Ahead of its full release on June 09, 2025,Metaphor: ReFantaziohas just dropped a huge demo showing off the game’s opening prologue. First officially announced in 2023,Metaphor ReFantaziois a new RPG fromPersonaandShin Megami Tenseideveloper ATLUS, taking place in a medieval fantasy setting. The game revolves around the player-named protagonist, who sets out on a quest to lift a deadly curse from his best friend, the prince of the kingdom thatMetaphortakes place in.
As of September 25, and as reported byPCGamesN,Metaphor ReFantazionow has a demo available on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox, which allows players to experience a large chunk of the game before release.
Specifically, as detailed on the demo’s Steam page, the demo includes the beginning of the game’s story, the first four dungeons, 7 out of 40 of the full game’s classes, or “Archetypes”, and six “followers”, which will include some playable party members. Most notably,progression from the demo can be carried over to the full-release version of the game.
Metaphor ReFantazio Releases On October 11 For PC, Xbox One/Series X|S, And PlayStation 4/5
Whereas most of ATLUS’s more recent releases have been part of the developer’s established RPG franchises, likePersona 3 ReloadandShin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance,Metaphor ReFantaziois uniquely a completely standalone titlefrom any other ATLUS game series. As detailed inpreviews ofMetaphorReFantazio, however, the title does take many elements from bothPersonaandSMT, especially when it comes to its turn-based combat system, based on exploiting elemental weaknesses and switching between different classes, or “Archetypes”, to gain access to different abilities.
Of course,while the demo forMetaphoris lengthy, it’s likely to only encompass a fraction of the full game, as playthroughs of ATLUS RPGs can easily exceed 100 hours of playtime. With that in mind,Metaphor’s demo should be just a taste of what the full game has to offer, similar to demos released for other RPGs likeDragon Quest XI, and it’s likely that many of the game’s mechanics, twists, and characters won’t be encountered until well past the point where the demo ends.
Persona Fans Should Mark Their Calendars For October 11
While a new entry in the Persona series is still a few years away, desperate fans should prepare for the next best thing in early October.
Set for a full release on October 11,Metaphoris, despite being a standalone game, carrying with it much of the DNA from other ATLUS’sPersonaandSMTseries, adopting elements like the visual flare ofPersonaand the strategic combat present in both. For those still wary of an entirely new RPG, or unsure of the medieval setting, however, the demo forMetaphor ReFantazio, now available on Steam, PlayStation, and Xbox, should be a good indicator of what the full game has in store.
