THEATRHYTHM THURSDAY: FINAL FANTASY XIV
This week, we’re taking a musical journey to Hydaelyn to celebrate some of the amazing FINAL FANTASY XIV tracks appearing in the upcoming THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE!Welcome to another THEATRHYTHM THURSDAY!
If you’ve read the song list for THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE (and if not, you can see it here), you’ll notice that there are a lots of tracks from FINAL FANTASY XIV in the game. That’s appropriate because there’s a lot of FINAL FANTASY XIV.
With selections from the original A Realm Reborn soundtrack, and the Heavensward, Stormblood and Shadowbringers expansions, the upcoming rhythm action extravaganza shows the sheer breadth of the music in FINAL FANTASY XIV. What’s astonishing is just how consistently brilliant all that music is.
From completely original themes to complex tracks that pay homage to the rich musical legacy of the series, the music of FINAL FANTASY XIV is a consistently engaging audio tour that works wonderfully whether it’s accompanying your adventures in Hydaelyn or you’re simply listening to it through headphones.
It also makes for some superb rhythm action stages in THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE, and there are a massive 33 included in the base game:
- Answers (EMS)
- Hard to Miss (BMS)
- On Westerly Winds (FMS)
- The Land Breathes (BMS)
- Serenity (FMS)
- Primal Judgment (BMS)
- Torn from the Heavens (BMS)
- To the Sun (FMS)
- Nemesis (BMS)
- Under the Weight (BMS)
- Engage (FMS)
- Fallen Angel (BMS)
- Good King Moggle Mog XII (BMS)
- Ultima (BMS)
- Through the Maelstrom (BMS)
- A Light in the Storm (FMS)
- Oblivion (BMS)
- Ominous Prognisticks (BMS)
- Ink Long Dry (FMS)
- Heroes (BMS)
- Locus (BMS)
- Metal - Brute Justice Mode (BMS)
- Exponential Entropy (BMS)
- Moebius (BMS)
- Rise (BMS)
- The Worm’s Tail (BMS)
- Wayward Daughter (BMS)
- Triumph (BMS)
- Sunrise (BMS)
- A Long Fall (BMS)
- What Angel Wakes Me (BMS)
- Promises to Keep (BMS)
- Who Brings Shadow (BMS)
Let’s take a listen to some of our favorites:
Torn from the Heavens (BMS)
The Prelude is a FINAL FANTASY staple, appearing in almost every game in the series. So to take that typically gentle melody and turn it into something as exciting and rousing as Torn from the Heavens is simply inspired.
It’s become a signature track for FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, echoing throughout the game and its expansions at key moments, performed live at concerts and appearing in titles like DISSIDIA FINAL FANTASY NT and WORLD OF FINAL FANTASY MAXIMA.
It’s easy to see why - just try not to feel pumped up when listening to this!
On Westerly Winds (FMS)
FINAL FANTASY XIV fans know that all the best people start their adventures in the La Noscea region.
…alright, everyone from The Black Shroud and Thanalan - put down your torches and pitchforks, I’m just kidding! But I started my very first adventure in La Noscea, so the sweeping theme for this grassy, coastal region is burned into my brain.
And now, assuming you listened, it’s in yours too. You’re welcome!
Heroes (BMS)
Few games do ‘epic’ as… um… epically as FINAL FANTASY XIV.
Heroes is the final boss theme in FINAL FANTASY XIV: Heavensward and it underscores the dramatic battle extremely effectively. An arrangement of the expansion’s title track, ‘Heavensward’, it’s exciting, bombastic and has a palpable sense of climax.
And - spoilers - it also works brilliantly as a rhythm action stage.
Ink Long Dry (FMS)
If you want an example of just how musically diverse FINAL FANTASY XIV Online really is, you should take some time to listen (or re-listen) to this amazing dungeon theme from the Heavensward expansion.
The Great Gubal Library, once the biggest repository of knowledge in Eorzea, is now abandoned. Images of grand halls filled with dusty books are easily conjured by this eclectic and jazzy track.
It’s one of the more offbeat tracks in the game, so we’re delighted it’s included in THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE!
Who Brings Shadow (BMS)
The story of FINAL FANTASY XIV: Shadowbringers focuses on the battle between light and darkness, and those themes are explicitly captured in this amazing track.
The fusion of guitars, vocals, drums and chorus create a rollercoaster of a track that ebbs and flows, moving from measured and tense, to almost overwhelmingly intense.
It’s Masayoshi Soken at the very top of his game.
As you can see (or hear), there’s a lot of marvelous music in FINAL FANTASY XIV, and THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE brings it to the forefront in all its glory. If you’re a fan of the critically-acclaimed MMORPG, you’re going to get a real thrill out experiencing this music in a new way.
And if you’re not a fan of FINAL FANTASY XIV, you’ll likely become one after hearing the musical selection in THEATRHYTHM. If you like what you hear, you can always sign up to the free trial, which lets you play through the entirety of A Realm Reborn and the first expansion Heavensward up to level 60 for free, with no restriction on playtime.
As for THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE, you’ll get to experience that very soon too! The game releases February 16, 2023 for Nintendo Switch and PS4. Three editions will be available at launch:
Standard Edition: Available physically and digitally, this contains 385 sounds from across the FINAL FANTASY series
Digital Deluxe Edition: Contains all songs from the standard edition, plus 27 additional tracks, and Season Pass 1.
Premium Digital Deluxe Edition: Contains all songs from the standard edition, plus 27 additional tracks, and Season Passes 1-3.
These editions are available to preorder now. All digital pre-orders include a set of 15 ProfiCards that can be used in-game.
That’s it for this week’s THEATRHYTHM THURSDAY. Join us next time for another audio tour through the music of the FINAL FANTASY series! And be sure to follow us on social media for more news and information about THEATRHYTHM FINAL BAR LINE: