Hot off the heels of a very limited tour in the early part of the year with Persona Live 2026: Awakenings, Sega and ATLUS came back to Los Angeles to close out the North American leg of their Metaphor ReFantazio Orchestra Concert. I was interested as soon as the tour was announced, and I was lucky enough to have Sega bless me with amazing seats.
Was it a great show? Absolutely, but there were some little things that had nothing to do with the music that I wish were handled better, especially since they weren’t a problem at all with the Persona Live show.
It might be overplayed to say ATLUS is in a league of its own when it comes to music in its games. Often led by the likes of legendary composer Shoji Meguro, we just come to expect excellence out of anything he touches, and Metaphor ReFantazio is no different. The game was a standout when it originally came out in 2024 (earning a 4.5/5 from me and landing at #2 on our Top 10 Games of 2024 list), so when it was on the Game Awards ballot, I knew I had to be there. Unfortunately, there was no rapping hymn artist. That was my biggest disappointment at the show, so when I heard about this concert, I knew I had to go.
At the Peacock Theater, where they’ve hosted The Game Awards the last few years, it definitely felt more like an orchestra than I expected, but there was still a nice amount of cosplay. There were quite a few Wills, along with a really good Gallica cosplay, the fairy in the game. Unfortunately, everyone seemed to be in a rush, so I didn’t get many pictures, but it was nice to see how passionate fans are about the game. It’s been a couple of years now, and I’ve only really seen Metaphor cosplay twice at events since its release, so it made me wonder what people actually thought of the game in the wild. Speaking of pictures, there was a nice backdrop at the lobby to take, so I definitely did that, and that’s what you see up top.
As mentioned, this concert was definitely a change of vibes, especially coming off of the Sonic Live one I was at a few weeks ago. Unlike that one, the stage looked like it had an entire symphony orchestra, including a full percussion ensemble, a child with an amazing soprano voice, and the aforementioned hymn artist.
The show kicked off strong without a host by going right into “Prelude to a Heroic Tale.” This was where we first heard the outstanding vocal job by Sam Kreidenweis, who was filling in for original touring vocalist Keisuke Honryo. He was tremendous. I didn’t even know that Honryo wouldn’t be there, but I didn’t hear a difference. He was also very professional with his poise, showing absolutely zero emotion until it was time for the curtain call. Anybody who talks about Metaphor ReFantazio‘s soundtrack, even jokingly but still respectfully, will talk about the monk rap, and what we got from Kreidenweis’ performance in Los Angeles was simply extraordinary.
I have to admit that I was surprised they’d end the first act with Warriors in Valor, which is my favorite song in the entire game because of the vocalist. This is the song I expected to hear in full at The Game Awards, which I mentioned didn’t happen.
Also standing out was the child vocalist who sang the soprano for “Academia.” This is the song that plays while you’re of course in Academia, but it’s also what plays if you were to idle on your PS5 home screen. Listening to that beautiful melody really brought me back, and it was just another outstanding job by everybody on stage.
Over 24 songs were performed at the concert, including:
Act I
- Prelude to a Heroic Tale
- Breakfast at the Inn
- Royal Capital Grand Trad
- Warriors in Arms
- Followers
- Ode to Heroes
- Human By Name
- Matina Old Castle Town (Day)
- Hero’s Awakening
- Journey’s Legs
- Warriors in Valor
Act II
- Port Brilehagen
- Handshake
- Formidable Foe
- Virga Island
- The Lost City
- Altabury Heights
- Verge of life and death
- You Face Louis Guiabern
- Melancholy Star
- King of Destruction
- Fantasy Lives On
Encore
- Ancient Elden Sanctum
- Traversing the Wastes
Of course, I’m not qualified to really tear apart the musical performances. They were all great. Something I will mention, though, is the video packages that obviously accompany these songs. One thing I really liked was the fact that as each song began playing, there were brief moments on screen to tell us exactly what song was being performed. That helped, and that’s why I was able to so easily unveil the setlist above.
That said, I was a bit of a mixed bag with the packages in general. I thought they could use more action, and there was more Japanese footage than I had hoped. I get that this is a Japanese game, but this also came out in America two years ago with a Switch 2 version along the way, so I thought they’d do a better job putting those packages together for the cities they were in. It’s not really a detriment, but that’s something I felt needed pointing out.
One real issue I had was how the venue handled filming. I don’t know whether Sega or the Peacock Theater set this policy, but nobody told us we weren’t allowed to record. I recorded a good amount in the first half, but in the second half, I was told to put my phone away. That’s fine, but if that’s the rule, they should’ve pointed it out from the very beginning. Out of respect for Sega and because I was invited (and of course I’d like to keep being invited), I deleted everything, but I’m sure that isn’t the case for anyone who paid to enter.
Lastly, I gotta talk about the swag. The wearables weren’t great. They had a plain black shirt for $40 and a plain black pullover hoodie for $80. I thought the keychains were cool, but by the time I got to the front of the line, they were gone. Since I didn’t want to waste time, I asked for a shirt, and they sold out before I could buy one. So I asked for a hoodie, but they didn’t have my size. It’s wild to me that, despite how overpriced and uninspired the swag was, it still sold out. I hope this doesn’t set a precedent for event organizers to keep making lame stuff just because some people are still willing to buy it. For all we know, they’re probably just trying to resell.
Part of what made the swag part of the ordeal so disappointing was that, for Persona Live, there were online preorders. I don’t know why Metaphor, a game literally made by the same studio, can’t have the same treatment.
All that aside, the Metaphor ReFantazio Orchestra Concert was great, and I wholeheartedly recommend it if it ever comes back. Most importantly, the music is fantastic, and the performances were exquisite. Any fan of the game, and even people who don’t know what it is (but appreciate a live orchestra), can definitely appreciate it.
Metaphor ReFantazio is available now for the PlayStation 5, XBOX Series X|S, and PC. The game will also be available on Switch 2 on November 12.
