Metaphor: ReFantazio is a lengthy game, and many players have yet to make it past Grand Trad. With 80-100 hours of playtime, it’s hard not to get lost in its political drama.
As it is such a sprawling game, it's not a surprise that there are plenty of things in this game that are not explicit but can help you out.
Here are nine tips you should know about.
Retry Battles
Metaphor’s cheeky new way to avoid gameovers is its ‘Retry’ function. If you start an encounter with an Ambush, you can simply retry and start over again. This doesn’t take any time, as it instantly resets the encounter.
Say you failed to stun an enemy via overworld combat, and you’re hearing boss music, which means the enemy successfully hit you. That’s an ambush, giving the enemy more advantage in its turns.
This is especially useful during tough enemy encounters where you don’t know their Weakness. If, for some reason, you fight against a monster that repels Wind Damage, you can just press the Retry button and not cast Wind again. Simple. Note that Retrying doesn’t take you out of the fight, so you must eliminate all enemies or use escape.
Pass, Pass, Pass
Passing is an important gameplay mechanic during intense enemy encounters. Unlike the Persona games, where we always get an advantage every time we exploit an enemy's weakness, Metaphor doesn’t have that. Instead, it adapts Shin Megami Tensei’s classic ‘Press Turn’ combat system.
Passing is necessary as it doesn’t fully spend the ‘Press Turn’ crystals. It only reduces it to half. You can do another turn if you press pass on the selected hero. This rotates to the next team member, giving you more options to strategize.
This is helpful for encounters where one party member lacks abilities to exploit the enemy's weakness. If Hulkenberg can’t deal physical damage against an enemy, you can pass and give that turn to Strohl with his Warrior Archetype.
Check the Pantry Every Day
Many of Metaphor’s slice-of-life scenarios are found inside the Gauntlet Runner. This is your trusty metallic hulk of machinery that can let you and your party traverse great distances. Every political candidate in the Kingdom of Euchronia should have it; your party isn’t the only one with it.
It has a kitchen, capsule beds, a Teleporter, washrooms, and a Pantry. This repository of cooking ingredients gets restocked every day. Paying close attention to it can give you random cooking ingredients every time you visit it, perfect for cooking with your followers.
Maintain Good Hygiene
Being King requires more than five Royal Virtues; cleanliness also leads to kingliness. Maintaining good hygiene may sound crazy for a game with magic and fairies, but it is as important as leveling up.
Your protagonist needs to discharge his waste and clean off his sweat after a long day. The Toilet and the Washroom are adjacent to the pantry, meaning you can do all three tasks together daily.
Using the Washroom can earn you a 100 EXP bonus. While it is not substantial, at least it’s free and doesn’t consume time.
The toilets, however, are another thing. Your first venture into the bathroom doesn’t mean much. However, if you keep doing it repeatedly, it grants you a special +1 bonus in your Luck Stat. Making it a habit to check the pantry, take a bath, and use the toilet daily can give you a massive advantage in the long run.
Debate!
Metaphor is a game about politics. It talks about various social issues, such as systemic racism, segregation, poverty, and corruption. For a game with talking bats and magical fairies, it has a mature theme that can resonate with players.
The protagonist is among the many candidates vying for the crown. Healthy political discussions against rival parties can spark interest in the masses. Stepping into any Podium can pit you against your political opponents, and picking the correct response to their arguments can net you points for your Eloquence and Imagination Virtues.
These aren’t everyday occasions. So it’s best to check the nearest podium to see if someone is campaigning on it and simply debate them. If there isn’t, you get to do your speeches without intervention.
Merchant Makes Money Trivial
Of all the Archetypes, the Merchant trivializes the game’s monetary system, especially in mid-game. This can be unlocked after forging a Bond with Briggita, the Rhoag, and the proprietor of the Lycaon Igniter Shop.
The Merchant’s passive ability is called ‘Alchemy’ and can double the amount of Reeves you get from overworld and turn-based combat. This is ideal for dungeons where you are over-leveled and can simply take down lesser enemies in the overworld.
By the time you leave the Dungeon, you’re guaranteed 2 or 10 times richer.
Level Up Important Bonds
Like Persona’s Social Links, leveling up Bonds in Metaphor can give you beneficial rewards. Each of the twelve major Bonds has its own unique skills that can be unlocked after reaching a specific level.
Getting More’s bond to Level 2 can acquaint you with seamless Archetype swapping. This opens up a new UI in the menu where you can upgrade and swap Archetypes without visiting the Akademia.
Leveling up Maria’s Bond to Level 3 is important as well. It grants the ability of ‘Speed Cooking’ where time no longer advances. You can only do this once per day, though. But at least it gives more use to the pantry and kitchen and doesn’t mess up our schedule.
Idlesday & Metalsday Offer BIG Discounts
The game’s 5-day Calendar System isn’t just a way to check how many days are left for your next political campaign. It is also a reminder that some days, huge discounts are offered for select products.
During Idlesday, item shop prices drop to a staggeringly low price during its ‘Big Bargain Day.’ MP and HP Regenerating potions are cheaper than usual so that you can spend Reeves without a care.
Metalsday has its own unique event, ‘Weapon/Armour Shop Discount Day.’ Every 29th of the month, prices for Armor, Weapons, and select items are significantly reduced. Perfect for buying that one specific Armor you couldn’t get before.
You Can Pet The Cat
Finally, for our final tip, you can pet the cat. This isn’t really useful, but there’s nothing wrong with petting the Akademia’s resident cat, Plateau. So, if you’re visiting the Akademia, make sure to give Plateau your attention. If you check up on him daily, the cat might even give you special items.
