Acclaimed 2024 GOTY nominated RPG receives Black Friday price drop

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Over the past couple of decades, Atlus has become one of the premier role-playing game developers in Japan, with hit after hit in the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series. For the first time in many years, they’ve launched a brand new IP that’s already garnered huge acclaim, with Golden Joystick and Game Awards nominations quickly following.

The game in question is Metaphor: ReFantazio, and right now you can pick it up on Amazon for £34.49, down from £59.99, on both PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and S.

Metaphor picks up Atlus’s patented blend of role-playing combat and dungeon crawling with a deep social simulator system, giving players regular gear shifts in their gameplay whilst slowly deepening their understanding of the game’s world and characters.

Set in a fantasy world with futuristic elements, it follows the story of a kingdom whose late king decrees that the next ruler will be elected by its people, setting the protagonist on a quest to take the throne. With complex themes, thoughtful characterisation, a deep and exciting combat system, and plenty of options for customisation, many players believe Atlus has reached new heights in creating immersive and moreish RPGs.

Amazon customers clearly agree that this one’s special, with 4.5 out of 5 stars averaged across 40 ratings.

“What Atlus has achieved here is a truly outstanding, 100+ hour, RPG - one that I hope will see it launch a new 'third pillar' IP to Atlus' portfolio; SMT, Persona and now Metaphor: ReFantazio,” said one five-star review. “I can't recommend this game enough! Support developers that strive to give gamers something fresh and exciting.”

“Fun and innovative JRPG mechanics with a gorgeous soundtrack, interesting story and loveable characters,” said another happy player. “Cannot recommend enough!”

Another added: “This game has placed itself as one of my top 5 favourite games of all time and will stay with me for a long time, throughout my 30 years of gaming that is a rare thing for games to be able to do these days.”

Low-scoring customer reviews are rare for this one. “One thing I didn't like was after completing you couldn't go back and continue roaming round,” said one otherwise positive assessment.

On Xbox, one player lamented a lengthy install process. “This game comes on two discs. It installed 27GB from disc 1, and downloaded 50GB. They didn't mention that buying this game on disc still requires you to download loads of data. It never asked for disc 2, so who knows what that's for.”

Metaphor: ReFantazio has a score of 94 on Metacritic, tying it in first place for PS5 games in 2024 alongside Astro Bot and Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree. Astro Bot is available at Game for just £49, and you can pick up the Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree expansion on the PlayStation Store for £32.99. FYI, you need the Elden Ring base game in order to play Shadow of the Erdtree.

But for hundreds of hours of gameplay, a high-energy storyline and intricate systems, be sure to check out Metaphor: ReFantazio to find out what all the fuss is about.