Reynatis review – an imperfect, but fascinating, reality based on a fantasy

After all the years waiting, here is the game you were eagerly anticipating: Final Fantasy vs. 13. It has been in development hell for a long time.

After all the years that have been waiting, here is the game you were eagerly anticipating: Final Fantasy 15. It’s been locked up in development hell for a long time and there’s been a minor name change, but…wait a second, this isn’t right either, I’ll try again. After these years of waiting, here’s the game you were eagerly anticipating: Kingdom Hearts 4 … Well, I’m definitely ahead of myself here. Sorry, I remember actually playing now, it’s Reinatis, but if you saw it once, I think you’ll forgive my confusion.

Reinatis is a game that is deeply ingrained in its influence. Director Isobe Takumi is not trying to pretend that he wasn’t shooting the queue from the later revamped Final Fantasy vs. 13. With Kingdom Hearts writer Nojima and series composer Yoko Shimomura playing the same role in Reynatis, you will also find obvious similarities. But just as this modern fantasy RPG borrows from a familiar favorite, there are still big questions. What is Reinatie? Let’s answer that question.

First of all, we take it literally. Reynatis is an action RPG developed by Natsume Atari and Furyu, set in modern Shibuya, but with a twist – magic is realistic, and wizards are oppressed people who have been reviewed and criminalized by society and the law (though the same law is also supported by wizards). There are all playable characters, but the focus is on two starting points. Marine Kirizumi (its design is undoubtedly not inspired by Kingdom Hearts’ Sora), a stray wizard who wants to be the strongest, and Sarishima from Nishijima, a wizard cup with the quest for Wengenz.

Initially, the plot doesn’t come across as completely unique, but the way it develops is the point where I loop back. It’s important to set it up before you get into it. The combat mechanics are excitingly fresh and frustratingly cheeseable. No matter which character you play, each has two modes: suppression and release.

In the Unlocked Mode, you can use magical powers that translate into Kingdom Hearts-style fighting. In suppressed mode, you cannot attack and cannot attack, but when a projectile or close range attack hits you, everything slows down and lets you dodge to get your MP back. Once the MP is full, you can even slow everything down completely in a short time, and you can get hard on a rapid attack while being damaged.

It feels magical because it’s a system I’ve never seen in any other action RPG and when everything is connected correctly there’s no better term. Switching between the two modes is instantaneous. Therefore, you can enter a rapid mode, quickly escape attacks, regain MPs, and continue attacking in unlock mode. One big problem is the fact that if you want, Slomo is a bit useless, so most can make everything cheese by staying in the freed mode. I think this may have probably been overcome as there are some additional tweaks and time in the oven, but those who don’t enjoy fighting may be encouraged to play safely.

What I find most interesting about these two modes is how it connects it to the wider story of the game. As mentioned earlier, using your magical powers is actually illegal, and when you play as Marine, even if you are forced into a fight by the story, once you finish the fight, the NPCS will start reporting you for illegal wizard activities. There’s even a stress meter that forces a released mode when it gets high enough, and the police will come after you, essentially impossible to defeat. So, very early on, I thought, “Is this game trying to explain a bit about real-world law enforcement?”

This question quickly made me nervous as stories like this often go “No, the police aren’t bad, there are some bad apples that ruin the bunch.” What’s even more complicated is that, as mentioned above, one of the game’s main characters, Sari, is a police officer and appears to be a book. Still, in time, there are some serious remorse on Sari’s side, not too much of a difference in spoilers, and Reinatis admits that the police tend to serve the status quo and punish those alienated.

It’s very rare to see something very radical in the game with this profile, and not to mention in the game (except my beloved Disco Elysium), it’s the stance that I was totally surprised. I have to admit that the game doesn’t handle this entirely – the majority of the storyline has pills that give people magical powers, but they’re addictive and make these people known as “Damned.” Reinatis is sympathetic to these people and never frames them as bad for suffering addiction, but they can only kill them in gameplay and don’t help them materially.

Still, Reinatis generally feels like his mind is in the right place. But while I was playing, I couldn’t help but think of one thing: Final Fantasy vs. 13.

This is a game born out of a desire to see a pseudo-interventional final fantasy title, and the possibility that all 13 trailers will be presented in 13 trailers manifested in another director’s idea of ​​a reality-based fantasy. It’s a quest for possibilities, and ironically, a game full of things, but it never gives everything perfect. However, there is one important difference compared to the retirement of Final Fantasy Games. It actually exists.

Yes, it’s flawed. Yes, the camera can be very yanki in tight spaces, and even when Shibuya is rendered with affection, the design of the level is almost very dull. I couldn’t tell if the strange pacing of the cutscenes depends on localization or how the game was going. But it is also a dream that many people wanted to capture the emotions they experienced when they first saw 13. It has something to say about the oppressive system. Reinatis is attractive to me because of its flaws.

Those who have seen the secret ending of Kingdom Hearts 3 know that Kingdom Hearts 4 is an attempt to realize series director Titsuyamura’s vision.