Limited MP and challenging bosses aren't a problem in Metaphor Refantazio, in fact they're part of the RPG's lasting appeal

I beat Metaphor Refantazio in under a week. Not for work, not on some arbitrary deadline, but because the game has some bite to it. The story? Amazing. The presentation? Absurd. But, more than anything, it's a game that treats you like an adult. It gives you enough freedom to play through the game the way you like, sure, but it doesn't stop you from charging headfirst into tricky situations either. It's a beautiful thing.

I first learned this lesson the hard way in the game's opening hours, when challenged to clear out Belega Corridor while Zorba is messing around in the Cathedral. The game outright tells you through follower dialogue that this dungeon would be harder than Zorba's nonsense, but who cares right? If I'm not 100% efficient clearing out this game on my first playthrough I'm a bozo and shouldn't even try.

It's safe to say that the Corridor messed me up! I wasn't really listening, wasn't paying attention. I didn't buy informant info that told you that mage and cleric classes trigger a frenzy state, which resulted in a game over. Then, when I clocked that, I got to the Guptauros boss and got beaten up again. Defeated and humbled, I travelled back to town having wasted a day. Straight loser behaviour.

However, Metaphor Refantazio may be a harsh teacher, but it isn't an uncaring one. The game provides surplus days to complete quests, grind out royal virtues, (like Wisdom, which I was farming right up until the last few days) max out follower relationships and buy gear in the shady part of town. I walked away bruised by the Guptauros and was stronger for it. I bought every bit of info on dungeons I could, I made sure I had a nice spread of archetypes across my party, and I made sure I was well stocked with handy items and equipment. I would never sweat about clearing content in Metaphor again.

This was a nice thought, and it reframed the rest of a game in a magical way. The main bosses gradually ramp up the difficulty in a pleasing curve that demands more from you. You need to target specific points on a boss to minimise damage, then around 50% of the way through need to have at least a basic understanding of elemental weaknesses. Then, when you fight a big story boss near the final town, you need to figure out how to create weaknesses and exploit them. You need to know which inhereted skills are crucial. By the time I reached the game's closing hours, I had a strong understanding of how everything worked. Assisted by the game's generous auto saves, hints, and fluid class system.

This is all well and good until the final twenty or so days of the game rolled around. I had three companions left to max, my wisdom sat at a lowish 4/5, I couldn't find the last two talismans for the Devil Summoner class and I was missing four masks for Persona Master. This, plus the three optional dragon tower bosses that pop up here, really push you to your limits. You don't have to complete everything, but who doesn't want to get the best ending in a 60+ hour Atlus RPG? Judging from online sentiment, this portion of the game manifested as a brick wall for many. For me, it was a playground. Spurring me on to figure stuff out and actually encouraging me to reload a save and grind out enemies for archetype XP so I could try out new approaches. I had pocket Gunners, Elemental Masters, Dancers, and more prepped and waiting for the next big challenge.

It all culminates at the game's peak - a totally optional side boss that one shot kills you. Straight up. No explanation, no assistance. A big question mark you've got to scrub out. Figuring out the gimmick here was electric, an espresso shot of achievement that rewards you in kind with an amazing prize and a sense that you can take out anything. Going forward, you probably can. I can't separate the overall experience of Metaphor without this sensation. It would be like trying to remove the Szechuan burn from a delicious meal, it would all fall flat. If you see the MP grinding on mage classes or XP barriers to unlocking royal archetypes as a roadblock, then you're missing the forest for the trees.

Like, boo hoo, I'm fighting an optional boss in Metaphor Refantazio that I don't even need to beat, and I didn't rotate my saves, so now I can't go back and buy the anti-charm items that'll trivialise it. Sure, I could turn the difficulty to easy, or build my team around clearing status ailments, but I don't want to! Listen to yourself. You're an adult. If you think the consequences for not preparing in Metaphor are rough, try getting a job. Or just put it on easy!

I have pity for one group only in this conversation, and that's the gamers who don't know to rotate their saves. Yeah, that's a rough one. A brick wall we all have to bash our head through every now and again. This was drilled into me by Lost Odyssey a million years ago, and I have no doubt Metaphor will do the same for many. but this is a good thing, ultimately. Like learning to tie your shoes, you've just gotta sit down and do it.

Once you've got that locked down, Metaphor Refantazio is a perfectly crafted RPG with a artisanally made difficulty curve, and the process of overcoming it is addictive. To remove it from the game would lessen it, as to triumph over it is the glue that ties the whole thing together. It's why I'll probably play through the game again one day, on a harder difficulty. If there's no barrier to completing everything and getting that perfect save file, then you may as well remove the hard optional content altogether. To do that, though, would be a tragedy.