Nintendo Switch Review Code Provided by Square Enix
Fans of the Final Fantasy series can now prove their rhythmic skills in the new title from Square Enix and Indieszero. THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE is a new music-based rhythm game that features a full line up of music from the Final Fantasy series. Mixed together with some classic RPG elements that the series is known for, this game will challenge the fan base to stick with the rhythm of their favorite tracks from their wild adventures throughout the series.
Gameplay
When you first start out, you will find that the only mode you can go into is Campaign. This is done because you need to unlock songs in order to see them in the Music Stages, aka Free Play, section. You are given one key and the choice between a handful of different Final Fantasy titles to choose from. Pick the first title in the series you want to play the music for and the game will officially begin.
As you go through the list and find that they have just about every Final Fantasy game ever made in their listings, you’ll notice a set of characters from that chapter of the series as well. When you unlock a game’s music, you also unlock the characters in that game as playable characters for your custom party. While this may be a rhythm game, you will still be putting together a party of heroes to take on the various creatures and bosses you encounter while landing rhythmic combos.
Heroes come in a number of different types. You have your physical fighters, your defenders, the magic types, the support types, the healing types, and the hunter types. You also have five different party sets to preset for quick changing as you clear all the songs from a specific game. Making sure you have the right hero types in your party for each song will help earn you more points and ensure your party lasts long enough to reach the end of the song. Basically, it makes you deal more damage to enemies making them last for a shorter period of time during the song and they can take harder hits so you don’t die too quickly from only a handful of mistakes.
Every time you play through a song, even if you fail it, you will earn some Rhythmia. The higher this score builds, the more items you unlock. Plus, there are little challenges in each song that if you complete then you will unlock something. These unlocks lead to power-ups, skins, and a variety of other things. So, don’t forget to check your characters in the party as they level up with your Rhythmia and start unlocking upgrades that let them be stronger.
Each title in the series is packed with music from their game and you will need to clear the majority of the songs in order to complete that title. Roughly half way in to each series you will unlock a chest that gives you a new key to unlock another title. You can rush out and head on to the next one, but there are some titles in the series locked behind task wall, such as clearing a certain number of titles in full or beating a song at a certain difficulty. Plus, each song you beat gets unlocked for the free play mode but clearing a title will unlock all songs for free play mode - even the ones you didn’t have to beat due to double-or-triple-up sections in the title’s campaign.
To actually play the game, you will be using any two buttons you are comfortable with (since they all respond the same way regardless) and the two analog sticks on your controller. Every note is hit by clicking a button at the right time, meaning if there are two notes then you need to hit two buttons at the same time. If it is an orange note with a trail, then that means you need to hold the button down and the last note is hit by releasing at the right time. If you see an arrow in any direction, you have to use an analog stick to hit it and if you see two arrows then you need to use them both. It’s pretty straightforward and leaves room for player adjustment. Personally, I found using the trigger buttons in the back was the most comfortable as it leaves the controller face open for analog control solely.
If you find you are having trouble with a song, you have the option to Practice mode it, which means you can’t fail and can just keep trying, or select the Auto option to see the song play out with all perfect hits automatically. This way, you can see it and then achieve it!
After you complete a few songs, you will open Multi Battle which allows you to play online with other players. This is where you can play online with other players in either cooperative or head-to-head game modes. There is also local cooperative play in the game for those interested in local multiplayer.
Audio and Visuals
What else can I say about the audio other than, if you enjoy the Final Fantasy music in literally any of their games from the entire series then you will enjoy the music in this game! They really packed this game in with a ton of songs and separated them by which game they are from. I did find the Trigger sound effects pretty annoying though, so I suggest turning that down to a 1 or 2, if at all.
They made this game to be a cutesy version of the entire Final Fantasy series where all the heroes are designed like chibi figures and they even include a large variety of creatures and enemies that aren’t in chibi form. This makes your heroes stand out and makes for an interesting aesthetic where you have colorful activity all over the screen and the baddies look like the interruption you can’t wait to get rid of.
Replayability
Just about every music game out there has replayability as there is always a chance to improve your skills further. This game definitely offers that by having multiple difficulty options for songs and a pretty unique system to hit your notes with. Keeping up with some of these songs on a higher difficulty isn’t going to be easy, even for those who are pretty well adept at rhythm games. Plus, there are so many songs in this game that you can practice without actually repeating the same song over and over.
What It Could Have Done Better
I like that they have a party system and the whole enemies to take down things on screen, but there is an option to fully black out the adventure part of the gameplay. This, and the fact that it is never truly shown, makes it seem that your party members and changing them out for other enemies is all just nonsense. It would be nice to know and actively see that the party members I chose are more than just my health bar and actually do something to help me succeed in the songs. Now, if they really don’t help and its just for show, that’s a different complaint all its own.
Verdict
THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE is a solid rhythm game that is also the dream title for any Final Fantasy fan, especially if it’s the music in the series they love most! The sheer number of songs packed into this game is outstanding and they make it so interesting with the party members, different enemies, and unlocking your way through the different titles throughout the series. It gives a mixture of nostalgia and amazement to hear songs from my childhood and then to also hear how far music itself, let alone the series, has come. This is easily a title I would recommend to any rhythm gaming fan, even if they weren’t a big fan of the Final Fantasy series.
THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE is now available on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
