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Persona 5 is the clearest documented point of comparison because Meguro created both games. Shin Megami Tensei V belongs in the conversation as a listener comparison, but the available publisher and interview material does not establish a detailed, creator-by-creator contrast with that game. The sections below therefore separate documented statements from interpretive listening judgments.
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The short version: three different soundtrack identities
Metaphor: ReFantazio is the most overtly orchestral and ritualistic of the three scores considered here. Its battle music is marked by a fast chant in an original language inspired by Esperanto, performed by monk Keisuke Honryo. Meguro says he wanted the vocal effect to feel commanding and eccentric, and he designed the music to become more intense when combat begins and more somber during dramatic moments.
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Persona 5 is the useful reference point for what Metaphor is not trying to repeat. Meguro characterizes Persona’s sound as more modern, while describing Metaphor as a score that required him to revisit orchestral composition and musical theory. That is a composer-stated distinction, not a complete technical definition of either soundtrack.
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Shin Megami Tensei V can still be a meaningful listening comparison, especially for players who know Atlus’s darker, mythic role-playing tradition. However, the consulted material does not document a direct three-way analysis or identify Meguro as SMT V’s composer. Any contrast with SMT V should therefore be treated as a listener’s interpretation rather than as an official account of its design.
Who composed each soundtrack?
Metaphor’s documented lineage
ATLUS identifies Shoji Meguro as the composer of Metaphor: ReFantazio and lists Persona 3, Persona 4, Persona 5 and Shin Megami Tensei III: Nocturne among his notable works. That establishes a direct creative line from Meguro’s Persona work to Metaphor. It does not, by itself, establish that he composed Shin Megami Tensei V.
Why the credit distinction matters
Knowing the composer helps explain why Metaphor can feel familiar without sounding like Persona 5. The same composer is intentionally changing palette, vocal treatment and dramatic function. It is more accurate to describe Metaphor as Meguro applying a different musical brief than to call it a simple evolution of Persona 5.
Overall palette: orchestra versus a modern Persona approach
What Meguro actually said
In an interview with Inverse, Meguro said: “Since this soundtrack is orchestra-based, as opposed to the more modern style of the Persona soundtracks, I had to re-learn some composition and musical theory.” This is the strongest primary comparison available for Metaphor and Persona 5.
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“Orchestra-based” should not be read as meaning that every Metaphor cue is a literal concert-hall recording or that Persona 5 has no orchestral color. Meguro is describing the organizing approach: the compositional language, arrangement priorities and theory he needed for this project. Likewise, “modern style” is his broad contrast, not a laboratory measurement of instrumentation, tempo or production technique.
How that difference comes across to a listener
As an interpretive listening judgment, Metaphor’s score feels designed to project scale and ceremony. Its sound can make a battle seem like a public ritual or a clash of worldviews, while the quieter passages support a setting defined by travel, faith and political uncertainty. Persona 5 generally presents its musical identity more directly as a contemporary character-and-style statement. That contrast is consistent with Meguro’s description, but the characterization here is interpretation rather than an additional documented quote.
Vocal identity: Metaphor’s chant is the signature
An original, Esperanto-inspired language
Metaphor’s most immediately recognizable vocal device is its rapid chant. Meguro says the chanting is in an original language with inspirations from Esperanto. The performer is Keisuke Honryo, a monk, and Meguro sought a sound that would be commanding and eccentric.
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Persona 5 and SMT V: keep the comparison qualified
The available sources do not provide a like-for-like technical account of vocal writing in Persona 5 and Shin Megami Tensei V. It is therefore safer to say that Metaphor foregrounds its invented chant as a defining battle color than to claim that either comparison game lacks vocal identity or uses a particular lyrical method.
For SMT V, the useful comparison is subjective: a listener may find Metaphor’s chant more explicitly ceremonial and theatrical, whereas SMT V can feel more austere or ominous depending on the cue and context. That is an interpretation of the listening experience, not a statement attributed to Atlus, Meguro or SMT V’s developers.
Battle music and how the score follows play
Intensity is tied to the moment
Meguro explains that “as the player enters a battle, the music will be more intense, whereas the music will slow down to a more somber tone in more dramatic moments.” The point is functional as much as stylistic: the soundtrack is meant to react to what the player is doing and feeling, rather than maintain one fixed emotional temperature.
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Meguro also discusses introducing the soundtrack through the game over successive battles. That makes the score’s impact cumulative. A battle theme is not only an isolated track heard once; its force is shaped by when it appears, how often the player returns to combat and what has happened in the story before the encounter.
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What this means beside Persona 5
Persona 5 is often remembered through a strong, immediately identifiable modern presentation. Metaphor’s battle identity is instead built around escalation, chant and orchestral weight. Both approaches can be memorable, but they create different relationships between player, combat system and world. Metaphor asks the battle music to sound like an event inside its setting, not merely a stylish interruption to exploration.
What this means beside SMT V
A fair SMT V comparison should focus on role rather than unsupported production claims. Both games can be heard as using music to reinforce danger and supernatural stakes, but the evidence available here does not support saying that they share a specific motif, recording method or battle-theme architecture. Treat any more detailed resemblance as your own listening conclusion.
World-building: why the spiritual tone matters
Meguro says the soundtrack’s spiritual tone was intended to complement Metaphor’s otherworldly narrative. The official interview also frames the music as part of the atmosphere across battles, cities, roads and travel. That broad coverage is important: the score is not only a combat feature. It helps make ordinary movement through the world feel connected to the game’s larger questions about belief, authority and transformation.
The orchestral approach supports that world-building because it can suggest public ceremony, distance and historical depth without requiring the player to read a lyric. The chant adds a human ritual presence, while the shifts between intensity and somber reflection give the journey an emotional contour. This is an interpretation of how the documented design goals may be experienced, not a claim that every scene uses the same musical technique.
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Metaphor, Persona 5 and SMT V by comparison axis
| Comparison axis | Metaphor: ReFantazio | Persona 5 | Shin Megami Tensei V | Evidence status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Composer relationship | Shoji Meguro is identified by ATLUS as composer. | Meguro is among the notable works listed in his ATLUS biography. | The supplied sources do not establish Meguro as composer. | ATLUS credit and biography; SMT V limitation is explicit. |
| Overall palette | Orchestra-based, according to Meguro. | Described by Meguro as having a more modern style. | No sourced three-way technical description is available here. | Metaphor/Persona contrast is a composer statement; SMT V comparison is interpretive. |
| Vocal identity | Fast chant in an original language inspired by Esperanto; performed by Keisuke Honryo. | Not documented in the supplied comparison material. | Not documented in the supplied comparison material. | Metaphor details are sourced; other cells are deliberately limited. |
| Battle function | More intense in battle; more somber in dramatic moments; score introduced across successive battles. | No equivalent sourced design explanation is supplied here. | No equivalent sourced design explanation is supplied here. | Meguro interview for Metaphor; comparisons are listener judgment. |
| World atmosphere | Spiritual tone intended to complement an otherworldly narrative; music covers battles, cities, roads and travel. | Not assessed here beyond Meguro’s broad “modern” comparison. | Not assessed here as a documented creator intention. | Metaphor statements are sourced; broader contrasts are interpretive. |
Which soundtrack will suit your taste?
Choose Metaphor if you want ritual and scale
- You prefer an orchestral foundation over a primarily contemporary presentation.
- You like battle music that announces itself through fast, unusual vocal writing.
- You want the soundtrack to make travel, cities and combat feel parts of one mythic setting.
- You enjoy scores that change from forceful to somber as the story’s emotional stakes shift.
Choose Persona 5’s approach if modern identity is the priority
- You value a soundtrack whose modern character is immediately legible as a stylistic signature.
- You want the music to function as a strong expression of contemporary attitude and cast identity.
- You are comparing Metaphor specifically to Meguro’s earlier work and want to hear how far his brief has changed.
Use SMT V as a mood comparison, not a documented production blueprint
- You are interested in how another Atlus role-playing soundtrack handles mythic or supernatural tension.
- You are comfortable separating your own listening impressions from statements confirmed by the creators.
- You do not need a claimed composer-to-composer lineage that the available credits do not establish.
How to listen for the differences yourself
- Start with a Metaphor battle cue. Notice the entrance of the chant, its speed and how the orchestral backing creates momentum. The chant’s language is invented and Esperanto-inspired, so focus first on texture and authority rather than literal meaning.
- Follow it with a dramatic or quieter Metaphor scene. Listen for the move toward a more somber tone that Meguro describes. The contrast is part of the score’s intended pacing.
- Play a Persona 5 battle or exploration cue at similar volume. Ask whether the arrangement presents itself as contemporary and immediate in a way Metaphor does not. Treat your answer as a listening observation, not as a universal ranking.
- Then compare an SMT V cue by function. Match battle with battle or travel with travel. Avoid comparing a climactic track from one game with a quiet interlude from another and calling the difference a compositional rule.
- Write down what is audible and what is inferred. “The chant dominates the opening” is an observation; “the composer intended this to represent a specific faction” would require a source.
Soundtrack editions and listening options
The complete five-CD release
ATLUS announced the complete original soundtrack for January 15, 2025. It contains all 131 tracks across five CDs, carries catalogue number AGM-008~012, includes a booklet and special box, and was listed at ¥5,500 tax included in Japan. That price is the Japanese retail price stated in the release notice, not a guaranteed current price in another country.
ATLUS also says the full album is available through download and streaming services, including Spotify, Apple Music and iTunes, with worldwide distribution stated in the notice. Service catalogs, licensing and availability can vary by region, so check the current listing where you live.
Do not confuse the complete album with the game special edition
ATLUS’s game page describes a special-edition soundtrack as a two-disc set. That is separate from the later complete five-CD, 131-track release. A two-disc bonus soundtrack should not be described as the entire score.
The four-LP vinyl selection
Black Screen Records lists a four-LP edition selected with the ATLUS Sound Team and mastered for vinyl. Its track list includes “Warriors in Arms” and “Warriors in Valour.” Because it is a selected four-LP program, it is not equivalent to the complete 131-track CD set. Confirm current stock and territory before purchasing; the retailer listing does not establish permanent availability.
What is established—and what is not
The firmest conclusion is the Metaphor-versus-Persona contrast supplied by Meguro: orchestra-based composition against Persona’s more modern style. The chant’s invented, Esperanto-inspired language, Honryo’s performance, the battle-to-drama intensity changes and the spiritual world-building goal are also directly documented.
A detailed, sourced Metaphor-versus-SMT V comparison is not established by those materials. There is no defensible three-game ranking, listener survey or musicological measurement to quote. If you prefer SMT V’s music, that preference is entirely valid; it should simply remain a personal judgment rather than being presented as an official compositional fact.
For collectors, the practical distinction is equally clear: streaming provides access to the catalog, the five-CD release is the documented complete physical album, the four-LP set is a curated selection, and the two-disc special-edition soundtrack is a different package.
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