Metaphor: ReFantazio has the ultimate solution to JRPG grinding, and all you need to do is cook a bunch of noodles

Metaphor: ReFantazio players can leverage a unique 'Finisher Noodles' recipe to significantly expedite late-game grinding, gaining thousands of XP in mere seconds, effectively circumventing traditional grinding methods.

Metaphor: ReFantazio is an ambitiously original JRPG, telling the story of a boy and his fairy fighting for power in a radiantly animated, but cursed, kingdom. But, while it's unique and irreplaceable, Metaphor is still a JRPG, and players will do best with an entrepreneurial willingness to grind. If that's not your style, though, one fan on Reddit came up with an alternative. It involves noodles. Lots of them.

"Best late-game strategy for grinding — noodles," u/YouWorldly9023 wrote. 

"Buy a bunch of Monster Bone, Brocaded Koi, and Pristine Clearwater, then cook like 50x of the 'Finisher Noodles' dish," they say. You get the recipe for Finisher Noodles after acquiring the Thief Archetype and interacting with the cooking table in the gauntlet runner. Then, once prepared, Finisher Noodles give you 30 seconds to defeat all field enemies with a single hit. 

"I was severely underleveled and couldn't beat the hard bosses," u/YouWorldly9023 says, "but these [noodles] allow you to get thousands of XP within 30 seconds, and it only costs about 6000 gold to make [them].

"This is especially useful for saving time on grinding in the final dungeons where you [can't] restore [mana points], or where the XP gained for defeating tough enemies that you have to burn dozens of MP on isn't worth it," they continue. They also note that equipping fully leveled-up Archetypes while you use this strategy helps you quickly amass Hero's Leaves of Light consumables, which count for 1,000 Archetype XP. So this noodle method is absurdly helpful once you're near the end of the game, assuming you're still hungry by then.

In a post-Baldur's Gate 3 world, was Metaphor: ReFantazio right to ditch romance?