10 Video Game Spin-Offs Nobody Asked For (That Were AWESOME)
3. Theatrhythm: Final Fantasy
Whatever you think of the series and its various entries, it's a pretty unanimously held opinion that the soundtracks of Final Fantasy have always been stellar. From the bleeps and bloops of the NES main theme that still pervades through the series today to the orchestral bombast of tracks like One Winged Angel, Nobuo Ueamtsu has a good shot at being named one of the most versatile and enduring composers in video game history.
To produce a whole video game about the music though was a stroke of genius.
As a celebration of the music of the Final Fantasy games, Square-Enix released a pair of titles in the 2010s under the name Theatrhythm and Theatrhythm: Curtain Call. Using the Nintendo 3DS’ touch-screen, the gameplay is fairly simple but combines the taps and swipes of the rhythm genre with Final Fantasy’s RPG standards. Better accuracy means more experience points to upgrade your chibi characters from the series’ 25+ year history.
Curtain Call, the sequel, has over 200 tracks to play along with. To have all of this incredible music in one place feels truly special.
Final Fantasy has done its best to tug at the nostalgic heart strings of fans in recent years with various spin-offs, often vapid and soulless. Theatrhythm is surprisingly charming and perhaps the most genuine of the bunch, feeling like a true acknowledgement of the work of Uematsu.