"I was like, 'Why am I saying Persona?'": Metaphor: ReFantazio Strohl actor on finding out he was in an Atlus game, the future of Euchronia, and much more

GamesJRPGMetaphor: ReFantazio"I was like, ‘Why am I saying Persona?'": Metaphor: ReFantazio Strohl actor on finding out he was in an Atlus game, the future of Euchronia, and much moreWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. GamesJRPGMetaphor: ReFantazio"I was like, ‘Why am I saying Persona?'": Metaphor: ReFantazio Strohl actor on finding out he was in an Atlus game, the future of Euchronia, and much moreWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works. (Image credit: Atlus / Sega) Metaphor: ReFantaziois, without a doubt, one of this year’sbest JRPGs. Hell, I’d argue it’s one of the best JRPGs of all time thanks to its powerful narrative, along with its engaging mix of turn-based battles and social sim elements that leave you with oh-so-much to do. But it also owes a lot to its delightful cast of characters. From your excellent supporting ‘followers’ like the sly, scheming Alonzo, to the big baddie himself, Louis, Metaphor’s characters are the life and soul of the JRPG. But from day one, I had an immediate favorite – Leon Strohl. The very first party member to join the protagonist’s cause to take down Louis and save the prince of Euchronia, the charming Clemar has a noble heritage and a tragic backstory, a drive to stand up for what’s right and protect those he cares about, and isn’t afraid to put himself in danger to do so. Between emotional moments that tug on your heartstrings, rousing speeches that give you goosebumps, somereally coolbattle lines, and even a transformation scene that involves him ripping his own heart out, Strohl is taken to the next level as a character thanks to a phenomenal performance from English dub actor Stewart Clarke. Sitting down to chat with GamesRadar+ about his role, he’s buzzing with enthusiasm and says it was “a really fun challenge” to bring someone who wasn’t “your traditional noble character” to life. Strohl’s beginnings (Image credit: Atlus / Sega) An impactful ending(Image credit: Atlus / Sega)I’ve not stopped thinking about Metaphor: ReFantazio’s perfect ending since I rolled credits, and I’m not sure I ever will An impactful ending (Image credit: Atlus / Sega)I’ve not stopped thinking about Metaphor: ReFantazio’s perfect ending since I rolled credits, and I’m not sure I ever will (Image credit: Atlus / Sega) I’ve not stopped thinking about Metaphor: ReFantazio’s perfect ending since I rolled credits, and I’m not sure I ever will You may expect a ‘noble’ character to be rather high and mighty, snooty, and a tad out of touch with everyday folks, but that’snotStrohl, who’s incredibly grounded and wants the best for those around him. However, his bold introduction when he enrolls in the army alongside the protagonist initially gave Clarke a different impression. “He’s quite cocky. It’s very kind of like, ‘Oh, well, maybe the entire army isn’t doomed if I’m here,’ you know, there’s a lot of bravado. There’s a lot of talking back to authority,” he says of the introductory scene. The actor initially leaned into his “stuck-up” perception of Strohl in his performance, but soon realized that there was much more to the Clemar than his upbringing. “Very quickly I was like, ‘Oh, wait, that’s not him. This is not him!’ And I remember going… ‘We need to go back. We need to redo that first scene.'” Clarke believed that even though Strohl could be a confident character, making him too “full of himself” would “throw off his character arc.” After all, he’s meant to be your protagonist’s “ride or die” companion throughout the entire game, so relatability was key. “And, yeah, okay, he’s not perfect, but he will try his best,” adds Clarke. “We redid it, and that’s the joy of acting, is finding these discoveries and making these decisions.” Sign up to the GamesRadar+ Newsletter Weekly digests, tales from the communities you love, and more Thrown in at the deep end (Image credit: Atlus / Sega) For Clarke, it was a huge personal highlight. “It was just fun,” he laughs. “We did the awakening scene [day one], which is a baptism of fire, isn’t it? Welcome to the gig, here you go, do an awakening scene.” While it could have been a daunting task, the actor enjoyed doing it so early: “It informed a lot about Strohl, about how passionate my version of Strohl is, how he speaks to power, how free he is communicating that to people, which again, informed me later on when he had scenes with Louis and all that kind of stuff.” That aside, he beams at the simple joy of expression it allowed for. “It was just great fun watching the animatic being like, ‘I’m in an anime scene. This is just great! Like he’s having a power-up moment, he’s going Super Saiyan.'” Screaming for a character tearing their heart out wasn’t the only challenge Clarke faced, though, as he opens up about the broader challenge of voice acting: “filling in the blanks.” Not everything in Metaphor: ReFantazio is voiced, and Clarke didn’t have the story’s entire context while he was recording. As a result, he’d sometimes have to be filled in with extra details to help him imagine certain scenes, like the plot of Strohl’s Bond (essentially a Social Link) story, which is only voiced in the first and final ranks. An amusing moment early on in the game – when the party uses a painting of their arch nemesis, Louis, to stop his necromancer ally Zorba from attacking them – was also particularly confusing in this regard. “Honestly, I was like, ‘What is going on?'” he laughs. From actor to fan (Image credit: Atlus / Sega) Not knowing every detail of the game did have an additional benefit for Clarke, though – it meant that playing it himself was “such a fulfilling experience, because it filled in all those gaps.” Coincidentally, he rolled credits the day before we spoke, and considering that he describes it as “my kind of game” and spent 133 hours playing it, it’s no surprise to hear that he “loved it.” It turns out that we had a very similar approach to combat, too: “Strohl never left the party – obviously, you’ve gotta build around Strohl – so he just became Mr. Big Sword, and everyone else just kind of buff[ed] him. ‘Everyone throw your buffs on Strohl, and then he’s going to hit them really hard with a sword.'” “I just wanted to say butthole, and I didn’t get to say butthole. That was sad.“Stewart Clarke, voice actor for Strohl “I just wanted to say butthole, and I didn’t get to say butthole. That was sad.” Throughout the lengthy recording process, Clarke was aware that he was working on a JRPG, and turned to playing Xenoblade Chronicles 3 to serve as “a kind of inspiration” for his work. However, he didn’t initially realize that he was part of an Atlus game, although certain lines nearly gave it away. “We got to the very end of recording, [where] everyone calls out what Archetype they are when they become that Archetype. And we were doing the ones at the very end, the Royal Archetypes, and there was like, Persona Master, Soul Hacker, Devil Summoner. And then they were like, ‘Can you just say Persona?’ I was like, ‘Why am I saying Persona? What game is this?'” he recalls, grinning. When trailers for the game came out, he was hit with the realization that “this is a bigger deal than I thought it was.” The future of Euchronia (Image credit: Atlus / Sega) Metaphor: ReFantazio has created a whole new world for Atlus, although at the time of writing, we don’t know if we’ll see any further expansions to it in the form of story DLC, sequels, or spin-offs. Would Clarke be down to reprise his role if given the chance, though? “Of course!” he says, without a moment’s hesitation. “It’s beyond me, it’s not in my court, but yeah. If there was more story to tell, more things to do, I do think the world of Metaphor was brilliant, and I think it was crafted really, really artfully, and the world of Euchronia and the art direction and all of that was… it’s a fascinating world, and I think there’s more to tell,” he continues. “Whether that’s the story of our protag and the Six Partisans, I don’t know, but you know, I’m ready to answer the cry, ready to heed the call to adventure, should it arrive.” This interview has been edited for length and clarity. Be sure to take a look at ourMetaphor: ReFantazio reviewto find out why it’s an evolution of Atlus’best RPGs. 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3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 3 Kraven the Hunter review: “The insistence on an R-rating helps save this, with a decent helping of bloodthirsty action” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 4 The Lord of the Rings: The War of the Rohirrim review – “An uninspired expansion of the most iconic screen take on Tolkien” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 5 Nightbitch review: “Amy Adams' disappointing dark comedy is all bark and no bite” 1Squid 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vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 4 Skeleton Crew review: “Perfectly captures the vibes of classic Star Wars with a swashbuckling twist” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands” 5 Creature Commandos review: “James Gunn’s heartwarming, R-rated tale about super-monsters proves that the DCU is in good hands”