Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is an actual curtain call

People raised skeptical eyebrows when Square-Enix announced Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, a rhythm game for the 3DS and iOS, since it sounded suspiciously like an April Fool's joke. But make it they did, and it was so successful that they're back for an encore with Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, the reported last in the series. After playing it myself, I feel like I get what the whole song and dance is about.

Theatrhythm gives the player a list of 221 songs from the entire Final Fantasy collection to play through. The gameplay is simple: tap, slash, or hold with the stylus as colorful icons move across the screen. You have three different modes to do this, the big difference between them being what happens in the background (a battle, a famous scene from one of the games, et cetera), but the actions you complete stay consistent. While that may sound dull, these tiny tasks still command attention, and getting into the rhythm becomes engrossing. When you'll on a roll you feel less like a player and more like a conductor, making your favorite songs from the series come to life.

Curtain Call not only introduces music from a greater range of titles, like Final Fantasy X-2 and Tactics, but the availability of songs for download. This is where curtain call part comes in: rather than making a new Theatrhythm game sometime down the road, the company plans to add to Curtain Call's digital offers continuously to keep content fresh. In addition, the game comes with a new mode called Quest Medley, which challenges the player to clear several songs at random to get rewards and unlock characters. Give it a try, because who knows--maybe you'll find your new favorite Final Fantasy song that way.

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