Metaphor: ReFantazio Japanese program revealed the concepts behind Atlus' new RPG

Atlus published a pre-recorded Japanese talk show program for Metaphor: ReFantazio, a week after the initial reveal in the June 2023 Xbox Games Showcase. The video also included hardcoded English subtitles on the video so that non-Japanese speakers can also follow. It mainly featured short interviews with the game's top three staff members — Katsura Hashino, Shigenori Soejima, and Shoji Meguro — and each of them provided concept themes that will feature in Atlus' new fantasy RPG.

While the game's protagonist was introduced as the "Travelling Boy", Shigenori Soejima went for a design that looks androgynous yet heroic. Meanwhile, the composer Shoji Meguro is trying to integrate a spiritual style of music used in religion "that also evokes a classical, fantasy feel" into the traditional RPG. Finally, Katsura Hashino revealed that the game's story will show people how to confront their own fears. The director added that the team initially developed the game with a Western medieval backdrop, but it eventually shifted to a fantasy setting with additional elements from the modern world to make it look more unique.

Outside of the three key interviews, the show hosts noted more peculiar things from the reveal trailer. For instance, Metaphor will feature a lot of text in the Esperanto language. The game will also retain some of the skill names from Shin Megami Tensei and Persona, such as the attack-buffing Matarukaja (Mahatarukaja in Japanese). However, not all spells will stay the same, as the Wind-elemental skill will be named Gasaiku instead of Garu.

You can find the official archived video of the Japanese program for Metaphor: ReFantazio right below. The new RPG will release simultaneously worldwide in 2024 for Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC via Microsoft Store and Steam.