Shin Megami Tensei and Persona have been pillar franchises for Atlus, and for the JRPG space as a whole, for well over a decade. With the upcoming release of Metaphor: ReFantazio, lead creators from both series are launching a new IP that seems to be somewhere in the middle of these two stylistically. Metaphor's DNA is undeniable, but it comes with at least one massive change: there's a proper job system this time. We haven't really seen anything like this from the Persona or SMT teams since the Digital Devil Saga games of the mid 2000s (arguable spinoffs notwithstanding), and it's hugely exciting to see their take on what's widely considered a staple of the genre.
After a bit of hands-on time that left me utterly smitten with Metaphor's stylish UI and slick combat – both turn-based and, for easy enemies, real-time action – I spoke to director Katsura Hashino and character designer Shigenori Soejima (via interpreter) about Metaphor's origins, development, and ambitions. Hashino started in SMT but has directed and produced multiple core Persona entries going back to Persona 3, and Soejima has been a lead character designer or art director on about as much of the series. Both worked on Persona 5, easily the most successful game between these two franchises, and they're joined by Persona composer Shoji Meguro, who sadly wasn't at Summer Game Fest for interviews.
