Image: Nintendo Life
Why haven’t there been more games like Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy?
We have a particular soft spot for music and rhythm games, and even more so for music and rhythm games that put their own twist on the usual rhythm matching. Theatrhythm is just one of those games.
The first game launched in North America 10 years ago today on the 3DS, and it’s also a celebration of Nobuo Uematsu’s incredible music for the series (along with others like Masashi Hamauzu, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Junya Nakano, Kumi Tanioka and Naoshi Mizuta), but also a really fun little RPG where your characters level up, you can use items to heal or make your characters stronger or faster and even gain and equip skills.
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A sequel — Curtain Call — followed on the same system, expanding the track count, adding non-Final Fantasy DLC tracks from games like Xenogears, Secret of Mana, Live A Live, the SaGa series, and more (full list here, courtesy of Final Fantasy Wiki) and also adding Quest Medley (which debuted in the iOS version of the original), where you guide your party of four through a map and play various Final Fantasy songs in the process. Curtain Call also had a pretty addictive multiplayer mode where you can go up against friends and beat them to your favorite songs!
Unfortunately, we haven’t seen a new game in the Theatrhythm series since All-Star Carnival 2016, exclusive to arcade games. The Dragon Quest spin-off also came out in Japan in 2015, and Kingdom Hearts had to hit the Theatrhythm brand in some way with 2020’s Melody of Memory. So, we’ll say it again — why isn’t there a new Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy on Switch ? And why haven’t more developers embraced the rhythm genre in a similar way?
That last question got us thinking – if we can’t have another Final Fantasy music game, what series of games would we like to see the Theatrhythm brand follow? And what fun little specific trick would they have?
So, on the 10th anniversary of Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, here’s our pick of 10 other franchises we’d like to see treated similarly. Tell us your favorite candidates in the poll at the end…
Xenoblade Chronicles
Image: Nintendo / Monolith Soft
We’re going to start off nice and easy with one of Nintendo’s greatest RPGs of modern times, Xenoblade Chronicles. The series’ composing pedigree is out of this world and a feast for any JRPG fan — Yoko Shimomura created the main theme and a handful of songs for the original, Yasunori Mitsuda worked on all three numbered games, and Attack on Titan composer Hiroyuki Sawano stepped into Xenoboots for Xenoblade Chronicles X. But the games became household names for ACE (Tomori Kudo and Hiroyo “CHiCO” Yamanaka), Kenji Hiramatsu and Manami Kiyota with their stunning, electrifying battle tunes and beautiful local themes.
Imagine running through field stages and after hitting a certain point in the song, seeing the background transition from day to night along with the music? For the battle stages, we thought about how Unique Monsters could change the way Theatrhythm’s turn-based system works, opting instead for Xenoblade’s signature chain attacks—which would be executed gracefully with perfectly timed hits to the music. And maybe you can unlock Blades with a gacha mechanic in the game?
No? Only U.S? Okay.
Sample songs: You Will Know Our Names, N木ig木ht木L, Counterattack
Mega man
Image: Capcom
There’s no shortage of Mega Man games, so a Mega Man rhythm game will be bursting at the seams with stellar songs and arrangements that resonate with Original composer Manami Matsumae made history with addictive NES chiptunes that still make us sweat today ! Maybe we could narrow the scope down a bit, focusing on just the 11 “classic” games, or maybe have a sequel with all X titles’ music included. But there is no shortage of options.
Since this is not an RPG, the battle, field, and event stages should be removed. Instead, we think it would be fun to include the stage select screen from the classic series. Choose from different robot masters over the years and then go through each stage with the matching music. Perfect notes mean you kill enemies and if you beat the stage boss you can play any other music stage with this boost. DLC could include the Zero games, the Legends series, and maybe even Battle Network! There’s too much potential for Capcom not to take advantage of it.
Song examples: Dr. Willie’s Castle, Spark Mandrill, Snake Man Stage
Fire emblem
Image: Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
We’re back to RPGs again, but of the more tactical variety. Fire Emblem is another series full of records and iconic songs, but the gimmick is what really sells us here. The various modes possible in a Theatrhythm Fire Emblem dream could mix the series’ classic Fire Emblem strategy RPG maps (set on thrilling battlegrounds, of course) with some of the more modern additions — like Three Houses’ tea time.
In battle, perfect notes mean you’ll pick the right unit to attack enemies (let’s not forget the weapon triangle, oh no), and in more casual level-based modes, recreating the song perfectly means you can improve the bond you are with your favorite character. Instead of quests, there could be an army campaign where you can unlock new units and classes (instead of characters and abilities in Final Fantasy) and each campaign could be based on each main game. Or we can go Fire Emblem Heroes here and make it a fun free for all. This art style would suit the game though, wouldn’t it?
Sample songs: The Black Knight, Don’t Speak Her Name!, Fódlan Winds
Ace lawyer
Image: Capcom
Okay, stay with us for a second. The courtroom drama from the Ace Attorney series would be perfect for a rhythm game. Arguments and debates on the music of Masakazu Sugimori, Naoto Tanaka, Noriyuki Iwadare and others? Say no more. The fun thing about this series is that there are many song variations that play out in similar scenarios – a list of examples can be found here on Reddit – so there’s a lot of potential for a play-by-play case. A rerun of an old favorite case, the return of fan-favorite prosecutors? Or a brand new case that takes all the hallmarks of the series and turns them up to 11.
Of course, Ace Attorney isn’t just about lawsuits. You need evidence. They can be much slower and more methodical than your usual rhythm game stages, perhaps matching certain notes in songs to reveal clues, or filling in gaps in songs. And look, there’s potential for Professor Layton DLC here too, and we can’t say no to another Phoenix Wright and Layton crossover.
Sample songs: Pursuit ~ Cornered, Luke Atmey ~ I Just Want Love, The Old Bailey ~ Closing Argument
Sonic the Hedgehog
Image: Sega
If there’s one thing that’s consistent with almost every Sonic game, it’s how damn good the music is. Sonic ’06 has an amazing soundtrack, regardless of what you think of the game. And aside from the Sonic 3 music controversy, there’s so much potential for a Generations-style Sonic rhythm game. Special stages with the right music? Blue spheres where you’ll touch a red sphere if you make too many mistakes? Maybe even a Chaos Emerald mechanic in each level where you can transform into Super Sonic, Super Tails or Hyper Knuckles!
This one, even if it’s a speed-based platformer, is pretty easy to imagine. While the 2D stages can simply focus on reaching the end safely and avoiding enemies, the 3D ones can have you grinding and performing tricks as you get better at it. There are many other tricks in many 3D Sonic games such as Werehog or Wisps that can be exclusive to the song. But basically, all we want to do is take Crush 40 into rhythm game heaven.
Maybe just skip Sonic Chronicles and Sonic Spinball…
Sample songs: Mystic Cave Zone, Escape From the City, Ruby Delusions
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