Metaphor: ReFantazio Director Explains The Cover Art And Other Details (Even The Logo Means Something!)

Metaphor: ReFantazio director Katsura Hoshino has shared some new details on the game in a new interview with Famitsu magazine, including something you may not have expected to mean so much.

So you see we have inserted the cover image for the game just above this paragraph. This illustration was made by Shigenori Soejima. As translated by Persona Central, Hoshino revealed that even the placement of the logo, and how it was made, has a hidden meaning. Months before gamers got the chance to figure this out for themselves, he decided to let it all out.

So, the logo itself has a big A in the very center, and towering over the other letters. It turns out that’s intended to look like a cathedral that’s central in the story.

Subsequently, the characters below the logo are the protagonist, followed by potential party members, as well as presumably, your possible followers. Above the logo, looking down upon the masses, are the game’s antagonists.

It’s been composed in a way that immediately draws attention to the center, and then makes the eye want to wander and look at details that go farther away from view. I’m sure some Atlus fans are already hoping to get an oversized poster of this cover image, as it’s just impressive work overall.

Hoshino also follows up on Soejima’s comments in another interview that the protagonist is not a blank slate like they had done in the Persona games. Soejima made him androgynous, but Hoshino explained he has a naturally charismatic personality that draws people to follow him, a born leader

Hoshino doesn’t let too many details out here, but we still get some interesting tidbits. They were on pre-production when they were making Catherine Full Body (which released in 2019), and like everyone else, found the quarantine period of the pandemic the most difficult period making the game.

Hoshino also reveals that Studio Zero went through some iteration, as they didn’t have a specific idea of what Metaphor: ReFantazio was going to look like.

In terms of gameplay, the party will max out at seven, but only four members can join in a battle at one time. The Archetype system had apparently proven so flexible that playtesters all came up with different combinations, suiting their personal preferences.

Studio Zero also created a “Fast & Squad” system to speed up battles against weaker enemies. Hoshino explained the idea behind this was to match the player’s tempo, as they would want to speed up easy battles, while take more time to meticulously plan out fighting stronger enemies.

Studio Zero is just about done making Metaphor: ReFantazio, and we can’

Metaphor: ReFantazio will be released on October 11, 2024, on Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam.