No doubt the announcement of Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy late last week has kept you up many a night since, pondering everything from which of your favorite Final Fantasy characters will find their way into this theatrically rhythmic piece of insanity, to where the line between portmanteau and complete nonsense word must ultimately be drawn.
While Square Enix will likely be of little help on the latter matter, the former has been cleared up a bit via some new details released this morning (and translated/posted by Andriasang).
Evidently, Theatrhythm will feature characters from all 13 main entries in the Final Fantasy series. Before you scream something at your monitor about how this is butchering the Final Fantasy canon, take a deep, calming breath, as Squeenix has you covered. Each cast will have its own set of three stages, which you can tackle via a party of four characters of your choosing. Those different stage sets will each have their own differing gameplay mechanics as well, though exactly how they're different has not yet been explained.
You can see the new Chibi art style in the embedded screenshots. Though exact character lists have not yet been announced, major characters like Cloud, Lightning, and whoever the hell it is that people cared about in Final Fantasy XI will likely be included.
The exact nature of the rhythm-based gameplay is still a bit of a mystery, though Square Enix has noted that a number of major songs from the numbered entries in the franchise will be included in the game, such as:
- "Clash on the Big Bridge" (Final Fantasy V)
- "One Winged Angel" (Final Fantasy VII)
- "At Zanarkand" (Final Fantasy X)
- "The Sunleth Waterscape" (Final Fantasy XIII).
- The Main Final Fantasy Theme
Lastly, we have the game's storyline, which, as translated by Andriasang, is absurd.
== TEASER ==Apparently, the space between the gods Chaos and Cosmos is known as "Rhythm." "Rhythm" gives birth to the crystal which controls music, and fills the world with sound. However, the forces of chaos have disrupted the peace, and the crystal has begin to lose its shine. To restore the crystal's shine, the music wave "Rizpo" must be increased. And so, the warriors, guided by the crystal, begin their journey of music.
That sounds totally reasonable, right?
As great as a Final Fantasy spin on an Electric Light Orchestra album sounds, we'll reserve any and all judgment until we've seen some actual gameplay.