Final Fantasy is a series known for many things, one of them being its bombastically epic music. It only makes sense that Square-Enix would leverage FF's vast musical history to make a rhythm game. The real question is though, in this post-Rock Band/Guitar Hero world does anyone really want to play a music game-- and would a Final Fantasy music game really appeal to anyone who isn't a huge FF fan-person?
So yeah, a Final Fantasy music game seems sort of like the definition of a niche product, I mean first your potential consumer has to fall into the "I like and would purchase a rhythm game" category, and then also fall into the "I am an immense fan of all Final Fantasy game" category as well. One effective way Square-Enix could have dodged this "incredibly niche game" bullet is by giving Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (here on out "TFF" because the made-up word "Theatrhythm" is as big a mouthful to type as it is to say) some sort of plot or campaign that would tie all these Final Fantasy songs together and make them mean something to the casual observer. Unfortunately, they did not do this, so the level of enjoyment you'll get out of TFF is pretty much equal to the amount you enjoy FF music.
Basically, if you can answer yes to these two questions, you'll love TFF:
1. Did you really like Nintendo's Elite Beat Agents?
2. Have you played and enjoyed more than 3 Final Fantasy games?
Did you pass the test? If so, congrats, you're going to really love this game! If not, sorry! There's really nothing in the game for you, I mean, it's a solid game, but you're not going to get the full level of enjoyment from it.
Ok, is everybody who didn't pass the quiz gone? Cool, welcome to the secret Final Fantasy fan rhythm game club. I think you're going to enjoy it here.
Seriously though, TFF is a pretty solid and fun game with super cute graphics and some neat Final Fantasy-style twists on your standard screen taping music game gameplay. It doesn't completely crib it's gameplay from Elite Beat Agents either, as there are three separate styles of musical gameplay each based on a core gameplay element from Final Fantasy. There's a Field mode, which represents FF style map explorin', a battle mode which turns Final Fantasy turned based fights into musical tapping and sliding fests, and an Event mode, which sort of represents cut-scenes and are accompanied by footage from each respective game. This of course is sort of more effective when used with the newer Final Fantasies than the old, just because sliding and tapping on a 3DS screen to a video of Waltz for the Moon from FF8 is a little more engaging than the Warriors of Light scooting around the map in 8-bits through FF1.
Each different mode of gameplay is fun in its own way and you really can't rate one over the other. They all work without any major issues. There are though, 2 different ways the game will present you these chunks of gameplay, one is Series mode, which lets you play through 3 songs in each game in the Final Fantasy series, one in each different gameplay mode. This is probably the most engaging way to play the game, and the closest thing the game has to any sort of campaign or story mode. The only flaw with the mode though, is the crystal tapping mini-game they have at the start and end of each respective chapter in the FF canon (each with that certain game's opening and closing themes). It's just super boring! All you do is tap on the screen in time with the music when music notes hit the crystal on screen. It's like the rhythm game boiled down to it's absolute basic, and boy is it boring AND goes on too long. Still though, this is a minor quibble.The other mode just let's you play whatever song you want when you want it, each at varying difficulties. The difficulty levels kind of seem to run the gap between either too easy or too hard, but the game rewards multiple playthroughs via character leveling-- you get to make a party of your favorite FF heroes and heroines and grow their abilities throughout the game-- and the collection of points called Rythmia (which sounds like a heart or lung disease, but whatevs) that eventually lead to the unlocking of videos, music player unlocks, and even hidden characters.
There's also something called Chaos Shrine mode, where you play a variety of songs (some of which are not in the other modes) at an increased difficulty. This leads to more fun unlocks too, and where your leveled characters (with different usable items and unique selectable abilities) really find their time to shine. It's fun and it's always nice to have more ways to play.
To round out the package, there's stuff like collectable cards you receive throughout gameplay, and both a video and music player that lets you watch (or listen to) the content you've unlocked through playing the standard game. The whole package is quite nice, and is worth the asking price if this is the kind of stuff you are into.
In the end though, being a Final Fantasy fan myself, I thoroughly enjoy TFF. Every little cameo fills me with nerd glee and the music effectively tickles my nostalgia bone. If you like Final Fantasy I imagine you'll enjoy it as much as I did. It is though, kind of a let down that Square-Enix didn't tie this whole experience together with some kind of story. They made it work for Dissidia Final Fantasy, so why not do it for Theatrythm? An RPG game with a rhythm based battle system would be amazing if TFF is any indication. It's too bad TFF isn't one of those and is a straight up rhythm game.
Still though, it's a rhythm game wrapped up in a love letter to all things Final Fantasy, and that though, makes it a fun enough game if you're a fan.
No comments:
Post a Comment