Many things have made Final Fantasy special over the years. It has endearing characters, magical stories and combat systems full of emotions. All of that is important, yes, but what can be considered its secret ingredient is music. For 35 years, Final Fantasy has captivated us with melodies that it’s impossible to help but hum in our triumphant moments.
There are many ways to celebrate the magnificent music of Final Fantasy, but one of the best is by playing along with it. This is an idea that invaded the mind of Ichiro Hazama, creative at Square Enix and one of the main forces behind the creation of Theatrhythm, a rhythm franchise that since 2012 celebrates the memories evoked by the music of Final Fantasy.
With 386 songs, 104 characters and a legacy of 35 years on its shoulder, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line will debut next month on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Thanks to Square Enix, we were able to test its demo before its release and we anticipate that it is full of love for Final Fantasy.
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Music, rhythm and adventure at Theatrhythm Final Bar Line
The first thing to make clear about Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is that at no time does it intend to reinvent the wheel. It takes the foundations that already made its predecessors entertaining and just spices it up with the possibilities that console controls open up, as well as some new ideas to keep the formula fresh. However, the foundation of Final Bar Line is the Theatrhythm you already know, so get ready to press and release buttons to the best Final Fantasy songs.
Those who have played a past installment of Theatrhythm will know that this means it’s a fast-paced game, in which you have to coordinate your fingers perfectly to press buttons in time with the music, release them at the exact moment or move the stick. in the direction that is requested. It is a simple game system that anyone can understand, but in its greatest difficulties it becomes one of those challenges that sends your adrenaline pumping as you get into the flow and the world is reduced to 2 things: music and your movements.
Beautiful songs that we will never forget.
For obvious reasons the selection of songs in the demo was limited. It offers some songs from Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy V, Final Fantasy VII, Final Fantasy XIII, Final Fantasy XIV and Final Fantasy XV. It is a very small fraction of all that Theatrhythm Final Bar Line has to offer and of course we are left without playing a lot of the best songs in the series. However, the selection was enough to make it clear to us that among Theatrhythm’s 386 songs there will be plenty of gems and that it is a joy to play even the lesser known tracks. For many it will become a perfect opportunity to revalue issues that perhaps have not received the attention they deserve or to begin to fall in love with Final Fantasy installments that have not been given a chance. After all, hearing may be the best way to a JRPG fan’s heart.
Just to whet your appetite, we leave you a list with all the songs from the Theatrhythm Final Bar Line demo
Final Fantasy II
The Revel Army
Battle Theme 1
Town
Main Theme
Final Fantasy V
Main Theme of Final Fantasy V
Battle 1
Battle 2
Mambo de Chocobo
Harvest
Final Fantasy VII
Opening – Bombing Mission
Let the Battles Begin!
Fight On!
The Chase
Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII
Final Fantasy XIII
Defiers of Fate
Saber’s Edge
Blinded By Light
March of the Dreadnoughts
Desperate Struggle
Final Fantasy XIV
Hard to Miss
On Westerly Winds
The Land Breathes
Serenity
Torn frm the Heavens
To the Sun
Nemesis
Final Fantasy XV
Stand Your Ground
The Fight is On!
APOCALYPSIS NOCTIS (Uncovered Trailer)
More than pressing buttons to the rhythm of the music
Another important point about Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is that, despite being a rhythm game, it understands itself as a JRPG. We say this since the songs are accompanied by scenes where we can see a wide cast of Final Fantasy characters fight against powerful enemies while you support them by playing the music perfectly.
Before embarking on the adventure you will be able to create your team of 4 characters, each one with different abilities and strengths that will provide balance to the squad. All of this may seem minor and even feel so when you take into account that while playing the game you will pay little attention to what your warriors are doing; however, it is a decision that delivers a lot of flavor and transforms Theatrhythm into something much more special than the combination of its mechanics. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line loves Final Fantasy and that is perhaps its greatest strength.
Music and rhythm for an adventure like no other
There’s a lot more to Theatrhythm Final Bar Line than what the demo let us see; among them a multiplayer mode that will allow you to play with and against other players. However, it’s still a truly hearty demo that kept us entertained for hours and eager to play more. With 30 playable songs at various difficulty levels and loads of playable characters, the demo has plenty of material to keep you hooked for long periods of time. It’s rare to see such extensive testing, but it’s clear that Final Bar loves its content so much that it needs to get into the hands of players somehow. We do not even want to begin to imagine the dozens of hours in which we are going to want to invest in its full version.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line will debut on February 16, 2023 on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4. Its free demo will be available from February 1 on the Nintendo Switch eShop and on the PlayStation Network. You can know more about this rhythm game by clicking here.
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