REYNATIS
- September 27, 2024
- FURYU Corporation
REYNATIS is an excellent magical adventure set in the mean streets of Shibuya. With great use of its simple yet awesome gameplay mechanics, it’s definitely worth your time, but be prepared to deal with less-than-stellar design choices.
Get on SteamIn REYNATIS, a full-blown magical RPG set in 2024 Shibuya, Tokyo, two wielders of magic, Marin Kirizumi and Sari Nishijima, clash in their fight for liberation and justice. Marin, oppressed for his magic, seeks strength to overthrow restrictions, while Sari uses her powers to uphold order and protect the city. Their conflicting ideals set the stage for a thrilling, action-packed adventure in a modern-day, magic-infused Tokyo.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Playstation 4
Playstation 5
Windows
PlayStation
Reviews
- The game features beautiful visuals and engaging combat mechanics that evoke a nostalgic PS2 vibe, reminiscent of classic JRPGs.
- The character designs and music are well-received, contributing to an enjoyable atmosphere and a sense of personality among the cast.
- Unique gameplay elements, such as learning spells through graffiti and the interactive Shibuya map, add depth and creativity to the experience.
- The animations and character models are often criticized for being clunky and lacking polish, which detracts from the overall presentation.
- The combat can become repetitive and overly simplistic, with enemy difficulty diminishing significantly as the game progresses.
- Many players feel the game is overpriced for its content and quality, suggesting it would be better suited for a lower price point.
- story51 mentions
- 18 % positive mentions
- 76 % neutral mentions
- 6 % negative mentions
The story is a mixed bag, featuring intriguing elements and character development through text threads, but often suffers from predictability and rushed emotional arcs. While some players appreciate the ambitious narrative and its modern themes, others find it lacking depth and coherence, particularly in its portrayal of enemies and pacing. Overall, the game offers a classic JRPG experience with engaging characters, though it may not fully satisfy those seeking a tightly woven plot.
“The music definitely helps set the mood, the story has intrigue to set up another game, and the characters help hold it all together.”
“I appreciate that the side quests give a better insight on the main story and world-building rather than just being random requests; they are also nicely spaced out.”
“The characters are fantastic, and while the story is predictable for the campaign, it seems to be going somewhere interesting in the postgame updates.”
“The story has you fight people afflicted by rubrum; these are not interesting enemies, and in the story, there is no hope for any of these people to recover.”
“Despite the story being split from two characters' points of view, the cliché edgy shonen male protagonist (Marin Kirizumi) is given more focus over time.”
“The story seems too ambitious for its budget; character arcs and emotional scenes are rushed or lose impact due to the flat visuals, which is unfortunate because I thought the voice actors gave it their all in the performances.”
- gameplay19 mentions
- 21 % positive mentions
- 63 % neutral mentions
- 16 % negative mentions
The gameplay of the game has received mixed reviews, with combat being described as initially fun but ultimately repetitive and reliant on button mashing. While some unique mechanics and a just guard system add depth, many players found the level design uninspired and the overall execution lacking in complexity. Despite these criticisms, some players appreciated the storytelling through gameplay and found enjoyment in mastering the combat mechanics.
“It's gameplay has some extremely unique mechanics that I enjoyed to the fullest.”
“Combat was honestly pretty interesting!”
“Fast, tight ARPG gameplay, which while it isn't all too deep, feels great to pick up and master for the runtime of the game.”
“Combat was kind of fun, but you will hit a point in the game where you can cheese everything, and it is button-mashing gameplay until you run into one specific enemy towards the end of the game.”
“Reynatis is not too bad of a game; it has some neat ideas. However, the story often bores, the gameplay is repetitive, and the level design is often uninspired.”
“Weird that selling items was introduced late in the game, and I do feel like a lot of mechanics weren't super developed (like, the shop mechanic was used for one thing and restaurants just sold different flavors of HP heal).”
- graphics12 mentions
- 25 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 25 % negative mentions
The graphics of the game have been described as outdated, particularly due to its development starting on the Nintendo Switch, which some players find acceptable as it allows for better performance on more powerful systems. While many reviewers acknowledge the visuals are not up to modern standards, they prioritize gameplay and story over graphical fidelity, with some appreciating the art style and fast load times. Overall, the graphics may not impress everyone, but they do not detract significantly from the enjoyment of the game for many players.
“Load times were also fast, and I suspect the graphics contribute to that, so I'm actually grateful.”
“I am seriously happy that I got the ultimate edition as I love to look at the artworks of the game; I even took a peek at the Japanese version!”
“Art/graphics: 8/10”
“The story seems too ambitious for its budget; character arcs and emotional scenes are rushed or lose impact due to the flat visuals, which is unfortunate because I thought the voice actors gave it their all in the performances.”
“As everyone says, the graphics are not great for this day and age, but I honestly don't care.”
“I don't want that as it causes games to sacrifice story and gameplay as a result. I mean, look at most current-day triple-A game companies trying to release a game with the selling point of just graphics; it usually fails.”
- music11 mentions
- 45 % positive mentions
- 27 % neutral mentions
- 27 % negative mentions
The music in the game is generally well-received, with some reviewers praising its ability to set the mood and enhance the story, particularly noting the work of composer Yoko Shimomura. However, others felt that the music often faded into the background and lacked standout moments, with some scenes feeling empty without any musical accompaniment. Overall, while the soundtrack is appreciated, it doesn't consistently elevate the gameplay experience to memorable heights.
“The music definitely helps set the mood; the story has intrigue to set up another game, and the characters help hold it all together.”
“Music by the legendary Yoko Shimomura, while not up to the impossible standard of the Kingdom Hearts games, still delivers and hits wonderfully.”
“The soundtrack is incredible!”
“The music felt very much like background to everything that was going on, which was surprising given that it was composed by Yoko.”
“It worked with the game, but there wasn't any time when I felt like the music stood out or helped make a scene memorable, and that's a shame.”
“There were some scenes where there was no music at all, and while it kind of worked, they could absolutely have put something in there to make it feel less dead.”
- humor4 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in the game is highlighted by its witty dialogue and amusing moments, particularly noted in the TWEWY crossover, which elicited genuine laughter from players. Overall, the game successfully incorporates lighthearted elements that enhance the immersive experience.
“Couldn't stop laughing.”
“Dialogues are wonderful as well, and there are definitely funny moments to lighten the mood; you just have to be immersed in the dialogue and the environment.”
“They are absolutely chill and they do have funny moments at times.”
- character development3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
Overall, while the character designs are praised for their quality, particularly for fans of Yoko Shimomura's work, the 3D models do not match the aesthetic appeal of the 2D portraits. The setting and music also receive positive mentions, contributing to an engaging experience, but the inconsistency in character model proportions is noted as a drawback.
“Character design is super good, and if you are a fan of Yoko Shimomura's works, this one is just as good!”
“The setting is great, character design is solid, music is good, and the real-time combat is engaging.”
- optimization2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game's optimization reflects its origins on the Nintendo Switch, resulting in outdated visuals that impact the overall experience. While the performance is generally stable, the ambitious story suffers from rushed character arcs and emotional scenes, diminishing their impact despite strong voice acting.
“The development of this started with the Nintendo Switch version, which explains the outdated visuals, but this is a practice I’m in favor of because versions from more powerful systems are guaranteed to have better framerate and performance.”
“The story seems too ambitious for its budget; character arcs and emotional scenes are rushed or lose impact due to the flat visuals, which is unfortunate because I thought the voice actors gave it their all in the performances.”
“The development of this started with the Nintendo Switch version, which explains the outdated visuals. However, I am in favor of this practice because versions from more powerful systems are guaranteed to have better framerate and performance.”
“The story seems too ambitious for its budget; character arcs and emotional scenes are rushed or lose impact due to the flat visuals. This is unfortunate because I thought the voice actors gave it their all in the performances.”
- emotional2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The emotional impact of the game is hindered by rushed character arcs and flat visuals, which diminish the effectiveness of key scenes, despite strong voice acting. While some players find the characters relatable enough to evoke tears, language barriers may prevent others from fully connecting with the emotional depth of the story.
“The characters can be easily attached to, and some are enough to shed a tear. However, I understand that some English speakers may have trouble creating that connection due to the language barrier in an auditory manner, despite English subtitles.”
“The story seems too ambitious for its budget; character arcs and emotional scenes feel rushed or lose impact due to the flat visuals. It's unfortunate because I thought the voice actors gave it their all in the performances.”
- monetization2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The monetization strategy of the game has drawn criticism, with some players feeling it prioritizes profit over quality, suggesting it may be more of a cash grab leveraging its anime style rather than delivering a genuinely engaging action experience.
“Bugs happen, but this is such a blatantly obvious issue that it honestly makes me doubt whether this was actually intended to be a good game or just a cash grab making use of the anime style to attract players.”
Critic Reviews
Reynatis review
Reynatis isn't an awful game to play, but it remains a pretty average experience throughout.
50%Reynatis review --- Throwback to the PS2 era
Reynatis is close to a master at one trade, with its unique and refreshing combat system. But there’s too many other pieces that drag the overall presentation down, especially with its outdated graphics, poor Switch performance, awkward camera angles, and high price tag. However, even through all its minor to glaring flaws, and believe me there are many, it's an adventure I find myself looking fondly back on the things it does well.
65%Reynatis Review
Reynatis is an action RPG set in the vibrant ward of Shibuya, Tokyo, but it’s a very different place to the one we know. In this version, magic is real, very dangerous, and feared by the non-magical population. Magic users either hide their abilities or join a government organisation called M.E.A. to hunt down rogue witches and wizards. The story follows two sets of characters, the first led by Sari, a member of the M.E.A. trying to track down the source of an addictive drug which can turn its users into monsters; and the second led by Marin, a rogue wizard who wants to become stronger and free himself from government oppression. The chapters alternate between them until their stories eventually intertwine. There’s some really interesting world-building going on here, but unfortunately the gameplay is fairly bland. You spend your time running back and forth across Shibuya, occasionally delving into dungeons and battling anything that crosses your path. Your characters have two stances, Liberated and Suppressed. While Liberated, you can attack using your magic but can’t defend as well. Once you run out of magic you automatically switch to a Suppressed stance, where you can dodge attacks and absorb magic. You can switch between characters and, as they have different weapon types, they feel different to control. In battle you’ll be constantly changing between characters and stances in order to manage your magic levels. While the combat initially seems quite flashy and fun, it doesn’t really evolve at any point and quickly becomes dull. It doesn’t help that most of the enemies you fight are colour-swapped versions of things you’ve battled before, and the same dungeon designs are used over and over again. There are plenty of side quests, but most don’t really add anything to the story. They do have an interesting impact on Shibuya, though. Finishing them reduces the area’s ‘malice’; the lower this is the more magical graffiti, called Whizart, appears across town. Finding them gives you new combat abilities or grants you additional cash and experience. They also make the already beautiful Shibuya look even cooler, but do unfortunately disappear once you view them. The story and world-building are definitely the most interesting things about Reynatis but it’s a shame everything else feels so half-baked and repetitive. It’s hard to get invested in the characters when the dull combat makes you want to get through the adventure as quickly as possible.
50%
