When a franchise in film, television, or gaming has existed for 35 or more years, one of the by-products of that time in the sun is a gigantic library of iconic music. Final Fantasy would have more iconic musical pieces per year than most, and in the franchise’s 35th year, it’s time to celebrate all that has been accomplished! Cue Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line, the latest in Square Enix’s rhythm action games that celebrate the musical accomplishments of the beloved franchise. We’ve seen a couple of previous entries in the Theatrhythm sub-franchise, but it seems that Square Enix is shooting for this game to become the most expansive entry in the franchise to date, with 385 tracks present in-game.
In a press release, we learn the following about the game,
Celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Final Fantasy series with the latest Theatrhythm game! In this rhythm action game, you’ll enjoy 385 total tracks, including iconic Fina Fantasy songs like “One-Winged Angel,” “Torn From the Heavens” and “Suteki Da Ne,” with more content available after launch. Two players can complete stages in Pair Play locally, while up to four players can battle to the beat in Online Multi-Battle! Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line begins its symphony on Nintendo Switch on 16th February, 2023. Pre-orders begin today in Nintendo eShop. After the game’s launch, 90 additional paid DLC songs from the SaGa series, NieR series, Octopath Traveler, Live A Live and more will be released. Plus, editions containing a season pass and 27 extra songs, including “Melodies Of Life ~ Final Fantasy” from Final Fantasy IX, will be available.
◆ Put together the party of your dreams with over 100 characters to choose from
◆ Meet cute versions of many classic characters and monsters from the series as exciting RPG battles play out alongside the rhythm action
◆ Gather and power up your team to beat the next stage
◆ In addition, two players locally can complete stages in Pair Style, while up to four players can battle to the beat in Online Multi-Battle!
As you can see from the press release, while the initial launch lineup is going to be massive, and includes hundreds of your favorite Final Fantasy tracks, all playable in ways that most have never before experienced, the library is being expanded even further as the game integrates music from other beloved Square-Enix IP like Octopath Traveler, Nier, Live A Live, and more. What was buried amongst the core piece of news, largely due to it being presented through a Nintendo Direct, is the fact that the game is also coming to the PS4, day and date with the Switch version.
Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line launches on Nintendo Switch, and PS4, on February 16, 2023.
