I must have spent hundreds of hours attempting to get SS rankings on every song in Theatrhythm Final Fantasy on the 3DS way back in 2012. So, when Square Enix revealed a new game in the difficult-to-spell series, I was more than excited to give the game a go on Nintendo Switch.
For those of you who have no idea what to expect from Theatrhythm, let me give you a quick rundown. Final Bar Line is a rhythm game that features almost 400 tracks from Final Fantasy, with planned DLC for Nier, Live A Live, and more tracks down the line. A very simple, easy-to-learn, hard-to-master game with a very defined audience of JRPG and rhythm game fans.
Before I get into my thoughts, it’s worth noting that the Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Switch demo is fairly limited. I chose to unlock some tunes from OG Final Fantasy VII as it’s my favourite in the series, and I was able to play five songs in total before being blocked off from more. I also accidentally chose to watch a video included in one of the many ads it showed me for the game and I couldn’t skip it so beware, lest you be trapped when you’re dying to play.
As my time with the game is so limited right now, I don’t want to comment too much on certain areas, but going from my current experience, the game is missing a beat or two that you can find in the 3DS version of the game.
For some reason, Final Bar Line on Switch doesn’t include touchscreen controls, as it does on the 3DS version, which is odd, as tapping, swiping, and holding the stylus on the screen in the original was very satisfying and worked like a dream. I do find it slightly fiddly when I have to press a direction on both analogue sticks at the same time as the Switch Joy-Cons don’t have that comfortable a layout at the best of times.
I think the jarring stops I had to face after each level for an ad also made it so I couldn’t get in a good flow, but once again, this is only going to be a problem in the demo I’m sure the flow of the full game is smooth as butter, I just can’t be sure of that right now.
In saying that, the general Final Bar Line vibes are very similar to the original game back on 3DS. You build a team of four chibi characters from numerous Square Enix IP, side-scroll across familiar backgrounds, and tap away at your Nintendo Switch Joy-Cons to the beat of some absolutely classic tunes.
I don’t think the game will surpass your expectations, but it will meet them, as it does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s a Final Fantasy rhythm game, and even with the limited roster of songs I got to play, I found myself bopping my head with a silly grin on and even managed to get SS rank on a couple of expert songs within my first half an hour of play. So, definitely try out the demo, then come back here and read my full review once I’ve played more.
While you wait for the game to release, make sure you take a look at our pieces on the Theatrhythm Final Bar Line release date and Theatrhythm Final Bar Line DLC.