Metaphor: ReFantazio

Metaphor: ReFantazio was created by the team behind the Persona series and transplanted its proven formula into a fantasy world full of races, prejudice, and politics. The kingdom has lost its ruler, and the successor is to be chosen through an unusual election that anyone can enter. The hero enters it with his own hidden goal: to save the cursed crown prince. The story openly tackles discrimination, fear of otherness, and how easily a crowd can be swayed by a simple answer, making it unusually mature material by the genre's standards.

The gameplay is again built around a calendar: the path to the election has a fixed deadline, so every day the player must decide whether to head into a dungeon, strengthen bonds with companions, or cultivate virtues that unlock further options. Combat combines fast dispatching of weaker enemies directly in the field with a turn-based mode for serious encounters, where exploiting weaknesses and switching archetypes decides the outcome. Archetypes are this world's equivalent of classes; they can be developed, combined, and can pass abilities between one another, giving party building plenty of room for experimentation. Travel between cities happens inside a strange walking colossus, which serves as a mobile base and also as a place to read, cook, and rest.

On PlayStation 5, the game runs smoothly with virtually no waiting, which matters a great deal for a title with so much movement between city, road, and dungeon. Visually, it commits to strong stylization, with a stamped, almost paper-like interface and inventively ugly enemy designs; Shoji Meguro's music adds choral singing in a constructed language that players remember after the very first battle. Critics received the game very warmly, often calling it one of the best JRPG titles of its era. Difficulty can be freely adjusted, so even a player still getting used to turn-based combat can handle it. For PS5 owners who enjoy turn-based combat and don't mind a substantial amount of reading, it's a clear recommendation.