10 Best Games Like Metaphor: ReFantazio

Metaphor: ReFantazio is a pretty distinct game, but it’s not totally unique – there are lots of other RPGs like it. Its main claim to fame is its blend of social sim elements and typical turn-based RPG battling. Even that, though, isn’t a completely original concept, and is part of a bigger formula that Atlus has stuck to for some time now.

But when a player finishes Metaphor, as with any 80-plus-hour RPG, it’s easy to feel like there’s a hole left in their heart. The only thing that can fill it is another RPG, something similar, but not something that’s attempting to be exactly the same. That’s where these ten games come in: each of them has an element that’s similar to something in Metaphor: ReFantaz io, but maintain unique identities of their own.

Fighting For Justice

It may seem a little obvious, but Persona 5 Royal and Metaphor: ReFantazio share a lot of the same DNA. Each game in the Persona series since P3 has been divided into two halves: dungeon crawler and social sim. The player’s performance in combat affects their relationships, and their relationships affect their abilities in combat. Besides that, Persona 5 and Metaphor share some common themes, with both centering on a group of people with a strong sense of justice. They even have similar combat mechanics, with summoned spirits and bonuses for striking enemy weaknesses.

Persona 5 Royal
is the enhanced re-release of the original
P5
, including new Personas and story content.

Their characters and settings are entirely different, with Persona 5 focusing on a group of teenagers in a modern city, and Metaphor on the royal guards of a fairytale kingdom. But the truth is that Metaphor draws a lot on Persona 5, being a recent release by the same developer, Atlus. If it wasn’t the driving force behind a player’s interest in Metaphor, it makes a worthy successor.

2 Shin Megami Tensei V Is The Original Demon-Summoning Game

Atlus’ Flagship Franchise

And before there was Persona, there was Shin Megami Tensei. SMT is a long-running series in which players collect and summon friendly demons in order to fight less friendly demons. It’s known for its often crushing difficulty, philosophical story, and choice-based endings. In many ways, it inspired Persona, which borrows a lot of the demon designs and an adapted combat system from the SMT series.

SMT V: Vengeance
is an enhanced re-release of
SMT V
, much like
Persona 5 Royal
. It also includes extra story content, and is available on a wider variety of platforms.

In turn, SMT inspired much about Metaphor: ReFantazio, including one central element of its combat system: the Press Turn mechanic. This is the reason that players have limited actions on each turn, and why each critical hit or exploited weakness results in only a half-turn being consumed. With the extended warmup provided by Metaphor, players should be ready to dive into the greater difficulty of Shin Megami Tensei. And there’s no better place to start than the most recent entry, SMT V.

Real-Time Battles

One of the cooler, but less talked-about aspects of Metaphor: ReFantazio is how flexible its character builds are. Players can effectively swap their Archetypes at will, completely changing a character’s strengths, abilities, and stats with the press of a single button. It’s a game all about discovering unique party synergies by experimenting with Archetypes, which both keeps combat interesting and creates satisfyingly overpowered combinations.

Visions of Mana has a similar class system, with 45 different classes to choose from. Swapping them out is as easy as equipping the right Elemental Vessel, and completely changes a character’s playstyle. Players are free to experiment with different synergies among its eight characters, finding a unique combination that works for them in each battle. The one major difference is that Visions of Mana has real-time, not turn-based combat, which leads to some thrilling fights where timing and positioning matter as much as having the right class equipped.

4 Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth Uses A Similar Social System

With A Dedicated “Aloha” Button

Also under the Sega umbrella is the series formerly known as Yakuza in English, but more recently renamed Like A Dragon in order to accommodate a wider variety of stories. The first game to take on the Like A Dragon moniker introduced a new protagonist, Ichiban Kasuga, and a new turn-based battle system, in which players swap jobs to alter their stats and abilities, not unlike in Metaphor‘s Archetype system. Players must level up their personalities, much as they level up their Royal Virtues in Metaphor. It also includes a variety of fleshed-out, sometimes entire game-sized side activities.

This was shortly followed by Like A Dragon: Infinite Wealth, a Hawaii-set sequel that builds on much of what the first Like A Dragon introduces. It even has a more robust social simulator, allowing players to say “aloha” to almost anyone on the street. Over time, this levels up their relationships, earning them points that they can spend on gear at a specialized shop. It also includes an Animal Crossing-inspired mini-game, Dondoko Island, a worthy distraction from the main story.

5 Suikoden 1 & 2 Are Revolutionary RPGs

Over 100 Characters To Collect

Originally released for the PlayStation 1, Suikoden 1 and 2 are mainly known for their oversize casts of characters: each has 108 different party members to recruit. Much as Archetypes promote unique party synergies in Metaphor, these diverse rosters promote party synergies in Suikoden, encouraging players to experiment with different combinations of characters in order to suit different situations. Their respective plots are also similar, revolving around heroes who gather supporters in order to take down corrupt governments.

Unfortunately, Suikoden 1 and 2 aren’t currently playable on modem platforms – but they will be soon. A full remaster of the first two games in the series has been announced for the Switch, PC, PlayStation consoles, and Xbox consoles. It’ll be released on March 6, 2025. For now, interested players can check out the spiritual successor Eiyuden Chronicles, released earlier this year with the participation of Suikoden creator Yoshitaka Murayama. It’s available on all the same platforms.

6 Bravely Default 2 Takes The Job System To New Heights

If You Don’t Mind The Grind

Bravely Default 2 is a sort of Final Fantasy successor with a heavy emphasis on the Job system. In it, each character is given a Job that works similarly to Metaphor‘s Archetypes, defining their abilities and stats. Players collect more Asterisks as they travel the world, unlocking new classes that help them beat new enemy types. They can also equip secondary jobs from those they’ve already studied, gaining access to an additional set of skills. This creates useful synergies not only between characters, but within a single character assigned to two different classes. There are also a variety of secret jobs to be found throughout.

Unfortunately, Bravely Default 2 requires a great deal of grinding, which is something that Metaphor avoids. Players can defeat enemies weaker than them in its real-time preludes to turn-based combat, which saves a ton of time and energy when it comes to leveling up. Still, there’s something to be said for the satisfaction that grinding can provide, and if a player doesn’t mind the repetition, there’s a lot to love in Bravely Default 2.

7 Octopath Traveler 2 Further Innovates On The Job System

Eight Characters, Eight Stories

Octopath Traveler 2 is cut from the same cloth as Bravely Default, made by a similar development team. It also relies, in part, on the Job system, although each character has a default class not unlike in Metaphor: ReFantazio. Secondary jobs are much more important, then, as characters level up along set paths. Besides the skills the player buys with their JP, the secondary jobs they equip are basically their only customization options.

What makes Octopath 2 more like Metaphor, though, is its increased focus on the characters. Although it’s not a full-blown social sim, each character has a personal quest that players can progress throughout the main story. These unfold in stages, not unlike Metaphor‘s Bonds, with characters gradually getting closer to one another over time. Also like Metaphor, it’s got a thrilling battle system focused on hitting enemy weaknesses, memorable character design, and an excellent OST to underscore it all.

8 Final Fantasy 12 Is All About Party Synergy

Plus, The Brilliant Gambit System

Another game with a unique iteration on the Job system is Final Fantasy 12, re-released for modern platforms as The Zodiac Age. In this one, characters level up and gain new abilities by progressing on the Job Board, a virtual grid that looks and works a lot like Metaphor‘s skill tree. Jobs are almost every bit as flexible as Archetypes – players do have to return to a hub area to change classes. There are also secondary jobs that allow for skill inheritance.

For Metaphor fans, however, getting used to FF12‘s combat might be a little difficult. It uses an auto-attack system where players input special moves using an in-game menu. This is bolstered by the brilliant Gambit system, which allows players to set complex sets of if-then statements that guide AI-controlled characters in combat. Gambits grow over time, allowing players to develop in-depth strategies like the party synergies in Metaphor, then automate them for easy reuse.

9 Final Fantasy 13 Lets You Swap Roles In An Instant

Archetypes Vs. Paradigms

Final Fantasy 13 then takes the Gambit system introduced in 12, and pushes it even further. This time, any character can switch Jobs at any time – even in the middle of combat. Instead of setting Jobs individually, though, players create Paradigms, each a unique combination of character classes that brings about a particular party combo. For example, players might use the Divide and Conquer Paradigm to stagger an enemy, then swap to the pure-damage Slash and Burn once it’s downed. The result is that combat is all about party synergy, just like Metaphor‘s choice of Archetypes.

In addition, FF13 also revolves around members of an oppressed class (the l’Cie) with incredible magical powers. They use these powers to fight against a corrupt, theocratic government that somewhat resembles Metaphor‘s Sanctists. Just be warned that the story of FF13 is spread across three separate games, not all of them equally well-received – but there’s a lot of good in there, too.

10 Chrono Cross Has A Diverse Cast Of Characters

Plus, An Entirely Unique, Anti-Grinding Battle System

Chrono Cross is technically a sequel to the all-time great RPG Chrono Trigger, but don’t worry – it’s not necessary to play the original first. Featuring a unique story that revolves around the player party’s interdimensional travels and a severe case of mistaken identity. It uses a distinct battle system that, while completely different from Metaphor‘s, is similar in its flexibility. Instead of gaining experience points, players win abilities (called Elements) as the spoils of battle. They can then place these Elements in a grid, which they must proceed through level-by-level.

This creates a fascinating strategic game, requiring players to adapt to each individual character’s unique grid layout, and place the Element tiles they receive carefully. In addition, there are absolutely no experience points, random encounters, or levels in Chrono Cross. Instead, characters gain levels at pivotal story moments – basically, whenever they defeat a boss. Its anti-grinding stance makes Chrono Cross an excellent title for fans of Metaphor: ReFantazio.