Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

Overview

Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy is a 3DS rhythm game from Square-Enix. The game features chibi-style characters and music from throughout the primary Final Fantasy series in gameplay focused around music-themed combat. It was released in North America on July 3, 2012.

Plot

Prologue

Chaos and Cosmos. Two gods who rule over all creation. The space betwixt them is the Rhythm. From here was born the Music Crystal, which fills the world with harmony. Yet the chaotic forces in the universe wax stronger, disrupting this harmony and dimming the light of the Crystal. The only thing which can now restore the radiance of the Crystal is Rhythmia, the musical wavelength filling all space.

Gameplay Basics

Similar in nature to the Ouendan series, the rhythm-based gameplay involves tapping the stylus on the touch-screen in time with the music. On-screen prompts consist of three basic "trigger" types that correspond with a type of action that the player must take.

Touch

When these triggers appear, the player must simply touch the touch screen with the stylus and quickly release.

Slide

Slide triggers appear as circles with arrows inside them. To successfully hit a slide trigger, the player must slide the stylus across the touch screen in the direction indicated.

Hold

Hold triggers appear as two circles connected by a coloured beam. The player must touch the touch screen with the stylus when the first circle is highlighted and hold it until the second circle is highlighted.

Music Types

The music is split into three categories: BMS (Battle Music Stage), FMS (Field Music Stage), and EMS (Event Music Stage).

Battle Stages

In battle stages, the player fights against classic Final Fantasy monsters in a view reminiscent of Final Fantasy I-VI. There are four marker rails; one for each of the player's party members. As markers align with the circles, the player must touch, slide, and hold the stylus to the touch screen in time with the music. Successes result in the party dealing damage to the enemy on screen.

Field Stages

Field stages see the characters explore to the tune of the games' field themes. The triggers move in a single track from left to right. In this mode, the when confronted with a hold trigger, the player must also slide the stylus up and down in order to keep it on the track.

Event Stages

Event stages depict scenes inspired by events tied to the music. As the mark moves around the screen in a choreographed pattern to follow the triggers, the player must touch, slide, and hold the stylus to the screen as the appropriate triggers are highlighted.

These stages feature montages of footage of major events from their respective games. As an example, footage of the ballroom dance between Squall and Rinoa that takes place early in Final Fantasy VIII is set against the song "Waltz for the Moon". These videos can be unlocked for viewing separate from the gameplay.

Challenge Mode

In Challenge Mode, the player may play any Battle, Field, or Event stage separate from the main story. If the player achieves an "A" ranking, an increased difficulty level is unlocked. Similar to the Rock Band series, there is also a "no fail" practice option for Challenge Mode.

Chaos Shrine

In the Chaos Shrine, the player can take on challenging Dark Notes; pairs of Field and Battle songs set to a challenging difficulty level. When the player receives a Dark Note, the songs associated with it are unknown until the player plays it for the first time. Dark Notes can be collected over time and traded over StreetPass.

Characters

The table below is the list of playable characters in the game:

Music

The music tracks included in the game, with play type, are:

DLC

In addition to the songs included with the game, Square Enix is releasing additional tracks as DLC. Each track is available for $0.99. All DLC tracks feature Normal, Expert, and Ultimate difficulty variants and are either Field or Battle stages. The first batch of DLC songs available for Europe and North America included:

July 12th DLC Update:

July 19th DLC Update:

July 26th DLC Update:

August 3rd DLC Update:

August 10th DLC Update:

Pack-in Extras

First-run copies of Theatrhythm included a special stylus and a sheet of stickers featuring the primary Final Fantasy characters in the Theatrhythm art style. The stylus end features a display that can be decorated with a sticker from the sheet.