At last month’s Nintendo Direct, fans of Final Fantasy music were treated to a very special surprise with the announcement of Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. The first game in the rhythm game series, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, was released for the Nintendo 3DS and iOS in 2012. A sequel, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, followed in 2014, with a third title Theatrhythm Dragon Quest released in 2015. Final Bar Line will be released on the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in February 2023, and ahead of release, a few more details have come to light.
For those unfamiliar with the title, the gameplay is simple to pick up but difficult to master. Players must tap the screen or hit specific buttons in time with popular songs from past Square Enix titles. In past games, three unique stage styles have been present: Field (Overworld) Music, Battle Music, and Event Music. In Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, the all-new Series Quest mode will be added. Players will pick their favorite Final Fantasy game and unlock songs from their selected title as they progress. Playing through this mode will unlock characters, and each song will be accompanied by its own quest, such as a number of enemies to be defeated.
Last month, it was announced that 385 playable songs from the legendary game franchise would be included with the game. However, we now know that the actual number is far higher. While 385 tracks will be available with the base game, an addition 27 tracks will be included with a DX Version. 90 songs will be released as downloadable content as well, bringing the total number of songs to a whopping 502. This will include music from Final Fantasy XIV, Final Fantasy XV, and Final Fantasy VII Remake.
A number of characters from the Final Fantasy series will be available for players to unlock through Series Quests. Enemy characters can also be obtained by clearing the final stage for each available title.
Check out the full list of unlockable characters below.
- Final Fantasy I
- Warrior of Light
- Princess Sarah
- Garland
- Final Fantasy III
- Onion Knight
- Cid
- Cloud of Darkness
- Final Fantasy V
- Bartz
- Lenna
- Galuf
- Faris
- Krile
- Gilgamesh
- Exdeath
- Final Fantasy VII
- Cloud
- Tifa
- Aerith
- Barret
- Red XIII
- Yuffie
- Vincent
- Sephiroth
- Final Fantasy VII: Advent Children
- Zack
- Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII
- Cloud #2
- Tifa #2
- Final Fantasy IX
- Zidane
- Vivi
- Garnet
- Eiko
- Kuja
The upcoming title doesn’t only include music from Final Fantasy, but also pieces from other popular Square Enix series such as NieR, SaGa, and both Chrono Cross and Chrono Trigger.
Theatrhythm Final Bar Line will be released for Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on February 16, 2023. The digital version can be pre-ordered now to unlock 15 ProfiCards to customize and use in-game.
