Fans haven’t gotten over the cancelation of Final Fantasy Versus XIII more than a decade later. It was poised to be the ultimate “fantasy based on reality” action RPG; an urban fantasy epic meant to be set in a contemporary and familiar setting. It never materialized and most of what was left was repurposed for Final Fantasy XV, which left most gamers cold.
When fans finally got Kingdom Hearts III, many of them got blindsided by the fake game trailer Verum Rex when they got to the Toy Story world. The phony game depicted many visual and gameplay elements from Versus XIII and it renewed hope that fans may one day experience the fantasy based on reality. As it turned out, the fans would get what they wanted but with a few caveats.
Can REYNATIS deliver the “fantasy based on reality” that has eluded Final Fantasy Versus XIII fans for over a decade? With Versus XIII‘s writer, Kazushige Nojima, and composer Yoko Shimomura, there is a chance that everyone waiting can finally have closure. With FURYU on development duties, can it meet the unbearable expectations? Find out in our REYNATIS review!
REYNATIS
Developer: FURYU Corporation, NastumeAtari
Publisher: NIS America
Platforms: Windows PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5 (reviewed)
Release Date: September 27, 2024
Price: $59.99
The world of REYNATIS is like ours. It looks like contemporary modern Japan and even has Burger King too. The “fantasy” part of this fantasy based on reality is that some people who died get a second chance at life as a Wizard. These are magic users who can become wayward vagabonds or enforcers of law and order.
REYNATIS explores both sides of the story. Marin is a wizard who believes he can become free if only he becomes the most powerful. Sari is a MEA officer who believes in her sense of justice and puts her life on the line battling magical addicts and monsters. The story pits both characters against each other and players will alternate between the two while undergoing an arc.
The story is a little hard to follow at times. Some of it is due to the density of esoteric terminology compounded with no English audio and bizarre pacing. Everything happens throughout a single night, which is odd because it is a lengthy game that easily breaches the 25-hour mark.
REYNATIS‘ scenario will have characters running around various streets in Shibuya. There aren’t many areas. They are small and separated by short load times and expect to revisit the same handful of areas for conversations. It’s like a half-assed Yakuza-style hub, but with less attention to detail because this game seemingly was made on a shoestring budget.
Shibuya is a hub where Marin or Sari and the gang may get into scraps with tweaking addicts, MEA officers, or monsters. Other activities include finding graffiti that grants new combat or passive abilities. There are side quests, but they are impressively basic and amount to returning to the same few areas, fighting a thing, or collecting an object.
The side quests feel tacked on and offer money rewards which are already easy to earn from battle. The only aspect of the side quests that offer anything of interest is the world-building that helps explain some of the abstract elements of the story. The only exception is the sequence with cameos from The World Ends With You that climaxes with some challenging battles.
The graphics are like a PlayStation VITA game blown up. Character models are simplistic, blocky, and lack expression. Cutscenes don’t have cinematic flair and animations are limited. Posters and signs are splotchy and the stock Unity fonts and typefaces make the presentation look cheap. Shibuya’s overly clean alleys and overly shiny streets make REYNATIS look like the most Unity-looking game ever.
As REYNATIS opens up Marin and Sari gain the ability to open up portals to repetitive maze-like dungeons. The change in scenery is appreciated. However, the visual fidelity remains lacking. The foliage in the forest areas is unconvincing. The desert canyon region has obvious repeating textures. REYNATIS‘ graphics never attain the ambitious scope promised in whatever Versus XIII was supposed to be. Comparing the visuals to a PlayStation 2 game would be charitable.
REYNATIS may be ugly and have a story that is a bit hard to follow and a scenario that makes the cast run around pointlessly to various quest markers, but it has awesome battles. The speed of the action is incredible and is so fast that gamers won’t be able to read the details. The ferocious pace of combat ends up making the game look better than it is, like how racing games have low-detailed background elements you don’t notice while speeding past them.
While in Shibuya, characters will need to keep a low profile when it comes to their magic. When a character’s cover is on, they can’t attack, but they can parry and evade easily. “Liberation” is when cover is off and characters can use their magic attacks. MP works differently in REYNATIS. It’s always in flux, rising and depleting constantly. Dodging while in cover restores MP and attacking consumes it. Battles unfold as a tense tug-of-war of charging MP and unloading it.
Every one of the six playable characters has their quirks and techs that make them unique. One character may specialize in long-range attacks. Another may have heavy but slow hammer strikes. Every wizard has their basic magic attacks, but everyone also can slot two additional attacks which can be interchanged among the party.
The battle system runs deep and also applies when running from the law. Using abilities or going liberated in front of the normies upsets them and triggers a wanted level. Getting caught means a hopeless battle against unbelievably powerful foes that you won’t have a chance at winning until the endgame.
Another wrinkle in the battle system is managing the stress levels which tip the attack and defense levels. This can happen from talking to NPCs or getting caught while liberated. Managing this system becomes another strategy since it can foster a different playstyle for gamers who don’t get hit because higher stress means higher attack levels but lower defenses.
Apart from setting the wizart abilities, REYNATIS’ RPG elements are streamlined for a JRPG. Gamers won’t have to worry about finding gear to equip or skill trees to manage. Apart from skill points for upgrading abilities, the only other resource to collect is money for buying consumable items.
Most enemies will drop items, making money easy to amass a huge fortune. The party can go to restaurants for some fine dining or buy Boss Coffee from vending machines to stock up. Sadly, there is no way to eat at the Burger King. Shibuya is no Kamurocho and it is lacking in minigames or side activities.
It may have been beyond the scope of what FURYU was capable of, but there needed to be an arcade with some fake games in it or a crane game full of amusing junk to collect. Shibuya feels too empty and lacks things to do to make it feel real. Tons of invisible walls will block the protagonists from walking upstairs or areas that look open. Aside from all the landmarks that gamers may recognize from other games, Shibuya in REYNATIS is hopelessly lacking character.
Other than the battle system, Yoko Shimomura’s music is the second-best quality of REYNATIS. Her classical influences do most of the heavy lifting for the atmosphere. The melodies she composes are memorable and weighty with emotions. It’s the kind of music where you stand in the rain facing dark clouds with your fists clenched as the melody breathes, rising and dropping.
Does REYNATIS deliver on the promise of giving fans of Versus XIII what they hoped for? Not really. The presentation and production values are far below anything Square Enix would release and it’s padded to artificially lengthen the experience. It may not look like much, but it does have edgy Y2K teen aesthetics that elevate the game. The pointy graffiti and fashion just barely save the bland graphics from being hopeless.
The best things in REYNATIS are the combat and the music. Getting past the initial knee-jerk reaction of the subpar graphics will be hard for most gamers, as will the dull level design and missions. However, those who stick with it and allow the better qualities to settle in and expand will be engrossed by the action and spectacle.
REYNATIS was reviewed on a PlayStation 5 using a code provided by NIS America. You can find additional information about Niche Gamer’s review/ethics policy here. REYNATIS is now available for PC (via Steam), PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch.
