Reynatisseems to be tugging at everyRPGfan’s wants and desires. It has Yoko Shimomura (Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy XV)scoring the epic music and Kazushige Nojima (Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy X)as the scenario writer withNEO: The World Ends With Youcontent available later in the game. While the story seems promising and Tokyo is being so faithfully recreated, the combat seems too repetitive from the preview footage we’ve been shown so far by publisher NIS America.
Exploring the world ofReynatisseems so engaging. Real-world brands like Adidas and Burger King are represented, while you’re traversing Shibuya, and you’re able to see familiar sights and sounds if you’ve been to the area before. Similar to theHarry Potterseries, there’s a magical world and human world mixed into the same society. If people see you performing any magic while in Liberation Mode, NPCs begin to post about you on social media, and the police for magic users known as the M.E.A will pursue you. Liberation mode can be helpful, however, for both fighting enemies and hidden objects around the city appear.
To avoid public scrutiny, you’ll want to bring your hoodie up for Supression Mode. You can explore the city undetected in this state and accept quests from NPCs without scaring them. If you finish enough side quests, you’ll unlock Wizarts. They’re magical street art that can give you new skills, EXP or money. These can be upgraded for boosts as well.
Your stress level is also a mechanic, and when people begin to post about you on social media, you’ll face consequences. The officers from the M.E.A will become more aggressive towards you as a result. If you hit 100% of stress, you’ll be in Liberation mode all the time. Funnily enough, you may reduce your stress by petting cats and drinking soda from vending machines.
Both of the main characters in the game are replicas, humans who receive magical abilities after experiencing a near-death experience. Wizards are feared among the community and are regulated by organizations like the M.E.A. Some, however, have received magic in the worst way possible. They take Rubrum, an addictive drug that sacrifices their humanity to use magic. Some can be fine, but if used too much, they’ll turn into a hideous and dangerous monster. The two main protagonists Sari and Marin face off against of these monsters as a boss in the demo press were shown.
Unfortunately, the storyline is told through subs only. There isn’t a dub available in the game, unfortunately. Thankfully, the combat looks fast and fluid, as you’d hope from an action-RPG from this. There is, however, a strange mechanic that might detract from the experience more than make it better. You’ll be switching between two modes: suppression mode focuses on dodging and charging up future spells.
Meanwhile, Liberation Mode unleashes powerful attacks and combos that look impressive on screen. The suppression mode from the demo shown seems repetitive. Every thirty seconds or so, you have to time button presses for a magic circle. If you’re successful, you dodge. It seems like you do this hundreds of times while playingReynatisand it might get tiresome quickly. Thankfully, you can switch between characters to create combos, which will likely reduce the possible tedium of the suppression mode system.
Ys X Provides a Sea-Lovers RPG Escape this October
Could Ys X be a 10?
TheSteam pagesays “By properly utilizing Suppressed and Liberated states, anyone can easily execute show-stopping actions.” Hopefully, the combat system and abilities aren’t too simple 15-20 hours into the campaign.
What will reduce the possible tedium, however, is how you’re scored at the end of each battle. You’ll get EXP bonuses if you pull off long combos, get a good number of hits, switch characters often and use special moves whenever possible. There are many more ways to get EXP bonuses as well, but those are just a few examples. It adds an incentive to experiment and perform while playing withReynatis' combat system.
Your stress level is also a mechanic, and when people begin to post about you on social media, you’ll definitely face consequences.
Some areas in Shibuya will transport you to new worlds with portals made of Fog. More monsters spawn in these areas, and the locales change as you enter a forest, museum, factory or even go back in time in Shibuya from 100 years ago. These spots seem to be a great way to gain experience and you’ll be facing a lot of bosses in these areas.
So far,Reynatisruns well on PS5 hardware. While the graphics aren’t as impressive asFinal FantasyorKingdom Hearts, there are neat visual effects like the characters' glowing hair and magical particle effects that look great on screen. NIS America said that the Nintendo Switch version ofReynatisruns well. Hopefully, that will be the case whenReynatislaunches on PS5, Switch and PC on September 27. Thankfully, there will be a demo coming forReynatis,so you can test the game out yourself before buying. More details about that will come soon.
Reynatisseems to be shaping up to be an engaging experience for RPG fans. Exploring Shibuya seems like a blast, and the magical modern story is intriguing; not much of it was shown during the demo showing, so there’s not much to speak of, currently. The suppression system with button prompts left, right, and centre does seem repetitive, though. Hopefully, the combos are impressive enough to keep the tedium at bay.
Reynatis’ Story to Continue in Nine Free Updates After Launch
NIS has confirmed that Reynatis will be getting nine free post-launch updates featuring new story content and a secret episode.
