Deck the halls, write to Santa, and update your respective consoles before the traditional Christmas network outages. 'Tis the season, so we're wrapping up another year of gaming at Destructoid with 2023's best games, and that includes a heavy-hitting category of PlayStation no?minees.

Destructoid's process is pretty simple, our very own Eric Van Allen explains as much in his Indie Nominees ru?ndown. Games can only be nominated in one category, and our 'year' begins in D??ecember 2022 �December 2023 games don't make the cut.

Anyway, in the spirit of kicking another holiday hornet's n??est, here's our nominees for b??est PS4 / PS5 game of the year.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2

Insomniac's last Spider-Man game launched in 2018, thus kicking off this category's theme of "What year is it again?" �I had to double-chec??k that after suggesting we just got one of these wit?hin the last couple of years.

Marvel's Spider-Man 2 is the quintessential Sony recommendation for folks looking to buy the current-gen PlayStation. It's polished to a degree that remains beyond impressive and captivating, even to those not into the whole superhero scene. Miles Morales steals the show as a series favorite, and all of the usual staples like webslinging, New York neighborhoods, and, of course, Venom, return in a show of Spider-Man's best. It's one that really sold me on Spidey's direction going forward, and I certainly wasn't the only one.

Final Fantasy XVI

Though it just launched in June this year, Final Fantasy XVI was one of those games I was certain came out last year, but no, I'm just turning into dust. The hazy time-lapse is equal parts owed to the build-up and fanfare around another entry to the Final Fantasy seri??es and how much of the year RPG lovers spent sequestered off with a screen.

In our review, Eric confirmed one of my biggest suspicions: Final Fantasy XVI is a Final Fantasy game. Perhaps it's not my favorite, but that's not much of a critique in a series full of titans that established and inspired developers for decades. Clive's journey is a flashy, Devil May Cry-inspired adventure fusing some of the best inspirations from the sights and sounds of FFXIV: Heavensward into a lengthy, single-player RPG.

Armored Core 6: Fires of Rubicon

As a mech girly, I'm always rooting for any game with gargantuan robots and metal-on-metal sparkling firefights. Thankfully, this year didn't leave me wanting as Armored Core 6 debuted to critical praise, and that includes our own review where Destructoid's head honcho Chris Carter reassured longtime fans that "the spark of the series is still very much alive" in Fires of Rubicon.

After such a lengthy stint between series releases, Armored Core's 2023 resurrection was certainly among the year's bigger surprises, but FromSoft more than delivered yet again. I've probably hit a fail state in Armored Core VI more times than all of the other games on t?his list combined, but I keep going back to it for more. That's more impressive when you consider there's a rhythm game below.

Street Fighter 6

There's a reason talk of a Capcom "Golden Age" keeps happening, and Street Fighter VI feels a bit symbolic of that. The classic fighter saw plenty of praise and held its own in a year packed with other Capcom darlings like Resident Evil 4 and Monster Hunter.

As a button-masher, it's one of the few fighting games I'm willing to revisit when the shine of "new release" wears off and my friends have moved on. Its sprawling roster, upcoming collaborations, and support from Capcom turn Street Fighter VI into a constant spectacle that's just as much fun t?o bumble your way through as it is to watch on the big ??screens of EVO.

Theathrythm Final Bar Line

Ah, the bane of my existence, Theathrythm. I say that in the most loving way possible, as my endless Theathrythm replays on 3DS destroyed my handheld's buttons, ??and I figure the same is soon true for my PlayStation controllers.

That's a very roundabout way of saying Final Bar Line absolutely rules. While the bar (ha, bar, get it?) for spin-offs isn't very high, there's nothing about this latest entry that feels like a cheap afterthought. It's just as much proper rhythm game as it is impassioned love letter to Final Fantasy. All year long, I've lost nigh?ts to replaying a handful of tracks, desperately honing my skills to crank the difficulty up j?ust a little more. And even if that's not your cup of tea, its guided tributes to the past are still worth the time.

Alan Wake 2

As an editor, I'm obviously partial to the work my team does, but if we had a category for 'review of the year,' I'd throw Smangaliso Simelane's piece on Alan Wake 2 into the ring for the title without a second thought. In the 9/10 revie??w, Sman?galiso concluded:

"I can say that it’s one of my favorite titles i??n an extremely competitive year. Not only has it redefined what I believe video game narratives are capable of, but it also l?eft me invigorated to see how Remedy will innovate once again."

Sold �anyway, with how everyone talks about Alan Wake, I deeply regret not diving into the first one. Remedy's gorgeously dismal setting calls for me in many of the same ways Control initia?lly did, using bold, striking pops of light and color for the initial hook. Then, it's suddenly 3 a.m. on a Monday, but I swear I only meant to play an hour or two.

Octopath Traveler 2

It's 2023, but this looks like what I imagined games would as a little thing in the late '90s and early '00s. Octopath Traveler 2 squared up in a year full of other gorgeous pixel art games like Sea of Stars, but held its own a?s an RPG powered by industry veterans.

Even as someone just a few hours in with an end-of-the-year cram session, the second game seems to fix some of my pain points from the original Octopath Traveler, all while maintaining the art direction and music I adored. Of course, once again, my RPG-enthused coworker Eric Van Allen reviewed the classic throwback, noting: "It somehow has everythin?g I’d want out of an RPG inspired by the old days, but moving forward ??into new ones too. "

What's next for Destructoid's GOTY?

For those of you curious as to where we'll land, check back on December 18 for our best of PlayStation winner. And with all of that? said, here's our quick, bulleted nominees list to refresh you for discussions:

Destructoid's Best PS4/PS5 Games of 2023:

• Spider-Man 2
• Final Fantasy XVI
• Armored Core 6
• Street Fighter 6
• Theathrythm Final Bar Line
• Alan Wake 2
• Octopath Traveler 2

The post Nominees for Destructoid’s Be?st? PS4/ PS5 game of 2023 appeared first on Destructoid.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Final Fantasy 16 DLC is officially on the way after many months of waiting. Announced Saturday, the Final Fantasy XVI pack features 11 downloadable tracks, including "Find the Flame" and "Hi??de, Hideaway." It will launch on November 1. It's a part of Season Pass Vol. 3.

//twitter.com/FinalFantasy/status/169813010732?6517717

What does the Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Final Fantasy 16 DLC include?

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line will be including a bunch of popular songs from the latest Final Fantasy title. They include:

• "My Star"
• Hide, Hideaway
• To Sail Forbidden Seas
• Away
• Control
• Titan Lost
• Ascension
• The Riddle
• Logos
• Find The Flame
• No Risk, No Reward

There is no hint towards a future DLC pack for Final Fantasy 16 in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. However, there have been instances of multiple packs for the same series, like the Chrono titles and the SaGa games.

If there is a Season 4 for DLC content of Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, we could expect to see more FF16 songs added to the gam??e. A few examples would include the pretty "Idylls of the Empire" and the epic "On the Shoulders of Giants."

[caption id="attachment_401507" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

This isn't the only Final Fantasy XVI news we've had recently. Square Enix has confirmed a ??PC port is on the way, and there will be ??two DLC expansions.

"One thing that came through particularly strongly was how people wanted to see more of Valisthea's story and spend more time with her inhabitants," said Naoki Yoshida during a video message Saturda??y. "To accommodate, the development team has started work on two? instalments of paid DLC."

Additionally, the latest update adds free new costumes for the ?game's characters and the ability to change the look of Clive's weapon.

Despite all this news, nothing is spoken of about an Xbox port for the latest Final Fantasy game. With the incredibly popular MMO Final Fantasy XIV on the way for the system, however, perhaps this may become a reality years down th?e line.

The post Theatr??????????????????????????hythm Final Bar Line adds Final Fanta?sy XVI DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

Despite having so many songs, Theatrhythm Final Bar DLC is still missing some key tracks

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a celebration of Square Enix's musical history, not just Final Fantasy, and the Theatrhythm Final Bar Line DLC lineup will give you the game hundreds of songs when all things are said and done. Over the course of the year, the publisher will be adding songs from NieR, Octopath Traveler, Romancing SaGa, Live A Live, and The World Ends with You to the rhythm game as DLC.

Currently, there are two Theatrhythm Final Bar Line DLC packs that have not been confirmed as of the time of writing. Those will release on October 11 and November 1. Let's discuss which songs from Square Enix's catalog would be perfect for Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. 

1. "Dearly Beloved" from Kingdom Hearts 3

//youtu.be/YpcnL2lFK_g

Featured as one of Destructoid's best Kingdom Hearts songs, "Dearly Beloved" is an iconic video game track that should be featured in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. The stunning piano-led melody would be great to play against a video montage of the events from the Kingdom Hearts series. You can also feature the bombastic jazzy version of "Dearly Beloved" from the music-rhythm take on the franchise Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory if you need a track with more energy behind it.

2. "Strange World - Marching Through The Fields" from Dragon Quest VIII: Journey of the Cursed King

//youtu.be/WLSGZdNgiLo

It's a shame that the Theatrhythm game based on Dragon Quest never made it to the West. Square Enix can redeem that by including "Strange World - Marching Through The Fields" in this game as DLC. The piece is absolutely beautiful with a tremendous flow to it. It starts off as a slow, striking number and then elevates in tempo with heightened percussion. The strong theme carries through as the hero in Dragon Quest VIII explores the open world. Playing this in Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line, with its unexpect?ed twists and turns, would be great gameplay-wise.

3. A Final Fantasy XVI Inclusion

//youtu.be/MyKtpAihppY

With Final Fantasy XVI releasing this summer, it would make sense to tie in the game's music as Theatrhythm Final Bar Line DLC. That would be a fun promotional move. They could drop it as free DLC as a way to futureproof this rhythm game, at least for the near future. The music from the trailers so far has been epic. Whenever a choir is in the background of some thumping tunes, you're in for a good time in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. Alex Moukala, in the ?above video, recreated the theme we've heard from the "Awakening" trailer, so you can get an idea of what it would be like.

4. "New Bodhum" from Final Fantasy XIII-2

//youtu.be/o2y3FjL7a6o

This track in Final Fantasy XIII-2 is so underrated that it wasn't even included in the base song list for Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. "New Bodhum" from Final Fantasy XIII-2 is such a banger with some striking piano playing, an atmospheric vocal track, and pumped-up percussion that will get you energized. Like "Marching Through The Fields," its flow is pleasing as the instruments rise to the chorus. This would make for a fun Theatrhythm Final Bar Line DLC addition.

5. "bird in the hand" from NEO: The World Ends with You

//youtu.be/EZlNbHK??vHik???list=OLAK5uy_k3Shqv7jnZAV2k76YGiI-Hu04E15bWCXo

It's a shame that one of NEO: The World Ends with You's best songs, "bird in the hand," hasn't made the Theatrhythm Final Bar Line DLC song list yet. It has a unique funk/hip-hop sound with exciting instrumentals, catchy vocals, and intriguing rap elements. It would certainly stand out in a game that has many orchestral pieces from the mainline Final Fantasy entries.

6. "Simple and Clean" from Kingdom Hearts

//youtu.be/B1nDzB1P8GM

If you need a new vocal track as part of the Theatrhythm Final Bar Line DLC lineup, "Simple and Clean" from Kingdom Hearts is one of the best options. Yes, the lyrics are silly. However, Hikaru Utada's enchanting vocals in this song will transport you back to your childhood. It will be great to play this in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line as you take out cactuars and tonberries?. Don't? make us say, "Please, oh baby" for this song, Square Enix.

7. "Struggle" from Radiata Stories

//youtu.be/PRTyBzoXdsk

Radiata Stories is probably a game you haven't heard of for a while, and it's certainly one of Square Enix's hidden gems. While the soundtrack isn't too stellar across the board when compared to other Square Enix classics, it would be fun to have a medley of the "Struggle" battle themes in the game. "Struggle I" is an energetic number that would apply itself to a thrilling song in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. "Struggle 2" has more of a rocky inspiration behind it, with a few Japanese instruments like the taiko drum in the background complimenting the track. Lastly, "Struggle 3" has a more jazzy take on the main theme. Mix them all together, and you should have a fascinating Theatrhythm Final Bar Line DLC song to play.

8. Forspoken's Main Title Theme

//youtu.be/c_PKN8GdCzo

Forspoken may be a disappointment for many, but the opening music is absolutely something to admire. The mix of hip-hop elements with the grand orchestrated nature of a fantasy epic blends beautifully in this song. It matches the tone and concept of the game perfectly. The theme also has a dynamic flow to it, letting the developers of Theatrhythm Final Bar Line add interesting gameplay elements to the song. It would also be neat if Frey became a DLC character of some kind you c??an unlock for your party.

9. "Max and Chloe" from Life is Strange

//youtu.be/-o7F7_nipP0

If you want to celebrate all of Square Enix's music in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, it should look towards some of its Western-made IPs. Life is Strange is a memorable game for many. This beautiful theme is played during the end credits of the first game. It's a guitar-forward piece that reflects the emotional bond between the two characters after facing enormous circumstances. It's not the most exciting piece in Square Enix's history of music, but the stirring instrumentals and simple nod towards the beloved series as Theatrhythm Final Bar Line DLC would be a neat touch.

10. Guest Remixes

//youtu.be/IdV04_tEamY

One of the coolest aspects of Final Fantasy soundtracks is how they can be translated into different genres or reworked by talented musicians around the world. It would be cool to see video game cover artists release a DLC pack based on their favorite themes from the franchise. For example, Sonic Mania composer Tee Lopes released a Ranchera remix of "Tifa's Theme" from Final Fantasy VII. It sounds remarkably fitting. Cover artist and now composer Carlos "insaneintherainmusic" Eiene (alongside Julia Henderson) has also made a stellar jazzy "Sunleth Waterscape" cover from Final Fantasy XIII. Hearing their talents in a game like this would be a fantastic treat for Final Fantasy fans.

The post 10 songs that would be perfect? as Theatrhyth??m Final Bar Line DLC appeared first on Destructoid.

So much choice

The Theatrhythm Final Bar Line song list is the ultimate love letter to Final Fantasy fans worldwide with a grand total of 385 tracks in the game. From field themes like "Midgar Expressway" from Final Fantasy VII Remake to epic battle themes such as "Blinded by Light," there are a lot of Theatrhythm Final Bar Line songs to look forward to in the game.

While it includes songs from all the mainline titles, there are some tracks to listen to from spinoff titles, like Final Fantasy Fable: Chocobo's Dungeon and Mobius Final Fantasy. Here are all the tracks included in the base songlist for Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. We have received this information directly from the horse's mouth: Square Enix.

The Entire Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Songs Offering

[caption id="attachment_363926" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

Final Fantasy

• Opening Theme
• Main Theme
• Matoya's Cave
• Battle
• Castle Cornelia
• Mt. Gulg
• Miniboss Battle
• Final Battle
• Sunken Shrine
• Airship

Final Fantasy II

• Finale
• The Rebel Army
• Battle Theme 1
• Town
• Main Theme
• Tower of the Magi
• Dungeon
• Battle Theme 2
• Battle Theme A
• The Imperial Army
• Chocobo Theme

Final Fantasy III

• Elia, the Maiden of Water
• Battle 1
• Eternal Wind
• Battle 2
• The Boundless Ocean
• Salonia
• Let Me Know The Truth
• Forbidden Land
• The Crystal Tower
• The Dark Crystals
• This is the Last Battle
• Crystal Cave
• The Invincible

Final Fantasy IV

• Theme of Love
• The Red Wings
• Main Theme
• Battle 1
• Battle 2
• Battle with the Four Fiends
• The Airship
• Troian Beauty
• Tower of Zot
• Lunar Whale
• Within the Giant
• The Final Battle
• Another Moon

Final Fantasy V

• Main Theme
• Home, Sweet Home
• Four Hearts
• Battle 1
• To the North Mountain
• Battle 2
• Library of Ancients
• Mambo de Chocobo
• The Airship
• The Dawn Warriors
• Battle at the Big Bridge
• A New World
• In Search of Light
• The Decisive Battle
• The Final Battle
• Harvest

Final Fantasy VI

• Celes' Theme
• Locke's Theme
• Battle
• Edgar & Sabin's Theme
• Protect the Espers!
• The Decisive Battle
• Terra's Theme
• Grand Finale
• The Airship Blackjack
• Battle to the Death
• Searching for Friends
• Dancing Mad
• Kefka's Tower

Final Fantasy VII

• Aerith's Theme
• Opening - Bombing Mission
• Let the Battles Begin!
• Fight On!
• The Chase
• Main Theme
• Rufus' Welcoming Ceremony
• JENOVA
• Gold Saucer
• Cosmo Canyon
• The Highwind Takes to the Skies
• Judgment Day
• Birth of a God
• One-Winged Angel

Final Fantasy VII Remake

• Bombing Mission
• Let the Battles Begin! - A Merc's Job
• The Airbuster
• J-E-N-O-V-A- Quickening
• One-Winged Angel - Rebirth
• Midgar Expressway
• Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII - Sector 7 Undercity
• Collapsed Expressway
• High Five
• Tifa's Theme - Seventh Heaven
• Hollow

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children

• Advent: One-Winged Angel
• Those Who Fight (Piano Version)
• Beyond the Wasteland
• Aerith's Theme (Piano version)
• Battle in the Forgotten City
• Divinity II
• J-E-N-O-V-A (Advent Children Version)
• Cloud Smiles

Crisis Core -Final Fantasy VII-

• Crisis Core Theme - Succession
• The SOLDIER Way
• The Price of Freedom
• Encounter
• Timely Ambush
• A Flower Blooming in the Slums

Last Order: Final Fantasy VII

• Last Order

Final Fantasy VIII

• Ending Theme
• Waltz for the Moon
• Balamb Garden
• Blue Fields
• Don't Be Afraid
• Force Your Way
• Shuffle or Boogie
• The Man with the Machine Gun
• Premonition
• Firsherman's Horizon
• Love Grows
• Ride On
• The Castle
• Maybe I'm a Lion
• The Extreme
• Liberi Fatali
• Find Your Way
• The Oath

Final Fantasy IX

• A Place To Call Home
• Behind the Door
• Vivi's Theme
• Swords of Fury
• Vamo'alla Flamenco
• Battle 1
• Battle 2
• Over the Hill
• Festival of the Hunt
• Roses of May
• Something to Protect
• Aboard the Hilda Garde
• Not Alone
• The Darkness of Eternity
• The Final Battle
• Dark City Treno
• Iifa, the Ancient Tree of Life
• Ipsen's Castle

Final Fantasy X

• Suteki Da Ne (Isn't it Wonderful?)
• Otherworld
• Battle Theme
• Spira Unplugged
• Movement In Green
• Blitz Off!
• Thunder Plains
• Assault
• Servants of the Mountain
• A Fleeting Dream
• Challenge
• Fight with Seymour
• A Contest of Aeons
• Final Battle
• Mi'ihen Highroad
• Launch
• Via Purifico

Final Fantasy X-II

• 1000 Words (FFX-2 Mix)
• We're the Gullwings!
• "Let me blow you a kiss."
• The Farplane Abyss
• YuRiPa, Fight! No. 1
• The Bevelle Underground
• Their Resting Place

Final Fantasy XI

• Vana'diel March
• Opening Theme
• Ronfaure
• Battle Theme
• Gustaberg
• Selbina
• Recollection
• Awakening
• Shinryu
• The Sanctuary of Zi'Tah
• Fighters of the Crystal
• A New Horizon- Tavnazian Archipelago
• Ragnarok
• Heavens Tower
• Sarutabaruta
• Voyager
• Melodies Errant
• Tough Battle #2
• Iron Colossus

Final Fantasy XII

• Final Fantasy (Final Fantasy 12 version)
• Ending Movie
• The Archadian Empire
• Boss Battle
• Streets of Rabanastre
• The Dalmasca Esterland
• Heart of a Child
• Giza Plains
• Flash of Steel
• Battle with an Esper
• Life and Death
• Phon Coast
• The Mosphoran Highwaste
• Struggle for Freedom

Final Fantasy XIII

• Defiers of Fate
• Saber's Edge
• Blinded By Light
• March of the Dreadnoughts
• The Sunleth Waterscape
• Fighting Fate
• Will to Fight
• The Archylte Steppe
• Eden Under Siege
• The Gapra Whitewood
• Desperate Struggle
• Nascent Requiem

Final Fantasy XIII-II

• Warrior Goddess
• Etro's Champion
• Full Speed Ahead
• Paradigm Shift
• Groovy Chocobo
• The Last Hunter
• Crazy Chocobo
• Heart of Chaos
• Historia Crux
• Eclipse
• Noel's Theme - Final Journey
• Plains of Eternity

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII

• The Savior
• Lightning Returns
• Crimson Blitz
• Chaos
• The Dead Dunes
• The Glittering City of Yusnaan

Final Fantasy XIV

• Answers
• Hard to Miss
• On Westerly Winds
• The Land Breathes
• Serenity
• Primal Judgment
• Torn from the Heavens
• To the Sun
• Nemesis
• Under the Weight
• Engage
• Fallen Angel
• Good King Moogle Mog XII
• Ultima
• Through the Maelstrom
• A Light in the Storm
• Oblivion
• Ominous Prognisticks
• Ink Long Dry
• Heroes
• Locus
• Metal - Brute Justice Mode
• Exponential Entropy
• Moebius
• Rise
• The Worm's Tail
• Wayward Daughter
• Triumph
• Sunrise
• A Long Fall
• What Angel Wakes Me
• Promises to Keep
• Who Brings Shadow

Final Fantasy XV

• Stand Your Ground
• Veiled in Black
• Valse di Fantastica
• The Fight Is On!
• Apocalypsis Noctis (Uncovered Trailer)
• Flying R
• Invidia
• Omnis Lacrima
• Up for the Challenge
• Noctis
• Somnus
• Hellfire
• Magna Insomnia
• Main Theme from Final Fantasy
• Shield of the King
• Home Sweet Home
• Episode Ignis - The Main Theme
• The Dance of Silver and Crimson

Final Fantasy Type-0

• We Have Come
• War: Warrior Worth a Thousand
• The Earth Under Our Feet
• War: The White Dragon
• Tempus Finis
• Vermillion Fire
• Soar

Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light

• The 4 Heroes of Light
• Fiend Encounter

Strange of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin

• Jack's Theme
• Battle: Chaos Advent
• Battle: False Knight - Motif from "Battle"

Dissidia Final Fantasy

• Keeping The Peace
• The Decision Battle - arrange - from Final Fantasy 6
• The Trrops' Advance
• Battle 1 - arrange - from Final Fantasy 9
• Dissidia - ending
• Dissidia Final Fantasy [Final Trailer]

Dissiaia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy

• Lux Concordiae
• Conto Mortis -An Undocumented Batttle-
• Gate to the Rift
• Cantata Mortis
• Dissidia 012[duodecim] Final Fantasy [Final Trailer]

Dissidia Final Fantasy -Arcade-

• The Rebel Army from FF2
• Eternal Wind from FF3
• Dancing Mad from FF6
• Antipyretic from Final Fantasy Tactics
• Massive Explosion (Short ver._)
• God in Fire - arrange- from Dissidia Final Fantasy
• Ominous Progniisticks from FF14
• The Beginning of the End from FF Type-0

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

• Dare to Defy

Dissidia Final Fantasy Opera Omnia

• Spark

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition

• Moonless Starry Night
• Today Comes To Be Tomorrow
• Promised Grace
• Monster Ronde
• Across the Divide
• Woebegone Creature
• United, Heaven-Sent

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers

• This Is the End For You!

Final Fantasy Record Keeper

• Battle at the Big Bridge - Ver. 2
• The Decisive Battle
• The Man with the Machine Gun
• Blinded by Light
• The Chase
• UTAKATA
• Chaos Shrine
• Stand Your Ground

Final Fantasy Tactics

• Opening
• Prologue
• Trisection
• Apoplexy
• Antipyretic
• Precipitous Combat
• Ultima's Transformation
• Overlia's Theme

Mobius Final Fantasy

• Warrior of Light
• Dancing Edge
• Magic Madness
• Femme Fatale
• Bloodthirst

World of Final Fantasy

• World of Battle

Final Fantasy Fable: Chocobo's Dungeon

• Dungeon Hero X's Theme
• Raffaello Battle
• Pop-Up Duel
• Guardian of the Dark II
• Leviathan Battle

Final Fantasy Mystic Quest

• Hill of Destiny
• Battle 1
• Battle 2
• Doom Castle
• Battle 3

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy

• The Chaos Shrine - TFF Menu Arrangement
• Return of the Warrior - TFF Menu Arrangement
• Battle at the Big Bridge - TFF Menu Arrangement

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call

• Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call Special Arrangement Medley (Long Version)
• Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call  Special Arrangement Medley
• Choose Your Combatants - TTFCC Menu Arrangement - From FFT

Theatrhythm Final Fantasy All-star Carnival

• Fight With Seymour - TTFAC Arrangement
• Matoya's Cave - TTFAC Arrangement
• Prelude - TTFAC Arrangement
• Main Theme of Final Fantasy V - TTFAC Arrangement
• Locke's Theme - TTFAC Arrangement
• J-E-N-O-V-A - TTFAC Arrangement
• The Red Wings - TTFAC Arrangement
• TTFCC Special Arrangement Medley - TTFAC Arrangement
• Battle at the Big Bridge - TTFAC Arrangement

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line

• Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Special Battle Arrangement Medley
• Final Fantasy VII Special Arrangement Medley - TFBL Arrangement

BRA★BRA Final Fantasy / BRASS de BRAVO games

• Moogle's Theme
• Final Fantasy Medley
• Battle at the Big Bridge
• Mambo de Chocobo

Final Fantasy Tribute Thanks

• Opening Theme

Digital Deluxe Edition exclusives

Unfortunately, there is a Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Digital Deluxe Edition that keeps some songs locked from regular players. It also comes with volume 1 of the season pass. They inc?lude:

• Zephyr Memories -Legend of the Eternal Wind- from Final Fantasy 2
• Eyes on Me from Final Fantasy 8
• Melodies of Life - Final Fantasy from Final Fantasy 9
• Zanarkand from Final Fantasy 10
• Kuon -Memories of Waves and Light- from Final Fantasy 10-2 
• Distant Worlds from Final Fantasy 11
• Kiss Me Good-Bye from Final Fantasy 12
• Symphonic Poem "Hope" from Final Fantasy 12
• Eternal Love from Final Fantasy 13
• Sound of the Wind from Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition
• Aerith's Theme -Collab Arrangement-
• Cosmo Canyon -Collab Arraggement-
• Battle Theme 2 -Modulation ver.- from Final Fantasy 2
• Battle at the Big Bridge -Modulation ver. from Final Fantasy 5
• Battle SQ: Final Fantasy 9 Not Alone
• SQ Chips: Final Fantasy 3 "Go above the Clouds! - The Invicible"
• More SQ: Final Fantasy Dugem DE Chocobo
• Fighters of the Crystal from Sanctuary The Star Onions
• The Decisive Battle(Acoustic)
• Blinded by Light Jazz Arrangement
• Band: A Long Fall from Final Fantasy XIV - Arrangement Album
• Clash on the Big Bridge from The Black Mages
• The Skies Above from The Black Mages 2 - The Skies Above
• Band:Rise from The Primals

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line DLC songs

[caption id="attachment_363927" align="alignnone" width="1200"] Image via Square Enix[/caption]

If that isn't enough songs for you, Square Enix is also providing DLC tracks from other games in its library, including Nier, Chrono Trigger, and The World Ends With You. They will be released over the next few months every two weeks. Everything up to the second SaGA pack is included in Season 1??, which is included in the Digital Deluxe version. Here is every DLC song we know about s??o far:

SaGa Games (February 16)

• Enraged Battle
• Struggle to the Death
• The Conflict
• Horrible Shadow
• Beat Them Up!
• Coup de Grace
• Passionate Rhythm

Live A Live (March 1)

• Go! Go! Steel Titan!
• LIVE A LIVE
• Birds Fly, Fish Swim
• Megalomania (not the Undertale one)

The World Ends with You (March 15)

• World is Yours
• Your Ocean
• Breaking Free
• Twister
• Calling
• Someday

NieR (March 29)

• Dependent Weakling
• Weight of the World
• Kowaretasekainouta â€?Marina Kawano
• Amusement Park
• A Beautiful Song
• Emil's Shop

Second SaGa Pack (April 12)

• The Celestial Protectors
• Battle #4
• Alone
• Battle #5
• Last Battle - T260G
• Feldschalcht III
• MiBgestalt
• Battle Theme I

Second NieR Pack (April 26)

• Fleeting Words / Outsider
• Song of the Ancients / Devoila
• Hills of the Radiant Winds
• Kaine / Salvation
• Song of the Ancients / Fate
• Shadowlord

Chrono Pack (May 17)

• Wings That Cross Time
• Radical Dreamers -Le Tresor Interdit-
• Chrono Trigger
• Boss Battle 2
• Battle with Magus
• Corridors of Time

Chrono Pack 2 (June 7)

• Robo's Theme
• Chrono Cross -Scars of Time-
• Wind Scene
• Frog's Theme
• World Revolution
• To Far Away Times

Mana Pack (June 28)

• Nuclear Fusion
• Battle 2
• In Search of the Sword of Mana
• Swivel
• Powell
• Meridian Child
• Sacrifice Part Three

Octopath Traveler Pack (July 19)

• Battle at Journey's End
• Primrose, the Dancer
• Daughter of the Dark God
• Octopath Traveler -Main Theme-
• Decisive Battle II

SaGa Pack 3 (August 9)

• Ever Higher
• Title Screen
• Encounter with the Seven Heroes
• The Ultimate Confrontation
• Four Sinistrals Battle I
• Four Sinistrals Battle II
• The Ultimate Confrontation

Mana Pack 2 (August 30)

• Darkness Nova
• Into the Thick of It
• Danger
• Meridian Dance
• Hometown of Domina
• Bejeweled City in Ruins

Xenogears Pack (September 20)

• Awakening
• Blazing Knights
• Soaring`

The Theatrhythm Final Bar Line song list is huge when you factor in all of the DLC and the base songlist. However, there are two more packs that have yet to be announced, set to release on October 11 and November 1. Perhaps we could expect some Kingdom Hearts tracks in the game at some point. All of the DLC is included in the Premium Digital Deluxe edition, a??nd if you're a big fan of Square Enix m??usic, it might be worth the purchase when you consider the sheer amount of content available with it.

The post All Theatrhythm Final Bar Line Songs appeared first on Destructoid.

Not every Final Fantasy game is great, but maybe every Final Fantasy game is great

Last year, I visited Heinz Hall in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to see the 35th-anniversary edition of the Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy concert series. I don't love every Final Fantasy game, but sitting in that concert hall, with a comically overpriced music box in a bag at my feet, for a couple of hours, I did. And when I play Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, I love every Final Fantasy game again.

Depending on which games you want to count, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, a mechanical celebration of the music of Final Fantasy, is somewhere between the third and seventh Theatrhythm game. I love the series �developer indieszero has an impressive understanding of what makes music interesting, and these games have always done a fantastic job of translating songs from the ears to the fingers. Unsurprisingly, the studio has done its thing once more, and Final Bar Line feels amazing.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line (PS4, Switch [Reviewed])
Developer: indieszero Corporation, Ltd.
Publisher: Square Enix
Released: February 16, 2023
MSRP: $49.99

The first thing I noticed when I started playing Final Bar Line was just how much stuff there is. The game's campaign mode, dubbed "Series Quests", features 29 "Title" banners. Each of these banners features a series of quests (oh, hey, that's why they're called Series Quests) full of music from a single Final Fantasy game or, in some instances, a small handful of related titles; the shortest of these questlines features five s?tages, and the longest boasts 32, with most of them leveling out somewhere in the 10-20 range.

Immediately, I was worried. The last Theatrhythm Final Fantasy game featured 221 tracks at launch. My favorite indieszero rhythm game, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, features just 143 songs. This one comes with 385 tracks in the base game. Square Enix provided Destructoid with the Premium Digital Deluxe edition, which adds over two dozen additional tracks. Every single song has between three and four beatmaps corresponding to different difficulty levels. It's an absurd amount of content, and I was concerned that it would spread itself too thin by playing with this "more?-is-more" mentality.

As far as I can tell, though, that didn't happen at all. I haven't unlocked every single track yet, but everything I've played has felt carefully crafted and meaningful. A lot of love has gone into examining Nobuo Uematsu's Final Fantasy VI soundtrack, obviously, but the same reverence has been applied to Kumi Tanioka's work on Final Fantasy Fables: Chocobo's Dungeon. It seems as though every song featured in Final Bar Line is there not s?imply because a higher track count looks good on a store page, but because the developers found something interesting in a song and wanted to share it with the player. It's incredibly addictive, but it's also very intentional.

//youtu.be/3EktIGradBI

Paying attention to the little things

I think that's central to what makes Theatrhythm Final Bar Line great. Often, people will suggest that rhythm games can help a player become better at playing music �this is the philosophy behind something like Rocksmith, which uses rhythm gaming mechanics to teach players how to play the guitar. But Theatrhythm Final Bar Line has a different proposition: maybe rhythm games like this make the player better at listening to music. When tapping to the beat reveals something unheard in a composition, it makes the music itself better. Everything in Final Bar Line feels so good because it's apparent that the game wants you to ex?perience the mus??ic through a new lens, not to play it on an instrument, but simply to understand the finer intricacies of the piece.

In laid-back Field Music Stages like Final Fantasy XV's "Somnus," certain notes require that you hold a button down and move the joystick, to feel the flow and understand why separate notes feel so connected, and why that connection translates into serenity. Battle Music Stages like Final Fantasy II's iconic "Battle Theme 1" ask that you tap and flick the joystick rapidly, to recognize the abrupt stop-and-start found in so much of Final Fantasy's ac??tion-o?riented music. Some infrequent Golden Globes-level category fraud aside (why is "Aerith's Theme" considered a Battle Music Stage?), everything works astonishingly well.

It expertly tailors its mechanics to demand that you feel the music, and, more importantly, that you get it. The game wants you to notice the decisions being made in the composition, to appreciate why the soundtrack to a game is the way it is. When you unlock Event Music Stages, which show you moments from a game to accompany the tunes, it feels like you have a better understanding of why certain songs fit into their respective games, and why accompaniment is so ?imp??ortant on a mechanical level.

[caption id="attachment_362844" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

In addition to being a very deliberate, thoughtful meditation on how music works and how it enhances a game, Final Bar Line is also just fun. It's immensely satisfying to land a perfect chain, and every time I came up just a couple of notes short, I immediately restarted a track and tried again. I've taken to plucking away at Field Music Stages to wind down before bed, although I almost always k??eep myself up chasing a higher score. As always, indieszero is great at doling out dopamine when you've earned it and withholding it in all the most engaging ways.

The game forces you to understand the music, but it also encourages you to enjoy it. Between the (admittedly redundant) music player, the precise beatmaps, and the playful controls, it feels like it wants the player to see music as an art, a machine, and a toy. It's an enriching time and a fun time, a rare but potent combination. It won't teach you any real music theory, but Theatrhythm Final Bar Line clearly loves music, and it's hard not to feel and refle??ct?? that love.

Sorry, still not an RPG

I'm not sure if Theatrhythm Final Bar Line loves RPGs, though. If the beatmaps betray an infectious fondness for music, then the indifference towards RPG systems is downright contagious. There's nothing remotely interesting about the ability-based progression systems. As you complete levels, your unlockable doll-like Final Fantasy characters will?? level up, earning more and more abilities as they go.

[caption id="attachment_362832" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

But actually "using" these abilities is a totally passive affair. Most abilities are triggered by simply hitting a lot of notes or getting halfway through a song, which you'll be doing anyways (this is a rhythm game, after all). They also don't feel impactf?ul when they automatically occur �the only abilities that seem to affect the active gameplay are healing skills. Every other ability only changes what's happening in the "battles," so once you have a healer or two in your party, there's no real reason to think about that system ever again. The only time you'll have to worry about your party at all is when a track comes with a specific goal asking you to deal lots of damage or kill a certain boss, and even then, once you've swapped your characters out accordingly, lit?erally nothing will change about the way you approach the song.

Of course, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a rhythm game, not an RPG. If I want a complex battle system that demands intensive player input, I can wait for Final Fantasy XVI. Still, it would have been nice if this concept was just a little more fleshed-out. As it stands, it feels like a vestigial wink at its pa??rent franchise that doesn't say or do anything. It's only frustrating because the actual moment-to-moment gameplay feels as though it's saying and doing so much. When love defines the core, it's a bit of a bother that disinterest defines the surroundings.

More money, please

I also want to quickly comment on Final Bar Line's pricing model. For the most part, I think it's a pretty good example for rhythm games to follow �the base game is rich with almost everything a casual fan could want, the Digital Deluxe edition includes treats for superfans like alternate compositions and rearrangements of different songs, and future song packs will focus on other franchises. If you only want to pay for the base game, you'll get a full experience, and one that's well worth the price of admission. If you're the type who wants to shell out a little more money, you get access to stuff you'll actually appreciate. I was really glad to see music by The Primals, Final Fantasy XIV composer Masayoshi Soken's heavy metal Final Fantasy cover band. Mos?t of the bonus content here w??on't mean much to a layman but will still be rewarding to the kind of person who buys a Digital Deluxe edition.

[caption id="attachment_362854" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

But one thing bugs me: "Zanarkand" is exclusive to the Digital Deluxe edition of Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. Normally, I wouldn't call attention to this at all. The absence of a single track doesn't harm the value of a project this massive. But this song from Final Fantasy X is incredibly?? iconic. Where the other deluxe offerings are generally niche prizes for dedicated fans, "Zanarkand" is such an obvious crowd-pleaser that it was part of the encore at that ??concert I mentioned earlier. Locking it behind a second paywall just calls to mind Square Enix's other slimy business practices of late.

While the rest of the game reminds me of the best moments in the studio's history, this one element makes me think of the studio's penchant for NFT-shilling and FOMO marketing. It's a little detail, but it almost feels like Square Enix poking at the outer limits of what consumers will allow, and it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. If you can get past the subpar RPG bits and standard Square Enix business, though, Theatrhythm Final Bar Line will reward you with a truly brilliant experience. It's a very good rhythm game on its own, but it also acts as a lovely companion piece to the Final Fantasy franchise at large.

Every Final Fantasy game is enhanced by its association with Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, because every Final Fantasy soundtrack is given definition and thus made more beautiful. As I've been playing Theatrhythm, I've been going back and revisiting some of my less-beloved Final Fantasy games �I won't name them here for fear of inciting war �and I sincerely appreciate those games more now. Theatrhythm Final Bar Line is a testament to the power of a soundtrack, and it's well worth the attention of any fan of Final Fantasy, music, or Final Fantasy music.

_{[This review is based on a retail build of the game provided by the publisher.]}

The post Review: Theatrhythm Final Bar Line appeared first on Destructoid.

All of them, actually

I will never say no to a rhythm game spinoff. I am, of course, a loud and unashamed fan of the genre. I'm always down for more rhythm games, but I'm especially fond of titles that recontextualize the music found in other games. I think nearly every video game would benefit from a suppleme??ntal mechanical examination of its soundtrack.

But obviously, some franchises are more suited to rhythm gaming than others. If I were to make a list of the greatest video game series soundtracks of all time, it would probably include Metroid and Halo, but those scores aren't exactly full of toe-tappers. So while I would play a rhythm game based on absolutely any soundtrack, I'd like to outline the franchises I think truly deserve the Theatrhythm treatment.

[embed]//ww??w.youtube.com/watch?v=T0IxUMu036k[/embed]

10. Shovel Knight

Jake Kaufman is a very prolific and accomplished composer. The Shantae series could easily have made this list, but limiting myself to one Kaufman-heavy franchise, I have to give it to Shovel Knight. These games, from Shovel of Hope to Shovel Knight Dig, emulate the strict and structured chiptunes of the NES era but with more conte??mporary musical stylings. These are perfect rhythm game soundtracks because they're stable and rhythmically readable, even to th?e layman.

Plus, Shovel of Hope has a couple of tracks by Manami Matsumae, and I felt really bad about leaving Mega Man off this list.

[embed]//ww??w.youtube.com/watch?v=UND5wgnIino[/embed]

9. Assassin's Creed

I don't play Assassin's Creed very often. It's just not my cup of tea. But I do listen to Assassin's Creed pretty regularly. A rotating cast of phenomenal composers has brought an awful lot of wonderful tracks to life. A lot of score pieces from the series' history are so driven and thumping that I can practically? see the beatmap in front of me.

I'm particularly fond of the Assassin's Creed Odyssey soundtrack, and I've found myself finger-drumming to the beat of "Legend of the Eagle Bearer" more than a few times. At the very least, we deserve a shanty-filled Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag rhythm spinoff.

[embed]//www.youtube.co?m/watch?v=NH-GAwLAO30[/embed]

8. Undertale

Across Undertale and the first two episodes of Deltarune, series creator/composer Toby Fox has established a coherent and delightful sound to accompany his seri?es' world. Like Kaufman, Fox plays in the realm of ??chiptunes, and his are especially earworm-ish.

Some of Undertale's bullet hell moments already feel like a carefully orchestrated dance set to one of the game's wonderful battle themes. Concretizing that comparison with a full-throated Undertale rhythm game would be pretty great. As an aside, you can get a pretty Undertale-ish rhythm game experience out of 2021's Everhood.

??[embed]//www.youtube.com/watch?v=DT??LfV7Ru5VY[/embed]

7. Donkey Kong Country

We've gotten pretty close to a Donkey Kong Country rhythm game in the past - there were no fewer than three Donkey Konga games, and Donkey Kong Jungle Beat almost counts - but there's never been a rhythm game solely focused on music from the actual DKC series.

Across the first three DKC games, David Wise, Eveline Fischer, and Robin Beanland redefined what Donkey Kong sounded like. Just about every track from the series is groovy and pleasant. To me, the beautiful soundtracks are the number one reason to return to Donkey Kong Country. A game dedicated to those ?soundtra??cks would be a dream.

[embed?]//www.youtube.com??/watch?v=ikQHkhL8YMM[/embed]

6. Guilty Gear

The precise inputs fighting games demand make them feel like natural siblings to rhythm games, but Guilty Gear feels particularly suited to travel between genres. Music has always been central to the franchise—series creator Daisuke Ishiwatari has composed music for nearly every franchise entry, and as of Guilty Gear Strive, every?? character has an independent absolute banger for a theme.

Guilty Gear is indebted to music on nearly every level. Characters like Axl Low take blatant inspiration from real-life rockstars, and there are probably more fans of the Guilty Gear soundtrack than there are fans of the ??actual series. A rhythm-based spinoff is an all-too-obvious pit?ch.

[embed]/??/www.youtube.co??m/watch?v=nO3Ap0xOcAE[/embed]

5. Chrono

The Chrono duology will get a bit of rhythm representation in the form of DLC for Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, but honestly, I'm not sure that that's enough. Chrono Trigger and Chrono Cross collectively play host to some of the greatest JRPG music around. Yasunori Mitsuda is an incredible composer and his work alongside the legendary Nobuo Uematsu elevates the first game? to inc?redible heights (the second one is pretty wonderful, too).

The presence of these soundtracks in Theatrhythm proves that they translate into a gamified context, so I think it would be nice to see them in their own game entirely. If you'll permit me to dream for a moment, I'd love a rhythm game incorporating some of Chrono Trigger's classic dual and triple techs.

[embed]//www.youtu??be.com/watch?v=e9r5hx47kxM[/embed]

4. Super Mario

I honestly can't believe this doesn't exist. If you ask a random person to hum a tune from a video game, good money says they'll go for the main theme from Super Mario Bros. There's no denying that the Super Mario series plays host to some truly iconic music.

After The Legend of Zelda got its own Crypt of the Necrodancer-themed rhythm spinoff, I figured Mario, king of the side-game, would follow close behind. But somehow, the series' soundtrack is still limited to cameo appearances in different rhythm games. I do want a Mario rhythm game, but more than that, I'm just shocked t?hat t??here isn't one yet.

[embed]?//www.youtube.com/watch?v=N8OHSXvneOE[/embed]

3. Celeste

I dig the soundtrack from the original PICO-8 version of Celeste, but the series' sonic identity really came into view when composer Lena Raine joined the team for the 2018 remake. Raine's music makes Celeste feel?? like a sincere musical adventure, and that feeling is only enhanced by the game's "B-Sides"—tougher takes on individual levels featuring brilliantly remixed takes on the original soundtrack.

Raine returned to score Celeste's DLC, Farewell, and she also wrote a couple of smaller tracks for the game's miniature PICO-8 sequel, Celeste 2: Lani's Trek. All of this music is phenomenal, and all of it would be as well-suited to a rhythm game as it is to a series of prec??ision platformers.

[embed]//www.youtube.com/watch???v?=55uDJ39W4i0[/embed]

2. Sonic the Hedgehog

I'm not even gonna write anything for thi?s one. Just listen to it.

[embed]//www.youtube.com/watch?v=??9XV7TeThdV??A[/embed]

1. Nier

Like the Chrono games, the Nier series will be featured in Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, but it deserves an awful lot more. Composer Keiichi Okabe's work is responsible for at least a solid 40% of my personal fondness for Nier, and I don't think it's a stretch to cal?l it some of the best video game music e?ver. Okabe's work is often melancholy and complex, but it's also frequently catchy and light.

The music of Nier is truly brilliant. I'd love to see it paired with a ?set of mechanics specifically built around it. The only issue I can see with this plan is that I would probably never play anything else again?.

The post 10 video game ?franchises that deserve rhythm games appeared first on Destructoid.

It just makes sense

You know what's really good? Final Fantasy music. I'm not the kind of person who puts video game music in their walking-around playlists, but I'll frequently pop in a pair of earbuds and simply vibe on the Final Fantasy VII soundtrack. It's great in the context of the games - Final Fantasy as a franchise plays host to some of the m?ost evocative JRPG battle themes of all time - but it's also just fun and pleasant to listen to.

So the philosophy behind Theatrhythm Final Bar Line makes sense. Nobody in the world will tell you that the music of Nobuo Uematsu is bad. Even the "worst" Final Fantasy soundtrack is a vibe. Why not make that the whole game? The idea has worked a handful of times before (the first two Theatrhythm games, the arcade spinoff, Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, the Japan-exclusive Theatrhythm Dragon Quest), so it should work again.

[caption id="attachment_361052" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Yeah, it works

The good news is that Theatrhythm, at least in the recently-released demo, is as good as it's ever been. Tapping, sliding, and flicking to the beat still feels great. Developer indieszero has proven its competence in the rhythm gaming space time after time, and it seems like Theatrhythm Final Bar Line will continue the trend.

For the most part, this is Theatrhythm as it's always been. You assemble a small party of doll-like Final Fantasy characters and head into a stage where you'll tap to the beat of different Final Fantasy tunes. In the demo, songs are separated into Field Stages - usually town themes, overworld exploration songs, and other chilled-out tracks - and Battle Stages - intense fight themes. The final game will also feature stages with cinematics from various Final Fantasy games, but I haven't?? had the chance to try th??ose yet.

Variety is the spice of life

Final Bar Line, like its Theatrhythm ancestors, does an excellent job of making Field Stages and Battle Stages feel differe??nt. The fundamentals are exactly the same; you tap when a red circle shows up, you hold when a green circle shows up, and you flick whenever you see an arrow. But Field Stages feature sliding notes, which make them feel significantly more free and flowing than the thumping, heavy Battle S?tages, where the focus is less on movement and more on keeping track of your fingers. The developers have also done an excellent job of adapting the touch-based controls of the series to a traditional controller. I played the demo on a Nintendo Switch and it only took one track for me to fully adjust to the new control scheme.

[caption id="attachment_361049" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

The game can get tough, too. Every song has at least three difficulty levels: Standard, Expert, and Ultimate. Some songs also feature an even tougher "Supreme" difficulty. These are truly terrible difficulty labels, but the levels themselves are very nice. Supreme songs will genuinely challenge hardcore rhythm gaming enthusiasts, while babies like me will feel fantastic clearing an Expert level track - sounds better t?han "second-easiest," doesn't it???

Every track can also be played in co-op mode, and my girlfriend and I played around with that a bit. We found the two-player offerings every bit as satisfying as they were in Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory's ??best-in-class co-op mode, and I'm glad to have a new multi?player rhythm game in my pocket.

Not much RPG here

The one area where Theatrhythm Final Bar Line isn't singing for me just yet is its RPG core. Like the first two Theatrhythm games, Final Bar Line features a rudimentary leveling system. Every character can unlock different abilities, and you can assemble a party of four from a staggering number of Final Fantasy characters. There are also equippable summons, healing items, and a handful of other RPG systems. In the?ory, there should be a ton ??of customizability. Unfortunately, none of these abilities feel like they do anything.

[caption id="attachment_361050" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

Healers make it possible to miss a few more notes than usual, and attackers will engage in little battles on the bottom of the screen that are presumably impacted by their stats and abilities, but none of this feels impactful at all. In some ways, I get the sense that Final Bar Line suffers from its release window. I never minded the relatively shoddy rhythm "combat" in earlier titles, but having just seen Hi-Fi Rush nail this format, it does feel a little disappointing. My performance ?doesn't seem to have any impact on the idle game that's happening underneath the notes, so I can't bring myself to care too much about what happens do??wn there.

It's possible that party composition will feel much more exciting in the full game, but at least in the demo, it feels like a basically superfluous system. It's fun to have Alphinaud and Aerith fight side by side, but? I'm not sure what they're actually ?doing.

A promising overture

Overall, I feel really good about Theatrhythm Final Bar Line. The modular difficulty makes i??t easy to find a sweet spot, the different tracks feel varied and interesting, and the co-op offerings are wonderful. I hope the RPG bits get more engaging and interesting as the game goes on, and I'm looking forward to seeing what else the title has to offer.

[caption id="attachment_361051" align="alignnone" width="640"] Screenshot by Destructoid[/caption]

This is the kind of game I've been itching for, and I'm glad it's finally here. I never doubted that Square Enix and indieszero could make a fun Final Fantasy rhythm game, and it's nice to be proven right.

The post Theatrhythm Final Bar Line demo impres??sions: A worthy musical ??sendup to Final Fantasy appeared first on Destructoid.

A teaser before the album drop

The latest Final Fantasy song-battler arrives later this month. But for those who want to try out Theatrhythm Final Bar Line before it arrives, or maybe just ca??n't wait, there's a demo out tomorrow.

The Theatrhythm Final Bar Line demo goes live on February 1, 2023 for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. And good news: it is a demo that carries over progress into the full game, so yo?u won't los??e out on any solid scores you tally up now.

There are 30 tracks in store for the demo, and it's a pretty good line-up of music. For those unfamiliar, Theatrhythm combines the music of Final Fantasy and other Square RPGs from throughout history with musical battles. You gather a party and venture out in one of three modes: Battle Music Stage, Field Music ??Stage, or Event Music Stage. While a Battle stage might have you defeating wave of enemies, the Field will see the party traverse a themed, relaxing landscape, while the Event battles will put you in the middle of classic scenes.

Here's the full list of songs included in the Theatrhythm demo.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line demo tracklist

FINAL FANTASY II

• The Rebel Army (BMS)
• Battle 1 (BMS)
• Town (FMS)
• Main Theme (FMS)

FINAL FANTASY V

• Main Theme of Final Fantasy V (BMS)
• Four Hearts (FMS)
• Battle 1 (BMS)
• Battle 2 (BMS)
• Mambo de Chocobo (FMS)
• Harvest (FMS)

FINAL FANTASY VII

• Opening - Bombing Mission (BMS)
• Let the Battles Begin! (BMS)
• Fight On! (BMS)
• The Chase (FMS)
• Main Theme of Final Fantasy VII (FMS)

FINAL FANTASY XIII

• Defiers of Fate (BMS)
• Saber’s Edge (BMS)
• Blinded by Light (BMS)
• March of the Dreadnoughts (FMS)
• Desperate Struggle (BMS)

FINAL FANTASY XIV

• Hard to Miss (BMS)
• On Westerly Winds (FMS)
• The Land Breathes (BMS)
• Serenity (FMS)
• Torn from the Heavens (BMS)
• To the Sun (FMS)
• Nemesis (BMS)

FINAL FANTASY XV

• Stand Your Ground (BMS)
• The Fight Is On! (BMS)
• APOCALYPSIS NOCTIS (Uncovered Trailer) (BMS)

The demo is already live in some regions as of this writing, due to time zone differences. But it's important to note that if you want to carry over save data, it's pro?bably a good idea to play the demo in your regi?on.

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line arrives for PlayStation? 4 and Nintendo Switch on February 16, 2023.

The post Theat?rhythm Final Bar Line gets a free demo ahead o??f launch appeared first on Destructoid.