Persona studio "working to address" problems plaguing Metaphor: ReFantazio's PC performance in the weeks before launch

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The Prologue demo had problems with stuttering and framerate dips

Metaphor: ReFantazio screenshot showing an anime-style young blond man with light blue eyes, a window's light glowing behind him
(Image credit: Atlus)

Atlus has promised it's working on the wonky performance for Metaphor: ReFantazio's PC version.

Metaphor: ReFantazio's Prologue demo is giving everyone a taste of the epic fantasy's opening hours - which scarily only covers a fraction of the full game's 100-hour runtime - but some players quickly reported the PC version seemed plagued with various performance issues that caused frequent stuttering and framerate dips in denser areas.

Metaphor's framerate woes were unexpected considering Atlus' Persona 3 Reload ran flawlessly on PC earlier this year, but it doesn't seem like the Persona studio will let its fantasy JRPG fall behind.

"Thank you to everyone who has downloaded and played the Metaphor: ReFantazio - Prologue Demo," Atlus tweeted earlier today. "We are aware there is an optimization issue on Steam and are actively working to address this problem. We will share updates, including patch release information through our official social media platforms, once available."

Metaphor: ReFantazio launches on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Game Pass on October 11, and should scratch the Persona 6-shaped itch we all have. Atlus is continuing its turn-based chops in a completely new fantasy world (that still makes references to Shin Megami, weirdly), with a kingdom that's scrambling to find a new leader.

This being an Atlus JRPG means even the Prologue demo isn't exactly small, though. It includes the game's first four dungeons, seven classes, and "the beginning of the journey to life the curse of death on the protagonist's best friend, the prince." Oh, and all progress carries over to the main game, so you can get a little head start.

Metaphor: ReFantazio devs say the JRPG's high-stakes elections are just like driving a race car, which is why they’re sponsoring F1’s most lovable loser. 

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Kaan Serin
Freelance contributor

Kaan freelances for various websites including Rock Paper Shotgun, Eurogamer, and this one, Gamesradar. He particularly enjoys writing about spooky indies, throwback RPGs, and anything that's vaguely silly. Also has an English Literature and Film Studies degree that he'll soon forget.

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