Welcome to EXPlay, (Explain & Play) the review series where we care not for scores, but tell it how it is when it comes to every game we get our hands on, all whilst including some lengthy gameplay, to give you, the reader, the chance to form your own impressions and views while reading and watching.
In this explanatory review, we’re covering REYNATIS by joint developers FuRyu Corporation, and Natsume Atari:
REYNATIS (Nintendo Switch)
Worlds collide and factions divide as developers FuRyu Corporation and Natsume Atari, introduce players to a brand-new fantastical action-focused RPG, based in the real-world setting of Shibuya, Tokyo. Have you got what it takes to liberate life as you know it?
Previously released in Japan earlier this year, and being published for multiple platforms by NIS America, REYNATIS first made itself known when it was revealed in a Japanese Nintendo Direct. Since then, as soon as a Western release was announced, REYNATIS has managed to keep itself relevant thanks to the news that the game will receive multiple free updates that add new episodes to the existing game. One of the biggest reveals, however, is that REYNATIS collaborates with NEO: The World Ends With You, thanks to the game’s setting and an enjoyable subquest, but for the sake of this review, there will be no spoilers here. And now, without any further delay, let’s dive right in.
Welcome to the bustling urban, fantasy-filled streets of Shibuya, an urban setting players will become familiar with throughout your playthrough. This is largely due to exploration, completing side quests to reduce malice, discovering useful Wizart, or getting lost in a dark alley. So, thankfully, because of how large a part Shibuya plays in REYNATIS, it should delight players to learn that the development team at FuRyu Corporation took great care in their efforts to recreate this real-world setting.
From recreating more than 100 real-world shops and restaurants, including a Burger King, FuRyu Corporation spared no expense in trying to make REYNATIS’s Shibuya match the real thing, so even if you never get the chance to go to the real Shibuya any time soon, you can still enjoy the location as it currently is, thanks to REYNATIS. As for why Shibuya was chosen specifically, when speaking on this very subject, Creative Producer, TAKUMI, said it is because he “decided to choose a place in Japan that would be comparatively well-known, yet also underground, with back alleyways that could be explored.”
Only, it’s worth noting that there is more to REYNATIS than just Shibuya, as players will also get the chance to learn spells that turn fogs into portals and pull you into other locations that make up Another, with these sections having a huge focus on exploration, item collection, and, of course, battles. But what of the story itself?
REYNATIS is a game of magic. Some possess it, a minority made up of Wizards and then there are those who do not. Due to the nature of their power, the general public (those without magic), often despise those who do have it, as being dangerous, forcing Wizards into hiding. One such Wizard is protagonist, Marin Kirizumi. Forced to to live a life unable to be who he truly is, Marin is on a path to change all of that, in the hopes of becoming the most powerful wizard that ever existed, so that he can finally be free. As for who put him onto this path, that blame falls entirely onto Marin’s father, a man who left Marin with the words, “You’ll be set free as long as you become the strongest.”
Marin’s quest will not be easy and while he would rather remain a stray Wizard, unaffiliated with the likes of those who have joined the Guild, or those who serve the M.E.A. (Magic Enforcement Administration), an organisation that is said to protect the people of Shibuya, all whilst cracking down on any Wizard that dares to cause a little chaos, Marin can not stay on his own for much longer. Before he knows it, a chance encounter will cause Marin to fall in with a group called Owl, and not long after that, what was once an enemy, shall become an ally.
That ally is, Sari Nishijima. Three years before the 2024 events of REYNATIS, Sari came into her magical powers thanks to a near-death experience. She was only three days into being a Police Officer when her life almost ended, but by coming back to life, her powers were fully unlocked and she awakened as a Replica, a Wizard that has defied death and finally came into her powers.
Unlike Marin, Sari works as an Officer attached to the M.E.A.’s Magic Task Force but prefers to enforce her own sense of justice where possible, in her efforts to eradicate a dangerous drug that is the ability to turn normal people into monsters known as the Damned.
During the early stages of gameplay, as REYNATIS is broken up into chapters, the initial chapters have Marin on his own, whereas Sari is joined by Kiichiro Ukai and Masayoshi Dogo, two M.E.A. Officers who help make up her squad, but eventually, Marin is joined by Nika Meguro and Moa Fukamachi. Moa is certainly an odd duck that stands out, thanks to her character design, her hard-hitting nature when it comes to combat, but also the fact that even though she is a Wizard, she is obsessed with having a “social media experience,” despite the fact her content is private and she has zero followers.
But, just as soon as Sari’s team becomes tangled up with Marin and Owl, all hell starts to break loose and the only way any of them can expect to come out on top, is by working together. As for the gameplay of REYNATIS, it is two-fold. Exploration plays a key part and we’ll be expanding on that shortly, but first and foremost, since REYNATIS is an RPG with plenty of action, combat is everything.
Using something dubbed a “Hoodie System,” players have the means of switching between two modes, which impacts battles heavily. During Suppression mode, any attack made by an enemy, occurs at a slower pace, allowing players to dodge attacks. Whereas during Liberation Mode, this is where your Wizard can make themself known to their enemies and use up all of your magic to deliver devastating attacks.
But, when your MP is depleted, unless you can swap over to another party character (only three characters available in a party), to continue your assault, your only option is to rely on Suppression Mode to execute a perfect dodge and time your counter just right to absorb MP from your enemy and attack once more.
The further you advance through REYNATIS, the more you can mix up your party to choose characters better suited to take on certain enemies and by levelling them up, assigning new skills and abilities to them and levelling them up, you can soon turn a hard battle, into something that is over and done with within mere seconds. When each battle has concluded, how players perform earns you points and the higher you score, the better grade you will achieve. The higher the grade, the higher the experience bonus you will be presented with.
What’s more, while combat starts nice and light in the beginning, it’s not long before you start encountering enemies who rely on armour, which must be destroyed first to deal damage to them, or a shield that must be shattered by absorbing MP by executing perfect dodges and counters. Then, of course, there are also status effects in the form of curses, such as bleeding or skill seal, which prevents you from being able to use your skills for a certain amount of time.
As for the exploration side of REYNATIS, whether you are exploring Shibuya or Another, the hoodie system is still in use. The only difference is, whilst in Another, there is no consequence when Wizards enter Liberation Mode, whereas in Shibuya, the second you liberate, while it allows you to discover hidden items, available Wizart graffiti that can be viewed and move faster, the citizens of Shibuya will report you to the Magical Enforcement Administration. Should you fail to reach a safe spot before your rank climbs too high, you will then be hunted down by an elite M.E.A. task force that can kill under-levelled characters in one hit.
Whilst in Suppression Mode, citizens are indifferent towards you and won’t notice you. Some are even happy to talk to you. Just don’t go around talking to everyone though, since not everyone will offer you a subquest and certain conversations, or even character actions, will increase your character’s Stress level. Raise it too high and your character will not be able to contain themself, so it is always a good idea to reduce your Stress level where possible. This is achieved by purchasing certain food items or finding a cat to pet.
Another level to be wary of is the Malice level. Malice is the animosity the general public has towards Wizards. By completing subquests, you can reduce the Malice level of Shibuya, which in turn allows you to discover more Wizart. Wizart is a special type of graffiti that can be found all over Shibuyu. By meeting the required Malice level, you can view the Wizart to learn new abilities and skills that can help you in battle. Abilities become even more useful when you have enough items and trade them into a special shop that then allows you to have more ability slots.
Additionally, for other fun content for players to enjoy, depending on what chapter you have reached, or which NPC you have spoken to, new messages are unlocked. When checking out these messages, players can access group chats between main characters and even get the option of picking some of the dialogue that is used in the chat. Additionally, there are achievements to learn, plenty of reports to discover and challenge portals that become available neear the final chapters of the game.
But what about performance? Sadly, this is the one area of REYNATIS, where the came comes unstuck on the Nintendo Switch. Despite elaborate character designs for the unique characters of the game, stunning views and an engaging soundtrack, REYNATIS’ performance on Switch can be appealing at times.
From the occasional slowdown during battles against a large group of enemies, fast travelling to another part of Shibuya and being hit with severe slowdown until everything has loaded up properly, REYNATIS suffers quite a bit. It is something you can put up with if you are invested in the story and world of REYNATIS, but there are problems there and it is to be expected from a game that is said to have been developed to push the Nintendo Switch to its limits. Well, those limits have been pushed all right, but at least REYNATIS is still playable on Switch, as opposed to skipping the platform completely.
Performance issue aside, while REYNATIS can feel like a very slow game to get into when you first start playing, as long as you get past that first 10-hour hurdle and advance through a good few chapters, in time the combat becomes more engaging, your appreciation for this creation of Shibuya increases and the side quests can become enjoyable. But, should you feel REYNATIS has a price tag that’s a bit too high for a game you may or may not enjoy, then we advise you to head over to the eShop and try the REYNATIS demo today. Just keep in mind that all spoken dialogue is solely in Japanese.
It’s a risky gamble releasing REYNATIS the day after The Legend of Zelda: Echoes of Wisdom, but for fans of FuRyu Corporation’s previous work, this is a game you won’t want to miss out on. After all, with music by Yoko Shimomura, scenario by Kazushige Nokima and fantastic character design by Yasutaka Kaburagi, who wants to miss out on that?
Game Specifications:
Developer: FuRyu Corporation, Natsume Atari
Publisher: NIS America
Platform: Nintendo Switch (eShop)
Category: Action, Role-playing, Adventure
No. of Players: 1 (Single System)
Release Date: September 27, 2024
Price: $59.99
File Size: 8.3 GB
Nintendo.com Listing
