I missed this first time round since I don't have a 3DS, but the game has just come out free on the app store.

The game is free to download and comes with two songs (To Zanarkand and One Winged Angel, naturally) to give you a taste. The remaining songs, and I'm assuming these are all the songs available in the original release, are available to download through game themed 4 song packs [£2] and as individual tracks [£0.79]. These are not the same songs, so to complete a set for a given game requires purchase of the pack and the individual songs which is a bit of a pain.

A good number of characters are included, but most of the minor party members are in app purchases at a pretty shocking £1.50 each. Now I'm not going to put a price on Vivi but that's still quite steep for something that presumably has very little impact on how the game plays.

All that is to say however, I'm a big final fantasy fan. This is especially true for the music from my favourite instalments, I even went to see distant worlds, a concert where an orchestra plays choice songs from the games. The game seems to translate quite well to my iphone, despite feeling a bit cramped at times. It's a joy to play when it's going well, although the jump in difficulty in the harder variants of songs can be quite frustrating.

It's too bad that there isn't a set price to get the game fully loaded with content, because buying chunks of the game piecemeal feels very detrimental to the experience. Oh and one last important caveat - the story mode from the original has been removed. This isn't the best decision but was probably dictated by the dlc focus of this release.

Anyway, how are you finding it so far? I feel like this is a good enough way to play for those of us who couldn't play the 3DS version, though I'd be very interested to hear the opinion of a veteran.

I haven't played the iOS version yet, but I'll certainly be trying it when I get home from work! The 3DS version is easily in my Top 10 list for GOTY. I've played a ridiculous amount of it. It was a really surprise. I spent maybe 5 or 6 quid on DLC for it, too. Something I haven't done on a 3DS game before. I won't be buying any of the iOS DLC (presumably it's mostly stuff that was in the 3DS main game and then all the other DLC, of which I've purchased the songs that I want), but it sounds like a good deal compared to the full price 3DS version. I imagine it'll play well with a finger as well as the stylus. Will report back!

-a veteran

As someone else pointed out on Twitter yesterday, it is almost cheaper (and certainly a better value) to just buy a 3DS and Theatrhythm than to purchase all of the IAP. That is assuming that you want everything. The story mode being cut is also kind of lame. I thought about downloading it last night, but I have a 3DS and I think I'll just get a copy for that (it is also on sale for $30 right now FYI).

Given the insane amount of IAP in this it doesn't really seem like a good deal. Annoyingly, however, there are characters and tracks that are not available on the 3DS version. =(

No Android version makes me a sad, sad man.

@sixpin: I'd actually say that this pricing scheme overall works better. I don't think anyone likes all the songs that are available. FF 7 through 10 are my jam. Getting those packs, some (but not all) single songs and a few other choice gems from around the series and you're probably looking at about £15.

Now this doesn't account for getting fleeced on characters, or the things you can't buy but I'd say for most people grabbing their own personal greatest hits seems like a fair proposition. Getting a 3DS is only better value if there other games you want to play on it and if you would have bought everything in the IOS version.

@Rayeth: What songs/characters were added in for the IOS version?

Question: if you add up the cost it takes to acquires all the songs via microtransactions, is that a higher or a lower value than the launch price of the 3DS version of the game?

@WalkerTR77: Yeah, that's the scenario I was working with. Plus if you already have a 3DS, like myself, then the $30 is a bigger value proposition. Mostly I just hate IAP business schemes as I always feel like I'm getting cheated in some way.

@Snail said:

Question: if you add up the cost it takes to acquires all the songs via microtransactions, is that a higher or a lower value than the launch price of the 3DS version of the game?

Much higher. I think it's $150 for everything in there? But that's including DLC that was available to purchase on the 3DS, too. So I don't know what the value of the 3DS version plus it's DLC is.

@bibamatt said:

@Snail said:

Question: if you add up the cost it takes to acquires all the songs via microtransactions, is that a higher or a lower value than the launch price of the 3DS version of the game?

Much higher. I think it's $150 for everything in there? But that's including DLC that was available to purchase on the 3DS, too. So I don't know what the value of the 3DS version plus it's DLC is.

I'm going to guess still not 150$, but I could be wrong. It just sounds unlikely that a 3DS game actually has something like 100$ worth of DLC available.

@sixpin said:

As someone else pointed out on Twitter yesterday, it is almost cheaper (and certainly a better value) to just buy a 3DS and Theatrhythm than to purchase all of the IAP. That is assuming that you want everything. The story mode being cut is also kind of lame. I thought about downloading it last night, but I have a 3DS and I think I'll just get a copy for that (it is alos on sale for $30 right now FYI).

$20. Link.

@Snail said:

@bibamatt said:

@Snail said:

Question: if you add up the cost it takes to acquires all the songs via microtransactions, is that a higher or a lower value than the launch price of the 3DS version of the game?

Much higher. I think it's $150 for everything in there? But that's including DLC that was available to purchase on the 3DS, too. So I don't know what the value of the 3DS version plus it's DLC is.

I'm going to guess still not 150$, but I could be wrong. It just sounds unlikely that a 3DS game actually has something like 100$ worth of DLC available.

I remember counting the songs in the game and in the DLC a couple of months ago so I looked up my old post.

• There's 79 songs that come with the 3DS game.
• There were a total of 47 DLC songs that cost roughly 1$ a pop.

There were no DLC characters, just 1 main character from every entry with an additional unlockable side character from every entry.

@WalkerTR77:

Shamelessly stolen from NeoGAF, here are the additions/deletions to the iOS version.

Final Fantasy I – Opening Theme (EMS) – Missing from iOS version completely

Final Fantasy II – The Rebel Army (EMS) – Available in iOS version as a BMS track

Final Fantasy III – Elia, the Maiden of Water (EMS) – Missing from iOS version completely

Final Fantasy IV – Theme of Love (EMS) – Missing from iOS version completely

Final Fantasy IV – The Red Wings (FMS) – New track exclusive to iOS version

Final Fantasy V – Home, Sweet Home (EMS) – Available in iOS version as a FMS track

Final Fantasy V – A New World (FMS) – New track exclusive to iOS version

Final Fantasy VI – Celes’s Theme (EMS) – Available in iOS version as a FMS track

Final Fantasy VI – Celes available as a new character

Final Fantasy VII – Aerith’s Theme (EMS) – Available in iOS version as a BMS track

Final Fantasy VII – Tifa added as a new character

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children – Beyond the Wasteland (BMS) – New track exclusive to iOS version

Final Fantasy VII Advent Children - ~Advent: One-Winged Angel~ (BMS) – New track exclusive to iOS version

Final Fantasy VIII – Waltz for the Moon (EMS) – Missing from iOS version completely

Final Fantasy VIII – Don’t be Afraid (BMS) – New track exclusive to iOS version

Final Fantasy VIII – Ending Theme (FMS) – Now a properly playable track; was an Prelude/Epilogue track in the 3DS version

Final Fantasy VIII – Fisherman’s Horizon (FMS) – New track exclusive to iOS version

Final Fantasy VIII – Rinoa added as a new character

Final Fantasy IX – Something to Protect (FMS) – Available in iOS version as a BMS track

Final Fantasy IX – Behind the Door (EMS) – Missing from iOS version completely

Final Fantasy IX – Melodies of Life ~ Final Fantasy (FMS) – Now a properly playable track; was an Prelude/Epilogue track in the 3DS version

Final Fantasy IX – Not Alone (FMS) – New track exclusive to iOS version

Final Fantasy IX – Garnet added as a new character

Final Fantasy X – SUTEKI DA NE (EMS) – Available in iOS version as a FMS track

Final Fantasy X – Auron added as a new character

Final Fantasy X-2 – KUON: Memories of Waves and Light (FMS) – New track exclusive to iOS version

Final Fantasy XI – FFXI Opening Theme (EMS) – Available in iOS version as a BMS track

Final Fantasy XI – Shinryu (BMS) – New track exclusive to iOS version

Final Fantasy XII – Theme of the Empire (EMS) – Missing from iOS version completely;

Final Fantasy XII – Final Fantasy ~FFXII Version~ (BMS) – Now a properly playable track; was an Prelude/Epilogue track in the 3DS version

Final Fantasy XII – Balthier added as a new character

Final Fantasy XIII – Fighting Fate (BMS) – Available in iOS version as a FMS track

Final Fantasy XIII – Defiers of Fate (EMS) – Missing from iOS version completely; however the separate BMS version of it is still available in both versions.

Final Fantasy XIII – Hope added as a new character

Final Fantasy XIII-2 – Serah added as a new character

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles – Sound of the Wind (FMS) – New track exclusive to iOS version

Final Fantasy Tactics – Antipyretic (BMS) – New track exclussive to iOS version

Final Fantasy Tactics – Ramza added as a new character

So you can see there is quite a bit new in terms of characters and music. I count 14 total tracks that are now playable (some were present before but not playable).

I really hope they bring the new stuff into the 3DS version as DLC.

@Apathylad said:

@sixpin said:

As someone else pointed out on Twitter yesterday, it is almost cheaper (and certainly a better value) to just buy a 3DS and Theatrhythm than to purchase all of the IAP. That is assuming that you want everything. The story mode being cut is also kind of lame. I thought about downloading it last night, but I have a 3DS and I think I'll just get a copy for that (it is alos on sale for $30 right now FYI).

$20. Link.

Even better. Thanks.

So without a story mode, do they have any other type of progression? It's kind of a bummer that it's not just a 30 dollar game or something. I don't know the songs well enough to pick and choose the ones I would like, and I'm not about to spend that much to buy all of them.