Theatrhythm Closing Bar Line Evaluate – Refined Concord

The Theatrhythm collection has been a standout, if criminally underplayed, instance of easy methods to each showcase a collection’ wonderful set of scores whereas celebrating a prolific franchise’s historical past. For the reason that earlier entry’s launch on 3DS in 2014, Closing Fantasy music has advanced due to the releases of Closing Fantasy XV, Closing Fantasy XIV expansions, remakes, and extra. Theatrhythm Closing Bar Line folds these additions into a mixture of returning classics and lesser-known tunes to create an incredible catalog of songs to play by within the collection’ trademark tackle the rhythm style.

And similar to in 2012 and 2014, it stays as quirky and eclectic as ever. I’ve minor gripes with the sport, however they hardly ever get in the best way of what issues: the gameplay. This new Theatrhythm units a excessive bar for your complete collection, persevering with the pattern of outdoing what got here earlier than it and showcasing simply how properly a celebratory collection compilation might be accomplished. 

There’s quite a bit that’s acquainted this time round for returning gamers. This sequel retains the identical chibi artwork type, the identical varieties of stage codecs, and lots of the present songs. It’s a “don’t repair what isn’t damaged” scenario and one which works. One massive distinction is that because of the {hardware} variations between the 3DS, the place the final two video games resided completely, and the PS4 and Change, is the way you hit notes. The 3DS video games had been extra tactile since you’d use the contact display stylus to faucet the notes on display. Now, you’ll must hit a observe because it scrolls throughout the display by urgent a face button, shoulder button, or slashing directionally with an analog stick. 

Admittedly, it’s fairly awkward at first and I wasn’t a fan of this crucial format change, partially as a result of the sport does little that can assist you decide a becoming management scheme. As a result of you possibly can hit most notes with virtually any button on the controller, it’s initially exhausting to maintain monitor of the place your palms are and the place they need to be going when issues get hectic. After an hour or two, I settled right into a scheme that labored for me, however I found that each one alone. I might have appreciated extra path from Closing Bar Line, particularly in a style the place most video games assign particular button presses to particular notes. 

After discovering what labored for me, I fiendishly blazed by songs, and my previous love of Theatrhythm reignited. Each Subject Music Phases and Battle Music Phases start by deciding on one in every of your 5 celebration loadouts. Every loadout can include as much as 4 characters from numerous Closing Fantasy video games. I loved mixing and matching a few of my favorites, like Lightning from Closing Fantasy XIII and Cloud from Closing Fantasy VII, to create offense-heavy builds. And when boss fights, for instance, gave me explicit challenges, I outfitted magic-focused characters to focus on the enemy’s weak spot alongside extra defensive heroes. It’s a brand new factor of technique that provides a deeper stage of engagement for gamers chasing down the best attainable scores and treasure yield in every stage. 

This was particularly vital to finish Sequence Quests, that are non-compulsory aims hooked up to every tune. Finishing these quests ranges from defeating difficult boss enemies, necessitating that you just hit “crucial” notes at some stage in the tune, or one thing so simple as finishing a stage with a selected character within the celebration (often as a result of that character is hooked up to the tune not directly). These quests add a contact of further problem if you’d like it. They’re additionally fully non-compulsory, which means in case you solely need your Closing Bar Line expertise to include taking part in by some nice songs and staying on rhythm whereas doing so, it may be simply that. 

I do want the quests had been extra built-in into the first development. Whereas they aren’t essential to advance, finishing them does include rewards. However typically the reward is awful, like a potion, which is an merchandise I hardly ever used. Different occasions, it’s higher, reminiscent of if you earn a CollectaCard that showcases a key Closing Fantasy second in a buying and selling card type. Regardless, as a result of these additional challenges are non-compulsory, I hardly ever felt compelled to present every greater than a few tries. If I failed a tune sufficient, I’d simply transfer on as a result of there’s no penalty for doing so. Finishing the tune is all that’s required to advance. 

Certainly one of my favourite facets of Closing Bar Line is unlocking particular Occasion Music Phases, which let you play by songs whereas cinematics from the sport play behind the notes. It’s a pleasant contact and provides a premium stage of high quality to the sport’s nostalgia issue. The in-game Museum additionally helps out on that entrance, as you possibly can view your CollectaCards anytime. Taking a look at promotional artwork I forgot existed for some Closing Fantasy video games was an particularly good deal with, however different playing cards give a greater take a look at in-game characters or enemies of their chibi design. It’s an amazing addition for gamers trying to 100% the sport and speaks to the Closing Bar Line’s celebratory nature properly. 

Exterior of the sport’s single-player choices, there are Multi Battles. Right here, you possibly can compete with as much as three different gamers, and I loved how this switches up the gameplay. The success of different gamers triggers results in your display, like a “Fats Chocobo” rush that sends a fleet of enormous Chocobo to your display, obscuring incoming notes. Others take away the UI that tells you the way properly you hit a observe, which has a surprisingly damaging impact on how I carry out. And essentially the most difficult impact despatched by an opponent provides faux notes to my scroll. It’s an thrilling and disturbing method to play by my favourite Theatrhythm songs and a positive method to prolong my playtime with the sport. The identical goes for the Countless World stage, which helps you to play monitor after monitor till you not have HP. 

Closing Bar Line does little to propel you ahead by any of this, although. There’s barely a semblance of a narrative, and I rolled credit with out even realizing I used to be close to the top – I had solely accomplished roughly a 3rd of the 385 tracks. You possibly can earn new Summons, which robotically play throughout a stage primarily based in your rhythmic motion, from different gamers in Multi Battles, and you’ll go for prime scores by replaying songs, however Closing Bar Line doesn’t emphasize why you have to be doing this.

Regardless of that lack of propelling issue, I’m nonetheless fully engrossed on this recreation, taking part in it throughout any 15 free minutes I can discover all through my day. Although I’ve technically accomplished the sport, I wish to SSS rank all of my favourite songs, dig deeper into the libraries from Closing Fantasy video games I’m much less conversant in, and showcase my rhythm prowess towards different gamers. This can be a implausible rhythm recreation set to the tune of arguably the best music catalog in all of video games. Whereas I might have appreciated extra steerage in easy methods to proceed, the musical content material on supply is so various, so nostalgic, and so properly accomplished, that I’ve no downside composing my very own enjoyable.