ReFantazio’s Mission to Fix the JRPG

In the world of JRPGs, grinding through endless battles is a common player grievance. Atlus attempted to tackle this issue with “Metaphor: ReFantazio,” introducing real-time action combat. This feature promised to remove the tedious grind, but things took an unexpected turn. During its development, the new combat system almost derailed the entire gameplay.

Seeking Balance in Battle Systems

At the recent Game Developer’s Conference, Kenichi Goto, an Atlus veteran, shared insights from the development phase. He explained that the team aimed to “reduce battles with obvious outcomes.” The idea was to keep gameplay fresh and engaging by minimizing predictable encounters. This led to the inception of what Goto describes as the Fast and Squad battle system.

Turning the Tide with Feedback

Things spiraled when players found action combat an easy way out, even at higher difficulty levels. Players felt that choosing traditional turn-based battles was a failure, which contradicted the core philosophy of the studio known for such dynamic encounters. Atlus responded to these concerns by scaling back action combat. The reworked system ensures only low-level enemies are dealt with outside turn-based arenas.

Despite initial reservations about turn-based combat’s relevance, Atlus believes it will remain a staple in JRPGs. The feedback has led to balancing real-time action with strategic depth, promising a bright future for the genre. “Metaphor: ReFantazio” thus emerges not just as a game, but as a lesson in listening to player feedback and embracing traditional elements that have long defined the genre’s charm.

(Image credit: Sega / Atlus)