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For the longest time, Square Enix’s role-playing games have followed a usual tradition, a pre-set game pattern involving an intricate battle system or characters that could easily be adapted to, depending on their techniques and weaponry. While fans can certainly appreciate such an approach, others can be turned off by it, merely due to the monotony. But the company is listening, and ready to provide something a little different this summer with “Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy.”
So, here’s how the game works. It’s got the traditional role-playing elements, including a party of four warriors you guide into each battle, stats that can be raised by the conclusion of each segment, and boss encounters that almost resemble something straight out of the classic SNES days. Ahh, but there’s a twist, and it lies in the very name of the product – rhythm in a theatrical sense.
See, you still engage in quests, but it’s broken down into three segments with your quartet of characters. First up are field sequences, where you travel across the land, with a scrolling background behind you, and hit notes in the provided fields to keep your momentum going. The second are Field sequences, in closed off areas where you build up XP and relive scenes from classic “Final Fantasy” games. The final sequences are Battle ones, where you take on enemies by successfully hitting notes in the highest combo count possible.
All of these tie together within a gameplay system that’s easy to learn, but, depending on difficulty settings, tough to master. There are four types of notes that you’ll hit throughout the game. Red notes require you to tap them in order to take them out; green notes must be held and followed along on the touch screen, no matter how wavy they get; glowing blue notes activate special summons, including an appearance by a Chocobo (how quaint); and yellow notes have arrow directions, and require you to swipe in quoted direction to complete the note. All of them mix together with each song, keeping the gameplay fresh and, in some ways, unpredictable. We even saw a mixture of green and yellow in one note, having to hold down in a certain pattern, only to swipe in another direction at the end.
Along with various difficulty settings, “Theatrhythm” also comes with additional modes, including a Streetpass mode where you can interact with others and a Museum where you can browse through unlocked characters and songs, with dozens being offered from the library of “Final Fantasy” games. There’s also a Chaos Shrine Mode, where you can play with others indirectly through recorded play, trying for the best times and earning bonus items as a result.
“Final Fantasy: Theatrhythm” looks great for a 3DS title, with lush, lively environments, great superdeformed character animation and classic battle sequences. What fans will really enjoy, however, are the music selections. Ranging from the original NES “Final Fantasy” all the way through the upcoming “Final Fantasy XIII Versus,” there are a variety of songs here that you won’t get enough of. And, yes, before you even ask, “One-Winged Angel” is in the soundtrack. So don’t fret.
Even though it’s a different kind of game, “Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy” brings more than enough familiarity for folks to remain comfortable, while introducing a more accessible style of gameplay that newcomers can get into better than a multilayered gameplay set-up. We’ll let you know how the final game holds up when it releases this July.
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