REYNATIS quickly caught my attention with its reveal earlier this year, as its inspiration from Final Fantasy Versus XIII and the Kingdom Hearts series was clear as day (and night). On top of this, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth writer Kazushige Nojima and renowned composer Yoko Shimomura were involved with REYNATIS. At the project’s heart is Takumi Isobe, the creative producer and a Kingdom Hearts fan who received the blessing of Tetsuya Nomura himself. When NIS America reached out for a REYNATIS preview event, I knew I needed to find out more about what this game will bring to the table.
The story of REYNATIS is set in 2024 in a version of Shibuya, Tokyo, where the power of magic is closely monitored and restricted. Essentially, those who are allowed to use magic can, and those who aren’t supposed to use magic are regarded as outlaws and criminals. As a result, there are organizations seeking to regulate and oppress or free Wizards, the users of magic in REYNATIS’ world. This dichotomy is explored by the game’s two protagonists, police officer-turned replica Sari Nishijima and freedom seeker Marin Kirizumi, and the combat system itself. Players will also explore Another World, a mysterious realm overseen by the anti-government Guild, which wasn’t featured in the preview event.
Fantasy Meets Reality Once More in REYNATIS
REYNATIS combines fantasy elements inspired by the aforementioned Square Enix RPGs with a realistic cityscape in Shibuya and a stylized look for its characters. The development team went to great lengths to recreate Shibuya and its details for the game. For instance, players may visit Dogenzaka Alley, the Shibuya 109 building, Scramble Crossing, and much more while observing all of the authentic brand names that are actually there in real life. Even the menus for various in-game restaurants are 1:1 with their real world counterparts.
Seeing REYNATIS firsthand reminds me of Kingdom Hearts III’s Secret Episode, which saw Sora wake up in the franchise’s own rendition of Shibuya. The references and inspiration don’t end there, as Marin’s appearance is inspired by Noctis from Versus XIII / Final Fantasy XV and Yozora from Kingdom Hearts. It appears that REYNATIS will loosely incorporate a few elements from the mythos of these games, and I’m interested in seeing how this all turns out.
Reminiscing aside, REYNATIS does stand out on its own with its story premise and combat system. The preview only gave us a brief glimpse into the story, which mostly saw Sari patrol with her fellow police agents and a showdown between Marin and Sari’s crew. Since Marin isn’t supposed to use magic, he typically operates incognito and tries to avoid any unnecessary attention. Meanwhile, Sari is more authoritative since she’s uses her magic to seek out those who might disrupt Shibuya’s order. These two characters have very different motivations, and I’m curious about how the game will explore their converging paths.
To Suppress or Liberate
A “Hoodie” system lets you switch between Suppression and Liberation Modes as Marin, allowing you to toggle between standard free roam and combat, seamlessly. Suppression allows Marin to explore Shibuya undetected, while Liberation lets him use his magic and fight enemies. However, going into Liberation Mode will garner the attention of nearby pedestrians, who will post about Marin on social media and alert the M.E.A, the Magic Enforcement Administration.
While in combat, Marin and Sari may toggle between Suppression and Liberation Modes to dodge and accumulate magic. Dodging enough attacks in Suppression Mode will allow you to unleash a powerful magic attack after switching back to Liberation, but it can be a risky play. In short, REYNATIS emphasizes the use of timely dodges with its fast and fluid combat system. However, filling up the magic gauge and switching into Liberation will slow down time, reducing risk and giving you an opportunity to deal more damage than usual.
Marin and Sari can have up to two companions and switch between them, each with their own fighting style. Like the Suppression and Liberation Modes, players can switch between these allies on the fly. In addition, these allies will help you build up combos, making REYNATIS feel more like a traditional action game. Despite the combat looking stiff at times, it gives you tools to perform satisfying combos in time.
Throughout all this, players must be mindful of the Stress that will accumulate over time in REYNATIS. Stress accumulates with conversations and other activities, giving an attack boost as the Stress level grows. Unsurprisingly, Stress is detrimental when it exceeds 100%, as it will force the protagonist into Liberation Mode, blowing his cover. Stress can be remedied by engaging in pleasant activities like eating food and petting cats.
Wizart to Pick
REYNATIS’ main upgrade system centers around Wizart, which is graffiti scattered around the game world. The Wizart designs are strikingly similar to The World Ends With You’s signature pin art, which very few games manage to replicate. Viewing Wizart will grant Marin and Sari rewards, including money, new skills, and EXP. New Wizart can also be unlocked by completing side quests and reducing the Malice level, which is a gauge of the animosity toward magic users in Shibuya.
Acquired Wizart may be equipped into skill slots for each character, which are bound to two buttons (i.e. Triangle and Circle on PlayStation). There are also four ability slots, with only one being unlocked at the start. The REYNATIS preview event didn’t delve too deep into this aspect of the game, but the Wizart system will prove a number of bonuses, including increased stats and increased money drops.
Overall, the Wizart system appears to be inspired by the aforementioned pins from The World Ends With You. One example includes the Sword Wizart, which launches sword-shaped projectiles toward enemies. Mixing and matching the Wizart should yield intriguing results.
What Lies Beyond
Like most action RPGs, there’s plenty of content to explore in REYNATIS between both characters and their respective story chapters. In fact, there will be a lot more content introduced after the game launches, as there are nine free content updates on the way. One of these updates includes a Secret Episode, which should excite fans about what could lie beyond the story of REYNATIS.
Unfortunately, Kingdom Hearts fans wanting to play REYNATIS shouldn’t expect anything resembling ReMind’s Limit Cut Mode. When I asked NIS America about a potential challenge mode, it was confirmed that the game will not have one. The game will have progressively more difficult bosses throughout the course of a playthrough, including a superboss.
As previously revealed, REYNATIS will also have collaboration content with NEO: The World Ends With You. This content is accessible roughly halfway through the game and has no ties to the main story. This content is unlocked during the remainder of the game and isn’t a separate mode, either. The preview event didn’t show any of the collaboration content, but I’m interested in seeing what the collaboration brings into REYNATIS nonetheless.
REYNATIS is Another Chance for a Story Untold
The legacy of Final Fantasy Versus XIII is everlasting, and REYNATIS is a clear sign that fans who once looked forward to this title are getting old enough to produce their own games. The combat system for REYNATIS looks promising as well, but I will need to get hands-on to truly experience what the team envisioned here. Fortunately, a playable demo is planned to release in the west for REYNATIS, so this will be an excellent opportunity to try out the game before launch.
With Kazushige Nojima and Takumi Isobe on the team, REYNATIS will potentially tell a very fascinating story that pays homage to its influences while delivering completely new story beats and lore that can make new fans in turn. The brief teases I heard of Shimomura’s soundtrack also sounded stellar during the REYNATIS preview event. All in all, REYNATIS is a game that RPG fans will want to keep a close eye on.
Check out exclusive gameplay footage in Final Weapon’s video preview of REYNATIS below and subscribe for more content:
Lastly, REYNATIS releases on September 27 for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and PC via Steam in the west.
