Atlus initially drew inspiration for Metaphor: ReFantazio from classic fantasy titles, such as «The Lord of the Rings», but later abandoned this approach in favor of creating an original world.
Katsura Hashino, project director, said on the Official Xbox Podcast about the influence of traditional fantasy in the early stages of game development. The team studied not only classic works, but also the reasons for their creation and the sources of inspiration.
«We tried to implement these aspects in our game, but in the end we rejected all ideas related to traditional fantasy. We realized that we wouldn’t be able to create a game in the classic style», Hashino explained.
According to the director, this approach would not have allowed the team to show their originality and creativity. Therefore, the developers decided to abandon previous developments and create something completely new based on their own preferences.
Hashino also emphasized the importance of human stories in his projects.
«I want even an imperfect or incomplete element of a game to give an idea of the humanity of its creators and the emotions that inspired them», he shared.
Metaphor: ReFantazio was released last week and has already set an Atlus sales record, selling one million copies in its first day. Critics have praised the game for its successful combination of nostalgia and modernity, as well as its optimistic view of overcoming prejudice in society.
Source: Eurogamer