Reynatis review

As a collaboration between Shibuya-based FuRyu and Natsume Atari, Reynatis is overflowing with ideas. Often, it feels like the teams couldn’t reject a half-hearted concept, much to the game’s detriment.

The plot imagines the Shibuya Scramble as the epicenter for those with magical abilities, with wizards cohabitating with normal humans. But because of the potential of their abilities, the use of ‘Wizarts’ is prohibited in public.

Undoubtedly, it’s an interesting premise that has Shibuya simmering with palpable suspicion. This uneasiness has triggered the creation of a bureau known as the Magical Enforcement Agency (or M.E.A. for short), who hunt down wayward wizards. But this sense of apprehension is also evident in details that range from propaganda plastered around the ward to loudspeakers alerting of an eleven o’clock curfew. Naturally, some of the subjugated have formed a guild to push back at anti-wizard policy.

Of Boomer Cops and Rizzless Wizards

Although this set-up would offer enough substance to propel most games, scenario writer Kazushige Nojima also manages to shoehorn in a drug epidemic, a contagion of negativity, stress levels for playable characters, and even a simulated social media platform. In line with this expositional complexity, Reynatis’ perspective is split between a pair of playable characters. Sari Nishijima is an M.E.A. officer who believes in the restriction of magic, while Marin Kirizumi seeks to become an unstoppable wizard who can bring an end to the oppression. One of the few pedestrian plot elements is the structure; it’s evident from the start that these characters are bound to intertwine. The opening cinematic even shows a sideview perspective of their crossing paths, recalling Your Name’s signature shot.

But Reynatis’ convoluted context makes Sari and Marin feel more like ideologies than relatable characters. However, there are a few laudable attempts at development, such as the in-game text messages that expose Sari’s strait-laced demeanor or Marin’s struggle to fit in. Often, the use of slang can inadvertently date a game. But here, a first-rate localization uses language to help indicate a character’s social standing in the title’s teen-filled, media-saturated world.

A Few Spelling Errors

Reynatis’ fondness for a complicated storyline also carries over to its action. In combat, playable characters shift between Liberated and Suppressed modes. The former allows you to execute basic attacks, with the strength of each strike consuming a corresponding amount of MP.  If your magic gauge is completely filled, you’ll get several seconds to perform an uncontested combo of hard-hitting Wizarts. Given that your basic attacks tend to deplete enemy life-bars sluggishly, this is one of the few offensives that makes you feel like a spell-casting powerhouse.

Oddly, Suppressed Mode doesn’t strive to convey vulnerability or even extend a risk/reward wager. Instead, you’re given a split-second warning before being hit by projectiles and an opportunity to perform a potent parry that can help fill your magic gauge. Even if you’re not actively repelling attacks, being suppressed will gradually fill up the meter. Reynatis attempts to keep the fighting feverish, permitting players to swap between playable characters after a cooldown. But after the halfway point, unyielding enemy attack patterns hamper these aspirations and combat grows monotonous.

Evading Cancel Culture  

Worse, many of the activities outside of combat don’t quite mesh together. When Marin and his fellow resistance wizards use magic in public areas, it tends to attract the attention of phone-clutching onlookers. Their social media posts can be noticed by the M.E.A, compelling you to flee the area or face a showdown with elite agents. But evasion is little more than a minor irritation, since you’re free to fast-travel and instantly quell any agency heat. And while the conventional player health system is a common way to cultivate tension, the game undermines its meal-selling restaurants by healing characters at nearby save points.

Reynatis’ recreation of Shibuya is commendable. Largely, the game captures the urban density of Tokyo’s special ward and incorporates real branding (sadly, Hachiko is replaced by a crow). But when you’re sidetracked through portals that transport you to simple, forest-lined pathways and monster rooms, you’ll likely deliberate on the developers’ intentions. A shift of venues is welcome, but why drop players off in one of the dullest action-RPG settings around?

Conclusion

But these aren’t the title’s only missteps. Side quests can ebb away at the level of Malice that plagues Shibuya. But earning new Wizarts requires players to complete tedious tasks doled out across the campaign’s 33 chapters. While some color-cycling subordinate enemies might be forgivable, recycling the same boss encounter several times definitely mars the 25-30 hour campaign. The final insult might be a The World Ends With You crossover quest that evokes a much more cohesive action role-playing experience.

Reynatis was played on PC with review code provided by the publisher.