Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Review: Let the Music Set You Free!
Over the years, many of my earliest game memories have faded. Which is natural enough, I suppose. What’s surprising, then, is that my first memories involving Final Fantasy are still crystal clear. I first discovered the series by reading my Nintendo Power (I still have the issue with the Mist Dragon emblazoned on the cover!), and I grew to love it with a copy of Final Fantasy III given to me by my cousin (later properly known as Final Fantasy VI). I grew bewitched by the mystery, magic, and mayhem that each story told. While I’ve gradually moved away from slavishly playing each main entry in the series, there’s one tradition I lovingly maintain. I always, always play the Theatrhythm games.
Both of the 3DS entries were my primary source of discretionary funds to purchase all the DLC, and I spent dozens upon dozens of hours playing songs on higher difficulties. Alas, I truly thought that Theatrhythm was over with Curtain Call. So imagine my delighted surprise when Square Enix announced a third entry titled Theatrhythm Final Bar Line! Now that I’ve spent about 15 hours with the game, I’ll tell you why you should add it to your collection.
Back to Basics
Though I felt Theatrhythm was perfectly suited for the 3DS and its focus on stylus controls, rest assured it works remarkably well on the Nintendo Switch. Songs are split between three different varieties – BMS (Battle Music Stages), FMS (Field Music Stages), and EMS (Event Music Stages). Each includes the following Trigger types – red Touch, green Hold, and yellow Slide, as well as combinations thereof. Though all stages feature similar mechanics and depend on consistently hitting Triggers as they reach Trigger Marks, there are some differences. For one, BMS are the only stages you can summon legendary creatures to attack your foes. During FMS, you’ll have to use a joystick to wiggle Hold Triggers in odd directions. Though EMS don’t have any real mechanical hook, they differ in that the Triggers fall from the top of the screen, and they do so as iconic cutscenes play in the background.
As for the Triggers themselves, you can activate Touch Triggers by pressing any button on the Switch, even the ones on the shoulder. And you can use either stick to activate Slide Triggers in any cardinal direction. Lastly, much like Touch Triggers, you can press and hold any button for the duration of a Hold Trigger, and many have a sneaky Slide Trigger at the end. This all may sound complicated, but it’s pretty streamlined and only becomes problematic on the greater difficulties. There are four different difficulties – Basic, Expert, Ultimate, or the overwhelming Supreme. Almost every song can be played on any of those difficulties, but a few only go up to Ultimate. Which likely indicates they’re hard enough already, and Supreme would be pushing it. Higher difficulties increase the speed Triggers move, as well as the sheer amount of complex patterns you’ll face. Trust me, they can get pretty unwieldy, especially for the more frenetic songs.
Unlocking Final Fantasy
The bulk of my time with the game was spent with Series Quests. You start with one Title Key and can unlock any game you want. Then you’ll have to fight through several stages and iconic bosses until you reach the end and are rewarded with another Title Key. Rinse and repeat through 20+ different series. Nearly every series will provide you with new heroes to add to your team of 4, and each character learns their own abilities. You can only have three abilities equipped at a time, but there’s a wide variety, and they pretty much fall into one of several categories – Physical attacks, Magical attacks, Healing spells, or Support. Physical attacks can be either Slashing, Piercing, or Blunt, while magical attacks will generally be one of four attributes – Fire, Ice, Lightning, or Wind. There are also some other magical attacks that have no specific attribute. For the most part, you’re free to customize your team’s abilities as you wish, and the minutiae is primarily used to fulfill optional Quests in each stage. These can range from not missing any Triggers to defeating a certain amount of foes to reaching a score threshold, and much more besides. I appreciated these since they rewarded me with items and CollectaCards, and they also add a ton of replay value to the game, not that it needs the help.
As for characters, you can unlock 104 of them from the many Final Fantasy games, both heroes and villains. By just keeping them in your active team, characters will level up bit by bit, up to level 99. That’s not quite the end of their growth, though. You can level them even further, denoted by a Star level up to 9. Boosting their Star level will not only enhance their stats, but it will also make their abilities deal more damage, which can be vital in fulfilling some of the more difficult Quests. I will admit that it takes a long time to raise their Star level, but I really don’t mind. It’s fun taking your favorite characters and making them an absolute beast. Especially when you’re like me and enjoy focusing on the quirkier ones, such as Vivi and Mog.
Speaking of Moogles, you can have one join you on each mission, though other than Mog, they don’t actually contribute to the battle. That said, you can unlock a surprising number of the cute little guys in a variety of silly costumes. Likewise, you’ll find many airships that will drop you into Field Music Stages, though your airship won’t have any effect on stats or anything else. It just looks cool, and that’s totally fine with me. What does have an effect on combat are Summons.
Battle to the Beat
If you’ve ever played a Final Fantasy game, you’re likely familiar with the fantastical creatures you can bring into battle. The fiery Ifrit, the cold Shiva, hard slashing Odin, and many more. There are a ton of those in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, and you can bring one into battle with you by equipping their Summonstone. While most Summons focus on dealing damage, there are a couple that will also heal your party. Furthermore, you may find more powerful variants of Summons, which not only deal more damage, but also have powerful passive effects. I’m not even close to having found all the iterations of Summonstones yet, but they definitely can make or break your strategy in Battle Music Stages.
Besides the Series Quests, there are a couple of other main modes. Music Stages allow you to play any unlocked song whenever you wish. Aim for a higher score, fill up that Critical meter, maybe try a steeper difficulty. I love how you can sort all the songs by series, type, and more. Hell, you can even make it so the only songs you’ll see are your hand-picked favorites. Besides that, there’s also Multi Battle. I admit to not having tried this out yet, but from my past experience with the game, I can comment on it quickly. Multi Battle lets you fight against up to 3 other players in a BMS. It adds something called a Burst Gauge, and when full, you can wreak hilarious havoc on your opponents. Block their vision with a fat Chocobo, have Moogles dance across the screen, swap HP and generally make people miserable. At the end of battle, the winner will get first pick of CollectaCards, followed by those ranked below him. This mode also makes use of your ProfiCard, and lets you share Summonstones with others. It also lets you show off your style by customizing your ProfiCard however you wish.
If that wasn’t all enough, there are different Styles that alter how the game is played. I only tried on Standard, but you can also have a friend split the work with you in Pair, or simplify everything in Simple mode, where Slide Triggers become Touch. I appreciate how hard Square Enix works to make the game accessible but still keep it full of content, even with just the base game. Though if you want to spend more time playing (and who wouldn’t?), there’s optional DLC you can buy to add more songs to the mix. Right now, those are from the SaGa pack, which includes Romancing SaGa and Final Fantasy Legend tunes. Oh, and did I mention there’s a metric ton of CollectaCards you’ll get as you play, which fall into either Normal, Rare, Premium, or Special cards? Not to mention the new Endless World challenge you’ll unlock in Series Quests. Yea, 15 hours barely touches the surface of all the content included in this game.
Musical Wonder
Normally this is where I’d lump both visuals and music design into the same paragraph. But for a game so focused on music as Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, I think the musical analysis deserves its own section. So first, let’s talk about how the game looks. Initially, I wasn’t a huge fan of the chibi art style in the Theatrhythm games, but it quickly grew on me. It’s amazing how some of the most terrifying monsters look downright cute when chibi-fied. The game is very colorful, and I loved the different backgrounds that scrolled by as I played. That goes double for the Event Music Stages. Even though I wasn’t directly familiar with many of the later Final Fantasy games, it’s really cool watching important scenes fly by as you’re hitting Triggers falling from the sky.
Where do I even begin talking about music in a game like this? There’s just such a wide range of amazing tunes, from the simplified but energetic chiptunes of the older games to the sweeping orchestral majesty of the later stuff. Final Bar Line really shows Square Enix’s dedication to amazing music, with tons of remixed songs and a staggering smorgasbord of different sound effects. Horns, pianos, bells, and so many other instruments lend majesty to the songs herein, and there’s really a song for everyone. They can be melancholy, combative, sinister, and every other human emotion.
I think that the music is a big reason Final Fantasy still resonates with me today since so much of my childhood is tied to these wonderful melodies. There’s a whopping 385 songs included in the game before we even touch on the DLC. While it’s fair to say I preferred the songs from the earlier stuff, say Final Fantasy I through X, there’s really no bad tunes in the bunch. There’s calm fare like the Main Theme from Final Fantasy II, Elia, the Maiden of Water from Final Fantasy III and Aerith’s Theme from Final Fantasy VII. We have heartwarming songs such as the Theme of Love from Final Fantasy IV and Cloud Smiles from Final Fantasy VII Advent Children. My personal favorites are the more energetic songs often featured in Battle Music Stages, such as Final Fantasy IV’s Battle with the Four Fiends, Battle at the Big Bridge from Final Fantasy V, and a personal favorite, Final Fantasy VII’s One-Winged Angel. As for songs I enjoyed from later entries, those include Heart of a Child from Final Fantasy XII, Blinded By Light from Final Fantasy XIII and Torn from the Heavens from Final Fantasy XIV. But if you still yearn for more, you’ll be happy to hear many popular songs get remastered versions that totally turn expectations on their head.
A Profound Gaming Experience
Honestly, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is pretty much a perfect game. It’s packed with content, has lots of fun stuff to unlock, features different ways to play, and encourages players to take a chance on higher difficulties. While I do think that Ultimate and Supreme almost go out of their way to be overly punishing, that doesn’t change how much I still enjoy this game. Even if you’ve never played one Final Fantasy game, you owe it to yourself to see what all the fuss is about in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line.
Final Verdict: 4.5/5
Available on: Nintendo Switch (reviewed), PS4; Publisher: Square Enix; Developer: Square Enix; Players: 1; Released: February 16, 2023; ESRB: T for Teen – Blood, Mild Suggestive Themes, Mild Language, Fantasy Violence; MSRP: $49.99
Editor’s note: Square Enix provided a review copy to Hey Poor Player.
