Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Preview – On The Right Track

Theatrhythm Final fantasy quickly rose to be one of my favorites Nintendo 3DS games, just two years after it was released. These weren’t perfect rhythm games, but they were unique and utilized one of the best compilations of video game scores in music history. I love Final Fantasy for many reasons. But, my favorite is the music. No surprise that the Theatrhythm 3DS series was my favorite. It was a surprise to me, however, that Square Enix and indieszero announced Theatrhythm Final Bar Line last September. The release date came just a few short months later. 

I didn’t expect this series to make a return, but I had always hoped it would, given its predecessor only covered the franchise through 2014. There are hundreds of new, beloved tracks in the series between Final Fantasy XIV’s expansions, Final Fantasy XV, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and other games released since the last Theatrhythm. Final Bar Line will be adding songs from these titles, as well as other Square Enix titles via DLC such Live A Live, the Nier series and The World Ends With You. And after playing through 30 of the game’s songs in an advance preview of the demo that’s available for everyone starting February 1, I can safely say Final Bar Line is a must-play for me next month. 

The last Final Bar Line game was almost 10 years ago. Not much has changed. It retains the adorable, chibi-art style of the original, as well as many of its songs and stage layouts. This worked great in 2012 and 2014. Final Bar Line is played in a different way. Theatrhythm’s horizontal music scroll that dictated when to hit beats was strange, especially given how popular vertical music scrolls were thanks to the likes of Guitar Hero and Rock Band. But since the games utilized the 3DS’ sturdy touch screen and stylus, the horizontal scroll worked well, giving players a nice view of the battles and adventures taking place to the tune of your beats. Final Bar Line has the horizontal scroll back, but it is more difficult to use than before, due to not having the touch screen to learn. 

In my first few songs, I wasn’t sure I liked it. You can hit the triggers or any of the four face buttons to “tap” a beat on screen, regardless of note color or placement on the scroll’s four lines. To slash an arrow-shaped beat, use one of the analog sticks. My left hand was used to make directional slashes, and my right to press buttons to play standard notes. I soon got into a routine. As the difficulty increased, I was forced to simultaneously hit two notes. Then came directional slashes. As a result I had to rethink my playstyle. My right hand was used to hit standard beats and my left hand to trigger dual beats. For directional slashes, my left thumb is used for the left trigger. And when a note has two directions on it, I’d use my right thumb at the same time to handle the second direction. It may seem strange. It was strange, but it felt right. By the end of my 30-track preview I felt comfortable enough to be able even begin to tackle songs at the next level. 

The presentation of field tracks and battle music stages are similar to the first game – your four selected characters, of which there are dozens to choose from spanning most of the included games, either waltz through a simple chibi-esque landscape or fight a chibi enemy from the selected game. It’s simple, and while I initially wanted more out of these scenes, I was soon reminded that my focus would be on the horizontal scroll 99 percent of the song and that I’d be watching the battles happen in my peripherals; which is to say the scenes that play out didn’t affect my enjoyment much in either direction. I’m excited to play through the special music video tracks in the final game, which screen iconic cinematics from Final Fantasy titles, as I think those will feature the visual flare I was missing from the standard tracks. 

When you boot up the game, a flashy Final Fantasy 35th Anniversary logo appears on screen, and for good reason; Final Bar Line is a rhythm game first, but also a celebratory museum for the series’ iconic music, characters, and stories. You can earn rewards for accomplishing special objectives such as completing a set amount of quests or completing a level with no damage. This can come in the form of a Phoenix Down healing potion or an item, but you can also get a CollectaCard which can be added to your Museum collection. There are over a thousand cards to choose from, including ones that depict characters and concept art as well as enemies and other characters. It’s a nice touch that adds some premium nostalgia to Final Bar Line’s Final Fantasy celebration.

In the Museum, you can view your CollectaCard collection, rewatch videos, listen to tracks you’ve unlocked, and view the feats you’ve completed. There’s a lot of Final Fantasy history to consume here, and completionists are likely in for dozens of hours of play to unlock everything. 

Like the others, this version of Theatrhythm is not the greatest rhythm game. However, among the many available, it plays like one of the strangest. But what Final Bar Line has that other rhythm games don’t is access to, for my money, one of the best catalogs of music in all of games. Playing through more than a dozen of Masashi Hamauzu’s brilliant Final Fantasy XIII tracks is a treat enough; throw in the other 370-something tracks that will be in the final game, and I can’t wait for February 16.

You can play the Theatrhythm Final Bar Line demo, which features 30 songs and progress that carries over into the final game, on February 1.