Theatrhythm Final
Bar Line Review

Theatrhythm Final Bar Line (2012) is a series of rhythm games where you hit notes and perform actions in time to the music. In Theatrhythm Final Bar Line, you play along to tracks from the famous Final Fantasy Series and other Square Enix games, like Octopath Traveller. As you do the corresponding game action plays out along with the music. It's an unusual way to engage with the music (and these games), with each track offering a different challenge through varied actions and styles.

As you play through a song, different actions make their way across the screen, which you need to perform at just the right moment. Some are quick button presses, and others are longer actions, mimicking a held note in the track. Based on how well you perform each move, you get a different number of rhythm points, which rack up as you play through the song, giving you a total score at the end. Depending on your final score, you get a different grade in that song.

Some songs are played such that the notes move sideways, and others that they move vertically down, adding extra variety. Additional multiplayer modes allow you to compete against friends to get the higher score on a given song, with each person performing some of the actions. A built-in music player allows you to listen to the songs without playing them.

The result is a unique game that provides an alternative way to interact with the greatest songs from tens of different games spanning several decades, whether you've played them or not. Each track offers a unique challenge that requires precision timing and determination to overcome.

There have been several other Theatrhythm games, each one offering similar gameplay, but with a different selection of tracks to play:

• Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (2012) 3DS, iOS (no longer available on the App Store).
• Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call (2014) 3DS.
• Theatrhythm Dragon Quest (2015) 3DS.
• Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: All-Star Carnival (2016) Arcade Machines (Japan Only)
• Theatrhythm Final Bar Line (2023) Switch, PlayStation 4.

Our examiner, Ben Kendall, first checked Theatrhythm Final Bar Line 14 months ago. It was re-examined by Jo Robertson and updated 5 months ago.