why do SMT fans care SO MUCH about Persona comparisons? Persona is a good series, and its popular, its hardly a bad thing to be compared to. SMT fans are actually allergic to success
Same people who say any new Atlus game is like Persona 5 would be the same ones who say "is this Final Fantasy?" to every new Square Enix JRPG 💀 EDIT: I was initally making a light joke here, but I like seeing the discourse here. It makes it entertaining lmao.
@@naboume466 gameplay, art style, direction. P3R was made for people to jump from p5 to P3, if you look at the criticism of the game, the harshest one are OG P3 fans lamenting how some of the most idiocincratic elements of P3 were removed in favor of P5s
I always get a special tingle in my heart when JohneAwesome sits down and releases a serious discussion video, like a parent sitting you down for an important talk
Wait till the hood finds out they made 4 WHOLE PERSONA GAMES before persona 5 🙏😭 Guys please I understand persona 2 is a duology, if we wanted to be technical persona 5 has a direct sequel in strikers, and a bout a dozen spinoffs, same with 4. I was just generalizing the number of numbered games-
regardless of the actual differences in the minutia, the superficial persona comparisons are something atlus definitely wants just so the game sells. hoping it's good, i didn't care much in the project re:fantasy days but i've been seriously looking forward to it since the first proper trailer dropped.
@@Kaisona2017 Because at the end of the day their target audience is first and foremost Japan, meaning titles will be taking the side of what sounds cool to the Japanese ear, not to foreigners' with wildly different opinions.
I think Atlus becoming really famous because of Persona 5 was both a blessing and a curse. Every game they make now is going to be called or compared to * recent Persona game * even if it's very different etc.
It is never a curse, P3R did better than P5 and was a remake. It is only a good thing, people just say this due to being new in the series and Persona 6 has yet to happen.
I consider it a curse. I was called an ATLUS fanboy since the PS days because I would spend hundreds of hours on games like Kartia and Thousand Arms, but now all ATLUS does is pump out Persona clones because it's successful and makes them money.
I played the demo and to me it looks like something in-between Persona and SMT. Less conversations/world/interactions more fighting, but not SMT where you do nothing but fight 90% of the game.
I feel like there's absolutely MORE world/interactions than persona tbh. The amount of people in the main city alone I talked to or tuned in to a convo was staggering. Made the entire place feel alive and the atmosphere was peak.
I dunno man. If you can cast tarukaja in a press turn battle... It might be a megaten. I think Atlas wants us to respect this as its own brand, but it's definitely wearing it's SMT lineage on its sleeve
@LuxLoser it's not a bad thing at all, I love that Atlas is good about maintaining its legacy and letting the universe is be interconnected in interesting ways. I would say it's a good thing even. I think it's just worth pointing out for those that argue they aren't connected at all.
I just think its kinda funny to think about how the game was teased years ago vs its current form They were talking like this game was the logical evolution of the RPG genre, a game that will break conventions and be revolutionary in its niche. And comes the first trailer, Persona calendar system and social sim elements Of course everything is distinct, of course theres major differences, but we still got a game with soejima monsters being summoned by young people that that the protagonists can created deeper bods with to fight demons with a calendar system and a system based on exploting elemental weakness Its not like, a bad thing or anything but the buildup to the game if you been there from day one was a little hyperbolic based on what they actually ended up making
I dunno, I feel like this is arguing against a stance that barely exists, people can and will call the game stuff like “Medieval Persona” because that’s the easiest way to convey and sell a general audience on the game rather than saying “a new original medieval Atlus RPG that has familiar elements to past titles”, they’re not really literal when they say it
There are people that believe it's an actual constructive criticism saying that "this game feels too much like Persona" when that doesn't explain or solve anything. Bloodblorne felt like a faster Dark Souls but I still loved it, Elden Ring is a more polished Dark Souls with open world elements yet I still loved the game but people are now pitching a fit about Metaphor
Not to make more Persona comparisons, but halfway through this video, I realized that Metaphor's MC looks like Aigis and P3's MC (somehow) had a kid and I can't unsee it now...😂
I love the Persona games but Metaphor is a direct response to my main issue with Persona games, which is having 1 day of combat and 29 days of school. In Metaphor, YOU choose what to do and when. The weakness mechanic is actually tactical, where it doesnt end the current turn and halves a future turn, thus if u can get 3 crits or weak hits, then u have doubled ur turns to 6, BUT only if u do it tactically, as if u mess up by say accidentally passing on a half turn, that turn is wasted. Then the Archetype system allows ALL party members to change their "persona"? That is crazy! Teammates are no longer confined to their specific role that Atlas has locked them into. Metaphor is similar enough to Persona, that it is familiar and easy to pick up and play, but there r so many differences that make it unique. Its more tactical and doesn't have the drawn out school sections; Metaphor is my dream Persona game.
Mataphor looks like a fusion between SMT, Persona, fuga: melodies of steel, a pinch of warriors combat, A Job Style system, and all made with watercolor paintings. I am so into this.
It gets mechanics from other smaller atlus series as well like etrian odyssey (formations and the classes) and Digital Devil saga (team skills that take up more than 1 turn, + archetypes are more similar to dds demon transformations than personas) Its basically the fusion of ALL atlus series + a few unique things, its Absolute peak
It seems that a lot of people did not watch the promotional material for metaphor. Katsura hashino himself states that metaphor uses the press turn system and has a bond system like persona. It's weird seeing comments that are phrased as if the similarities were something atlus was trying to hide lol.
There's literally an Archetype called "Soul Hacker" Persona exists, is popular, and will be compared to this because obviously. Such a stupid complaint.
Idk why people always think the major release from atlus has to be in the megaten universe hahaha their interviews and magazine articles has multiple times when they say it’s not a megaten🎉 but a long hour of Johne is a blessing ❤❤❤❤
Atlus didn’t do much to differentiate this game from Persona in their marketing, but it's almost an incredulous situation as it is that doing so even feels necessary. I mean, sure, if Persona were the first turn based JRPG of its kind ever and the genre had very few games, yeah everything else would feel like a clone of it due to lack of variety...but it's not? It's battle mechanics were derivative of another Atlus IP from its very inception (it eventually did other things to set itself apart), but nobody calls Persona games SMT clones...in fact they damn near called SMTV a Persona clone instead. Next you'll tell me every shooter ever made is just Fortnite, and all foods are bread.
You know, the first thing that came to my mind was when John brought up proactive time manage while working around a calendar as a time limit...was the older Atelier games. Be late for your boat ride and fuck up your entire run unless you reload an older save, good times...
i would never consider smt to be persona clones, but smtV took quite a few things from persona, not saying it borrowed but more of modernised alongside persona
I have been playing the demo and I absolutely love it. My favorite game of all time was p5/p5r but so far Metaphor has completely blown it out of the water for me. I think the story is much better, and as you said I like how proactive you are. The characters are all really interesting so far. I love that the protagonist is voiced in important cut scenes like the other characters. To me I think they took the amazing work they did on games like P5/P5R and made them even better and added a bunch of new stuff. I love the Archetype system so much more than the Persona system because it gives you a lot more control regarding your teammates and how you all work together, I also like that it is simpler than the persona system as there are less of them but from what I have seen do a much better job of differentiating each archetype from each other where Personas all feel mostly the same and very limited even though there are so many more of them.
"The Persona-like." It takes mechanics from both SMT and Persona. Game review, "try not to bring up any persona-similiarities" challenge. IGN Reviewer/journalist: 😰😰😰
There's honestly even a bit of Etrian Odyssey in there, though not much. But ofc any game with a remote semblance to Persona is compared to Persona. Even SMT gets compared to Persona. It’s like no other turn based JRPG exists.
I'm really interested that Johne here is dipping his toes into this style of content, it fits his humor really well & honestly it's just a really good video, don't got much more to say than that
Funny and informative. Thank you. Had to laugh at that point : "I'm running for president, I set my own schedule". You would have sold me on this game right there, if I hadn't preordered it a long time ago.
Okay, JohnE's "Atlus has always been putting esoteric and fringe elements into their games like Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Gnosticism, cannibalism, sexism, plagiarism..." got a pretty good chuckle out of me lmao.
While persona 4 was my first persona game and first M rated game when I was 12 and has remained my favorite of both persona and SMT I am a fan of both and have played and beaten most of them and I have to say SMT 5 Vengeance is a close second it’s my dream to one day help everyone experience the joys of persona 4 and the rest of the persona and SMT series 😊
Persona is rated T in Japan. It's only M because of Mara. Actually, most ATLUS games have a Japanese T raging. Mara is what effs them over in the West.
Having archetypes instead of persona’s gotta be the distinction people draw from this game. Every MegaTen title has the same enemies and this is the only one that doesn’t feature any of them, you can’t tell me it’s a reskin
When you have a popular product, you have two options: 1) Keep making the same thing, or 2) try to make something different. Continuing to make the same thing is safe and practical, but there's a long-term risk of stagnation (i.e., "copy /paste"). Trying to make something different may alienate customers, who may accuse you of being incompetent, abandoning successful formulas, selling out, ignoring your fanbase, etc. I hope Metaphor strikes a good balance. It seems promising.
After playing the demo they do have a thing where choosing the right dialogue option gives you a bonus but not towards the character’s relationship. They give you bonus currency that you can use for Archetypes
They knew what they were doing, this game is basically the Persona 6 we had been waiting, but now in an interesting setting instead of just another group of students. You have: - Persona awakenings - Press turn battle system with the same affinities as Persona - A "Morgana-like" companion - Bonds - Social stats - Structure of the dungeons like Persona 5 (there are even the save rooms) - Time management - Graphic and menu style very Persona to say the least. And if we're lucky next year we will have Persona 7, I couldn't be happier.
I feel like Metafore is the merging of all the best parts of ATLUS's previous works in one game. The press turn battle system from SMT, the slice of life and social side of Persona, the creativity in the world they've always had and hell, even the beta concept for Persona 5. This is ATLUS taking everything that worked from their other games and putting it all into a new IP.
I think they are deriving from multiple previous releases. The gameplay systems in the actual turn based combat are reminiscent of Digital Devil Saga more than Persona. I haven't played enough Atlus games to give more examples but I'm sure there are. I don't think looking back is that bad if they use that reminiscence to move forward.
The demo dropped today, and it is awesome, it has pieces from all their titles and I'm sure there will be new stuff as we get the whole game in a few weeks. This game is going to be EPIC.
The demo has shocked me tbh like this could really be a goty contender the story and themes are so good so far the style the music voice acting just amazing
Just finished the demo. Already my GOTY. It does have similarities to Persona of course. But the overall themes, atmosphere, settings and not having a daily routine life is so much different. Looking forward to oct 11 to continue playing
My biggest issue is there’s no little hand enemies that absolutely bust down to ‘Its Going Down’ during combat. Like… that’s one of the biggest draws to the series for a lot of people and I’m worried how well sales will be if there’s no hand enemies absolutely grooving to ‘babybabybabybabybaby!’
@@MrOdaddy2011 It's not criticism though. It's just a preference. Anyone who enjoys Persona 5 will enjoy this, those that don't or are tired of it naturally won't. As for myself, I'm incredibly happy they're going a more Persona 5 style approach with this.
After playing the whole demo it is persona in a different setting gameplay and mechanics wise it’s v similar the main difference in combat is that you can change party members archetypes and each one is an investment kind of like a job system
5:27 ahem, well its not 3 music notes but I did see 3 Triangles pop up and go inside the main character in one of the trailers lol. I cant wait for this game!
It's just bonus currency for Archetype use, can only accrue them from More's quest (and maybe Brynhilda or whatever her name was, but her stuff takes way too long for the demo, can't even use her rewards). Seems to not matter in advancing the relationship system.
My stupid ass knew nothing about how archetypes work, but now that I do I'm kinda hyped actually. Must play the demo and see the basics for myself. Even if it was like Persona (and it very apparently isn't), I don't really see that being that bad of a thing, as I'd just be expecting Atlus to use the good tried and tested parts of those games and utilize them to great success.
"Here are all the differences... i think since the game aint out yet!" Alot of this is just asking if X system truly will function like persona. Nothing burger imo. Its definetly close enough to each other to warrant comparison imo. I already know ill enjoy it
Holy shit Johne this video was FIREEEEEEEEEEE!! i stg some the people bitchin about Metaphor/Persona similarities have played like 1 maybe 2 rpgs in their life D,,,,,,x
I think this is Atlus improving and iterating in a better way of their most successful systems they've used since. It's not all bad when game companies reuse a lot of their assets to produce new stories and worlds to explore in
After playing the demo, I think a lot of it is this exactly and I love it. It has some social elements and calendar progression from Persona, the Press Turn combat and customisable MC from SMT, Archetypes bear some similarities to DDS while also being somewhat unique, then there are otherwise novel elements like the front/back row mechanic, Synthesis skills, overworld action elements etc. (I also like that MC's weapon changes depending on archetype, I haven't seen that since OG P3) All I know is I can't wait for the game to come out and I'm losing patience. I watched nearly 0 pre-release material, but playing the demo really got me hooked. I just need the game to be out now lol.
Ngl I thought this video was going to say something like “metaphor is to similar to persona” thank you for doing the opposite i was about to click off after like 10 seconds if I heard something annoying like that. Yes they are completely different like how SMT is now very different from persona. Ugh I hate sometimes how popular p5 is for this reason
Great points about SMTV and Persona 5 look-a-like-ness on paper! Lol it really is fascinating how Persona was compared to SMT in the 90s vs. the former with Metaphor now... I really do hope the way the new IP is received turns out the same though (with everyone loving it 🥲) Even more hyped for this game now than I already was haha; Nice job Johne!
I love Persona 5 but have no real interest in playing the rest of the MegaTen franchise. Metaphor however, caught my interest somehow (cause I genuinely don't play RPG's) and after playing a few hours into the Demo, I'm looking forward to it. There's a lot to compare to Persona, but I feel it gives a sense of welcoming familiarity rather than a "Been there done that".
So i think the issue is that people were expecting a wild departure from the usual formula People wanted this to be the 3rd Pillar of Atlus games with Atlus sort leaning more into the comparison (Like they remind you often whose writing the game) I thinks its an issue for some because even the P5 Spin Off titles feel more distinct and those games have the exact same cast from P5 Scrambles Tatica and P5X(yes seriously) feel like a good balance of Persona and there own thing Metaphor in marketing at least isnt making fans feel like this is a new twist on the formula but an old twist with paint Its not the mechanics or even the similar looking protagonist its the vibe Metaphor hasnt given players the feeling that this is meant to be a pillar of Atlus that moving foward Metaphor like SMT will forge a path on its own It feels safe like player will play it enjoy it but it wont set a blaze for more Metaphor
The best comparison for me is DOS 2 and BG3 both games are similar in terms of base but everything else is very different but BG3 took things to the next level and after playing the demo metaphor seems like to be doing just that! It’s absolutely incredible and it really seems like katsura hoshino and his teams are getting the budget and resources that they finally deserve the game is shaping up to be an all time classic.
I honestly wouldn’t say SMT and Persona are radically different, they are pretty similar. Thematically, they are drastically different. Gameplay wise, they are fairly similar. At least way more than your octopath traveler, Pokemon, or Dragon Quest. So it makes sense Metaphor also looks similar. I get SMT fans desperately want it to be a completely original IP but thats just not gonna happen. Luckily, I would say the differences of Metaphor does equate to rhe difference between SMT and Persona, which is big deal for Atlus fans. But to any normal person, it looks like Persona lul. At the same time, I do appreciate this video because noting the differences is important.
SMT and Persona are very different, basically only combat and fusion are same with minor differences. 90% of persona is social link stuff, 90% of smt is fighting.
I think it is the way of representing the games : 1_ you have same friendly charaters in order in all their famous games 2_you awake power in a moment of weakness 3_you visit the person who signed a contract with you in your sleep 4_same gameplay mechanics, there is no invention 5_amazing music 6_nice cutscene... Etc
Bro I'm excited for this game man. I now a lot of people was introduced when persona 5 so it's easy to try to compare but man a new IP?? I'm so down for Atlus cooking up something new and creative man
I figured there'd be differences, obviously, albeit Atlus' marketing wasn't helping things. I just found it bizarre how they were so insistent on this not being MegaTen when so much of its DNA is blatantly from MegaTen/Persona- moreso than something like Catherine, which constantly gets called MegaTen despite Atlus and some fans' insistence its not. I guess in Atlus' eyes, Metaphor is distinct because it doesn't use the classic demons and it's not set in Japan? It's just strange to me. Regardless, the biggest issue is just Atlus' marketing with this game. I was following it for a bit but they just showed nothing that made it look like the exciting fresh idea they were hyping it up as for so many years. I don't think it looks bad, per se, but I felt no inclination to keep up with it or save up for it so I can buy it right away. I think they were trying to play it safe with the marketing, make casual fans go "oh so it's like p5 that's sick i'm gonna get it" but it's kinda backfired for some who are struggling to see what sets it apart from other MegaTen games.
Might be related to Shin Megami Tensei roughly translates to True Goddess Reincarnation, so the demons in every SMT game is the part of the game that objectively makes SMT SMT. Metaphor goes in a different direction where the enemies are more fantastical and take some inspiration from Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings.
@@bradleyhampton7966 while i think the demons are part of it, that's not really why. Firstly, SMT is a pun- the series started with the Digital Devil Story series, with the first novel (and subsequently, the Atlus game adaptation) being Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, named after the central heroine in the story being a reincarnation of the goddess Izanami. While the novels would continue under the Digital Devil Story name, Atlus used the Megami Tensei name for their own followups, and the series has been almost entirely unrelated to the novels since MT2. Shin Megami Tensei was a soft reboot of sorts to emphasize this fact, and the title is a pun- while the literal translation is "True Goddess Reincarnation", Shin is also a common word for "New", which many Japanese SFC games used to denote their SFC entries apart from earlier Famicom entries (think of it sorta like how in the west, many SNES games would slap the name "Super" at the start of the title to denote they were the SNES entries.) Atlus was just following that trend in a cheeky way. The Megami Tensei title has hardly actually had relevance to the theming of the series for a long time, more evident with the fact in Japan most spinoffs of the series didn't even carry the megaten name (something the west didn't have confidence in until Persona 4 Arena Ultimax). Secondly, there are Megaten games where the demons take a backseat or don't appear at all, such as Digital Devil Saga and Tokyo Mirage Sessions. So I don't think people would be confused if they just called Metaphor a Megaten spinoff even without the iconic demons showing up. (Again some people still call Catherine a Megaten spinoff and that's in the same boat)
@@thenightwriter619 I guess that is fair, SMT is more than one element, and it’s all subjective on what feels like SMT what doesn’t. I just want people to give the game a chance because I think it will be a great game. It does share some of SMT’s DNA, but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked.
New Atlus fans: Persona 6?? OG Atlus fans: Devil summoner?, Devil Survivor?, Devil children?, Digital Devil Saga?(ok that’s a stretch), new ip?, oh I guess it could be persona related Yes children Atlus used to make games other than persona and SMT
I’m excited to give the demo a try and hopefully if I like it I’ll buy it. I loved p5 and p3r and I’m playing p4g rn, so I’m definitely coming at it from the view of a persona fan but I’m excited to try something new yet with some familiarity that atlus has perfected. I honestly hope it’s good because it’d suck if atlus could only sell persona.
I played Persona 5 when it came out and it juat wasn't for me. The dependancy on just the Social Links and being made to stay in a single City felt extremely stifling. It got boring so quickly. I love Fantasy as a Genre and the whole "Road Trip" idea is super cool! The Politics idea is also really unique. I'm super excited and the Demo confirmed my interest!
I think the main issue is mainly Atlus themselves making the game look like medieval persona when it’s really not and it wasn’t until very recently what I found out what the main differences where cause I just didn’t care enough to look into it
Let's just hope that when this releases, it completes the holy trinity of Atlus's sagas and cements itself as yet another masterpiece made by the studio.
Persona 5 is a very good game not only with the story behind it but the gameplay as well,but with Metaphor Re Fantazio they out done themselves.Wacth out the cat is out of the bag.The big question is will they be able to produce another Great Title after Metaphor and am not talking about Persona 6.
3:24 Missed opportunity to throw in the ol' Oni-Kagura soundbite here, would've been so funny.😆 Otherwise, pretty good video, though I think saying one big ghost dude (Persona) is different than another big ghost dude (Archetype) because of philosophy or whatever isn't gonna convince these people.😅
Please leave a LIKE so we don't get fifty more P5 spin offs
Sorry I’m still holding out for P5 Arena 😔🙏
why do SMT fans care SO MUCH about Persona comparisons? Persona is a good series, and its popular, its hardly a bad thing to be compared to.
SMT fans are actually allergic to success
When are we gonna get persona six
im dislking so we get more p5 spinoffs because i want more akechi
We’re still missing the Cart racing game
Same people who say any new Atlus game is like Persona 5 would be the same ones who say "is this Final Fantasy?" to every new Square Enix JRPG 💀
EDIT: I was initally making a light joke here, but I like seeing the discourse here. It makes it entertaining lmao.
Meanwhile Persona 5 fans about SMT5: Its not like Persona 😢
I mean, its Atlus fault, P3R was more P5 than P3
@@diegorojas8959How? what makes P3R more P5 than P3?
@@naboume466 gameplay, art style, direction. P3R was made for people to jump from p5 to P3, if you look at the criticism of the game, the harshest one are OG P3 fans lamenting how some of the most idiocincratic elements of P3 were removed in favor of P5s
@@naboume466 a whole bunch of stuff was added from p5r to p3r. I love p5 and think the og p3s are a bit dated so i enjoyed the changes
I always get a special tingle in my heart when JohneAwesome sits down and releases a serious discussion video, like a parent sitting you down for an important talk
True, they’re some of my favourites
Wait till the hood finds out they made 4 WHOLE PERSONA GAMES before persona 5 🙏😭
Guys please I understand persona 2 is a duology, if we wanted to be technical persona 5 has a direct sequel in strikers, and a bout a dozen spinoffs, same with 4. I was just generalizing the number of numbered games-
AcTuAlLy 🤓 it's 5 games
there are only 2 though? 🤨
???? Persona is extremely popular, all 5 games. This joke makes no sense.
Less people have played SMT 1-5
@@ye9945 I think more people have played SMT 3-5 than persona 1 tbh.
@@rfmerrill Obviously? It’s ancient and has not aged well. It’s also not currently on any official markets.
"You are doing the disturbing" DISTURBING THE PEACE
LOOK INTO MY EYES!!
DON'T YOU MAKE ME
@@ShadowOfMassDestruction DONT YOU MAKE ME DO THIS
If you want to battle, then I’ll take it to the street
FEAR’S AWAKE, ANGER BEATS LOUD, FACE REALITY! NEVER BEAT CHARITY!
regardless of the actual differences in the minutia, the superficial persona comparisons are something atlus definitely wants just so the game sells. hoping it's good, i didn't care much in the project re:fantasy days but i've been seriously looking forward to it since the first proper trailer dropped.
I just don’t get why they made it Refantazio. ReFantasy rolled off the tongue way better. Metaphor: ReFantasy.
@@Kaisona2017 Because at the end of the day their target audience is first and foremost Japan, meaning titles will be taking the side of what sounds cool to the Japanese ear, not to foreigners' with wildly different opinions.
@Kaisona2017 ReFantasy sounds generic unlike ReFantazio
Happy to say, after playing through the prolouge, it is peak
@@Kaisona2017refantazio sounds better, tbh
Arhetypes have much more in common with Etrian Odyssey classes, than Personas or Demons
I think so as well, the tactician in particular reminds me of the sovereign
And Digital Devil Saga (Atma Avatars)
Someon of culture love etrian oddesey
After having played the demo... No they definitely do not
This is more SMT DDS than Persona.
I think Atlus becoming really famous because of Persona 5 was both a blessing and a curse. Every game they make now is going to be called or compared to * recent Persona game * even if it's very different etc.
It is never a curse, P3R did better than P5 and was a remake. It is only a good thing, people just say this due to being new in the series and Persona 6 has yet to happen.
I think there’s fair comparisons to be made as this game is structured pretty much like a persona game. Combat wise it’s DDS
It's the same thing with everybody and their mother comparing everything to dark souls honestly
I consider it a curse. I was called an ATLUS fanboy since the PS days because I would spend hundreds of hours on games like Kartia and Thousand Arms, but now all ATLUS does is pump out Persona clones because it's successful and makes them money.
Like for example that ign review of SMT V
I played the demo and to me it looks like something in-between Persona and SMT. Less conversations/world/interactions more fighting, but not SMT where you do nothing but fight 90% of the game.
I feel like there's absolutely MORE world/interactions than persona tbh. The amount of people in the main city alone I talked to or tuned in to a convo was staggering. Made the entire place feel alive and the atmosphere was peak.
I dunno man. If you can cast tarukaja in a press turn battle... It might be a megaten. I think Atlas wants us to respect this as its own brand, but it's definitely wearing it's SMT lineage on its sleeve
So does Persona? Why is it a bad thing for Metaphor to be a megaten game, but it's not an issue for the Persona series?
@LuxLoser it's not a bad thing at all, I love that Atlas is good about maintaining its legacy and letting the universe is be interconnected in interesting ways. I would say it's a good thing even. I think it's just worth pointing out for those that argue they aren't connected at all.
Oh so thats why you wanted a doctor phil impression...
I just think its kinda funny to think about how the game was teased years ago vs its current form
They were talking like this game was the logical evolution of the RPG genre, a game that will break conventions and be revolutionary in its niche. And comes the first trailer, Persona calendar system and social sim elements
Of course everything is distinct, of course theres major differences, but we still got a game with soejima monsters being summoned by young people that that the protagonists can created deeper bods with to fight demons with a calendar system and a system based on exploting elemental weakness
Its not like, a bad thing or anything but the buildup to the game if you been there from day one was a little hyperbolic based on what they actually ended up making
I have an idea why they look the same because Atlas made them both
😮
This is an earth shattering fact! How can this be!??!
It doesn’t have an identity crisis. It has elements of many Atlus titles for its anniversary.
I dunno, I feel like this is arguing against a stance that barely exists, people can and will call the game stuff like “Medieval Persona” because that’s the easiest way to convey and sell a general audience on the game rather than saying “a new original medieval Atlus RPG that has familiar elements to past titles”, they’re not really literal when they say it
There are people that believe it's an actual constructive criticism saying that "this game feels too much like Persona" when that doesn't explain or solve anything. Bloodblorne felt like a faster Dark Souls but I still loved it, Elden Ring is a more polished Dark Souls with open world elements yet I still loved the game but people are now pitching a fit about Metaphor
I thank you JohneAwesome for making this video you’re truly doing amazing work here
Not to make more Persona comparisons, but halfway through this video, I realized that Metaphor's MC looks like Aigis and P3's MC (somehow) had a kid and I can't unsee it now...😂
Always thought they looked like Makoto Yuki if he was more alive
@@whackareal I think the haircut, one yellow eye and the headset kinda give Aigis vibes too.
PixieKari, British Narukami, Chidoriburg
And he talk
They were my headcanon couple before the end of P3 😢
Persona: Rip off your mask. Weak shit.
Metaphor: Rip out your heart and use it as a microphone. Peak Cinema.
I'm really excited for this series either way, I know it's gonna be a fun time!
Agreed!
It's excellent. Anyone saying it has an "identity crisis" doesn't enjoy fun.
just finished the Demo, it was really fun and the battle is very satisfying also the UIs are really beautiful
I love the Persona games but Metaphor is a direct response to my main issue with Persona games, which is having 1 day of combat and 29 days of school. In Metaphor, YOU choose what to do and when.
The weakness mechanic is actually tactical, where it doesnt end the current turn and halves a future turn, thus if u can get 3 crits or weak hits, then u have doubled ur turns to 6, BUT only if u do it tactically, as if u mess up by say accidentally passing on a half turn, that turn is wasted.
Then the Archetype system allows ALL party members to change their "persona"? That is crazy! Teammates are no longer confined to their specific role that Atlas has locked them into.
Metaphor is similar enough to Persona, that it is familiar and easy to pick up and play, but there r so many differences that make it unique. Its more tactical and doesn't have the drawn out school sections; Metaphor is my dream Persona game.
Mataphor looks like a fusion between SMT, Persona, fuga: melodies of steel, a pinch of warriors combat, A Job Style system, and all made with watercolor paintings.
I am so into this.
It gets mechanics from other smaller atlus series as well like etrian odyssey (formations and the classes) and Digital Devil saga (team skills that take up more than 1 turn, + archetypes are more similar to dds demon transformations than personas)
Its basically the fusion of ALL atlus series + a few unique things, its Absolute peak
12 minutes of explanation of why Metaphor is generally a new SMT spin-off (Megaten) game like Digital Devil Saga :D
It seems that a lot of people did not watch the promotional material for metaphor. Katsura hashino himself states that metaphor uses the press turn system and has a bond system like persona. It's weird seeing comments that are phrased as if the similarities were something atlus was trying to hide lol.
There's literally an Archetype called "Soul Hacker"
Persona exists, is popular, and will be compared to this because obviously. Such a stupid complaint.
Idk why people always think the major release from atlus has to be in the megaten universe hahaha their interviews and magazine articles has multiple times when they say it’s not a megaten🎉 but a long hour of Johne is a blessing ❤❤❤❤
Obviously most people don’t read those be fr
Wont lie this is more of the smt x fire emblem game that we wanted over whatever toyko mirage sessions was
Atlus didn’t do much to differentiate this game from Persona in their marketing, but it's almost an incredulous situation as it is that doing so even feels necessary.
I mean, sure, if Persona were the first turn based JRPG of its kind ever and the genre had very few games, yeah everything else would feel like a clone of it due to lack of variety...but it's not? It's battle mechanics were derivative of another Atlus IP from its very inception (it eventually did other things to set itself apart), but nobody calls Persona games SMT clones...in fact they damn near called SMTV a Persona clone instead.
Next you'll tell me every shooter ever made is just Fortnite, and all foods are bread.
You know, the first thing that came to my mind was when John brought up proactive time manage while working around a calendar as a time limit...was the older Atelier games.
Be late for your boat ride and fuck up your entire run unless you reload an older save, good times...
The Term Doom clone was common back before games like Battlefeild and Call of Duty.
i would never consider smt to be persona clones, but smtV took quite a few things from persona, not saying it borrowed but more of modernised alongside persona
I have been playing the demo and I absolutely love it. My favorite game of all time was p5/p5r but so far Metaphor has completely blown it out of the water for me. I think the story is much better, and as you said I like how proactive you are. The characters are all really interesting so far. I love that the protagonist is voiced in important cut scenes like the other characters. To me I think they took the amazing work they did on games like P5/P5R and made them even better and added a bunch of new stuff. I love the Archetype system so much more than the Persona system because it gives you a lot more control regarding your teammates and how you all work together, I also like that it is simpler than the persona system as there are less of them but from what I have seen do a much better job of differentiating each archetype from each other where Personas all feel mostly the same and very limited even though there are so many more of them.
"The Persona-like."
It takes mechanics from both SMT and Persona.
Game review, "try not to bring up any persona-similiarities" challenge.
IGN Reviewer/journalist: 😰😰😰
There's honestly even a bit of Etrian Odyssey in there, though not much.
But ofc any game with a remote semblance to Persona is compared to Persona. Even SMT gets compared to Persona. It’s like no other turn based JRPG exists.
If the story is good, I don’t care. Too bad it’s not good tho
You haven't played bro@@t_bone2145
@@t_bone2145You haven’t even played Metaphor yet.
@@MinatotheGreenLantern you know there’s a demo out now right?
love these discussion videos you put out time to time they’re great
Thank you i'd love to make more!
People underestimate the impact Etrian Odyssey had on this. I'm glad you mentioned it!
I didn’t know how much I wanted this. Make more game commentary videos! I love this ❤
I'm really interested that Johne here is dipping his toes into this style of content, it fits his humor really well & honestly it's just a really good video, don't got much more to say than that
Truly the Dark Souls of the Demon souls of the MegaTen of the Final Fantasy of the Persona franchise.
Wait...
Funny and informative. Thank you. Had to laugh at that point : "I'm running for president, I set my own schedule". You would have sold me on this game right there, if I hadn't preordered it a long time ago.
Okay, JohnE's "Atlus has always been putting esoteric and fringe elements into their games like Zoroastrianism, Hinduism, Gnosticism, cannibalism, sexism, plagiarism..." got a pretty good chuckle out of me lmao.
While persona 4 was my first persona game and first M rated game when I was 12 and has remained my favorite of both persona and SMT I am a fan of both and have played and beaten most of them and I have to say SMT 5 Vengeance is a close second it’s my dream to one day help everyone experience the joys of persona 4 and the rest of the persona and SMT series 😊
Persona is rated T in Japan. It's only M because of Mara. Actually, most ATLUS games have a Japanese T raging. Mara is what effs them over in the West.
@@backupschmliff1156 that is hilarious 😂
That’s clearly the PS3 protag. Not Joker. Cmon people!
It’s Persona 3-2. Clearly. c.c
his name is makotoaigis and he was dropped on his head as a child 💞💞💞
@@fragrantflorence That does explain the goofiness! He's adorable.
Its literally Digital devil saga but in medieval times
Having archetypes instead of persona’s gotta be the distinction people draw from this game. Every MegaTen title has the same enemies and this is the only one that doesn’t feature any of them, you can’t tell me it’s a reskin
Straight up facts. Made tons of great points here, glad I watched it! Loved the editing and the skits too, high production value
Wait till the hood finds out this is actually DDS3.
Amazing, well thought and beautifully presented analysis bro. Keep em coming!
I’m glad you talked about the difference in undertones and world building I think way too many people are missing that
When you have a popular product, you have two options: 1) Keep making the same thing, or 2) try to make something different.
Continuing to make the same thing is safe and practical, but there's a long-term risk of stagnation (i.e., "copy /paste").
Trying to make something different may alienate customers, who may accuse you of being incompetent, abandoning successful formulas, selling out, ignoring your fanbase, etc.
I hope Metaphor strikes a good balance. It seems promising.
W vid cuz I don’t want this game coming out just for people to do what they did to smt5 and say it isn’t persona 5
It's just Persona clone?! I WONT BUY IT
It's not persona?! I WILL REFUND
@@shutup1037just do what ur name says ‘shut up’
Smt 5 was trash it wont be the same metaphor is better because its more like persona 5
@@seanymeredith69 no
@@CosmicVoid_119 people always scream SMT fans are etilists but here we are 😂
Lord Johne has graced us with another discussion video.
Well the persona aligations don't help if the protagonist looks like if aigis and makoto had a kid
After playing the demo they do have a thing where choosing the right dialogue option gives you a bonus but not towards the character’s relationship. They give you bonus currency that you can use for Archetypes
Wait, you can get bonus MAG from dialog options? Where is this?
I saw a post where someone said the mc looks like if makoto(p3mc) and aigis had a child
Now i cant unseenit
They knew what they were doing, this game is basically the Persona 6 we had been waiting, but now in an interesting setting instead of just another group of students.
You have:
- Persona awakenings
- Press turn battle system with the same affinities as Persona
- A "Morgana-like" companion
- Bonds
- Social stats
- Structure of the dungeons like Persona 5 (there are even the save rooms)
- Time management
- Graphic and menu style very Persona to say the least.
And if we're lucky next year we will have Persona 7, I couldn't be happier.
You can take a bath therefore it's Trails of Cold Steel 5 featuring Persona 5.
Thankfully smt vv stands on its own two feet
doing my part in stopping the iron curtain of persona 5
The setting, premise, story and a robust battle system made me pre-order at full price. After playing the demo, I'm hooked!
There are obviously differences , but after the demo it’s literally persona 6 lol and I love it it’s not a bad think
Thank you for this video man it’s become tiresome to convince people it’s actually not medieval persona clone
I feel like Metafore is the merging of all the best parts of ATLUS's previous works in one game. The press turn battle system from SMT, the slice of life and social side of Persona, the creativity in the world they've always had and hell, even the beta concept for Persona 5. This is ATLUS taking everything that worked from their other games and putting it all into a new IP.
I think they are deriving from multiple previous releases. The gameplay systems in the actual turn based combat are reminiscent of Digital Devil Saga more than Persona. I haven't played enough Atlus games to give more examples but I'm sure there are. I don't think looking back is that bad if they use that reminiscence to move forward.
The demo dropped today, and it is awesome, it has pieces from all their titles and I'm sure there will be new stuff as we get the whole game in a few weeks. This game is going to be EPIC.
8:08
YOU FIGHT THE DRAGON OF YOU DON'T SNEAK?????
I THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE A GAME OVER SCREEN😭😭😭😭
I WANT TO FIGHT THE DRAGON
If you beat it you get a pretty nice Warrior greatsword. I fought it and won after a few retries.
Yeah, the archetypes reminded me more of the classes we see in XC3
The demo has shocked me tbh like this could really be a goty contender the story and themes are so good so far the style the music voice acting just amazing
Persona fans when they realize it isn't the only JRPG out there:
Just finished the demo. Already my GOTY. It does have similarities to Persona of course. But the overall themes, atmosphere, settings and not having a daily routine life is so much different. Looking forward to oct 11 to continue playing
My biggest issue is there’s no little hand enemies that absolutely bust down to ‘Its Going Down’ during combat.
Like… that’s one of the biggest draws to the series for a lot of people and I’m worried how well sales will be if there’s no hand enemies absolutely grooving to ‘babybabybabybabybaby!’
Johne thank you. This video was 100% needed it brings sadness to my excitement for the game when someone just says "fantasy persona"
I feel like people are just actively looking out for things to complain about at this point
Exactly. Played the demo really enjoyed it and I'm invested in the story and characters now. Similarities really don't matter to me.
People have a lot of growing and healing to do after the pandemic. I think it's a deeper feeling that needs to be tended to.
Sounds like you're making excuses for valid criticism by not addressing the argument
@@MrOdaddy2011is the valid criticism in the room with us now?
@@MrOdaddy2011 It's not criticism though. It's just a preference. Anyone who enjoys Persona 5 will enjoy this, those that don't or are tired of it naturally won't. As for myself, I'm incredibly happy they're going a more Persona 5 style approach with this.
I-I-I cant date my followers????🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺😨😨
sorry this is how you found out
and this is the biggest reason why this game is NOT like persona. lol
@@dorin497 thank God
@@dorin497that is not the biggest difference at all
WHAT!!!!!?
After playing the whole demo it is persona in a different setting gameplay and mechanics wise it’s v similar the main difference in combat is that you can change party members archetypes and each one is an investment kind of like a job system
Expect it’s not persona dude… did you even watch the video, is SMT persona too?
5:27 ahem, well its not 3 music notes but I did see 3 Triangles pop up and go inside the main character in one of the trailers lol.
I cant wait for this game!
It's just bonus currency for Archetype use, can only accrue them from More's quest (and maybe Brynhilda or whatever her name was, but her stuff takes way too long for the demo, can't even use her rewards). Seems to not matter in advancing the relationship system.
We literally can't go a day without comparisons to Persona huh...
I was not sold at first but after hearing some reviews on actual gameplay I’m probably getting a physical copy once the game is out
My stupid ass knew nothing about how archetypes work, but now that I do I'm kinda hyped actually. Must play the demo and see the basics for myself. Even if it was like Persona (and it very apparently isn't), I don't really see that being that bad of a thing, as I'd just be expecting Atlus to use the good tried and tested parts of those games and utilize them to great success.
"Here are all the differences... i think since the game aint out yet!" Alot of this is just asking if X system truly will function like persona. Nothing burger imo. Its definetly close enough to each other to warrant comparison imo. I already know ill enjoy it
Holy shit Johne this video was FIREEEEEEEEEEE!! i stg some the people bitchin about Metaphor/Persona similarities have played like 1 maybe 2 rpgs in their life D,,,,,,x
I think this is Atlus improving and iterating in a better way of their most successful systems they've used since. It's not all bad when game companies reuse a lot of their assets to produce new stories and worlds to explore in
After playing the demo, I think a lot of it is this exactly and I love it. It has some social elements and calendar progression from Persona, the Press Turn combat and customisable MC from SMT, Archetypes bear some similarities to DDS while also being somewhat unique, then there are otherwise novel elements like the front/back row mechanic, Synthesis skills, overworld action elements etc. (I also like that MC's weapon changes depending on archetype, I haven't seen that since OG P3)
All I know is I can't wait for the game to come out and I'm losing patience. I watched nearly 0 pre-release material, but playing the demo really got me hooked. I just need the game to be out now lol.
Ngl I thought this video was going to say something like “metaphor is to similar to persona” thank you for doing the opposite i was about to click off after like 10 seconds if I heard something annoying like that. Yes they are completely different like how SMT is now very different from persona. Ugh I hate sometimes how popular p5 is for this reason
Great points about SMTV and Persona 5 look-a-like-ness on paper! Lol it really is fascinating how Persona was compared to SMT in the 90s vs. the former with Metaphor now... I really do hope the way the new IP is received turns out the same though (with everyone loving it 🥲)
Even more hyped for this game now than I already was haha; Nice job Johne!
I love Persona 5 but have no real interest in playing the rest of the MegaTen franchise. Metaphor however, caught my interest somehow (cause I genuinely don't play RPG's) and after playing a few hours into the Demo, I'm looking forward to it.
There's a lot to compare to Persona, but I feel it gives a sense of welcoming familiarity rather than a "Been there done that".
Are you gonna do a let’s play on metaphor at all? I would love to watch it
yep!
@@JohneAwesome oh thank you!! I love watching your persona type games and stuff
So i think the issue is that people were expecting a wild departure from the usual formula
People wanted this to be the 3rd Pillar of Atlus games with Atlus sort leaning more into the comparison (Like they remind you often whose writing the game)
I thinks its an issue for some because even the P5 Spin Off titles feel more distinct and those games have the exact same cast from P5
Scrambles Tatica and P5X(yes seriously) feel like a good balance of Persona and there own thing
Metaphor in marketing at least isnt making fans feel like this is a new twist on the formula but an old twist with paint
Its not the mechanics or even the similar looking protagonist its the vibe
Metaphor hasnt given players the feeling that this is meant to be a pillar of Atlus that moving foward Metaphor like SMT will forge a path on its own
It feels safe like player will play it enjoy it but it wont set a blaze for more Metaphor
The best comparison for me is DOS 2 and BG3 both games are similar in terms of base but everything else is very different but BG3 took things to the next level and after playing the demo metaphor seems like to be doing just that! It’s absolutely incredible and it really seems like katsura hoshino and his teams are getting the budget and resources that they finally deserve the game is shaping up to be an all time classic.
Hey are you going to play the demo or are you going to wait for the full release there's a demo out right now that lets you play the first 5 hours
full release
@@JohneAwesome Sweet can't wait
I honestly wouldn’t say SMT and Persona are radically different, they are pretty similar. Thematically, they are drastically different. Gameplay wise, they are fairly similar. At least way more than your octopath traveler, Pokemon, or Dragon Quest.
So it makes sense Metaphor also looks similar. I get SMT fans desperately want it to be a completely original IP but thats just not gonna happen. Luckily, I would say the differences of Metaphor does equate to rhe difference between SMT and Persona, which is big deal for Atlus fans. But to any normal person, it looks like Persona lul.
At the same time, I do appreciate this video because noting the differences is important.
SMT and Persona are very different, basically only combat and fusion are same with minor differences. 90% of persona is social link stuff, 90% of smt is fighting.
I think it is the way of representing the games :
1_ you have same friendly charaters in order in all their famous games
2_you awake power in a moment of weakness
3_you visit the person who signed a contract with you in your sleep
4_same gameplay mechanics, there is no invention
5_amazing music
6_nice cutscene...
Etc
Bro I'm excited for this game man. I now a lot of people was introduced when persona 5 so it's easy to try to compare but man a new IP?? I'm so down for Atlus cooking up something new and creative man
No romance is Metaphor is one big change vs Pesona games.
I figured there'd be differences, obviously, albeit Atlus' marketing wasn't helping things. I just found it bizarre how they were so insistent on this not being MegaTen when so much of its DNA is blatantly from MegaTen/Persona- moreso than something like Catherine, which constantly gets called MegaTen despite Atlus and some fans' insistence its not. I guess in Atlus' eyes, Metaphor is distinct because it doesn't use the classic demons and it's not set in Japan? It's just strange to me.
Regardless, the biggest issue is just Atlus' marketing with this game. I was following it for a bit but they just showed nothing that made it look like the exciting fresh idea they were hyping it up as for so many years. I don't think it looks bad, per se, but I felt no inclination to keep up with it or save up for it so I can buy it right away. I think they were trying to play it safe with the marketing, make casual fans go "oh so it's like p5 that's sick i'm gonna get it" but it's kinda backfired for some who are struggling to see what sets it apart from other MegaTen games.
Might be related to Shin Megami Tensei roughly translates to True Goddess Reincarnation, so the demons in every SMT game is the part of the game that objectively makes SMT SMT.
Metaphor goes in a different direction where the enemies are more fantastical and take some inspiration from Hieronymus Bosch’s paintings.
@@bradleyhampton7966 while i think the demons are part of it, that's not really why. Firstly, SMT is a pun- the series started with the Digital Devil Story series, with the first novel (and subsequently, the Atlus game adaptation) being Digital Devil Story: Megami Tensei, named after the central heroine in the story being a reincarnation of the goddess Izanami. While the novels would continue under the Digital Devil Story name, Atlus used the Megami Tensei name for their own followups, and the series has been almost entirely unrelated to the novels since MT2. Shin Megami Tensei was a soft reboot of sorts to emphasize this fact, and the title is a pun- while the literal translation is "True Goddess Reincarnation", Shin is also a common word for "New", which many Japanese SFC games used to denote their SFC entries apart from earlier Famicom entries (think of it sorta like how in the west, many SNES games would slap the name "Super" at the start of the title to denote they were the SNES entries.) Atlus was just following that trend in a cheeky way. The Megami Tensei title has hardly actually had relevance to the theming of the series for a long time, more evident with the fact in Japan most spinoffs of the series didn't even carry the megaten name (something the west didn't have confidence in until Persona 4 Arena Ultimax).
Secondly, there are Megaten games where the demons take a backseat or don't appear at all, such as Digital Devil Saga and Tokyo Mirage Sessions. So I don't think people would be confused if they just called Metaphor a Megaten spinoff even without the iconic demons showing up. (Again some people still call Catherine a Megaten spinoff and that's in the same boat)
@@thenightwriter619 I guess that is fair, SMT is more than one element, and it’s all subjective on what feels like SMT what doesn’t.
I just want people to give the game a chance because I think it will be a great game. It does share some of SMT’s DNA, but that doesn’t mean it should be overlooked.
New Atlus fans: Persona 6??
OG Atlus fans: Devil summoner?, Devil Survivor?, Devil children?, Digital Devil Saga?(ok that’s a stretch), new ip?, oh I guess it could be persona related
Yes children Atlus used to make games other than persona and SMT
I’m excited to give the demo a try and hopefully if I like it I’ll buy it. I loved p5 and p3r and I’m playing p4g rn, so I’m definitely coming at it from the view of a persona fan but I’m excited to try something new yet with some familiarity that atlus has perfected. I honestly hope it’s good because it’d suck if atlus could only sell persona.
I played Persona 5 when it came out and it juat wasn't for me. The dependancy on just the Social Links and being made to stay in a single City felt extremely stifling.
It got boring so quickly.
I love Fantasy as a Genre and the whole "Road Trip" idea is super cool! The Politics idea is also really unique.
I'm super excited and the Demo confirmed my interest!
The real question, is this JohneAwesome or JohneAI?
I think the main issue is mainly Atlus themselves making the game look like medieval persona when it’s really not and it wasn’t until very recently what I found out what the main differences where cause I just didn’t care enough to look into it
Let's just hope that when this releases, it completes the holy trinity of Atlus's sagas and cements itself as yet another masterpiece made by the studio.
that traveling around the world map mechanic reminds me of that in the early trauma center games...
Almost sound like you said Metaphor Refundtazo and I hope the game is good because if not, that’s a crazy name
Persona 5 is a very good game not only with the story behind it but the gameplay as well,but with Metaphor Re Fantazio they out done themselves.Wacth out the cat is out of the bag.The big question is will they be able to produce another Great Title after Metaphor and am not talking about Persona 6.
3:24 Missed opportunity to throw in the ol' Oni-Kagura soundbite here, would've been so funny.😆 Otherwise, pretty good video, though I think saying one big ghost dude (Persona) is different than another big ghost dude (Archetype) because of philosophy or whatever isn't gonna convince these people.😅
Persona fans try not to be annoying challenge