Square Enix has announced that a demo for Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line will be available starting February 1. Players who have been looking forward to getting their hands on a home console version of the series don't have long to wait, and the demo for Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line will be extensive.
Dating back to 2012, the side franchise began with Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. It served as a celebration of game music from the Final Fantasy series during its 25th year. Theatrhythm Final Fantasy was the franchise's first music game, and featured a selection of compositions spanning the storied franchise. The lineup of songs included more than 70 selections, with visuals drawn from the games where the music debuted. A direct sequel, Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, followed two years later. Theatrhythm Dragon Quest released exclusively in Japan in 2015.
According to Square Enix, the demo for Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line will be available on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 on February 1. It will include 30 tracks from Final Fantasy 2, 5, 7, 13, 14, and 15. That sample should be sufficient to let players know if they might be interested in purchasing the full package. For those players who do move on to make that purchase, any progress they made while playing the demo carries over, so they can continue exploring the full lineup of 385 songs (or 412, in the case of the deluxe editions). Sadly, even though Theatrhythm Dragon Quest is one of the best 3DS games that never left Japan, there's currently no word of selections from that franchise in the game.
Besides featuring an extensive number of songs from the Final Fantasy franchise, Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line is getting DLC based on other Square Enix franchises. Franchises to get the DLC treatment will include NieR, SaGa, Mana, The World Ends with You, Octopath Traveler, Live A Live, and others. For players who have long enjoyed the music from Square Enix's various games, the release will surely be difficult to resist.
Rhythm games have truly come into their own in recent years. Square Enix clearly has noticed the trend. Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Mystery is one of the best rhythm games on Nintendo Switch, and Persona 5: Dancing in Starlight has proven plenty of JRPG fans in general have a deep appreciation for the music that accompanied them on their journeys through fantastic worlds. For players curious what they've been missing and eager to explore, the free demo for Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line looks like an excellent starting point.
Final Fantasy Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line releases February 16, 2023 on PS4 and Switch.
Source: Square Enix
