Metaphor: ReFantazio

FANTASY LIVES ON...

Sometimes I allow a piece of fiction to consume me. It sucks up all the oxygen in the room that is my brain, suffocating and strangling any other thoughts or obligations until it's said what it wants to say.

Which is to say, I recently played Metaphor: ReFantazio and it instantly became my latest hyperfixation.

Lured in by the promise of a cute fairy (I'm a simple creature, what can I say?), I got completely hooked into a wonderful, imaginative world; fresh and familiar, all at once. The Persona framework is immediately apparent in every single aspect of the game, but all of it has been remixed to a point of feeling like a brand new thing. In that regard, it's very similar to another JRPG I like: Bravely Default.

Bravely Default takes the core concepts of Final Fantasy, cuts them up into chunks, and remixes them into something diehard turn based RPG fans can really sink their teeth into. Everything is endlessly mix-and-matchable and you can combine the best of any classes together to tackle obstacles in new and interesting ways. Metaphor is very similar, except for Shin Megami Tensei and Persona.

Somewhat recently, I began getting involved in politics. It is an endlessly frustrating hellscape that I do not recommend anyone participate in, but also think it's important to do. Metaphor seamlessly blends fantasy politics with allusions to real world figures and ideas. It's a very politically informed work, but never stops being fun and engaging. That combined with its resonance with my spiritual views on fiction and how it shapes our reality make it an instant, out of the park classic for me personally.

It's good. It's really good. I highly recommend it.