Metaphor: ReFantazio, Atlus’ new fantasy RPG in the style of Persona, has one of the most memorable parties in a game in recent memory. From the disillusioned noble Strohl to the songstress superstar Junah, Metaphor has a truly weird group of goofballs who are gathering together to try and make real change in the world of Euchronia. Though they’re all united by a desire to make the world a better place for its citizens, a lot of these folks could not be more different. How can one compare Hulkenberg’s gloomy struggles with tragedy to Eupha overcoming her naivete? Well, we’re certainly going to try. Here’s the Metaphor: ReFantazio cast from least perfect and good to most perfect and good.
2 / 9
Gallica, our fairy helper, isn’t a party member in the traditional sense, but rather acts as a navigator for the team, checking for enemy weaknesses, and just generally being a companion to the protagonist. She’s a little sassy, but believes deeply in the group’s cause of saving Euchronia’s slumbering prince to ensure a better future for its people. Gallica’s best moments come late in Metaphor as she learns surprising truths about herself and those around her. But even as things get hard, she never wavers, and is there to support the crew through their darkest moments.
3 / 9
When you meet Eupha, she has the world on her shoulders despite having seen very little of it. She’s the priestess of the mustari tribe, and she, like the rest of her people, misunderstands what that means. Initially, she believes that she must be sacrificed to a dragon in order to protect her people. This is tradition on her island, and even though there’s a big world out there, this is all she really knows. Eupha spends most of Metaphor trying to figure out what a “better” world even means when she has little frame of reference for what the world is now. Having an outsider around to voice their perspective can sometimes help reveal that something is all wrong, because they might see things more clearly than someone who’s been embedded in a system their whole life. Eupha delivers that. Unlike the others, she hasn’t been taught that the injustices of Euchronia simply reflect “the way things should be,” so she’s the first person to ask questions, and those questions often force everyone else to realize how ridiculous what they believe in sounds when you hear it out loud.. Eupha leaves a home she believes to be fair and just, only to discover that isn’t the rest of the world’s MO. Trying to find your place in a world that’s both new to you and also harsher than anything else you’ve experienced isn’t easy, but Eupha takes it in stride.
4 / 9
Despite towering over him, Basilio begins Metaphor largely living in the shadow of his older brother Fidelio. The duo starts off as lackeys for antagonist Louis before they are betrayed by their boss, leading to Fidelio’s murder. Up until this point, Basilio has spent so long following others, whether that be his brother or his would-be king, and in one fell swoop, he loses both of his anchors. He’d already been questioning the ways of the world, but he often had to look to his brother for permission to believe what he wanted. Now that he doesn’t have to answer to anyone, he has to decide what he even wants out of this life. Basilio embodies the type of person who has spent so long being told what to do and think that they’re not sure who they are sometimes. They can hear something that sounds logical and right, but there’s always that knee-jerk reaction to look to someone for approval. When Basilio loses that, he finds out who he truly is. Sometimes tragedy is the quickest way to find out more about yourself, and then you can crawl out of the hole, born anew.
5 / 9
Strohl is your ride or die. Your first party member is a disillusioned noble who has seen how the ruling class cares little for the suffering of those beneath them. Growing up in nobility and seeing how the people are treated when their homes are destroyed is a quick path to radicalization, and Strohl’s caring, headstrong nature means he’s always willing to jump in and help someone. But that gusto means that he’s also liable to get ahead of himself. Strohl is quick to insert himself into everyone’s problems and jump ahead of the chain of command without consulting others if he thinks he knows best. He’s as subtle as a boot to the face, but that means he gets results. That’s the kind of person you want at your side while you’re fighting for change.
6 / 9
Junah could have been a one-note (no pun intended) Taylor Swift in a fantasy world archetype (sheesh, sorry, these puns came from God, not me), but her entire schtick is subversion. She’s a widely beloved musician seemingly aligned with the enemy, but then it’s revealed that she’s an undercover agent who’s been slyly working behind the scenes to help save the prince. Junah presents herself as a starlet who is the epitome of grace and showmanship, but as a nidia, she’s actually using glamor to hide her true appearance as a childlike doll. Junah is full of surprises when she could easily have fallen into a number of predictable tropes. By the time she joins the party, almost everyone on the team has been dour and dramatic at some point, so Junah’s swagger is a welcome change. But she’s not without her own drama, and her carefree attitude is never at the expense of complexity. Junah contains multitudes, both in the way she presents herself to others and in who she reveals herself to be. While the world of Metaphor knows her best as a songstress, it’s in the moments that she reveals who she truly is that she’s the most memorable.
7 / 9
In a political drama, undying loyalty to the monarchy can often be a red flag. Hulkenberg is initially defined by her devotion to Metaphor’s prince. Her failure years ago, as an up-and-coming royal knight, to save the prince from the curse that still afflicts him eats away at her, even as she has since become a respected soldier. But her love for the prince is not blind faith, it is a trust and love that was built brick by brick, weathering the storm of political strife and standing strong against the indiscriminate passage of time. Hulkenberg’s principles endure even when she’s been given every reason to give up on herself and those around her. She sees the good in the world because she sees it in the people around her, and is willing to do anything to get a person who upholds those ideals on the throne.
8 / 9
Metaphor’s thief starts out lower than the rest of the crew. Heismay isn’t the bright-eyed optimist that you’d expect to find fighting for a better, more progressive world. He starts off as a recluse, accused of a crime he didn’t commit, all while trying to grieve his lost son. When the one thing that was your whole world is gone, what point is there in hoping for a better day? Heismay is a punching bag wherever he goes. He’s subject to prejudice for being a eugief and his own people have their own reasons for subjecting him to cruel and unusual punishment. If there was ever a person who had a reason to cast all hope and compassion aside, it’s Heismay. But just because one loses their way without a light doesn’t mean they have to stumble through the dark. Heismay doesn’t have his son to care for any longer, but he still finds ways to honor him, telling stories of the child he lost so he never forgets the guiding light he once had.
Moving forward when you feel like you have nothing to live for can seem impossible, even if you have people who support you through your darkest moments. Heismay was nearly too far gone, feeling too weak to carry on. He was ready to die in the sandworm-infested desert and leave the uncaring world behind him. But finding something to live for in a world that feels rigged against you and makes you face constant heartache and loss is true strength. Heismay is half the size of his teammates but with twice the heart. He is the struggle of Metaphor: ReFantazio personified, finding hope in a world that has given him no reason to so much as look for it.
For more on Metaphor: ReFantazio, check out Kotaku’s review.
9 / 9