Image: Nintendo Life
Why weren’t there more games like Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy?
We have a particular point for music and rhythm games, and even more so music and rhythm games that give their own twist to the usual combination of rhythms. Theater is just one of those games.
The first game to be released in North America today 10 years ago on the 3DS, and at the same time is a celebration of Nobuo Uematsu’s fabulous music for the series (along with others like Masashi Hamauzu, Hitoshi Sakimoto, Junya Nakano, Kumi Tanioka and Naoshi Mizuta), but also a very fun little role-playing game 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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The same system was followed by a sequel, Curtain Call, expanding the number of songs, adding non-Final Fantasy DLC themes from games like Xenogears, Secret of Mana, Live A Live, 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 group of four through a map and play several Final Fantasy songs in the process. Curtain Call also had a very addictive multiplayer mode where you could face off against friends and beat them with your favorite songs!
Unfortunately, we haven’t seen any new games in the Theatrhythm series since the 2016 All-Star Carnival, an exclusive arcade game. A spin-off of Dragon Quest also came out in Japan in 2015, and Kingdom Hearts came to stab the Theatrhythm brand in a way with Melody of Memory in 2020. So we’ll say it again: why not has there been a new Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy a Switch? And why haven’t more developers adopted the rhythmic genre in a similar way?
This last question made us think: if we can’t have another Final Fantasy music game, what series of games would we like to get closer to the Theatrhythm brand? And what fun little specific trick would they have?
So, on the 10th anniversary of Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy, here’s our selection of 10 other franchises we’d like them to have a similar deal. Let us know your favorite candidates in the poll at the end …
Chronicles of Xenoblade
Image: Nintendo / Monolith Soft
We’ll start easily and simply with one of Nintendo’s greatest role-playing games today: Xenoblade Chronicles. The pedigree of the composer of the series is out of this world and a party for any JRPG fan: Yoko Shimomura created the main theme and a handful of songs for the original, Yasunori Mitsuda has worked on all three numbered games and Hiroyuki, the composer of Attack on Titan. Sawano entered the Xenoboots for Xenoblade Chronicles X. But the games made familiar names for ACE (Tomori Kudo and Hiroyo “CHiCO” Yamanaka), Kenji Hiramatsu and Manami Kiyota with their awesome and electrifying battle tunes and their beautiful themes of the area.
Can you imagine running through field stages and, after reaching a certain point in the song, seeing how the background goes from day to night along with the music? For the battle stages, we were thinking about how Unique Monsters could change the operation of the Theatrhythm turn-based system, instead of opting for the characteristic Chain Attacks of Xenoblade, which will run exquisitely with music hits on the perfection. And maybe you can unlock Blades with a game-changing mechanic?
No? Just us? Well.
Song samples: You Will Know Our Names, N Thu ig Thu ht Thu L, Counterattack
Mega Man
Image: Capcom
There is no shortage of Mega Man games, so a Mega Man rhythm game would explode with songs and stellar arrangements that have resonated. Original songwriter Manami Matsumae made history with the addictive NES chiptunes that still make us sweat today! Maybe we could limit the scope a bit just by focusing on the 11 “classic” games, or maybe have a follow-up with all the music from the X titles included. But there is no shortage of options.
Since it is not a role-playing game, the battle, field, and event stages would have to be abandoned. Instead, we think it would be fun to incorporate the Stage Select screen from the classic series. Choose from different master robots over the years and then go through each stage with matching music. Perfect notes mean you kill enemies, and if you get past the stage head, you can make any other music scene with that boost. The DLC could include Zero games, the Legends series and maybe even Battle Network! There’s too much potential for Capcom not to take advantage of here.
Song samples: Dr. Wily’s Castle, Spark Mandrill, Snake Man Stage
Fire emblem
Image: Nintendo / Intelligent Systems
We return to role-playing games but of the most tactical variety. Fire Emblem is another series full of iconic tickets and songs, but the trick is what really sells us here. The different possible modes in a dream Theatrhythm Fire Emblem could mix the classic Fire Emblem strategy RPG maps from the series (set in exciting battlefields, of course) with some of the more modern additions, such as Time te de Three Houses.
In battle, perfect notes mean you’ll choose the right unit to attack enemies (let’s not forget the Weapon Triangle, oh no), and in more informal pair-based modes, recreating the song perfectly means you could improve your relationship with your favorite character. Instead of missions, there could be an army-based campaign where you can unlock new units and classes (instead of characters and abilities in Final Fantasy) and have each campaign based on each main game. Or we could go here to Fire Emblem Heroes and make it a fun one for everyone. However, this artistic style would suit the game, right?
Song samples: The Black Knight, Don’t Speak Her Name !, Fódlan Winds
As Lawyer
Image: Capcom
Okay, stay a second with us. The court drama of the Ace Attorney series would be perfect for a rhythm game. Arguments and debates with the music of Masakazu Sugimori, Naoto Tanaka, Noriyuki Iwadare and others? Say enough. The funniest thing about this series is that there are many variations of songs that are played in similar scenarios (a list of examples can be found here on Reddit), so there is a lot of potential for a game case for game. A repeat of an old favorite case, the return of fans ’favorite prosecutors? Or a new case that takes all the badges in the series and amplifies them up to 11.
Of course, Ace Attorney is not just about court cases. You need proof. These could be much slower and more methodical than your usual rhythm game stages, perhaps matching certain notes in the songs to uncover tracks or fill in the gaps in the songs. And look, here’s potential for the Professor Layton DLC here, too, and we can’t say no to another Phoenix Wright and Layton crossover.
Song Samples: Pursuit ~ Cornered, Luke Atmey ~ I Just Want Love, The Old Bailey ~ Final Argument
Sonic the hedgehog
Image: Sega
If there’s one thing that’s been consistent with almost every Sonic game, it’s how good the music is. Sonic ’06 has an amazing soundtrack, no matter what you think of the game. And aside from the Sonic 3 music controversy, there’s a lot of potential for a Generations-style Sonic rhythm game. Special scenes with the right music? Blue spheres where will you touch a red sphere if you make too many mistakes? Maybe even Chaos Emerald mechanics at all levels, where you can become Super Sonic, Super Tails or Hyper Knuckles!
This one, even for being a speed-based platform game, is pretty easy to imagine. While the 2D stages could only focus on getting to the end safely and dodging enemies, the 3D ones can make you grind and do tricks the best you can. There are a lot of other tricks in many 3D Sonic games like Werehog or Wisps that could be exclusive to songs. But basically, all we want to do is go out to Crush 40 in the sky of rhythm games.
Maybe set aside Sonic Chronicles and Sonic Spinball …
Song samples: Mystic Cave Zone, Escape From the City, Ruby Delusions