When I talk to friends about Metaphor: ReFantazio, I really try to do so without constantly mentioning Persona in the same breath. Now that I've had the opportunity to preview the game for approximately four hours, I might as well give up. Within a handful of minutes my blue-haired protagonist entered a big city for his first time, met a character who had "future best friend" written all over him, and they soon found themselves facing a powerful monster that would surely kill them both. Just in the nick of time, an otherworldly power emerged from the depths of my protagonist's soul. Guided by a mascot fairy companion who provides commentary in battles, I commanded him to cast elemental magic and vanquish it for good. The main character didn't literally scream "Persona!" but I sure was thinking it.
From there I kept a tally of how many trademark Atlus RPG mechanics I noticed. I saw a "Velvet Room" in the form of a library where I could customize my party's powers. The Press Turn mechanic from Shin Megami Tensei appears. Social Links, social stats, a calendar system—maybe they have different names and purposes in Metaphor, but they're all undoubtedly here.
