| Theatrhythm Final Fantasy | |
|---|---|
 European cover art | |
| Developers | Square Enix 1st Production Department indieszero sAs |
| Publisher | Square Enix |
| Director | Masanobu Suzui |
| Producer | Ichiro Hazama |
| Artist | Atsuhiro Tsuchiya |
| Series | Final Fantasy Theatrhythm |
| Platforms | Nintendo 3DS,iOS |
| Release | 3DSiOS |
| Genre | Rhythm |
| Modes | Single-player,multiplayer |
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy[a] is a 2012rhythmvideo game developed byindieszero and sAs and published bySquare Enix for theNintendo 3DS.[5][6] Based on theFinal Fantasy video game franchise, the game involves using the touch screen in time to various pieces of music from the series.[7] AniOS version was released in December 2012. A sequel,Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, was released in 2014. A third game based on theDragon Quest series,Theatrhythm Dragon Quest, was released in 2015. An arcade game,Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: All-Star Carnival, was released in 2016.[8] A second sequel,Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, was released on February 16, 2023, forNintendo Switch andPlayStation 4.[9]
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy is arhythmvideo game. Players take control of fourFinal Fantasy characters, and select a game from the firstFinal Fantasy toXIII. Each game has three stages: field, battle, and event. Each stage features different game mechanics than the others; once a stage is completed, the characters level up. The difficulty level can be changed in order to make it appealing to "beginners and rhythm masters alike". Throughout the game, players can unlock music and movie scenes.[10] The gameplay requires players to tap on the screen in correct spots to the beat of the music playing.[11] Within the main game section "Series Mode", there are 3 unique stage styles: Field (Overworld) Music, Battle Music, and Event (Dramatic) Music, as well as the option to play through the opening and ending themes.
There is also a "Challenge Mode" that allows the player to choose the Battle, Overworld, or Dramatic music from a Final Fantasy game that they have cleared the normal difficulty of in Series Mode. The player then plays these one stage at a time, instead of in succession as in Series Mode. If an A rank or better is received on a song, a higher difficulty is unlocked. Unlocking a higher difficulty for all three songs from a Final Fantasy Game will unlock that difficulty in Series Mode. Within Challenge Mode, there is also a "no fail" practice option for each stage.
Lastly for the music section of the game, there is a "Chaos Shrine" mode. There are a total of 99 levels, with two stages per level - a field music followed by a battle music. For each level, there are three possible bosses, with each boss dropping three items for a total of nine potential item drops per level. These items are usually rarer items or crystals needed to unlock additional characters. If one scores high enough in the first field music stage, a sign will appear indicating they will go to "Boss 2 or 3", who will have better item drops. These levels have a difficulty level between the 2nd and 3rd levels from Challenge Mode. Additionally, Chaos Shrine contains songs fromFinal Fantasy games not featured in other areas of the game (for example, Mambo de Chocobo). The game also featuresdownloadable content, allowing players to purchase new songs and stages from theNintendo eShop.[12]
The game follows the events of the godsChaos and Cosmos, a similar plot toDissidia Final Fantasy for thePlayStation Portable. The space between the two is called Rhythm, which gives birth to a crystal that controls music. Chaos causes the crystal to become disrupted, and the only way to return it to normal is to increase a music wave known as "Rhythmia" (known as "Rhythpo" in the Japanese version).[13] As such, various characters from theFinal Fantasy universe are brought together in order to harness the power of Rhythmia.[14]
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy was proposed bySquare Enix's Ichiro Hazama after working in the filmFinal Fantasy VII: Advent Children. It was originally envisioned for theNintendo DS but development faced difficulties due to the console's limitations. Upon seeing the Nintendo 3DS, Hazama once again gave his idea to his superiorTetsuya Nomura, which resulted in the production for the game on the Nintendo 3DS.[15] While the work title in the proposal file wasFinal Fantasy in Music, the current title,Theatrhythm, was suggested by Nomura.[16] Development was split between independent developersindieszero and Tokyo-based developer sAs.[15][17]
For the music selection, the Square Enix staff made a music survey during development ofDissidia Final Fantasy although most of the chosen songs were fromFinal Fantasy VII. All the songs were included in their original versions with the exception of the "Gurugu Volcano" from thefirstFinal Fantasy which is based on thePlayStation release since the original version was shorter.[18] The idea of using the gods Chaos and Cosmos fromDissidia was proposed by Nomura as both Hazama and he had worked in such game and wanted to continue using them.[19]
The trademark "Theatrhythm" was filed near the end ofE3 2011 by Square Enix.[20]Theatrhythm Final Fantasy was officially announced for release exclusively on theNintendo 3DShandheld game console in the Japanese manga anthologyWeekly Shōnen Jump.[21] The game was originally announced for release only in Japan.[5] Square Enix Japan created an official website to promote the game.[22] Rumours came up thatTheatrhythm Final Fantasy would be developed byJupiter,[7] but was later confirmed on the official website that it would be developed by Indieszero.[22] The character and monster designs are designed by MonsterOctopus, who also designed theKingdom Heartsavatars found inKingdom Hearts Mobile andRe:Coded.[23]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 78/100[24] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| Edge | 6/10[25] |
| Eurogamer | 7/10[26] |
| Famitsu | 36/40[27] |
| Game Informer | 8/10[28] |
| GameSpot | 7.5/10[29] |
| GameTrailers | 8/10[30] |
| IGN | 8.5/10[31] |
| Nintendo Power | 8/10[32] |
| Nintendo World Report | 9/10[33] |
| Slant Magazine | 3.5/5[34] |
According toMetacritic, the Nintendo 3DS version ofTheatrhythm Final Fantasy received a "generally favorable".[24]Theatrhythm tapped into the extensive legacy ofFinal Fantasy music, which had a history of twenty-five years,[35][31] and some critics wondered the long wait for aFinal Fantasy music game.[34][36] The fusion of rhythm gameplay and role-playing elements was found to be interesting and nostalgic,[37][25] though the role-playing sector has limited impact on the actual enjoyment.[38][28] Reviews recommendedTheatrhythm Final Fantasy forFantasy Fantasy fans seeking a nostalgia trip through the series.[26][30]
Curtain Call's core rhythm gameplay was applauded by critics for its touching gameplay,[33][29] withGameTrailers called it a feeling of "playing conductor".[30] Commenters also believe the stages were paired with the original atmosphere,[35] noting FMS and BMS reflected planted and exciting moods respectively,[34][25] while EMS evoked a reminiscence.[25] The game's difficulty level was praised for its wide range,[34][31] being accessible for beginners but hard to master.[33][29] Nonetheless,Slant found the game for a lack of polish,[34] and NWR found its occasional issues and suggested the addition of button control.[33]
Some reviews considered the fusion of role-playing elements as an innovation that touched on nostalgia,[37][25] but some reviews also found it not well-rounded as it hardly affected gameplay.[39][35][31] Although agreed that the role-playing machines may had been helpful for completing difficult songs,[36][37] but they felt the four-person party a "visual aid" for providing the "illusion of success":[29] players could rely on their rhythm skills, rendering the character leveling and party arrangement aspects less impactful.[30][31]
The game's opening was boring, which was compared to dull beginnings of role-playing games byIGN, but the later-unlocked Chaos Shrine was interesting.[31][37] Reviews lauded for its challenging and unlockable elements.[38][29] Polygon commented that defeating Shrine bosses would cost skilled music gamers a considerable time,[39] whileEdge described the challenge of "slowly unlocking harder, more obscure songs in the Chaos Shrine" as "the game's real challenge".[25] The story was criticized for its weakness, but they did not count it as an issue for a rhythm game.[30][40] Multiplayer features, including WiFi and StreetPass, received positive reviews,[29][26] butGameSpot hoped there would have been an online function.[29]
Commentators highlighted the game's track library as an impressive collection, praised the 70 songs that covered a wide range of styles,[33][36] which ranged from 8-bit sounds in early games to orchestral arrangements inFinal Fantasy XIII.[30][29][28]Anime News Network commented that, it was not perfect but covered most of popular songs.[41][39] andPolygon felt the lack ofXIV was due to its negative reception.[39]Giant Bomb found the DLC tracks to be worth purchasing but criticized the lack of a preview feature.[36]
The humor elements—chibi-style characters,[28][31] and the funny character dialogues like "At last, we tremble mythically for an idiot!"[36][35]—were praised by commenters for adding "playful" and "colorful".[39] Reviews found the EMS background cinematics nostalgic,[34][33] whileIGN found complaints on the repetitive FMS backgrounds.[31]
| Aggregator | Score |
|---|---|
| Metacritic | 78/100[24] |
| Publication | Score |
|---|---|
| IGN | 7/10[42] |
| TouchArcade | 4/5[43] |
| Digital Spy | 4/5[44] |
| PocketGamer | 3.5/5[45] |
| SlideToPlay | 2/4[46] |
| AppSpy | 4/5[47] |
The iOS version received "average" reviews, according to thereview aggregation websiteMetacritic.[48] Reviews expressed that songs are expensive,[46][42] but thought it suited players who enjoy rhythm games orFinal Fantasy and did not care about the cost.[42][44][47]
The iOS version followed the 3DS version's rhythm gameplay,[44] and the tapping control, from 3DS stylus to iOS finger, was considered great by reviews.[42][45] Due to iOS devices' capabilities, the version had better graphics quality with a smoother experience,[43] butSlideToPlay criticized its "continuous" running problems.[46] Reviewers found the introduced modes of Quest Medley and Compose Scores to be interesting. However,PocketGamer commented that the first mode worked well if players bought music to expand library, whileIGN stated the latter one did not provide potential freedom to allow players to make a "Theatrhythm Zelda".[45][42][43]
In the first week of release in Japan, sales of just shy of 70,000 were reported,[49] despiteFamitsu giving the 3DS version a score of one 10, two 9, and one 8 for a total of 36 out of 40.[27] Within one month, by March 2012, said handheld version had sold 112,344 copies in Japan.[50] As of February 2013, said version sold 163,098 units in Japan.[51]
In February 2012,Nobuo Uematsu, longtimeFinal Fantasy composer, played the 3DS version ofTheatrhythm Final Fantasy and expressed satisfaction, stating that "as I remembered various things from the past 20 years, I was reduced to tears.FF music fans should definitely play it. Won't you cry with me?"[52]
A sequel,Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, was released for the Nintendo 3DS on April 24, 2014, in Japan, and in September for North America, Australia and Europe.[53] The game features 221 songs and a new versus battle mode.[54] An arcade-based entry in the series,Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: All-Star Carnival, was released in 2016.[8] A second sequel,Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, was released on February 16, 2023, for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.Final Bar Line includes 385 songs from variousFinal Fantasy main soundtracks and arrangement albums. DLC is planned to add a further 90 songs from additional Square Enix franchises includingNieR,The World Ends With You,Chrono Trigger and more.[9]
bySquare Enix (formerlySquare) | |||||||||
| Main games | |||||||||
| Subseries | |||||||||
| Other games | |||||||||
| Related series | |||||||||
| Films and animation | |||||||||
| Related | |||||||||
