On December 25, 2024, Japan’s legendary Weekly Famitsu videogame magazine company interviewed Katsura Hashino, the director for Atlus’ most recent JRPG mega-hit, Metaphor: ReFantazio (via a translation provided by PersonaCentral). According to this interview, Katsura Hashino states that there are currently no concrete plans for a sequel but he hopes that Metaphor: ReFantazio will get one someday.
He mentions that he has an idea to make Metaphor: ReFantazio’s sequel take place in a Sengoku period but he jokingly realizes that going in that direction would turn the game into something similar to the Basara franchise.
On top of a potential sequel, Katsura Hashino hopes to turn Metaphor: ReFantazio into a long-running franchise and become Atlus’ third JRPG flagship series standing alongside the likes of the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series.
As a long-time fan of Atlus JRPGs, I can confidently say Metaphor: ReFantazio certainly has earned the right for a sequel to explore its fantastical world further as it was one of the best Xbox games and best PC games I played in 2024. The combat and exploration gameplay was a fantastic blend of Atlus’ previous works, the characters were extremely likable and memorable, the art design for the monsters was completely insane, it was jam-packed with imaginative lore, and the plot was so compelling it won our pick for “Best Story Direction” in the Windows Central Game Awards 2024.
I’m not the only one who loved it either as my colleague Zachary Boddy gave Metaphor: ReFantazio a glowing 4.5/5 review despite never playing an Atlus JRPG before. Additionally, in less than 24 hours after Metaphor: ReFantazio launched on October 11, 2024, it sold over one million copies and became Atlus’ fastest-selling title of all time history, outselling the critically acclaimed Persona 3: Reload which was also released earlier this year.
2024 was an outstanding year for Atlus and I can’t wait to see what it has in store for the future whether it’s a sequel for Metaphor: ReFantazio, finally announcing Persona 6, or another new IP altogether.
