REYNATIS Review – Freedom is Magic

REYNATIS Review

REYNATIS is a game overflowing with potential, and it lives up to most of its promises. It also looks like a PS2 game, and honestly, I’m into it. We live in an era of remakes, remasters, and sequels of PS2-era products. It feels right that someone would eventually make their own new PS2 title. And as PS2 titles go, REYNATIS is great.

Fantasy meets reality in the heart of Shibuya, one of Tokyo’s most fashionable commercial districts. In a world where unlicensed magic is illegal, but drugs and near-death experiences can give anyone magic, two young wizards are about to collide. Sari Nishijima works for the Magic Enforcement Administration, a government agency of wizards. Her job is to expose and arrest stray wizards, defeat monsters, and fight the criminal wizards of the Guild.

Meanwhile, stray wizard Marin Kirizumi struggles to stay free and hidden on Shibuya’s streets. But as things escalate, he can’t stay out of the conflict between the M.E.A. and the Guild forever. Soon, his quest to become the strongest wizard brings him through a series of otherworldly portals, each containing a hidden gate. If he can open them all, he can find Dominus, the administrator of magic, who may be able to free him.

However, Marin needs another wizard to unlock the path. And when monsters from the Forest begin leaking into Shibuya, the price of Marin’s freedom may be steeper than expected. In a city where monsters roam and people willingly doom themselves for a taste of power or safety, what will it cost for wizards to gain the freedom to be themselves?

The Magic of Self-Expression

REYNATIS is not subtle about its politics, much like Metaphor: ReFantazio, another recent JRPG. However, this title also wears its inspirations on its sleeve. REYNATIS feels like a mixture of The World Ends with You and the original Final Fantasy Versus XIII. The result is a fun urban fantasy romp with something to say about oppression.

Marin and Sari’s first meeting involves Sari’s team trying to kill Marin unprovoked. Marin is an abrasive little brat. However, it’s very difficult to believe Sari’s claims of heroism after seeing her attack him on the street. Police brutality is directly compared to witch hunts. However, the characters are pretty endearing, especially when they chat between plot points and text each other.

Although the game’s overall tone is pretty serious, its stylish art direction, high-octane combat, and gorgeous recreation of the real-life Shibuya keep things from getting grim. As Sari’s quest for justice and Marin’s quest for power converge, it starts getting downright idealistic.

At its core, REYNATIS is about challenging the status quo because the status quo is failing you. It’s no coincidence that the hunted wizards are primarily teens dressed in alternative fashion. Punk, Lolita, and streetwear fit right in with the theme of struggling to be yourself in a world that demands you conform or die.

REYNATIS Questions the Price of Liberation

REYNATIS focuses on the clash between safety and freedom. Wizards are certainly dangerous and the drug rubrum ruins lives. However, the way the M.E.A. treats them is horrific and prevents the problem from being meaningfully solved. Being hunted by the law for daring to show your true self is an injustice of the highest order. And a choice between being persecuted openly and being persecuted quietly is no choice at all.

The mechanics reflect these themes. Combat has two distinct phases: defense, where you charge up in Suppression mode, and offense, where you Liberate and tear through your foes. Switching between modes is not hard, but getting the timing down can be tricky. You can gain new powers and upgrade spells by finding wizart, mystical graffiti left around the city. But you can only equip two spells, a handful of passive abilities, and use one ultimate attack. As such, combat is pretty streamlined.

You can fine-tune your combat experience by managing your party’s stress levels, which is good, because it’s pretty easy by default. Unfortunately, you can’t fine-tune the stealth mechanics the same way, and they soon became annoying.

That aside, there’s something delightful about buying magic potions from vending machines and using an app to track illegal magic. Running around a lovingly recreated Shibuya is a joy. And the character designs are striking and steeped in symbolism. Shibuya’s wizards often wear hoods or masks to conceal their eyes while Suppressed. Their full faces, complete with glowing eyes, are only shown when Liberated. This adds a neat visual cue as their designs shift in combat.

Pacing and Pricing

REYNATIS only offers Japanese voice acting. The soundtrack is serviceable, though I wish it had more dungeon themes. And while the art direction is nice, the actual graphics are not. Wandering through Shibuya’s neon streets is a blast, but the alternate worlds of Another are repetitive and easy to get lost in.

The pacing is… odd. The first half of the game alternates between two parties every episode. As such, the game only fully comes its own when the two parties merge. This means some fairly important mechanics and set-up information are provided about halfway through the game. And the camera keeps bouncing around in combat, trying and failing to keep up with the characters’ swift movements.

All things considered, this is a pretty linear narrative-driven game with a handful of sidequests and collectibles. If you can accept the wonky pacing, rhythmic combat, and retro graphics, then you’ll have a fun time. But I’m aware that’s a big ask of some people, especially for a game released in 2024.

Should you play REYNATIS? Yes. Should you buy it full-price? Probably not. Unless you’re a fan of weird but fun PS2 titles, you should wait for a sale. But when that sale comes, I do recommend you check this game out.

***PC code provided by the publisher***