Metaphor: ReFantaziois officially getting a manga, and fortunately, fans won’t have to wait long to read it.Metaphor: ReFantaziois a wholly original JRPG by Studio Zero, a branch of Atlus founded by the same team behind thePersonafranchise. The game was an instant hit with fans and critics alike, and it’s considered to be one of the best games of 2024, by far.
Metaphor: ReFantaziohas been a major success, even winning multiple awards at theGame Awards 2024, and there’s plenty more in store for the game. Shortly before the game’s release, it was announced that it would receive a manga adaptation in 2025, and less than a week before its debut,it’s been announced that theMetaphor: ReFantaziomanga would be simultaneously published in English on the Manga Plus app starting from January 21. Not much is known about the manga, but with how great the original game was, there’s plenty to be excited about.
What Fans Can Expect From Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Manga
While not much is currently known about theMetaphor: ReFantaziomanga, similar manga from Atlus titles give an idea of what to expect. ThePersonagames all received manga adaptations that, while largely sticking to their original stories, all did great jobs of fleshing out their characters and reworking things into a more linear narrative.Persona, of course, isMetaphor: ReFantazio’s biggest contemporary thanks to sharing a creative team, sofans can expect theMetaphor: ReFantaziomanga to be like thePersonamanga in that it will expand on the characters and overarching story.
Another point is what could potentially be done with the protagonist. WhileMetaphor: ReFantazio’s protagonist isn’t as emotionless as other JRPG protagonists, he’s still largely written as someone the player can insert themselves into, soMetaphor: ReFantazio’s manga can be an easy means of giving the protagonist a more defined personality that properly ties into the story. ThePersonamanga are also known for doing this, and it would be great to see that happen again withMetaphor: ReFantazio.
Why Metaphor: ReFantazio Will Be Perfect As A Manga
Regardless of whatever changesMetaphor: ReFantazio’s manga might bring, there’s plenty of reason to be excited about it. For starters, much like thePersonaandShin Megami Tenseigames,Metaphor: ReFantaziohas incredible character designs for heroes and villains alike, especially for the iconic Humans based on the works of Hieronymus Bosch. Everything about the game’s visuals already looks great in the game, and ideally,Metaphor: ReFantazio’s manga will be another means of showing off how great the game’s character designs are with stunning 2D artwork.
More than that, of course, is the writing. The original game was so great to play because of its dark storytelling and incredibly thorough worldbuilding, all while never fully abandoning the lighthearted character beats of thePersonafranchise, soMetaphor: ReFantazio’s manga will be great to read because it will be another way to experience the fantastic storytelling of the game, all with a new execution of things, to boot. Overall, theMetaphor: ReFantaziomanga already has a lot going for it, and it’s sure to be an exciting read from January onward.
