When you first heard the 3DS announced, your first thought %26ndash; obviously %26ndash; was, %26ldquo;I just hope to God that system gets a mashup of Final Fantasy and the rhythm-action genre, or it doesn't have a hope in hell.%26rdquo; Thankfully, Square Enix realized this was what people would be thinking, promptly assuring citizens that, indeed, they would be getting a game that combined these two eminently combine-able things. Now the company has released new details for Theatrythm Final Fantasy, including screenshots that highlight the game's FF characters, redesigned for rhythm-theatricality (and creepy resemblance to stoned marionettes).
TFF's official site (opens in new tab), while mainly in Japanese, does go to pains to explain to both locals and Westerners the implications of the title: if you were figuring on a whole new Final Fantasy game, you should be prepared for a simplified %26ldquo;Theatre%26rdquo; experience, but don't worry, because there's also %26ldquo;Rhythm%26rdquo; involved %26ndash; which is where we get %26ldquo;Theatrythm,%26rdquo; see? With that puzzle solved, you can get back to your daily life.
The game's play style %26ndash; pick four characters from throughout the FF franchise and take them on adventures based around tracks from the series' music-rich lineage %26ndash; has been explained a little more, with level-ups and item-collection adding to the traditional rhythm-game structure. Which is lucky because, let's be frank here, that structure hasn't really changed since BeatMania %26ndash; which coincidentally happened at the same time Final Fantasy was enjoying the kind of mass-cultural clout it's unlikely to regain within our lifetime.
Above: FFXIII's Lightning features in a semi-interactive story governed by arbitrary button-presses, in a first for the character. Oohh, FFXIII-burn
The game doesn't have a Japanese release date yet %26ndash; let alone any hint of a Western release. Would you be keen to play? What do you think of the designs?
Jul 12, 2011
Source: Andriasang (opens in new tab)