ReFantazio Shows that Persona 6’s Cast Could Benefit from One Narrative Change

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home December 17, 2024 2 Views 6 Min Read
ReFantazio Shows that Persona 6's Cast Could Benefit from One Narrative Change

Metaphor Refantazio is rather different from the Persona franchise, but the two IP are nevertheless inextricably linked, much in the same way that Persona will always be an offshoot of Shin Megami Tensei. Like Persona, Metaphor Refantazio places a heavy emphasis on protagonist-NPC relationships, tasking players with nurturing bonds with each party member (and beyond) to unlock a bevy of benefits, both in and outside of combat.




But one central piece of the Persona life simulation puzzle is missing in Metaphor Refantazio: romance subplots. In the Persona series, the player can choose to romance most of their opposite-sex Social Links, which can provide a deeper and more meaningful connection between the player and the game world. While many Persona fans were disappointed by the omission of such romance features in Metaphor Refantazio, the high-fantasy story proved to be just as riveting and intimate without it, thanks to its exceptional character writing. But still, it’s not like romance couldn’t have worked in Metaphor, on some level, and perhaps a happy medium can be found in Persona 6.

Metaphor Refantazio The Game Awards 2024

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Persona 6’s Characters Could Benefit by Putting Romance On the Back Burner


Metaphor Refantazio’s Cast Isn’t Defined by Romance

It’s generally quite obvious when a character is romanceable in Persona. Even NPCs like Yukari in Persona 3 or Ann from Persona 5, whose romance arcs don’t officially start until much later in the game, are introduced as love interests in some way, be that through observations, jokes, or romantically charged interactions. The fact that just about every character who is the opposite sex as the protagonist can be romanced also sets a certain expectation: it’s reasonable to assume that most male-female relationships in Persona games have romantic potential.

This isn’t how Metaphor handles its player-NPC relationships, though. With no romance mechanics to speak of, each character is given some extra breathing room, not being quite so defined by their relationship with the protagonist. The player-character is there to help guide them on their individual journeys, certainly, but being with him, at least in a traditional committed relationship, isn’t part of their end goals. Moreover, with players understanding that these relationships are meant to be platonic, a more natural dynamic between protagonist and NPC is encouraged, as players aren’t always striving to achieve the victory state of romanctic fulfillment.


How Persona 6 Can Adapt Metaphor Refantazio’s Platonic Approach Without Adopting It

Romance is a staple in Persona at this point, so while its absence in Metaphor is excusable and even a nice change of pace, it shouldn’t be missing in Persona 6. Having said that, there are ways that the next Persona game could leverage the aromantic elements of Metaphor‘s character writing without excising romance altogether.

Some of the best romance options in the Persona franchise, like Mitsuru in Persona 3, don’t start out as romantic, either explicitly or implicitly. Perhaps Persona 6 could make these relationships the norm, rather than the exception, starting off each relationship as platonic and only later having them evolve into something more. Additionally, by making romance less universal and more unexpected (e.g. not including a romance subplot for the overwhelming majority of opposite-sex Social Links), players could naturally gravitate toward specific NPCs and interact with them in a more organic way, rather than just shooting for the romance reward right off the bat. Through this more subtle and restrained approach, Persona 6 could offer not only better characters, but better romance stories as well.


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