Metaphor: ReFantazio had to dial back an early battle system inspired by a notoriously brutal 2003 JRPG, because 20 years later, players found it "irrational" and "just not fun"

A screenshot from Metaphor: ReFantazio of Strohl's awakening scene.

Metaphor: ReFantazio originally had a much more brutal battle system that took notes from the notoriously challenging 2003 JRPG Shin Megami Tensei 3: Nocturne, but thankfully Atlus had mercy on players and dialed it back.

Speaking at year's Game Developers Conference, Metaphor: ReFantazio lead battle planner Kenichi Goto, who's been instrumental to Atlus combat systems going back to Shin Megami Tensei 3, said the original plan was to carry over that game's system of sometimes randomly deciding who goes first in a battle regardless of who initiated the fight.