ReFantazio, Atlus needs to leave the calendar system behind

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ReFantazio, Atlus needs to leave the calendar system behind

Whatever Atlus’ next game yet Metaphor: Refantazio Will be, it needs to leave the overused calendar system behind. First instituted in Shin Megami TenseiAn adapted version of the calendar system soon became a staple of these Persona Series. It works by dividing the game into days, each of which has its own weather, special events and side activities. Days do not progress in real-time, as in most other RPGs – instead, each day is further subdivided into an afternoon and a night, and players can select activities to occupy each and advance the calendar another day.

The calendar system can be fascinating when applied correctly – It forces the player to consider a unique kind of strategy, in which what they do outside battle is as important as what they do in it. However, it makes much less sense metaphor As it does in PersonaAnd if Atlus keeps developing original games after metaphors success, it is time to leave the calendar system in the past.

The calendar system makes sense in Persona

And Smt too


Joker from Persona 5 holding his mask on the left and Will from Metaphor: ReFantazio on the right.
Custom image by: Tom Wilson

It is easy to see why the calendar system has become such an integral part of these Persona Series, because It makes perfect sense in these games. in PersonaThe protagonist is always a busy student, and there are many time-limited events that follow the natural course of the school year. With minimal flexibility, players must make the most of their time – they must ensure they study enough to boost their knowledge before midterms, for example.

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Missing out on this opportunity means losing access to certain benefits; If the player isn’t top of the class, they won’t get the extra charm rewarded for doing so, and won’t have another chance to try again until their next game. The social link/confidant system, through which the protagonist grows closer to various NPCs, is also closely tied to the calendar. Spending time with another character almost always burns through an afternoon/evening time slot, and Certain characters are only available on certain days.

besides that, PersonaS dungeons are also subject to the whims of the calendar system. Each dungeon always has a deadline; in Persona 3The party must reach certain floors of Tartarus by certain dates; in 4They must save a victim from the TV world before they are killed; and in 5They must steal the heart of each antagonist before they can abuse their authority in one way or another.

Balancing dungeon exploration, time-limited events, the need to raise social stats to succeed in them, and ranking social links/confidants isn’t difficult, per se, but It requires more than a little bit of thought. Players really have to think three steps ahead – if they send a calling card tonight, they’ll be busy in the palace tomorrow, and they won’t be able to hang out with their favorite social link on one of their few days off. In a way, it could even be considered representative of the flight of youth, a theme implicit in much of the Persona Series. This makes it a valuable part of gameplay.

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The original version of the calendar system, introduced in Shin Megami Tensei, Works very differently, but has a similar impact on strategy. in the Smt games, the calendar is constantly shifting in real-time. The date and time, along with the phases of the moon associated with them, determine which demons appear, how powerful they are, and what negotiation tactics and status effects they are susceptible to.

It is much simpler, however Smts calendar system also requires the player to strategize around the date and time; If they want to recruit a particular ally, they may need to search for them within a limited time frame. If they have trouble getting through a difficult area, they may want to wait for a particular phase of the moon that makes demons less aggressive. For all these reasons, the calendar system has become an integral part of both Smt As a whole, and the Persona Spinoff series.

Metaphor could do without the calendar system

But None of the justifications for the calendar system in Persona Or Shin Megami Tensei exist in Metaphor: Refantazio. It works much more than that PersonaS Iteration: Days are divided into afternoons and nights, and players can choose certain activities (leveling Royal Virtues, progressing through dungeons, or spending time with Bonds) to do during each.

metaphorThe calendar system has some cool, unique considerations: For one thing, travel is much slower metaphor As it is in PersonaWith the lack of a subway system in its fantasy setting. So travel time factors into certain activities, sometimes forcing players to sacrifice a couple of days to get to and from an optional dungeon, for example. When it comes down to tight deadlines for mandatory dungeons, this can force the occasional strategic choice, but overall it doesn’t add anything to the game.

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Dividing activities into afternoon and night, and limiting players to two per day in addition, seems to be treated as a foregone conclusion. There is almost no reason why a particular shop is only open at night, other than the simple fact that So Persona Games have always been doing it. The protagonist isn’t a busy student – he’s a mature adult who doesn’t really have a job, except save the world. As long as he meets his deadlines, what does it matter if he explores a dungeon at night, or stays up late to visit a friend after?

It is natural to think that the application of the calendar system makes metaphor More restrictive, however It actually has the opposite effect. Apart from search deadlines, there are no time-limited events in metaphorAnd players can go back and revisit areas the main quest moves them away from. Letters are often available, regardless of the day of the week, so there are fewer limits on bonds as well. The only day-to-day difference is that some shops hold sales when it rains, which hardly requires the kind of engaging, strategic gameplay that Personas calendar system so often.

What Atlus’ next game could do better

The calendar system needs an update


Will the protagonist of Metaphor Refantanzio talks with Maria and Caterina
Custom image by Katarina Cimbaljevic

There is nothing wrong with games using time and date systems, however Atlus’ next original RPG It would be good to try a more immersive take on his typical calendar system. For example, something that moves in real time, unlike the time and date system used in Dragon’s Dogma 2Could be interesting. But honestly, it doesn’t even have to be that complicated; A simple open world, in which players can take any activity at any time, would work equally well. With this approach, an RPG can lock certain social link ranks behind story events, for example, to ensure players don’t progress too far too soon.

alternatively, Atlus’ next RPG may still use the calendar system, but simply ensure that it makes more sense with the game’s story and characters. As long as there is a sufficient thematic reason why certain events are limited to the afternoon or evening – not a plot contrivance invented as an excuse – then the same old calendar system would serve its purpose. It would be nice to see some innovation there, but the calendar system isn’t inherently broken. It is just under utilized in Metaphor: Refantazio.

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