Last year, Atlus released their new RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio to critical acclaim, with the title garnering praise for its brand-new world, story, combat, bold visuals and UI. It seems that the development team’s efforts are also appreciated by veteran game developers who weren’t involved in making the game, including Super Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai, who recently took to X to give his take on Metaphor: ReFantazio.
It seems that Sakurai visited “Metaphor: ReFantazio The Exhibition”, which is on at the Warehouse Terrada B&C Hall in Tokyo from March 3 until 23. Spread across two floors, the exhibition features concept art for characters, enemies and locations, developer comments, and showcases the game’s visually striking menus.
Visiting this exhibition prompted Sakurai to acknowledge Metaphor: ReFantazio’s art and the sheer amount of hard work that went into making the game. Metaphor’s art direction and character design was handled by Persona veteran Shigenori Soejima, who has previously discussed his approach to creating attractive characters.
Since its release in October 2024, Metaphor: ReFantazio has not only given Sega’s finances a boost, but it has also won multiple game awards. Just last week, the game’s director and creative producer Katsura Hashino received an award from the Japanese Government, which recognized Metaphor’s creativity.
For more insights into Metaphor ReFantazio’s development check out composer Shoji Meguro on how he created the game’s unusual soundtrack, and Hashino on his approach to directing and producing the game.
Metaphor: ReFantazio is available for the PC (Steam/Microsoft Store), PS4/PS5 and Xbox Series X|S.
