Metaphor: ReFantazio Uses One of Final Fantasy 16's Best Features

Summary

Atlus' latest IP,Metaphor: ReFantazio,is finally here, and based on its reception, it’s looking like another worthy Game of the Year contender for 2024. This is due in large part to the fresh featuresMetaphor: ReFantazioadds to Atlus’Personaformula, but the game also seems to draw inspiration from a non-Atlus game as well — specifically,Final Fantasy 16.

Final Fantasy 16introduced plenty of non-traditional featuresto theFinal Fantasyfranchise, including real-time action combat. However, while its combat largely remains at the forefront of its memory, one of its best features prefers to hide in the background. As it turns out,Metaphor: ReFantaziotook that feature and ran with it. The feature in question isFinal Fantasy 16’s Active Time Lore.

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Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Memorandum Is Essentially Final Fantasy 16’s Active Time Lore

Final Fantasy 16’s Active Time Lore Grants Players Immediate Access to the Game’s Lore

Final Fantasy 16’s Active Time Lore is a revolutionary toolwhen it comes to lore-heavy video games, as it allows players to access in-depth information about the game’s lore at any time, whether during a cinematic or an exchange of dialogue between characters. Active Time Lore isn’t just a simple encyclopedia of information, as most lore books are in other games. Rather than providing players with a single description of the game’s characters and world,Final Fantasy 16’s Active Time Lore features lore that evolves over time as the game introduces new information. Players can then go back and look at each step of that lore’s evolution, seeing what little was known when it was first revealed and then witnessing its evolution as it has grown more complex with every detail-ridden conversation and story beat.

Final Fantasy 16’s developerimplemented Active Time Lore because even it was unable to keep up with the game’s complex lore, despite creating it in the first place.

Another aspect of Active Time Lore that makes it such an excellent feature is its accessibility. If players need more information aboutFinal Fantasy 16’s world, they can access the game’s lore instantly without navigating complex menus, especially when it comes to whatever is currently happening in the game. This allows players to stay immersed inFinal Fantasy 16’s rich world, getting quick reminders about the game’s lore as opposed to doing a deep dive looking for it.

Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Memorandum Allows Players to Research Keywords in Conversations

Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Memorandum functions similarly toFinal Fantasy 16’s Active Time Lore feature in that players can access it at almost any time, and it will typically take them to entries that are most relevant to the current dialogue. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to access the Memorandum during most cinematics asActive Time Loreallows. However, it can be pulled up in the middle of just about every in-game conversation, as well as when players are out exploringMetaphor’s world.

When players are introduced to a new keyword (highlighted in color) inMetaphor: ReFantazio’s dialogue, opening the Memorandum will generally take them straight to that topic’s entry in the lore book. Like Active Time Lore, some characters and information even have multiple entries inMetaphor’s Memorandum. Leon Strohl, for instance, has one entry titled “Strohl” and another entry titled “On Strohl,” both of which provide different information about the character.

Metaphor: ReFantazio’s Memorandum functions similarly toFinal Fantasy 16’s Active Time Lore feature in that players can access it at almost any time…

It’s great to seeFinal Fantasy 16’s Active Time Lore getting the attention it deserves byMetaphor: ReFantazioimplementing a similar featurefor players to take advantage of. Even within the first few hours of the game, it’s fairly easy to discern just how complex the world ofMetaphor: ReFantaziotruly is, so the ease with which players can access the information contained within its extensive Memorandum is a refreshing addition and a sign that whatFinal Fantasy 16started may continue.