Released in 2012, the original Theatrhythm Final Fantasy was the game that convinced to look past the reservations I had regarding the 3DS, so it seems only right that I review it’s recently released, and pretty awesome sequel. Before I begin though, I just want to say, if you played the first game and liked it, you should definitely pick up Curtain Call.
Story:
It has one, sort of, or at least there is a prologue when you start the game, and as it’s a rhythm game I wouldn’t really expect much more. It has characters as well, so many characters, multiple from every Final Fantasy game with music present, they say various things relevant to their game of origin, and pull various faces when you start a song, it’s cute.
Gameplay:
As mentioned previously, this is a rhythm game, so you input commands in time to music, based on what is scrolling along the screen. The songs are sorted into three different types, battle, field, and event music stages, they each have their own minor differences, but the gameplay is pretty much the same. It’s fun, addictive, and is one of those gameplay styles that is simple to grasp, but a challenge to master. Unlike it’s predecessor, this game offers different options for inputting commands, you can use the stylus, the buttons, or a combination of the two, it’s is a nice addition as it increases the portability of this game, as with it’s stylus only controls the original game was quite unwieldly for use on public transport or the like.
This game also offers several different modes of play, all of which are pretty fun.
Music Stages offers you the chance to just select a song from any of the games and play, it’s also has a handy random option, if you are like me and have trouble making decisions, especially considering the extensive range of songs.
Quest Medleys are the the equivalent of the Chaos Shrine in the previous game, except vastly improved. It has a better range of difficulties and you are guaranteed to get shards at the end, making unlocking new characters much less of a chore, the only downside being they are comprised of several songs it does take significantly longer to go through one compared to a Chaos Note.
Versus Mode allows you to play battle stages against AI, people locally, or people online, in order to win collectacards, which can be used to improve your characters. Local and online play pretty much the same, you each pick a song you want to play, the game will then decide which one (if you are playing against marsy it’ll always pick her choice), and then you play. As you play it will build up a gauge, and once that is full it will unleash various things to hinder your opponent. Versing the AI is very similar except that you don’t get a choice in the song you play.
Sound:
Is excellent, I don’t think I need to say much else.
Graphics:
Graphically this game is very much a polished version of the previous one, it also seems to have been better optimized for the larger screen of the 3DS XL, and while some people might criticise it for it’s simplicity, I think that it is a design choice that works well for the type of game that it is, and not one made out of laziness. It’s colourful and visually appealing, but not in a way that detracts focus from what you need to be paying attention to, and I love the chibified characters, they’re so cute.
Overall:
The only things about this game that I really have to complain about are, that the event music stages from the previous game aren’t making a return, that the menu screens are less aesthetically pleasing, and that it’s somewhat annoying that you can’t edit your party in the Music Stages area, and these are all fairly minor things to me. This game is excellent, and if you like Final Fantasy music, I would definitely recommend picking it up, even if you have no sense of rhythm, trust me I don’t.
Also if you have the game already and would like some easy ranking points, I’d be more than happy to verse anyone, I’m no good, but it’s good fun. Thanks for reading.
6 Angry Alpha Nerds 