"Fantasy is escapist, and that is its glory. If a soldier is imprisoned by the enemy, don't we consider it his duty to escape? If we value the freedom of mind and soul, if we're partisans of liberty, then it's our plain duty to escape, and to take as many people with us as we can!" - J. R. R. Tolkien. Seeing his perspective on the fantasy genre really raises my expectations for this game's story!

Happy to see that being stylish has become part of modern Atlus's identity. Aesthetically it looks like a very Atlus take on medieval fantasy. I'm especially digging the design of things like that one town, the airship, and the character outfits. Super interesting that they're taking inspiration from 60s fashion given the setting. Great video as always, Alex!

The thought process the core dev team had for this game was very fascinating to hear and it gets me excited for Metaphor even more. Can't wait.

As a total noob to these games (only having played P5R), that game really stuck with me with its themes and the relationships between characters, so I get what Hashino said about fears and the exploration of those feelings through a story. Great video, Alex! Thank you so much!

I love the quote that fantasy exists because there's something we want to change in the world. I think i can agree with that. One of the things that gravitates me towards fantasy is their settings. They feel very lively and are set when the times are simple.

I'm a huge fantasy fan, and one of the things I like so much about the genre is how it bends the rules of reality to emphasize what the creator wants to say or explore. I hate when people see it as being somehow lesser than literary fiction or simply as cheap entertainment because there is so much potential for deep storytelling and interesting angles not possible when adhering strictly to things possible in real life. In great fantasy works every alteration made to create the world has a purpose, it serves to convey the theme in a fresh or special way. Metaphor is a great name for a fantasy game/series and this whole talk has me really hyped.

Ive always loved Star Ocean's approach to medieval settings with modern technology.

The art direction alone is enough to keep this game on my radar. it's clear they have a very specific and unique vision for this game

Super interesting video! I love the direction they’re taking with it, especially the modern fantasy reimagining. I like trying to imagine what it could look like to take a generic fantasy setting, and move the clock forward a couple thousand years or so. How would their world look similar to ours? How would it look different? The idea that they’re trying to make this their third main pillar alongside SMT and Persona is also really exciting to me. And lastly, the idea that the music is really part of the UI is genius. Really something I’ve never thought about, and something to consider in regards to game dev.

Thank you for making this Alex!! Looking forward to this game already 😁

After FFXVI, this is the game that I am most excited for. I love that Atlus always takes an offbeat approach accompanied with so much style and Metaphor looks like no exception to that, that is evident. What really propels this to the stratosphere for me though is that it is clear that this team of veterans have such a bold and confident vision for this game that seeps out of every frame we've seen. From the unique character design (I love that alien fennec fox looking Heismay) to the Art Deco+Renaissance fantasy world to the painterly menus to the unique in game social systems that are hinted at, this is a game only this team could make. And this interview sealed the deal--hearing Hashino's thoughts on the fantasy genre's relation to our real modern lives is hinting toward a game with an impactful story that tends towards the meta. It also can't be understated how nice it is to see a big turn based RPG still coming out in this era where all the big series are tending towards action. Who would've guessed that this announcement would come out of left field this year to rise to the top of my most anticipated upcoming games? It looks like the kind of game that might appear to me in my dreams and I couldn't be more hyped for it!

this was great! thanks for deep analysis of the minds behind the game. more thought provoking videos like this from you is awesome! ❤ 🇵🇭

I can’t wait to play this game, I appreciate everything you do.

Great wholesome video and insights of yours

The moment I saw a trailer for this game it was the motifs of religion, demonology, and philosophies that were striking to me. I initially didn't see this game as another SMT or Persona, this is something that's entirely different. From observation the world of Metaphor is a hybrid of both high fantasy and modern reality with the concept of fear surrounding it. I'll be patiently waiting for more information about it because I'm highly intrigued on this new game from Atlus.

i love this Video thank you

Alex, how awesome does this game look?? Also, thank you very much for making this! I've been wanting to watch this all day, but I've been busy with work, so I don't have time to read the subtitles. This is even better!

Pretty crazy to think that when this releases P5 would have been out 8 years in Japan.

This is easily my most anticipated game of next year! This may sound odd, but it sort of makes me think about Scarlet Nexus, a game in which creators known for a certain series got to make something really new and different, and I can't wait to see how Metaphor plays out. A side note, but in the Xbox trailer, I couldn't help but notice that the menus have B as confirm and A as cancel, which is unusual for Xbox, even in Japan. Very interested to see if that sticks (or at the very least if you get full button customization)

I am so excited for this. Looks really good. I would be happy if this just ends up being persona in a fantasy setting but I think it will be more.

This reveal was super hype especially after P3Reload being leaked. Super gassed from everything they’re talking about and got me thinking it’s gonna be more Persona than traditional SMT difficultly. I’m wondering with all the modern n fantasy, is this gonna be an Isekai?

This really interesting interview and i feel excited for the metaphor to release next year

Hashino maybe not, but Soejima and Atlus made a game called Stella Deus..which was high fantasy

I think it's a miracle this wasn't just quietly cancelled after like half a decade since it's announcement. I hope it doesn't meet the same fate as Soul Hacker after launch. Thanks for the update on this one 🙏

I still remember when this game was announced a few years or so ago and then we never heard anything about it since aside from a whole bunch of persona 5 promotion. But at least we finally got some information surrounding the game and I do find it interesting that they're gonna take design cues for the outfits of the characters with the sixties being an inspiration for some of the character designs at least for their outfits. I don't think not a lot of JRPGs actually do that and while I can feel the Persona influence, the minute I heard that piece of music, it sounds VERY different then any of the Jpop urban songs of the Persona series, like it feels like a fantasy world with some modern ideas. I'm interested in this because it means that they're gonna try to branch out to have another franchise rather than just SMT or persona.

I guess I'm first 🥇🏆 Edit: KZfaq was bugging out for me so I guess I'm not first 😢