BUT! Metaphor's narrative conceit (which I won't spoil - at least, not yet) does give me hope that its deployment of these familiar elements is more than mere set dressing, especially when it has such a unique flair elsewhere.
To that end, Metaphor is a game of contrasts. Often, it's a delightful subversion (or even outright rejection) of its own genre, but it rarely sustains that feeling; choosing, instead, to deploy rote narrative tropes and familiar character archetypes, as if it fears to tread too far from its roots.
This is mostly a product of my own disinterest in, even disdain for, the subgenre of high fantasy. I have tried, time and time again, to engage with it - understand it's appeal - but I fear it's just not for me, so whatever else I say about Metaphor will be colored by that perspective.
Decided to get away from Va'ruun'kai for a bit, and revisit some of my favorite locations in the base game (2023) -- starting with the Martian Colony, Cydonia. The posters especially, are really fantastic -- presenting an idyllic vision of Mars that never was.
I'd be remiss not to mention the landscape, too, with it's blood-red skies, stony spires, and gravitational anomalies.
Yeah… That’s the impression I got, too. A lot of people literally calling it, a “bargain bin” RPG. I think that’s why I’m so interested in revisiting it — seeing if there’s something special under that lackluster reception.
Over the next few weeks, I’ll try to update this thread with my initial impressions and offer genuine criticism of the story, gameplay, and aesthetics.
But I’m hardly satisfied by that answer; it feels like such a cop out. So I did what must be done, and fished out my 3DS. After a nice, solid day of charging, it finally decided to turn back on, and after over a decade away from the game, I dove back into “Glory of Heracles: Proof of the Soul.”