By 
In a new livestream answering various questions about the game, Atlus confirmed that players won’t be able to romance characters in Metaphor: ReFantazio. The Bonds system will allow for deep personal relationships, but unlike the Persona series it won’t feature dating sim elements.
This information was confirmed during the final Q&A section of a new special livestream broadcasted after the premiere of the global showcase where the game’s release date was announced. The specific question appeared at the 1:36:45 mark during the recent livestream, and it was answered at the 1:38:02 mark. As a reminder, the livestream is only available in Japanese.
When asked if players would be able to romance characters through the new Bond system, host Mafia Kajita answered that Metaphor: ReFantazio will not allow players to enter romantic relationships, as this is a different style of system from the Social Link and Confidant systems. However, Kajita said that players will be able to form deep bonds and explore deeper narratives through sub-stories.
The Bond system will allow players to unlock new Archetypes after establishing bonds with new characters and deepening them. Archetypes work as the unique class system for Metaphor: ReFantazio.
Metaphor: ReFantazio will come out worldwide on October 11, 2024 for the PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam. Pre-orders for the game are now open.
