Metaphor: ReFantazio on Switch 2 and Sonic Pico Park review roundup

November 12 was the last busy release day before Grand Theft Auto VI, and two of its games now have enough reviews to read. Metaphor: ReFantazio, Atlus's 2024 fantasy RPG, came to Switch 2. Sonic Pico Park, a co-op puzzle game that puts Sonic and friends into the Pico Park series, launched on consoles and PC.

The short version: Metaphor: ReFantazio sits at 85 on Metacritic on Switch 2, from 15 reviews. Critics agree that the game itself is as good as it was two years ago, and that the port is solid with some visible compromises, mostly in handheld mode. Sonic Pico Park is at 78 on PS5 from 7 reviews and 83 on PC from 4. Reviewers liked it a lot and wished there were more of it, and several point out that you can't play it alone.

All scores below were taken at the time of writing, on November 13, 2026, and may still move. Both pools of reviews are small.

Metaphor: ReFantazio and Sonic Pico Park at a glance

If you're not sure how much weight to put on a score built from seven reviews, our guide to how Metacritic and OpenCritic scores work explains what the number does and doesn't tell you.

Metaphor: ReFantazio Switch 2 review scores: 85 on Metacritic

Metaphor: ReFantazio comes from the team behind Persona 3, 4 and 5. It keeps that series' calendar structure and social bonds and moves them into a fantasy kingdom holding an election for its next king. It was one of the best-reviewed games of 2024. Metacritic lists the PS5 version at 94 from 59 reviews, and the PC and Xbox versions at 92.

The Switch 2 version is 85 from 15 reviews, 14 of them positive and one mixed. The nine-point gap is not critics changing their minds about the game. Port reviews score the port, and this one is judged against versions on stronger hardware.

Scores are shown on Metacritic's 100-point scale; the outlet's original scale may differ. These are ten of the 15 reviews Metacritic counted when we checked.

What critics like

The game, first of all. Every review treats Metaphor as a known quantity, and the praise is the same as in 2024: the turn-based combat, the Archetype system that lets you mix abilities between job classes, the art direction and the soundtrack. Hey Poor Player's review argues that it stands as its own thing despite everything it borrows from Persona. Digitally Downloaded, at the top of the range, expects its reputation to keep growing.

Portability is the main reason given to buy this version. Final Weapon's reviewer says they would now choose to play it this way and that Atlus's RPGs have always suited handhelds. Hey Poor Player found the Switch 2 version more consistent than the PC release had been on a Steam Deck in 2024. Worth Playing calls the portable option almost worth the price by itself.

The port also gives you choices. There are three graphics presets, Performance, Balanced and Graphics, and they can be set separately for docked and handheld play. Nintendo World Report found Performance mode much steadier than the default and close to the PS5 experience. Final Weapon notes touch-screen support for menus and dialogue.

What critics don't like

The compromises are visible. Final Weapon describes a jagged shimmer on distant objects and characters that is more noticeable in handheld mode, and says the frame rate is unlocked, mostly sitting between 30 and the 50s without holding 60. Indigo Geek marks the port down for a clear resolution drop in handheld mode. Areajugones says it falls short of the PS5 version when docked. Worth Playing is the most reserved, calling the port acceptable but not fantastic, with an inconsistent frame rate in Graphics mode and drops in busy areas in Performance mode.

Not everyone saw the same thing. Pocket Tactics reports no frame drops or stutter and only some texture pop-in on foliage. That spread suggests how much the issues bother you will depend on the mode you pick and how closely you look.

There is nothing new here, either. Areajugones points out that no content has been added, so for people who finished it in 2024 the only draw is playing it on the go. Final Weapon also notes that the physical edition is a Game-Key Card, which means the box contains a download license and not the full game on a cartridge.

Should you play it?

If you haven't played Metaphor and the Switch 2 is your main console, yes. At $39.99 it's one of the best-reviewed RPGs of 2024 at a reduced price, and the reviews agree the port is good enough. There's a demo on the eShop if you want to see the performance for yourself first.

If you own a PS5 or a capable PC, those versions look and run better, and the choice comes down to whether you'd rather play a very long RPG on the sofa or on the move. Our guide on which version of a game to buy walks through that decision. If Metaphor makes you curious about the series it grew out of, we've also covered the Persona games in order.

Sonic Pico Park review scores: 78 on Metacritic

Pico Park is a co-op puzzle series in which a group of players has to get everyone to the exit, usually by standing on each other's heads and arguing. According to the game's store description, the series has sold over 8 million copies. Sonic Pico Park adds Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, Amy and more as playable characters for the hedgehog's 35th anniversary.

Metacritic lists the PS5 version at 78 from 7 reviews, five positive and two mixed. The PC version is at 83 from 4 reviews. The other platforms didn't have enough reviews for a score when we checked.

Scores are shown on Metacritic's 100-point scale.

What critics like

The puzzles and the people you play them with. MonsterVine describes the stages as taking only a few minutes each, starting simple and becoming more varied as new mechanics arrive, with worlds of four stages built around one idea apiece. Shacknews highlights something the series has always done well: puzzles rearrange themselves depending on how many players are present, so a two-player session and an eight-player one look different.

The Sonic material is more than decoration. Some characters fly and can carry teammates, Knuckles glides, rings act as extra hits and the spin dash breaks walls. Shacknews says certain puzzles need a particular character on the team. MonsterVine picked out a bungee-cord mechanic as a nod to Knuckles' Chaotix, and both reviews mention competitive Battle modes, including a top-down take on the Blue Sphere bonus stage.

Online play supports up to eight players with cross-platform play, according to Shacknews. Local co-op supports two to four.

What critics don't like

Three complaints recur.

It's short. Shacknews says the fun was over quickly and wishes there were more. PSX Brasil lists the length as one of two noticeable problems, and GamersRD calls the content light.

There's no way to play alone. MonsterVine and PSX Brasil both mark it down for the lack of any single-player mode. That is true of Pico Park generally, but it's worth knowing before you spend the money.

And it isn't fast. Shacknews points out that these are puzzles about patience and timing, so Sonic moves at a fraction of his usual speed, and going quickly usually gets the whole team killed. Multiplayer's review adds that the bare, flat-color backgrounds will divide people.

Should you play it?

If you have at least one other person to play with, it's an easy yes at $9.99. If you'd be playing solo, it isn't for you, because you can't. It belongs next to the games on our list of the best co-op games to play with your partner: low stakes, quick to learn and funnier when someone messes up.

What else came out on November 12?

Two other releases from the same day didn't have a Metacritic score when we checked.

• Pikmin 4: Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Dandori Academy. No Switch 2 reviews were listed yet. The original Switch game sits at 87 from 123 reviews, so the open question is how much the upgrade and the new mode add.
• 9 Kings. The roguelike kingdom builder left early access with its 1.0 release on PC. It has a Metacritic page but not enough critic reviews for a score.

We'll come back to both if enough reviews arrive.

Which one is worth your time this week?

With GTA 6 six days away, the two games fit very differently. Sonic Pico Park is an evening or two with friends, and you'll be done before November 19. Metaphor: ReFantazio is a long RPG that you will not finish in a week, so on Switch 2 it makes more sense as the game you play around GTA 6 on a different screen, or the one you start in December.

Neither changes our ranking of the best-reviewed games of 2026, since one is a port of a 2024 game and the other has only a handful of reviews. Our November release list has the rest of the month.

If you play either, Perthro is a good place to keep track of it. Log Metaphor on Switch 2 as its own entry if you already finished it elsewhere, or note who you played Sonic Pico Park with and which stages finally broke the group. Our gaming journal page shows how that works.

Sources

• Metacritic: Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Metacritic: Metaphor: ReFantazio critic reviews, Switch 2
• Metacritic: Sonic Pico Park
• Metacritic: Pikmin 4
• Metacritic: 9 Kings
• Metaphor: ReFantazio reviews: Nintendo World Report, Final Weapon, Hey Poor Player, Worth Playing, Pocket Tactics, Digitally Downloaded, Areajugones, Indigo Geek, GamersRD, Games.ch
• Sonic Pico Park reviews: Shacknews, MonsterVine, DualShockers, PSX Brasil, GamersRD, Indigo Geek, Multiplayer
• Steam: Metaphor: ReFantazio
• Steam: Sonic Pico Park