Spoilers ahead for Metaphor: ReFantazio.
For years, Atlus has mostly been known for its two pillar JRPG franchises:Shin Megami TenseiandPersona, the latter of which spun off ofSMTto begin with. In 2024, however,Metaphor: ReFantaziochanged that, beginning a new Atlus franchise and racking up critical acclaim, including several wins at The Game Awards 2024.Metaphor: ReFantazioshares a ton of DNA withSMTandPersona, especially in borrowingPersona’s social sim elements and how party members awaken to magical power through the power of their heart. In exchange, the inevitablePersona 6might borrow some ideas fromMetaphor, and if so, it should draw on the Summoner Archetype in particular.
The Summoner belongs to a long tradition of JRPG characters, classes, and jobs that revolve around conjuring up a powerful monster to attack enemies. Many incarnations of Summoners have special requirements for unlocking new abilities, andMetaphoris no different, asking fans to craft vessels to get new Summoner skills.Personaalready has extensive themes of “summoning” thanks to the titular Personas, but it still has room for a more traditional summoning mechanic inspired bythe Summoner Archetype inMetaphor: ReFantazio. Just like how the Archetype references classic monsters from Atlus history like Jack Frost,Persona 6could celebrate the franchise’s history and spotlight its own major encounters with the power of summoning.
A Metaphor: ReFantazio-Style Summoning Mechanic Could Be Persona 6’s Version of Theurgy
The broad strokes ofPersona 6seem fairly obvious – turn-based combat, dungeon crawling, and a calendar-based social system are all but guaranteed to return. However, after games likePersona 5 RoyalandPersona 3 Reloadintroduced mechanics like Hold Ups, Showtimes, and Theurgy to increase their depth of strategy, Atlus has put some pressure on itself to build some special combat tricks intoPersona 6to set it apart. One way to do that could be by combiningTheurgy fromPersona 3 Reloadwith the Summoner Archetype.
Theurgy attacks revolve aroundPersona 3 Reload’s party membersturbo-charging their Personas to use a special technique. Rather than focusing on Personas,Persona 6 Reloadcould allow players to charge up an attack that allows them to summon a powerful Shadow to attack the enemy.Personafeatures a variety of Persona-user antagonists that make use of Shadows to advance their own interests, whether by directly manipulating them or simply scheming around them, so it’s entirely within the realm of possibility thatP6’s party could figure out a way to do it too, especially ifP6retainsPersona 5’sSMT-inspired intelligent Shadows.
There are a wide variety of ways thatPersona 6players might unlock Shadow summons:
ThePersona 3 Reloadprotagonist’s Theurgy skills are actually a little similar to the Summoner Archetype already, in that he calls for help from Personas he used in the past, who don’t have to be in the player’s current inventory of Personas to be used in a Theurgy.
Perhaps the biggest question for a Shadow summon mechanic would be whether the whole party could use it. It certainly seems like a trait that might be unique toPersona’s Wild Card protagonists, since it’s so unorthodox, but that would be disappointingly restricted, especially compared to Theurgy. Given how little precedent there is for a feature like this, Atlus could certainly find a narrative reason to open it up to the whole party. Eupha’s role as the source ofMetaphor’s Summoner Archetype is deeply connected to her life as a priestess and mustari culture, but thanks to the broader Archetype lore, it’s still perfectly justified that her fellow party members can use the power of a Summoner. Similarly,Persona 6could make Shadow summoning a technique that starts out exclusively in the Wild Card’s hands during a tutorial battle to play into its own lore conventions, but then quickly have the protagonist teach the technique to their allies.
Personais already so rich with summoning that a more classical Summoner mechanic only seems like a logical progression.Shin Megami Tenseiand its spin-offsalready deal heavily with mortals who team up with Shadows or Demons, so it’d hardly be out of place forPersona 6to equip players with their own Shadow allies and minions. Nothing is guaranteed aboutPersona 6for now, but given its monumental success, it would be wise to draw on stand-out features ofMetaphor: ReFantaziolike the Summoner Archetype.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
WHERE TO PLAY
From the creative minds behind Persona 3, 4, and 5 comes Metaphor: ReFantazio, a unique fantasy world, where your protagonist will journey alongside his fairy companion, Gallica, to lift the curse from the kingdom’s lost prince.Control your destiny, face your fears, and awaken magical Archetype powers that lie dormant in your heart. By awakening to an Archetype, you will unlock the power to channel and combine the abilities of unique job classes. Strengthen your bonds and build your party to take down powerful foes and discover the kingdom’s true nature.
