Metaphor: ReFantaziolaunched to an incredibly positive reception, with many fans and critics alike calling it their personal Game of the Year. This may come as no surprise to Atlus enthusiasts who have been lucky enough to experience their previous works of art, including thePersonaandShin Megami Tenseiseries. However, what may come as a surprise is just how quicklyMetaphorsold its first million copies and became Atlus' fastest-selling title ever.
Within a handful of hours,Metaphor: ReFantaziohit its first million, and, thanks to itsexceptionally positive reviewsand word of mouth, there’s a good chance it’ll hit many more going forward. However, there’s a lot more to this success story than simply a publisher doing very well financially, asMetaphor: ReFantazio’ssuccess speaks to a wider industry shift that could prove to be very beneficial to JRPG fans. While time will tell,Metaphorcould be the start of a JRPG revolution.
Metaphor ReFantazio’s Point To The Rising Popularity Of JRPGs
It’s No Longer A Niche Genre
Metaphor: ReFantaziois a very unique game, being that it is both a JRPG from a well-respected yet relatively niche developer/publisher and a brand-new IP set in a new world without any connections to prior properties or recognizable brands. As such, it felt positioned to do well within the JRPG community, especially thanks to the pedigree of its developer, but perhaps not with a wider audience. However,within hours of going live, SEGA posted to itsXaccount thatMetaphorhad surpassed 1 million sales, making it the publisher’s fastest-selling title of all time.
There’s a lot to unpack here, asthis level of success for an untested IP in a relatively niche genre feels slightly unprecedented, and speaks to a wider shift in the overall gaming community. It’s very likely thatMetaphor: ReFantazioselling so quickly, even despite the low views on the majority of its trailers, speaks to a greater demand for JRPGs as a whole. This is further evidenced by the various remakes and reboots of past JRPGs, such asDragon Quest IIIandRomancing SaGa 2.
Metaphorobviously comes off the back of bothPersona 5- which itimproved upon in many ways- and, more importantly,Final Fantasy 7: Rebirth, another JRPG that sold exceptionally well within the same year. Of course,Rebirthcomes from a well-known IP, is a remake and a sequel, and, as a result, was largely expected to do well. However, that game’s success and the overall love forPersona 5coupled with the aggressive marketing campaign are likely the reasons behindMetaphor: ReFantazioselling so well, asthe casual gaming community has started to branch out into other genres, including, evidently, JRPGs.
This is Atlus' fastest-selling game of all time, although it’s important to note thatPersona 5did not get a worldwide release at launch. While it initially launched in Japan, it was brought to the West seven months later. Had it been given a worldwide release, it’s possible it would could have been the publisher’s fastest-selling game.
However, while breaking downMetaphor’ssuccess is interesting - another factor is likely its setting. Just likeFinal Fantasy 16saw, players seem drawn to medieval fantasy worlds - it’s the outcome of its success that poses a more fascinating question.WhileMetaphor: ReFantazioisn’t the only JRPG to have sold well, the speed of its success means that it didn’t have to grow into a cult classic, its sales spurred on by word of mouth only. This will likely interest publishers looking for its next big hit and could mean more are willing to take a chance on a big-budget JRPG.
We Could Be Getting More Big Budget JRPGs In The Future
More Games Like Final Fantasy Rebirth & Metaphor: ReFantazio
It seems like there’s finally a greater chance of getting more frequent triple-A JRPGs fans have been dreaming about, in large part thanks to the efforts of games likeMetaphorandFinal Fantasy 7: Rebirth. While there are a handful ofJRPGs that had a substantial budget- theLike a Dragon,Xenoblade, andFinal Fantasyseries stand out as obvious examples - far too often JRPGs are pumped out with little scope and ambition, making them feel repetitive and without innovation. Fortunately, there’s a good chance that now they’re clearly profitable, publishers will be more willing to invest in them.
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While large-scale publishers tend to push one out occasionally - with Square Enix and SEGA being the rare exception as they produce far more on average than any other publisher -it often feels like JRPGs are treated as the lower-budget cousin of RPGs. While there are many recognizable brands within the JRPG genre, rarely do they get the full big-budget treatment that the likes of Microsoft, Sony, EA, and Activision spend on other franchises. It’s unlikely to see aYsgame or aDragon Questtitle get the same budget asThe Elder Scrolls,Cyberpunk 2077, orCall of Duty.
This is a great shame, as not only do JRPGs clearly have a lot to offer the gaming community, but they’re just as worthy of the attention and mass market appeal as RPGs.Allocating bigger budgets to JRPGs would allow them to realize their full ambition, implement more innovative mechanics, experiment with new mechanics and ideas, and get more resources to tell their epic narratives. It certainly would have helped past games, likeChrono CrossandXenogears, to actually be completed.
Metaphor Could Be The Next Baldur’s Gate 3
Introducing A New Generation To JRPGs
It’s possible thatMetaphor: ReFantaziocould go on to have a similar trajectory toBaldur’s Gate 3, helping to introduce a new wave of more casual players to a more niche video game genre thanks to its excellent mechanics and overall great design.BG3took what felt like a dying genre and turned it into a huge success, with developers almost certainly looking to replicate its success. Of course, a large part of that was the huge social media push that saw the game’s overall recognition skyrocket, prompting more players to purchase it to see what all the fuss was about.
It’s possible thatMetaphor: ReFantaziocould go on to have a similar trajectory toBaldur’s Gate 3.
Metaphor: ReFantaziois already heading in that direction, with itscontroversial music drawing attentionas well as its more notable and positive aspects, of course.The power of word of mouth is far greater now than it ever has been before, and the likes ofMetaphorare greatly benefiting from it. EvenElden Ringserves as a good example of how a niche genre can become an overnight sensation, with the rise of soulslikes largely owing their success to its attempts at appealing to a wider audience.
Metaphor: ReFantazio Repeats A Classic Persona Problem
Metaphor: ReFantazio borrows everything from Persona - combat, Social Links, and even its greatest flaw. Here’s what it should’ve done instead.
JRPGs have certainly been on the rise for some time now, and theFinal Fantasyseries' increased graphical fidelity and larger scopes are evidence of that. However, the genre’s more widespread appeal is only starting to grow, andMetaphor: ReFantazio’simmediate success is proof of that. There’s a good chance that the world will be seeing more games likeMetaphor: ReFantazioand bigger-budget JRPGs in general, in the coming future.
