Metaphor: ReFantazio has captured the attention of RPG fans with its deep storytelling, striking art direction, and unique world-building. As with many ambitious game adaptations, its manga counterpart offers an alternate take on the journey, expanding on certain aspects while changing others.
From character development and pacing to the portrayal of key events, the differences between the game and the manga create two distinct ways to experience its fantastical world. While both mediums share the same core narrative, the details set them apart in ways that can surprise even the most dedicated fans. Here’s how the Metaphor: ReFantazio manga differs from the game.
7
The Tone Seems More Comedic
It Might Just Be For The First Issue
While the video game version of Metaphor: ReFantazio doesn’t shy away from making silly jokes (a certain dungeon inside a worm comes to mind), the overall tone is more solemn, exploring themes of discrimination and inequality, and what we as individuals can do to change it.
The manga isn’t exactly a comedy, but the way it decides to portray certain elements of the story seems to aim more towards laughs than introspection. The point the first issue of the manga ends at certainly points to a very serious outcome, but we are yet to see how it is developed further.
6
Strohl Faces The Bandits
Hulkenberg Is Nowhere To Be Seen
Just a few pages into the manga, the differences between the game’s plot start strong. During the intro cutscene, the protagonist (named Will in the manga) is shoved off a cliff as a future party member dispatches the evildoers with ease; the character that takes care of the bandits is Hulkenberg in the video game and Strohl in the manga.
At first glance, the change is understandable since the manga is trying to deal with fewer things at once while introducing the reader to the world, and Strohl is the first character to join the party after all. However, Hulkenberg had a reason to be just returning to Grand Trad, and the point of the scene was also to show her might as a Roussainte.
5
More Is Aware Of The Reader
He Starts Differently In The Game
The meta-narrative is key to the plot of Metaphor: ReFantazio, hence why the game asks both the name of the protagonist and the name of the player, addressing them directly. The manga wants to play this angle as well, having More talk to the reader and ask them about their world.
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Now, at the beginning of the story, the first character to meet More isn’t the player but the protagonist, with More lacking core memories of who he is or even where he is. Seems like the manga plans to skip More’s story arc altogether, so we are left to wonder if the protagonist will meet the writer of the book at all.
4
Will Meets Maria Before Grius
She’s Even Kidnapped For Some Reason
To speed up the story, Will never needs to join the military to find Grius, his contact in Grand Trad. Instead, Gallica already knows that Grius frequents the Hushed Honeybee, a tavern in a secluded part of town, so they plan to head straight there.
On their way, they meet Maria, Grius’ daughter, and witness her getting kidnapped. Will joins forces with Strohl by random chance and rescues the girl, establishing Maria’s kind nature, Strohl’s nobility, and Will’s resolve in just a few panels, even if the coincidences here are starting to pile up.
3
Valmo Is Slain In A Single Hit
Does Will Even Need Archetypes?
The Maria rescue mission isn’t without its dangers, since on the way back to the city, the party is ambushed by Valmo, a giant sandworm and an optional boss in the video game. While not the most challenging fight, you still need to tackle the fight with a three-character party with their Archetypes unlocked, but it seems the Will in the manga is somewhat stronger than the one in the game.
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Even though Valmo ambushes the party, Will can surf his way up to the beast, kill it with a single slice, and then rescue Maria (again) in one fell swoop. It’s hard to understand, then, why he even needed help with the bandits at the beginning of the story.
2
Strohl Joins The Party For No Reason
The Lack Of Time Affected His Plot The Most
The big focus the manga puts on Strohl aims to not only have the reader already see him as a regular part of the cast but also to explain why he suddenly agrees to take part in the assassination of Louis. However, the lack of actual bonding between the characters and the comedic tone of the manga makes his decision not only feel rushed but nonsensical.
Granted, he was already not fond of Louis, but in the game, you spend plenty of time with him as a comrade in arms facing all kinds of dangers before he decides to join, and even Grius is given time to warm up to the Clemar before he lets him into his inner circle.
1
No Humans Appear In The First Issue
The Game Wastes No Time Introducing Them
At the start of the game, the main plot revolves around Louis and the race to become king, with the human threat being relegated to the background. Still, they are a big part of the world from the get-go, and a big selling point of the game is the bizarre designs of these creatures.
In the manga, no humans have been seen yet, even though by this point the game already showcased several, with the most prominent ones being Homo Gorleo (when the Archetypes are first unlocked) and the corpse of Homo Avades. We can only hope the manga isn’t waiting too long to showcase these creatures since their designs are always a joy to look at.
RPG
JRPG
Action
Adventure
- Released
-
October 11, 2024
- Developer(s)
-
Studio Zero
- ESRB
-
T For Teen // Blood, Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Use of Alcohol, Violence
- How Long To Beat
-
65 Hours
- X|S Optimized
-
Yes
- Steam Deck Compatibility
-
Playable
- How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
-
104 hours
- OpenCritic Rating
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Mighty