The creator of Persona and Metaphor ReFantazio praises Clair Obscur Expedition 33, highlighting its meticulous craftsmanship and heartfelt design.

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 developer Sandfall Interactive recently took a trip to Japan following the game’s launch, where they engaged in discussions with several industry veterans, particularly focusing on the lead creators of the RPGs that inspired their work. One notable figure they met was Katsura Hashino, renowned for his leadership on multiple entries in the Persona and Shin Megami Tensei series, and currently heading the new Atlus group, Studio Zero, which is working on its first title, Metaphor: ReFantazio. Hashino had the opportunity to play Clair Obscur and shared his enthusiastic impressions of the game.

In a conversation, Hashino expressed, “I actually had a chance to meet the team that created this game because they were visiting Japan. It was great meeting them. They gave me a copy of the game and I’ve been playing through it. I haven’t gotten to the end, so it’s hard to comment on it just yet, but of what I’ve seen, I’ve noticed there’s a lot of careful love that’s gone into it. It’s very well made and crafted very deeply.”

As noted by the interviewer, some RPG enthusiasts have drawn parallels between Metaphor: ReFantazio and Clair Obscur, particularly in their worldbuilding and their exploration of themes like anxiety and grief.

Both titles showcase distinct yet effective approaches to two fundamental RPG mechanics: turn-based combat and class systems. Clair Obscur features a reactive combat system that rewards precise timing to enhance attacks and evade enemy strikes, while Metaphor builds on the traditional press-turn combat system, encouraging players to exploit enemy weaknesses for maximum effectiveness each turn—a system refined by Shin Megami Tensei before the Persona series took its own path. It wouldn’t be surprising to see a rise in reactive turn-based games as a result of Sandfall’s success.

The class system in Metaphor marks a significant shift from the typical Persona and SMT games, which often include a vast array of customizable demons or Personas, rather than defined job roles for the main character. In contrast, Clair Obscur opts for a flexible skill collection that enhances each party member’s skill tree.

Hashino has been reflecting on the current and future landscape of JRPGs, mentioning last year that while he isn’t heavily involved in Persona at the moment, he has ambitious plans to reinvent the “structure and presentation” of the genre with what he refers to as “JRPG 3.0.” Clair Obscur has served as an entry point to JRPGs for many players—sometimes mistakenly viewed as a genre savior—while the series Hashino has contributed to have been foundational to the genre for years. His expertise in a specific style of game is evident, and it will be intriguing to see how much of that influence carries over into his next project.

The developers of Metaphor: ReFantazio have expressed a desire to avoid rushing a sequel in light of the JRPG’s success, stating, “We want to really give it some thought.”