This article contains spoilers for Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Much like the SMT series, Metaphor: ReFantazio knows how to make compelling combat. Its difficulty is a mirror to the harsh realities of its world, where the United Kingdom of Euchronia is anything but united amidst the terrors of magla-bred monsters and tribal discrimination. It stands to reason, then, that its biggest skill check boss comes in the form of a true test for both the protagonist and player, determining whether their strength is befitting of a leader capable of protecting the weak. As Rella admonishes Will and his retinue of the dangers that would stem from a world crafted from Louis’ vision, she seeks to prove his own merits, enlisting the help of Sogne the Icebound to further her point.
Bosses in SMT‘s past have long considered testing the player’s mettle to determine whether they are using everything at their disposal. Demons like SMT3‘s Matador are proof of this, showing how important it is to consider defensive efforts through means of buffing and debuffing, which play as crucial a part in survival as exploiting weaknesses and managing the press turn system. Though Metaphor: ReFantazio exists as its own IP, these combat conceits remain just as prevalent, with Sogne requiring a careful hand in selecting the team’s actions. Though the fight takes place near the tail end of Metaphor‘s story, it remains an effective skill check, enforcing true experimentation with the skills of the Archetypes and the merits of each party member’s roles.
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Rella and Sogne
Metaphor‘s Sogne boss fight has become somewhat divisive among players, and for one crucial reason. The encounter with Rella, unlike the rest of Metaphor‘s journey which allows careful prep beforehand, advances the plot shortly after the Opera House battle with Louis, making it so that her and Sogne’s boss fight occurs without the reprieve of a dungeon for additional levelling up. Some fans have speculated that this might have been something to do with cut content, particularly with Rella as a potential follower and/or party member, or abandoned plans for the ruins of the Royal Mage Academy to be a full dungeon.
The Power of a Dragon in Metaphor: ReFantazio
As a result, some players have expressed frustrations with having to resort to a previous save file after difficulties with the boss fight, thus losing progress along the way. This is certainly a valid critique to have of the boss fight, though it also raises larger questions about how Sogne is placed within Metaphor: ReFantazio‘s narrative. In essence, Rella’s challenge is, by its very nature, meant to be the biggest threat faced by players up until this moment in the story. It is an interesting subversion of the skill check boss that happens later in the game rather than toward the beginning, making sure that players don’t get too complacent in their power against their enemies. In accordance with Rella’s speech and Metaphor‘s larger narrative, Sogne’s power is indicative of what befell an entire civilization before Euchronia was created in its ruins, and isn’t meant to be taken lightly.
Strategy in Motion
Considering that this test of strength is Rella’s final proclamation before her death, her and Sogne’s boss fight also emphasizes what’s necessary for her people to live on: a king who is capable of protecting and saving those who do not have the means to do so themselves. Though the skills of the Archetypes are themselves a power to wield, it matters more how they are used, a sentiment that ties directly into the boss fight’s main gimmick, where Rella’s Quartz Wall makes it so that players have to think rather than just spamming Sogne’s elemental weakness. Just as a king cannot rule with power alone, Rella and Sogne’s boss fight accentuates the elements of Metaphor‘s combat in a way that demonstrates its multi-layered approach to strategy, showing not just the merits of an offensive course of action, but that of the party’s synergy, formation, inventory, and more.
The dragons of Metaphor: ReFantazio make for some of the game’s greatest challenges because of how well they consider every facet of its combat design. Beyond Sogne, the Trials of the Dragon that comprise the title’s optional bosses are designed to a similar degree, tying thematically into the calamities of the previous civilization through their emphasis on pestilence, fire, and destruction. Still, they have the benefit of letting players level up as much as they wish before their challenge, a feat made easier through Metaphor‘s real-time combat. Though Sogne can certainly be defeated while underlevelled with the right strategy, the accessibility of the fight is something to keep in mind with how the boss fight is placed within the game’s narrative.
RPG
JRPG
Action
Adventure
- Released
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October 11, 2024
- ESRB
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T For Teen // Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- Developer(s)
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Studio Zero