that both games utilize the Calendar system in their own style. With Persona, I’m somewhat limited to a linear progression pattern where it’s either my stats, social links or just Mementos. And as someone who has spent countless hours in Persona 5 alone, the other miscellaneous activities hardly do anything.
This might be a subjective category to some, and that’s totally fine, but I’ll level with you from both of my OG runs of Persona 5 in 2017, Royal in COVID and even my individual playthroughs of Persona 3 and 4 to give you a concise verdict; it’s not pretty.
You often tend to find yourself in a weird spot with the pacing in the Persona series; you’re able to finish the main dungeon quickly and be forced to sit through the social sim aspect for the remainder of the month, and again, that’s why this one may be subjective.
However, I guarantee you it’s the case for many, including my friends with whom I’ve had debates about this category itself. Whether it was the burnout phase that we’d all felt with Futaba’s arc in P5 or even the padded-out sections in Persona 4 Golden, it wasn’t easy getting through them.
Dialing back to Metaphor, the only time I felt the awkward pacing was during the Dragon Temple. The narrative felt tightly packed, but I’ll be realistic even there and admit that it was also backed up by a strong cast of characters and a marvelously written villain in Louis.
If it wasn’t obvious already, Metaphor: Refantazio takes the crown, which is funnily ironic considering the game’s ending, but hey, this was alsoour hand-picked GOTY for 2024, so there’s not an ounce of love lost for me here.
Rightfully, you should play both because both are good. I’ll probably have someone tell me that sooner or later. Still, the bottom line is that whether it’s the three modern Persona titles or Metaphor: Refantazio, you’re getting a solid JRPG experience either way from one of the masters of the craft themselves.
Although I undoubtedly have a huge adoration for the Persona series, Metaphor takes the win mainly because of its ambitious storytelling, multi-layered characters and overall world-building, all of which managed to starstruck me more than the Persona games ever did.
The Best JRPGS on Every PlayStation Console, Ranked
Every Sony Console has a banger, but which one is best?
