Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is a 2014 rhythm video game developed by indieszero and sAs and published by Square Enix for the Nintendo 3DS. As a sequel to the Theatrhythm Final Fantasy (2012) and the second title in the Theatrhythm series, Curtain Call retains the core gameplay, where players hit notes in time with music from the Final Fantasy series. Similar to its predecessor, the game features role-playing elements, allowing players to develop their characters, arrange four-person parties, and defeat bosses to clear quests.
The 1.5-year development period for Curtain Call began in late 2012, when the additional content for the original Theatrhythm Final Fantasy was nearing completion. Designed as the finale of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, Curtain Call introduced several improvements over its predecessor. One major update was the addition of a button control scheme, designed to make it easier for players to enjoy the game during their commutes to work or school. The game also introduced two main modes: Versus Battle, which allows for two-player matches, and Quest Medleys, which enhance the role-playing elements. The track library tripled in size, expanding from around 70 to 221, which includes a supplement of tracks from spin-off titles. Furthermore, other Square Enix titles, such as SaGa, were included as downloadable content. Along with the expanded song library, the unlocking mechanics and selection interface were optimized to improve accessibility for players.
Curtain Call was well-received by critics, who applauded its significant improvements over its predecessor. Reviews highlighted how the game successfully evoked nostalgia for Final Fantasy and praised the fusion of rhythm and role-playing elements. The newly introduced design featuring two input schemes was applauded. The concept of Quest Medley was well-received, though some commenters felt the role-playing elements lacking impact on the gameplay. Though the competitive idea of the versus mode was considered fine, opinions were mixed on the disruptive interference mechanics. The expanded track library, with its extensive additions and its coverage of both title sources and genres, was also highly praised.
A Dragon Quest-based sequel was released in 2015. Although Curtain Call was considered the final Theatrhythm regarding Final Fantasy, two more titles were released: the arcade title All-Star Carnival (2016) and the console game Final Bar Line (2023).
Gameplay
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call, similar to its predecessor Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, is a rhythm video game featuring Final Fantasy elements. Following the beat of music, players hit notes when they overlap with trigger marks. The game features several different types of notes that require players to either press, hold, or swipe. In contrast to its predecessor, which only featured touch controls, Curtain Call allows players to freely choose touch, button, or a combination of both schemes.
Songs are divided into three types based on their context in their respective games. The first is Battle Music Stage (BMS), which features a battle background where four chibi characters battle with enemies, with the screen displaying four fixed horizontal lanes where notes flow from left to right towards trigger marks. Next is Field Music Stage (FMS), which features a background with a single chibi character. A single left-to-right lane is present, with notes that shift up and down. The third is the Event Music Stage (EMS), which features a background clip from the original title. In this stage, the note track moves across the whole screen, and no characters are present. Each song featured three difficulty levels.
Curtain Call featured two modes: Quest Medleys and Versus Mode. Quest Medley, which have been introduced in iOS version of the original Theatrhythm, integrated role-playing elements. Before playing a quest, players need to arrange their four-person party from the unlocked character cast. Each character has their own level, statistics (HP, attack, etc.), skills, and type (such as defense and recovery). Quests are shown as Chaos Maps, with varying lengths and difficulties. Each map featured numerous , with either or to play, and with route branches. To complete the song, on one hand, players need to play accurately to deal high damage; on the other, they have to develop characters to ensure that bosses are defeated before the end of the song. When completing maps, players earn crystal splinters, which can be collected to unlock characters.
In Versus Mode, players can battle with the computer, or another player online or locally. Players choose their songs, and the system randomly selects one. The player with the higher score wins the battle. For human versus, players can exchange their game profile cards and Chaos Maps. Versus gameplay features a special element called "EX Burst", which players can opt to enable or disable. By hitting notes, players will fulfill their "EX Burst Gauge". When the gauge is full, players can send a random interference, such as rotating arrow notes, to their rival's chart.
The game's background story involves collecting Rhythm Points to "restore the brilliance of the crystal that governs music". Rhythm Points can be collected by playing various stages and modes, with the amount earned related to the players' performance. When Rhythm Points reach certain numbers, players can unlock various elements, including tracks, characters, and sound effects. A new "Daily Feature" presents a song each day, while the featured song provides 1.5 times of the normal amount of Rhythm Points.
Development
Theatrhythm Final Fantasy: Curtain Call is a rhythm game for Nintendo 3DS and developed by indieszero. Ichirō Hazama from Square Enix produced the game, while Masanobu Suzui, the president of indieszero, directed it. sAs, a frequent collaborator of indieszero, again co-developed the game.
The development period for the game, like its 3DS predecessor Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, was also about one and a half years. Work began in late 2012, around the time the iOS version of its predecessor was released. Initially, there were no plans for a sequel, but player demand led them to decide to create one.
Originally titled Theatrhythm Final Fantasy 2, it was later renamed "Curtain Call" by Tetsuya Nomura, a producer of the Final Fantasy franchise and the person who named "Theatrhythm", to signify it as the final installment in the Theatrhythm Final Fantasy series. Hazama described Curtain Call as a "definitive edition", indicating that he had no intention of producing further installments. With the mindset of creating a finale, the developers implemented significant changes based on player feedback, their own hands-on experiences, and the insights gained from developing 3DS and iOS versions of the original Theatrhythm. Hazama aimed to attract consumers who had shown interest in the first title but had not purchased it, and he hoped to evoke nostalgia for fans of the series with this Final Fantasy flavor game.
Design
Compared to its Nintendo 3DS predecessor, which only supported touch controls, Curtain Call introduced button controls. This addition reflected significant feedback from players who hoped to play during their commutes to work or school, though the factor had been considered but not implemented at that time. The team believed that offering multiple playing styles would be beneficial.
Two new features called Online Battle and Quest Medleys were introduced in Curtain Call. The developers believed that rhythm games naturally involve competition, therefore, they introduced the battle function allowing fans to share Final Fantasy music through versus matches in a cheerful atmosphere. Additionally, the profile card exchange system was also strengthened to expand this sentiment. Given the importance of online battles, a significant number of staff were allocated to ensure its early completion.
The subsequent task is managing Quest Medleys, another new main feature alongside the Battle mode. The mode followed the Final Fantasy-like classical role-playing game's formula. They believed this mode could extend the game's longevity. On one hand, players would be attracted to unlock maps, which featured songs, experience points, and other rewards. On the other hand, these maps can be exchanged between players, enhancing the game's interactivity. Hazama recalled that Nintendo Direct praised the feature as "full-fledged" during its early development stage; this praise led to tension and motivated the team to intensify their efforts.
The role-playing elements also received an enhancement. This change aids players who enjoy Final Fantasy music but struggle with action games, allowing them to complete tracks with a role-playing game manner by enhancing characters and strategically arranging skills. The Collectacards, a feature for character growth, were introduced to extend playing time. The character roster was also expanded, with selection based on player poll, similar to the approach used for Dissidia, to avoid staff's personal interest. The expanded character cast enables players to form a party with characters from a single title, like Final Fantasy XIII. To address collection issues caused by the expanded roster, the developers redesigned character crystals to match multiple candidates, replacing the old one-to-one system.
Yet, the role-playing game concept did not always work as expected. In the development of its predecessor, based on this idea, the developers were convinced that players would feel accomplished upon hitting the 99,999 Rhythm Points cap. However, players reported losing motivation once they hit this cap. Consequently, in Curtain Call, the developers increased the cap to about ten times the original limit, making it not easy to achieve. The variety of rewards from Rhythm Points was expanded, including various touch sounds, such as door-opening sound effects with reminiscences.
Besides the sound effects, the team took steps to make Curtain Call a true Final Fantasy game that resonates with fans' nostalgia. A notable effort was the meticulous design of backgrounds to faithfully recreate the original scenes. For example, in "Terra's Theme" from Final Fantasy VI, the background featured snowy mountains with a dynamic blizzard effect, echoing the original game's atmosphere. Although the interfaces of both titles share similarities, the developers essentially started from scratch with Curtain Call, incorporating features such as global network versus functionality and a 60 fps frame rate for 3D mode graphics.
Track library
Curtain Call features 221 songs, which according to the developers was "a roughly fourfold increase" over the original Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. Responding to player requests, songs from spin-offs were added. Rather than replacing songs from the previous title, most were retained to build a comprehensive game that represented the whole Final Fantasy series. Selecting the songs was not overly challenging: the staff conducted research and reviewed online rankings to include popular and fan-favorite tracks from across the series. They aimed to avoid letting staff bias interfere with the process; Hazama stated that he tried to prevent his own preferences from influencing the development to avoid creating a large but unbalanced library.