REYNATIS Review – Freedom is Magic

REYNATIS review

REYNATIS is a game brimming with potential and lives up to most of its promises. It also looks like a PS2 game and I honestly like it. We live in an era of remakes, remasters and sequels of PS2 era products. It feels good that someone will eventually make their own new title for PS2. And as far as PS2 titles go, REYNATIS is great.

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

Meanwhile, lost magician Marin Kirizumi fights to stay free and hidden on the streets of Shibuya. But as things escalate, he can't stay out of the conflict between MEA and the Guild forever. Soon, his quest to become the strongest wizard takes him through a series of otherworldly portals, each containing a hidden door. If you can open them all, you can find Dominus, the steward of magic, who may be able to free you.

However, Marin needs another mage to unlock the path. And when forest monsters begin to infiltrate Shibuya, the price of Marin's freedom may be greater than expected. In a city where monsters roam and people willingly condemn themselves for power or safety, how much will it cost for wizards to gain the freedom to be themselves?

The magic of self-expression

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

Marin and Sari's first meeting involves Sari's team trying to kill Marin without provocation. Marin is an abrasive brat. However, it is very difficult to believe Sari's claims of heroism after seeing her attack him in the street. Police brutality is directly compared to witch hunts. However, the characters are quite endearing, especially when they chat between plot points and text each other.

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

At its core, REYNATIS is about challenging the status quo because the status quo is failing you. It is no coincidence that the persecuted magicians are mainly alternatively dressed teenagers. Punk, lolita, and streetwear fit perfectly with the theme of fighting to be yourself in a world that demands you conform or die.

REYNATIS questions the price of release

REYNATIS focuses on the clash between security and freedom. Magicians are certainly dangerous and the drug rubrum ruins lives. However, the way the MEA treats them is horrible and prevents the issue from being resolved in any meaningful way. Being persecuted by the law for daring to show your true self is injustice of the highest order. And choosing between being persecuted openly or being persecuted silently is no choice at all.

The mechanics reflect these themes. Combat has two distinct phases: defense, where you charge in Suppression mode, and offense, where you free and plow through your enemies. Switching between modes isn't difficult, but cutting time can be tricky. You can gain new powers and upgrade spells by finding mystical graffiti and wizards left around the city. But you can only equip two spells, a handful of passive abilities, and use a final attack. As such, combat is quite snappy.

You can adjust your combat experience by managing your party's stress levels, which is good, because it's pretty easy by default. Unfortunately, you can't adjust the stealth mechanics in the same way and they quickly became annoying.

Aside from that, there's something delicious about buying magic potions from vending machines and using an app to track illegal magic. Running through a lovingly recreated Shibuya is a pleasure. And the character designs are amazing and full of symbolism. Shibuya magicians often wear hoods or masks to hide their eyes while they are restrained. Their full faces, with glowing eyes, are only shown when they are Released. This adds a clear visual cue as your designs change in combat.

Rhythm and price

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

The rhythm is… strange. The first half of the game alternates between two matches in each episode. As such, the game only makes full sense when the two parts merge. This means that some pretty important mechanics and setup 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' rapid movements.

Ultimately, this is a fairly linear narrative game with a handful of side quests and collectibles. If you can accept the shaky pacing, rhythmic combat, and retro graphics, then you'll have fun. But I'm aware that's a big ask for some people, especially for a game released in 2024.

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