While Reynatis is not the best JRPG you could play this year, it is still worth a playthrough for fans of the genre, even with highly anticipated JRPGs on the horizon.
Reynatis has one of the most unique JRPG plots I have played in recent memory, in that while there are plenty of magic users like most JRPGs, the use of magic is highly policed (in a similar manner to Harry Potter Universe), with multiple factions of wizards co-existing, from a police force of wizards who use police the use of magic, and a literal gang of criminal wizards, to rogue wizards who just want to avoid the drama and do their own thing caught between them.
While Reynatis does not have English audio, and the developers have indicated they have no plans of adding it, the translation is very good. While the narrative is about what you would expect from an AA JRPG, I found it interesting enough to keep playing.
Fans of the genre, especially those interested in a near-future urban Japanese setting, will enjoy exploring the world of Reynatis and engaging with its many vibrant (and occasionally eccentric) characters.
The events tutorial exists within the narrative, and its placement is raising a few eyebrows.
During Reynatis‘s opening scenes, a character who has just been promoted to officer rank is asked by their commanding officer to prove, among other things, that they remember how to walk.
While it serves its purpose of teaching players how to play the game, I feel that it would have been better not to show a character being promoted to squad leader before their commanding officer is certain they remember basic things such as being able to walk, dodge, and perform basic attacks.
It is not a deal breaker, but it distracts from the otherwise solid narrative, even if only for a few minutes.
While Reynatis does not entirely escape the JRPG trope of female characters wearing substantially more revealing clothes than their male counterparts, at least as far as the main characters go, Reynatis is not that bad.
With few exceptions, female characters wear the same clothes as their male counterparts or standard feminine clothing, such as shorts, vests, dresses, and the occasional tube top.
That being said, it would be nice to see male and female uniformed characters wearing the same uniforms (girls like full-length pants, you know!).
Regardless, Reynatis is a step in the right direction for portraying female characters in JRPGs, and I would love to see more developers make similar improvements.
While some dismiss the sexualised portrayal of female characters in JRPGS as a non-issue, I feel strongly that making content purely to titillate is wrong, and while there is a time and place for nudity in games, making every female character eye candy is offensive, and for those who are prone to acting on their lust, dangerous.
At first glance, Reynatis’s gameplay loop seems very generic, and honestly, that is not far from the truth; however, it does change up the formula enough to keep things engaging, and I liked the ability to block enemy attacks and use their energy back at them by supercharging my magical abilities.
In addition, swapping between 3 unique characters in the middle of battle is fun, and as a longtime fan of party-based games, this was one aspect of the game that I was very happy about.
Like almost every other aspect of Reynatis, its gameplay loop is above average but not perfect.
While Reynatis‘s simple-to-learn yet surprisingly in-depth combat mechanics will please fans of the JRPG genre, they are unlikely to excite fans of more action-orientated franchises such as Devil May Cry and Bayonetta.
Reynatis is a very strange game, as visually it is both impressive and disappointing at the same time, with its excellent character models and a gorgeous aesthetic held back by its support for weaker consoles such as the Nintendo Switch and base model Playstation 4, resulting in a visual presentation that appears to be falling apart at the seams, with the Nintendo Switch port in particular suffering from extreme texture aliasing, resulting in (barely) visible seams on almost every character model, weapon and asset.
Thankfully, these issues do not exist on PC or PS5, allowing players to enjoy Reynatis’s unique visuals, engaging narrative, and surprisingly good combat without being distracted by character models and scenery, which appear to be breaking apart due to texture aliasing.
Now I understand why some people wish developers would leave behind older platforms entirely. Eighth-generation Sony and Xbox consoles and the Nintendo Switch do “hold back technology” somewhat. However, with the PS4 and Nintendo Switch users representing around 200M users in 2024, like many developers, FuRyu could not afford not to cater to them.
Reynatis is good, but it does not look, feel, or play like a game that costs $59.99. It would have performed much better, retailing closer to $29.99, as frankly, while it’s very fun, it just does not compare to the quality of other JRPGs in that price range. Even titles such as Final Fantasy XVI are priced at just $49.99, and the highly anticipated upcoming JRPG Metaphor: ReFantazio is priced at just $69.99.
Reynatis is a role playing game video game developed by FuRyu and published by Arc System Works, it was released on 25 July 2024 and retails for $59.99+.
Reynatis is available on the following platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC, Playstation 4, and Playstation 5.
The following peripherals are officially supported:
Reynatis is rated PEGI 16+ and contains:
Reynatis is a solid title, and while the Nintendo Switch port is entirely playable, it struggles with the platform’s limitations. Not even the excellent combat, engaging narrative, and interesting character designs could fully distract me from the fact that it was running at a low resolution with very little or no anti-aliasing.
Overall, I recommend playing Reynatis. However, I would not recommend purchasing it over Metaphor: ReFantazio, Visions of Mana, or DRAGON QUEST III HD-2D Remake. If you have spare money and access to a PS5 or PC to play Reynatis as it was intended to be played, then you will not regret picking up Reynatis, as it is a solid 8/10 game, albeit one in a genre that is overflowing with better games.
