What parents need to know
Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line (abbreviated to TFBL if you will) is the fifth game in the Theatrhythm franchise launched in 2012 on 3DS.
In this rhythm game, you are invited to form a team with your favorite characters from the Japanese role-playing game franchise Final Fantasy to take on monsters by pressing buttons to the rhythm of the franchise’s signature pieces.
Circles and lines scroll from left to right on the screen, and when they join the game circles, you have to press a button (no matter which one) with the right one. timing. The higher the level of difficulty, the more complicated the combinations required; You will need to press several buttons at once, while tilting the joystick in precise directions.
To these rhythm game mechanics are added role-playing mechanics, since it is the bread and butter of the Final Fantasy franchise, after all. The more you manage to keep up, the more damage your fighters will take to opponents. Conversely, mistakes will allow enemies to deal you damage, and if your health points drop to zero, it’s the end of the game.
As the battles progress, your fighters will level up, allowing them to improve their characteristics and learn powerful new attacks.
Details
Level of experience required
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Evaluation
The game is not scary at all.
We see our heroes face monsters, but we chose an extremely cute and colorful visual style, which gives more the impression of seeing illustrations of fairy tale characters clash.
In some video clips or in images from the original games that you can unlock, some characters may have costumes that are a little revealing.
But the presence of this content is very limited, and not particularly shocking.
Apart from some explanations on how the game works at the beginning, and the additional objectives during the songs that are explained in text form (make more than 6 million points, beat a monster with an ice attack, etc.), there is very little text to read.
There is hardly any story in this game.
The game can be quite challenging, especially as the level increases.
That being said, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line offers several difficulty levels, as well as a simplified control scheme for less skillful players with a controller.
However, given the nature of the game, players with motor difficulties may find it difficult to find their account.
On doit acheter le jeu de base. Contenus téléchargeables payants optionnels disponibles.
There is a lot of content already included in the base game.
That being said, paid content is also plentiful, and if you want to get it all, the most affordable option (the purchase of the Premium version) will still add nearly $ 55 CAD to your bill.
Local game modes
You can unlock new coins and characters in the Series Quest single-player mode, which asks you to relive the events of 29 games (!!!) in the series, have fun playing pieces of your choice in Music Stages, or visit the museum to see the images and other trinkets we have earned during our games.
Local multiplayer also allows you to play co-op with a friend on the same console.
Online Game Modes
There is an online multiplayer mode that allows you to compete against players all over the world.
Expansions/Add-ons (DLC)
There is a lot of paid downloadable content.
You can purchase song packs from other games developed by Square Enix such as Live a Live, Chrono Trigger or SaGa Frontier.
There is also the season pass vol. 1, sold for $ 19.99 CAD (14.95 €) which includes 4 of these packs (Live a Live, SaGa Frontier, The World Ends With You and Nier: Automata) and the season pass vol. 2, sold at the same price, which includes the packs of Chrono Trigger, Octopath Traveler, Nier and Trials of Mana.
A third season pass will be released soon.
If you don’t want to buy season passes individually, the Premium Edition includes the game and all upcoming downloadable content for $133.49 CAD ($109.99). This edition is only available in digital format.
Our opinion
Theatrhythm is a true love letter to fans of the Final Fantasy franchise. There are over a hundred characters that can be unlocked and nearly 400 musical pieces to play, from the classics to the most obscure pieces.
Your assessment will obviously depend on your level of interest in the franchise. The author of these lines has played a few episodes of the franchise, without being an expert in Final Fantasy. Of course, I had more fun playing the pieces I know by heart than the ones I heard for the first time.
On the other hand, it is a very well done rhythm game, and fans of the genre, even if they are not necessarily experts in the franchise, will certainly find their account. However, we must put a downside here (this pun is completely unintentional): even if the controls work well on the Switch, we feel that the controls were originally designed for the 3DS. It’s not as pleasant to tilt the joystick quickly in one direction as it was to simply slide the stylus across the handheld console screen.
But this is only a small false note (well, there the pun was voluntary, we admit it). Extremely generous in content, featuring music from a franchise whose soundtracks are among the best in the medium, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line will appeal to anyone with a small affinity for rhythm games or the Final Fantasy franchise.
Our rating : 18 / 20
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