Archetypes can inherit skills from other Archetypes you’ve leveled up

If you’re a fan of games like Final Fantasy Tactics or Bravely Default, you know that mixing and matching the skills of different classes can create diabolically powerful synergies. In Metaphor, each Archetype can initially inherit one skill from any Archetype the equipping character has leveled up. This does require a one-time fee of the MAG currency, but unlocked skills can be attached to any Archetype that character uses from that point onward. As you advance your Follower relationships (think Social Links from Persona), each of your Archetypes can inherit even more skills.

With a little planning, this system lets you come up with some incredible combos. For instance, a physical character who bounces between the Warrior and Brawler Archetypes can use skills like Battle Cry and the Heat Up passive to optimize their damage output. Alternatively, you can switch a character to an Archetype that specifically resists a boss’ attacks while still keeping the most important skills you’ll need for the fight. A Mage will struggle against bosses that inflict Piercing damage, but magic users can just switch to the Healer Archetype and keep whichever elemental spell they’d use anyway!

Even if you don’t want to optimize your party for a specific encounter, inheriting skills lets you fulfill class fantasies that the game might not support out the gate. For instance, I enjoyed equipping Strohl with the Seeker Archetype alongside the Healer’s restorative spells to emulate a Paladin like Cecil from Final Fantasy 4. In a game all about the power of fantasy, it’s fitting that the only limit for your character builds is your imagination. Well, that and the literal limits imposed by the game’s mechanics, but clarifying sentences like this are not how I passed my 9th Grade English class.