The Theatrhythm series was a stellar, if criminally understated, example of how to both showcase a series’ stellar score and celebrate the history of a prolific franchise. Since the release of the previous entry on 3DS in 2014, Final Fantasy music has evolved thanks to the releases of Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy XIV expansions, remakes and more. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line folds these additions into a mix of returning classics and lesser-known tunes to create an amazing catalog of songs to play through in the series’ signature approach to the rhythm genre.
And just like in 2012 and 2014, it remains as whimsical and eclectic as ever. I have minor issues with the game, but they rarely interfere with what matters: the gameplay. This new theatrhythm sets a high bar for the series as a whole, continuing the trend of surpassing what has gone before and showing just how well a celebratory series compilation can be done.
For returning players, there’s a lot that’s familiar this time around. This sequel retains the same chibi art style, types of stage formats, and many of the existing songs. It’s a don’t fix what ain’t broke situation and one that works. A big difference is that due to the hardware differences between the 3DS, which hosted the last two games exclusively, and the PS4 and Switch, how you hit notes. The 3DS games were more tactile as you would use the touchscreen stylus to tap on the on-screen notes. Now you need to hit a note as it scrolls across the screen by pressing a face button, shoulder button, or flicking an analog stick in a direction.
Admittedly, it’s quite awkward at first and I wasn’t a fan of this necessary format change, in part because the game does little to help find a control scheme to match. Because you can hit most notes with almost any button on the controller, it’s initially difficult to keep track of where your hands are and where they should be going when things get hectic. After an hour or two I settled into a scheme that worked for me, but I figured that out all by myself. I would have liked more direction from Final Bar Line, especially in a genre where most games map specific key presses to specific notes.
Once I figured out what worked for me, I rampaged fiendishly through the songs, and my old love of theatrhythm reignited. Both Field Music Stages and Battle Music Stages begin by choosing one of your five party loadouts. Each loadout can contain up to four characters from different Final Fantasy games. I enjoyed mixing and matching some of my favorites, like Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII and Cloud from Final Fantasy VII, to create attack-heavy builds. And when boss fights presented me with special challenges, for example, I equipped magically focused characters to target the enemy’s weaknesses alongside more defensive heroes. It’s a new strategy element that adds a deeper level of engagement for players to achieve the highest possible scores and treasure yields at each stage.
This was especially important for completing series quests, which are optional objectives associated with each song. Completing these quests ranges from defeating challenging bosses, to requiring you to hit “crit” tones for the duration of the song, or something as simple as completing a stage with a specific character in the party (usually because that character is linked to the song is connected). somehow). These quests add a touch of extra challenge if you want it. They’re also entirely optional, meaning if you want your Final Bar Line experience to just be playing through some great songs while keeping the rhythm, it can be just that.
I wish the quests were more integrated into the primary progression. While they aren’t necessary to progress, completing them does bring rewards. But sometimes the reward is lousy, like a potion I rarely used. In other cases it is better, e.g. B. when you earn a CollectaCard that features a key Final Fantasy moment in a collectible card style. Regardless, since these additional challenges are optional, I’ve rarely felt compelled to give each more than a few tries. If I failed enough on a song, I would just keep going because there’s no penalty for that. Completing the song is all that is required to advance.
One of my favorite aspects of Final Bar Line is the unlocking of special event music stages that let you play through songs while cinematics from the game play behind the sheet music. It’s a nice touch and adds a premium level of quality to the game’s nostalgia factor. The in-game museum also helps, as you can view your CollectaCards at any time. Looking at promotional art that I forgot existed for some Final Fantasy games was a particularly nice treat, but other maps give a better look at characters or enemies in the game in their chibi design. It’s a great addition for players looking to max out the game, and speaks well to the celebratory nature of the Final Bar Line.
Outside of the game’s single player offerings are Multi Battles. Here you can compete with up to three other players and I enjoyed how this changes the gameplay. Other players’ success triggers effects on your screen, such as: B. a “Fat Chocobo” rush that sends a fleet of large chocobos onto your screen and obscures incoming notes. Others remove the UI that tells you how well you hit a note, which has a surprisingly negative impact on my performance. And the most challenging effect sent by an opponent add fake notes to my scroll. It’s an exciting and stressful way to play through my favorite Theatrhythm songs and a surefire way to extend my playtime with the game. The same goes for the Endless World stage, where you can play track after track until you run out of HP.
However, Final Bar Line does little to propel you through all of this. There’s hardly any semblance of a story, and I rolled the credits without realizing I was near the end – I’d only finished about a third of the 385 tracks. You can earn new Summons from other players in Multi Battles that play automatically during a stage based on your rhythmic action, and you can get high scores by repeating songs, but Final Bar Line doesn’t emphasize why you should do so.
Despite this lack of drive factor, I’m still totally engrossed in this game and play it in every 15 free minutes I can find throughout the day. Although I’ve technically completed the game, I want to rank all of my favorite songs on an SSS ladder, dig deeper into the libraries of Final Fantasy games that I’m less familiar with, and show off my rhythm skills against other players. This is a fantastic rhythm game set to the melody of what is arguably the largest music catalog of any game. While I would have liked more guidance on how to do it, the musical content on offer is so varied, so nostalgic, and so well done that I have no problem composing my own fun.
