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Metaphor ReFantazio is a completely brand-new JRPG IP from Atlus that takes place in its own new world. Despite that, however, it is still filled with references to other Atlus games and franchises. From various SMT demons making cameos as summons to an Archetype in the game being called the Soul Hacker, fans of previous Atlus JRPGs will quickly be able to point at callbacks to their favorite titles. This does raise a question though, is there anything more to these references? Perhaps one so big that it completely changes how the player base thinks about Metaphor ReFantazio’s world? Well, there may be one inside of the game’s fourth dungeon: Dragon Temple.
Metaphor ReFantazio’s Shocking Etrian Odyssey Connection
After completing the first floor of the Dragon Temple dungeon, players will descend into what appears to be the city of Shinjuku. While this may seem to be a typical Atlus plot twist, very similar to Shin Megami Tensei 4’s, this twist goes far deeper than that as this new Dragongrace Shinjuku dungeon is actually a 1:1 recreation of a dungeon from another Atlus JRPG: Etrian Odyssey.
Dragongrace Shinjuku in Metaphor ReFantazio is a complete recreation of the Lost Shinjuku dungeon from the first Etrian Odyessy game. Not only is every floor layout identical to one from the Etrian Odyssey dungeon, but the music playing in the dungeon also originates from Etrian as well!
The similarities between the dungeons go beyond mere aesthetics though, Metaphor’s version of the dungeon even includes some Etrian Odyessy gimmicks such as FOEs. These creatures are a movement puzzle that will move at the same time as you, requiring the player to think about where they go or otherwise face a deadly and powerful enemy.
This loyal recreation of a dungeon from an incredibly niche title must be admired, even items are placed in the same locations they would be in Etrian Odyessy. It is an incredible amount of effort put into a reference that very few people playing Metaphor will fully understand and a testament to how much Atlus cares about their most devoted fans.
Upon completing the dungeon and returning to the Virga Islands, they will be renamed to the land of Eht Rhia to fully hammer in the reference Atlus has been trying to make. Eagle-eyed Etrian Odyssey players may also notice that the names of shops in this town parallel shop names from Etrian Odyssey itself.
- Shilekka’s Weaponry = Shillekka’s Goods
- Keft Incarnations = Ceft Apothecary
- Rooster Inn = Rooster Inn
All of these Etrian Odyssey references raise a major question, does this all mean something? Or is it just a cute callback to an older title from Atlus? Reactions among the fanbase have been split between two separate theories for what this could mean.
The first theory which many people have clinged onto is that Metaphor ReFantazio may potentially be a prequel to the Etrian Odyssey franchise, with the town of Eht Rhia expanding into the world fans know and love. While this theory is the easiest to make (and could easily use the areas and references existing in the game as evidence), it would also require a major amount of retconning to the lore of Etrian Odyssey.
The biggest piece of lore retconning would of course be that of humans, as the destruction of the human race in Metaphor is much different than the end of humanity in Etrian Odyssey, with Metaphor’s characters being wholly unaware of what humans even are outside of the monsters you fight throughout the game.
The other theory fans have begun to speculate on is the possibility that the world of Etrian Odyssey is a fantasy in the world of Metaphor ReFantazio. Similar to our world of reality being mere pages on a book to the protagonist of Metaphor, perhaps the world of Etrian Odyssey will one day become an idyllic fictional fantasy to Edeni and the people of Eht Rhia.
To be clear, this theory does not claim that the world of Etrian Odyssey does not exist any more than it claims that our own does not exist. It merely poses that perhaps the world of Etrian is an imaginable utopia to the people of the Virgia Islands in a way that fits with the themes of Metaphor as a whole.
Regardless of what the lore implications of this dungeon are, the mere existence of an Etrian Odyssey callback was a fun surprise and one that the few fans of the series will appreciate in the same way that Shin Megami Tensei fans appreciate the various demon cameos in Metaphor.
