The first installment in the Final Fantasy series released in Japan in 1987, made its way West with a little help from Nintendo in 1990, and spawned a franchise that’s still going strong worldwide. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is an aural celebration of that accomplishment, packed with hundreds of compositions from the various games, along with an extensive collection of artwork and even video. While Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is as ideal a birthday blowout as most fans might ask for, its delivery feels a bit uneven.
Players who purchase the standard version of Theatrhythm Final Bar Line will receive an impressive 385 tracks pulled from games in that series, and an additional 27 tracks are available to those who spring for the Digital Deluxe version. That costlier bundle also comes with the first of three season pass installments, which boasts 30 additional tracks pulled from other popular franchises such as SaGa and Nier. A Premium Digital Deluxe Edition includes all of the above, plus second and third installments of the season pass to add 60 tracks. Once everything becomes available, the final track total will be 502 for those who spend most eagerly. It’s an impressive number, but not as exciting in practice as it is on paper.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line takes place across multiple modes: Series Quests, Music Stages, and Multi Battle. Its main attraction is the single-player Series Quests mode, which nudges players through an assortment of songs divided according to the games in which they appeared. There are 29 options, with examples being each of the numbered Final Fantasy installments, along with a few individual offshoot games such as Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest, Final Fantasy Record Keeper, Final Fantasy Tactics, and even the short-lived Mobius Final Fantasy (Square Enix shut down Mobius Final Fantasy in 2020). Some of those options also collect multiple titles from within a sub-series. For instance, the “Final Fantasy VII Series” option includes tracks pulled from Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7, Last Order: Final Fantasy 7, and Final Fantasy 7: Advent Children.
The game’s primary flaw is that, although there are 385 or more tracks drawn from the various Final Fantasy games, a lot of them are repeated. Some of them are repeated often enough to feel tedious, with only slight variations separating one version from the next. Other tracks, though technically distinct compositions, sound similar enough to a casual ear that they begin to feel more like noise than great music. There are a lot of fast-paced battle themes that feature the same selection of horns and notes, for instance. At least people who like “One-Winged Angel” are well served. That should also ring true for Final Fantasy 7 fans in general, thanks to the inclusion of tracks from the main game, its offshoot, and the recent remake.
Unfortunately, a lot of terrific Final Fantasy skipped town. Final Fantasy 6, for instance, is loaded with enough quality compositions to fill multi-disc soundtrack releases but Theatrhythm Final Bar Line offers only 13 songs drawn from that original release, with a few remixed versions also available. A few of the character-focused themes rank among the best compositions that game offered, but a lot of other solid selections are simply absent. Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest, a game with a surprisingly solid soundtrack at the time of its release on the Super Nintendo, gets treated especially poorly. One might argue it was lucky to even get an invite to the party, but the five tracks are small by comparison.
When players begin their nostalgic journey, they won’t have access to all the different game campaigns. Most of them are strictly off-limits, with a select few offered as a starting option. Players must use a key to unlock the first title they wish to experience, out of the handful permitted. Oddly, the little-loved Final Fantasy 2 is permitted, but Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy 6 are not. In order to access each additional title, players must advance through a few nodes on a map they have already unlocked, until they reach a treasure chest that contains another key. Then they can keep playing on the current map, or back out and select the next title. This setup, though initially limiting, works out fine in the end, and it also helps the games represented to maintain a distinct identity.
Alongside most maps, players unlock some characters (but not all) that featured in the original releases. A lot of the fan favorites do make an appearance even in those cases, however, and clearing all the songs sometimes adds a few more. The roster of included characters grows to become quite substantial. It even includes Kefka, one of the most unhinged Final Fantasy villains. Players are rewarded for spending time with each character, as well; they gain new abilities that allow them to attack with various elemental magic, cast healing magic, or inflict status ailments.
Although character skills don’t seem obviously useful, their benefits eventually become clear. Various map nodes feature “quests” for players to clear. It’s not always enough to chain together all the notes that go into a song, or even to play a song perfectly. A quest might insist that the player eliminate a particular enemy, which may have a weakness to only a particular element. Alternatively, the player might have to triumph with a certain character in their party. Only four members may be active at one time, out of the dozens eventually available. Leveling up everyone can wind up consuming many hours of play, even beyond the time investment required to hear every last song.
Some of the rewards players receive upon completing quests and finishing all the songs from a particular game are basic but others are more exciting. These consist of cards with artwork that featured prominently in the instruction manuals and cover art made available alongside the games’ release. There are also videos to enjoy that include compilations of scenes drawn from pivotal moments across a game’s story. Video for another title might focus on a particular scene, such as the famous waltz sequence that was one of the best things about Final Fantasy 8. The Final Fantasy series has presented some truly memorable moments over the years, and many of them are represented here in some form. In that respect, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line feels almost like an interactive commercial. It will likely make a lot of players want to revisit some of their favorites from across the timeline, or perhaps even try them out for the first time.
Although Theatrhythm Final Bar Line offers a primarily single-player experience, with two of its three modes devoted to playing alone (the Music Stages mode simply lets players enjoy any song they have unlocked), the game’s third mode is Multi Battle. It allows players to compete in groups of four, either with friends or strangers. This setup is a nice way to extend an already lengthy experience.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line scratches a particular itch, which means the game is unlikely to hold a great deal of immediate appeal for people who aren’t already familiar with the Final Fantasy series. That franchise has produced some amazing music over the years, though, and the fans who already love it will likely welcome a fresh excuse to listen to some of their favorite compositions once again. The combination of music and visual assets could also help franchise newcomers see what they’ve been missing. A little more variety in the compositions included would have been nice, but otherwise, the package contains the right bells, whistles, and nostalgia to keep players busy and happy for a very long time.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is available now for PS4 and Switch. Game Rant was provided a Switch code for this review.