Metaphor: ReFantazio's Ambush Mechanics Are a Double-Edged Sword

Summary

Metaphor: ReFantaziohas finally arrived, bringing with it the bones of Atlus’Personaseries, along with some new muscles to make it feel like a fresh experience. One of the most significantchanges made toMetaphor: ReFantaziofromPersonalies in its combat, which includes an iteration of thePersonaseries' ambush mechanics.

Atlus’Personaseries has utilized ambush mechanics for some time, and now they are back inMetaphor: ReFantazio, functioning similarly to how they always have. Fans of thePersonaseries are likely well-acquainted withMetaphor’s ambush mechanics already, but something different aboutMetaphorin comparison toPersonamakes those mechanics a bit of a double-edged sword.

Metaphor ReFantazio Tag Page Cover Art

Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Ambush Mechanics Can Be Highly Rewarding

The best thing aboutMetaphor: ReFantazio’s ambush mechanics is how undeniably rewarding they can be. If players fill an enemy’s stun meter by attacking them in the wild first, the enemies that spawn will be stunned for at least an entire round of turns. Ultimately, this means players can potentially exhaust two rounds of turn icons before their enemies even have a chance to attack. With how difficultMetaphor: ReFantazio’s combatcan be at times, this means it’s often imperative that players get that ambush advantage and benefit from those free attacks.

Ambushing enemies can also be a great way to conserve MP, especially if enemies can be vanquished before the stun effect resides.

What truly makes ambushing enemies inMetaphor: ReFantaziosuch a desirable and strategic choice is the “Unscathed Triumph” feature, which awards players bonus Exp,Archetype Exp, MAG, and Reeve, the game’s currency. If players are able to defeat enemies without ever taking damage in combat, they will obtain the “Unscathed Triumph” bonus at the end of the battle. As such, it can be a vastly rewarding pattern to establish, especially early on inMetaphor: ReFantazio’s story.

Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Difficulty Means Its Ambush Mechanics Can Result in Fatal Encounters

Unfortunately, while the benefits ofMetaphor: ReFantazio’s ambush mechanicsoften provide players with an opportunity to execute a fairly easy win, they are arguably outweighed by some severe disadvantages — and this is especially noticeable inMetaphor’s early game and when playing on higher difficulties.Metaphor: ReFantaziois a fairly grindy experience, with a challenge steep enough to merit players wandering around in dungeons for hours, farming the enemies within to level up their characters and obtain better gear.

In light of that, ambushing enemies is always the best route to take, but the tables drastically turn when players are ambushed by an enemy.

Should players get hit by an enemy, they will automatically enter combat in an ambushed state, with the added drawback of a chance to be afflicted byMetaphor’s Anxiety mechanic. In other words, whereas players need to attack enemies enough times to fill up their stun meter before triggering an ambush against their foes, taking just one hit from an enemy results in an ambush against the party. Generally, this would be understandable, consideringMetaphor’s combat needs to be balanced and yet challenging. However, getting ambushed by enemies inMetaphorcan quickly lead to either a game-over screen or to a party so wounded that costly MP and consumables must be used to heal them.

A certain point of view might propose that there are moments inMetaphor: ReFantaziowhere it feels as though the game relies too heavily on its ambush mechanics. It does make sense to balance things well when it comes to combat, and that is obviously whatMetaphoris trying to do. It seems to give the enemies the same advantage that the players have over them when triggering an ambush, butMetaphor’s high difficultymight suggest otherwise. Nevertheless, at the very least,Metaphor’s ambush mechanics have a side to them that is astoundingly rewarding, so perhaps they are more a blessing in disguise.