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Shoji Meguro, the composer of Metaphor: ReFantazio, wants you to be surprised by a song the first time you hear it in the game. He hopes that surprise gradually turns into the feeling that the music fits the scene so well you cannot imagine it any other way. In an interview published October 8, 2026, he also explains why he is performing the score live himself: he wants fans to be surprised by that too.
What Meguro wants a song to do to a player
Meguro describes a two-stage reaction he hopes to create. The first stage is startle. He wants players who hear a track for the first time to think something like, “Wait, they can actually have a song like this!?” and be genuinely surprised by it.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Metaphor: ReFantazio Official Strategy Guide | $54.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Metaphor: ReFantazio Launch Edition - PlayStation 5 | $38.89 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
Metaphor: ReFantazio | $34.70 | Buy on Amazon |
The second stage is familiarity. He wants that initial reaction to settle into something closer to, “It really surprised me at first, but it actually fits the scene so well, and now I’m hooked on it.” In other words, a choice that feels unexpected in isolation should feel right once it is heard in context.
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These are the composer’s stated aims, as reported in the interview. They describe what he is trying to achieve, not how every listener responds.
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How the score is built
Meguro says he knew early in development that the soundtrack had to be an orchestral epic. The foundation is traditional orchestral writing, and he layers moments of electronic euphoria on top of it. Director Katsura Hashino encouraged him to keep the distinctive, edgy quality associated with Atlus, so the fantasy setting does not sound like a conventional fantasy score.
Three choices stand out in the interview.
Buddhist chanting in battle music
Meguro recruited Keisuke Honryo, identified in the interview as chief priest of Myojoji Temple, to record Buddhist chanting for battle music. He found Honryo after seeing a YouTube performance by Honryo and his group, which the interview names “Nam Jazz experiment” and describes as combining Buddhist chanting with jazz. The details of how he found Honryo come from the interview and have not been independently verified.
Meguro’s goal was a piece that feels religious in nature while keeping the Atlus edge. In his words: “I wanted to create something that was both religious in nature and had that distinctive Atlus edge.”
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Choral vocals in an invented language
The score also uses choral vocals sung in a specially created language. According to the interview, the intent is to make the music seem as though it is playing inside the characters’ heads rather than coming from outside the story.
Electronic elements over an orchestral base
The electronic passages are the main source of the score’s contrast with its orchestral core. The combination is what Meguro describes as the source of the surprise he wants players to feel: a sound that is recognizably epic and, at the same time, unexpected for a role-playing game.
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Why Meguro performs the music live
Meguro says fans enjoying game music in a concert setting can create strong emotion, because it lets them relive their own experience of playing the game: “I think having fans hear and enjoy game music at a live concert can create a lot of emotion by allowing them to relive their experiences of playing the game.”
He also gives a more personal reason for conducting and performing the material himself as the composer: “The reason I personally perform the music live as the composer is because I want to surprise the fans.” The surprise, in this framing, is the same idea as the in-game one: hearing familiar music delivered in a way the audience did not expect.
Background and perspective
According to the interview, Meguro began electric organ lessons at age five. He became interested in game development after receiving an 8-bit computer and experimenting with programming, and he joined Atlus in 1996. He went freelance in 2021 and remains a frequent Atlus collaborator. These dates are biographical details the composer gave in the interview; they have not been checked against a separate career record.
Meguro also reflects on hardware. He says early PlayStation and PlayStation 2 hardware limited what he could express musically, and that he has felt less constrained since. He adds that he does not feel he has anything left to prove, and that he keeps creating because he has not yet found anything that truly satisfies him. These are his personal reflections rather than objective assessments of his career.
The game and its editions
Metaphor: ReFantazio is a role-playing game from Atlus with Shoji Meguro credited as composer. Atlus’s official page gives October 11, 2024 as the release date and lists these platforms: PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam, and Xbox Series X|S. The story is set in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, where a royal tournament follows the king’s assassination. Gameplay combines turn-based combat with real-time action and Archetype-based party customization.
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- Go on quests, dungeon dive, and hunt for treasures by day. Strengthen relationships, build bonds, and increase virtues by night. Choose your actions wisely, time management is key to achieving your goal
Atlus’s official page lists a physical base game and a Collector’s Edition. The Collector’s Edition contents named on that page are:
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| Item | Base game | Collector’s Edition |
|---|---|---|
| Physical game | Yes | Yes |
| Soundtrack | Not stated on the official page | Yes |
| Artbook | Not stated on the official page | Yes |
| Steelbook | Not stated on the official page | Yes |
| Metallic pins | Not stated on the official page | Yes |
| Sticker sheet | Not stated on the official page | Yes |
| Cloth map | Not stated on the official page | Yes |
The same page also lists digital items and DLC alongside the Collector’s Edition. Contents can differ by region or retailer, so check the listing for your country before buying. Atlus’s official page confirms what the listing includes; it does not establish current stock or price at any seller.
Spelling note: the interview spells the fairy companion’s name “Gallica,” while Atlus’s official English page uses “Galica.” Use the official spelling when referring to the game world.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.The world orchestral tour
The interview mentions a world orchestral tour. The reported schedule opens in Texas on Friday, October 9, followed by Illinois on Sunday, October 11, and California on Tuesday, October 13, with stops in Asia and Europe to follow. The article does not name venues or ticket sellers, and it does not establish whether tickets are on sale.
Because the first date is today, confirm the dates, venues and ticket status with the tour organizer before planning travel or purchases.
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Outbyte Driver Updater FREEFix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Meguro’s comments on the concert come from the interview. For the score itself, the best starting point for a first listen is the game, where the surprise he describes is designed to arrive in context.
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