Metaphor: ReFantaziohas received a lot of bad press for its music, but it’s not all that bad. Suffice it to say thatPersonafans have high expectationsforMetaphor’s score - it was composed by prolific Atlus composer Shoji Meguro, responsible for every mainlinePersonagame’s soundtrack, as well as those of manyShin Megami Tenseigames. Meguro is known for drawing inspiration from diverse genres of contemporary music, which often sets his music apart from other fantasy RPGs' more generic orchestral soundtracks. Most recently, Meguro drew extensively on jazz and soul in composing the iconicPersona 5OST.
Meguro is also responsible for the music in Atlus' latest release,Metaphor: ReFantazio, an RPG that draws onelements ofShin Megami TenseiandPersona, but is set in an entirely new world.Metaphor’s music has already faced harsh criticism, with players and reviewers calling it everything from unmemorable to downright bad. But there’s real artistic merit to its score, and very little objectively bad about it - it’s just different from whatPersonafans are used to.
Metaphor: ReFantazio’s OST Has A Clear Artistic Vision
Composing With Intent
Fans expecting something more likePersonaout ofMetaphor’s soundtrack were always going to be disappointed, becausea funky, poppy score just wouldn’t make sense withMetaphor’ssetting. It takes place in a pure fantasy world, in which technology and culture have scarcely advanced past early industrialization. It has nothing to do with the modern, cosmopolitan settings ofPersona 3and5(or the still-modern, but rural setting of4) - in fact, something resembling a modern city is pointedly portrayed as the setting of an in-game fantasy book, as distant to its characters as, say, Middle-earth is to us.
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Of course, RPG music doesn’t always have to be diagetic -Metaphor: ReFantaziowould scarcely be the first RPG to score its pseudo-historical fantasy with electric guitars and drum machines. But inMetaphor, it actually is. In an early scene, it’s made clear that the protagonist actually hears the battle theme pounding in his ears whenever he starts an encounter. His fairy companion Gallica’s magic takes the form of music, and changes based on the situation at hand.It wouldn’t really make sense for him to hear a joyous, poppy soundtrackwhile he’s fighting for his life and kingdom.
It’s obvious thatthere was artistic intent behind makingMetaphor: ReFantazio’s OST sound like it does. There’s a clear vision to it: much of the game is scored by trumpets that evoke epic scenes of battle, reflecting the civil war that forms the basis of the game’s story. And, quite a bit likePersona,Metaphorutilizes vocal tracks liberally, particularly choral tracks, representative of the voices of the oppressed people the protagonist strives to save. And the lyrics, too, have a unique twist that ties into the game’s major themes.
The in-world language ofMetaphor: ReFantazioisn’t English or Japanese, buta fictional language inspired by Esperanto. This is a constructed language developed by Polish ophthalmologist L. L. Zamenhof in 1887. His goal in creating Esperanto was to create a universal second language, simplifying international communication and ultimately uniting the diverse inhabitants of our world through a common tongue.
The “fantazio” in the game’s title also comes from Esperanto, predictably translating to “fantasy.”
Compare that concept to the world ofMetaphor: ReFantazio, which is set amid a world of nine different tribes. Each of them discriminates against members of the others, but, prior to the game’s action, all are held in check by a single powerful king. His assassination creates a power vacuum, with representatives from each tribe vying for control. The protagonist’s goal is to succeed that king and create a world of harmony, in which the tribes all work together for their mutual benefit. His vision for the world is similar to that of Zamenhof - it’s just that his people already have a common tongue.
AndwhenMetaphor’s music is good, it’s really good. Not every song is perfect, but the main battle themes are sufficiently epic. There are some nice tunes to underscore moments of exploration, both in the city and out in the field.Metaphorhas it where it counts.
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And frankly,anyone unfavorably comparingMetaphor’s soundtrack to thePersonagames' is misremembering just how good the averagePersonatrack is. Sure, there are some really great ones: “Last Surprise” has earned its praise; “Your Affection” is an earworm; “Burn My Dread” is an all-time classic. But not every track can be “Beneath the Mask.” For every hit, there’s a handful of flops. Every single game has an obligatory this-scene-is-funny song, NPC-shares-a-sob-story song, and something-ominous-is-happening song, each of which repeats itself hundreds of times throughout the game.
There’s nothing inherently wrong with this:Personagames are long and long-winded, and portray a variety of different moods. Their soundtracks need to be diverse enough to score different kinds of scenes, but generic enough that they can be reused infinitely. They need to fit on game discs, and be within the abilities of one (very talented) human to compose. It’s just that these less memorable moments tend to fall by the wayside during discussions aboutPersonaOSTs.
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That’s becauseeachPersonagame has a handful of excellent standout tracks, and those are what people tend to remember. These usually arise from similar context in each game; the battle themes are always iconic, the exploration themes are always delightful, and dungeon themes, the Velvet Room music, or anything else used to underscore how strange and otherworldly a place is always shines.
The music inMetaphoris good (and bad) in the same places, albeit in different ways.Battle themes are evocative, exploration themes are transporting, and the otherworldly Akademeia theme is stunning. There’s plenty of generic incidental music that plays during dialogue scenes, but that’ll inevitably be forgotten in the wider conversation about the brilliance ofMetaphor’s music.
So no,Metaphor’s music doesn’t sound likePersona’s, but that’s a good thing. It accomplishes the same purposes, uniquely suiting the game’s setting and story, setting the tone for its action, and thoughtfully exploring its themes.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
The creative team behind Persona 3, 4, and 5 present Metaphor: ReFantazio, a new fantasy action-adventure RPG game. The game’s development team includes the original director, character designer, and composer of the Persona franchise and is as a full fantasy-setting game with modern elements.
