Why Fire Emblem Fans Should Check Out Metaphor: ReFantazio

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home November 10, 2024 26 Views 7 Min Read
Why Fire Emblem Fans Should Check Out Metaphor: ReFantazio

Key Takeaways

  • Metaphor: ReFantazio shares a high-fantasy setting with Fire Emblem, including mythical creatures & complex lore.
  • Both games require strategic planning in combat, encouraging trial and error to succeed.
  • Metaphor: ReFantazio and Fire Emblem both feature rewarding companion systems, building relationships with characters over time.



The Fire Emblem series has now been around for nearly 25 years, although the first installment in the series was only released in Japan in 1990 and didn’t get a worldwide launch until 2020 on the Nintendo Switch. Despite its age, it continues to be one of the more popular role-playing series in the industry, and its influence can be felt throughout. However, while it might not have been directly influenced by Fire Emblem, Atlus’ recently released Metaphor: ReFantazio nonetheless feels like Persona and Fire Emblem had a baby.

Fans of the Fire Emblem series are likely to enjoy what Metaphor: ReFantazio has to offer if they ever gave it a chance. With a setting, themes, combat mechanics, and companion system highly reminiscent of Fire Emblem, Metaphor ReFantazio might be the perfect non-Fire Emblem game for fans of the longstanding franchise.



Metaphor: ReFantazio and Fire Emblem Share a High Fantasy Setting

At the forefront of Metaphor: ReFantazio and Fire Emblem‘s similarities is the high-fantasy setting the two of them share. Both Metaphor: ReFantazio and Fire Emblem take place in rich fantasy worlds with complex lore, where mythical creatures, magic, and massive kingdoms abound. Just as Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s heroes possess strong connections to otherworldly beings known as Archetypes, Fire Emblem‘s heroes are generally connected to ancient powers and magical bloodlines, making them similar to Metaphor‘s playable characters.


Furthermore, at the center of almost every Fire Emblem game is an ongoing political struggle, which also serves as the primary backdrop for Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s story. The political landscape in both the Fire Emblem series and in Metaphor: ReFantazio involves power-hungry leaders at war, themes of royal dynasty and succession, the influence of religion on each world, and conflict between classes. This class conflict is especially noticeable in Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s tribes, which are often distinguished by the level of prejudice employed against them.

Some
Fire Emblem
games focus more on the social and political conflict at hand, whereas others simply lean more heavily into typical fantasy tropes.


The Combat in Metaphor: ReFantazio and Fire Emblem Requires Strategic Planning

Perhaps even more so than Atlus’ Persona series, Metaphor: ReFantazio requires plenty of strategic planning from players, which makes for yet another similarity it shares with the Fire Emblem series. Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s combat is all about learning through trial and error and then planning ahead using the vast number of Archetype combinations available among its party members. Many RPGs allow players to eventually overpower their enemies, regardless of their party setup. Metaphor: ReFantazio, on the other hand, all but requires players to consider its many mechanics that can influence the outcome of a battle before rushing in headlong.

Louis in Metaphor ReFantazio

Fire Emblem is the same, in that battles often require players to learn through trial and error and then employ what they’ve learned in a strategic and tactical way. Coincidentally, a major aspect of Fire Emblem‘s combat revolves around the positioning of characters, and Metaphor: ReFantazio, unlike the Persona series, also places a significant emphasis on the positioning of each party member in battle. Furthermore, just like with Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s Archetypes, efficient use of Fire Emblem‘s character classes also contributes to a successful outcome.


Metaphor: ReFantazio and Fire Emblem Have Rewarding Companion Systems

Metaphor: ReFantazio and Fire Emblem both also have rewarding companion systems, which see players gradually building relationships with them over time to form worthwhile bonds and acquire useful gameplay benefits. Occasionally, throughout Metaphor: ReFantazio and games in the Fire Emblem series, players get the opportunity to interact with their companions in interesting conversations to get to know them better and complete quests for them. These relationships have always been a highlight of the Fire Emblem series, so fans would also likely enjoy Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s Follower mechanics, as they function very similarly.

All in all, Metaphor: ReFantazio may have a Persona skin, but it has Fire Emblem written all over it. With its high-fantasy setting, its tense political and class struggle, its tactical combat, and its in-depth companion system, Metaphor: ReFantazio is more than worth a try for lovers of Fire Emblem.


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