Reynatis Preview: Fast action combat on the streets of Shibuya

It’s no secret that you need to have something special in your RPG to make it truly stand out in pop in today’s world of gaming. Reynatis is off to a great start, featuring fabled composer Yoko Shimomura to score the RPG’s music, and Kazushige Nojima is credited as the Scenario Writer for the story. It’s a powerful duo that instantly put Reynatis on my radar.

Modern Day Shibuya

At its core, Reynatis is an Action RPG that takes place in a realistic depiction of the Japanese commercial district of Shibuya. However, in the world of Reynatis, there are wizards with the ability to utilize magic, though not everyone has such powers. As such, powerful organizations have formed seeking to oppress and liberate the wizards due to fears over their power. It reminds me of the dynamic from Harry Potter or even the classic TV show Heroes.

It also looks like the developer, FURYU Corporation has worked hard to bring the city of Shibuya to life, featuring details that anyone who has been there will actually recognize including shops and signs, featuring iconic locations such as Shibuya 109 and Dogenzaka Alley. The city itself seems lively and bustling, featuring NPCs who will carry out their life walking around the city, but respond to your actions. If the locale catches you utilizing your magical powers, they’ll freak out and use their phone to notify the “magic police”, known as the M.E.A. which will then hunt you down.

From a gameplay perspective, Reynatis features a fast-paced action combat that allows you to switch between the characters in your party on the fly, and even call upon them to perform powerful combos. A unique system allows you to switch between two modes—Suppression and Liberation—in real-time. When in Suppression Mode, you’re able to dodge attacks and build up your magical power. Upon switching to Liberation Mode, you’re able to unleash your stored magical power dealing massive damage.

Still some questions about combat

Having the opportunity to see the combat system in action across a few different environments, there does seem to be some repetition and overall simpleness to the combat system. But if it’s as fast-paced as NIS has stated, it seems like that’s partially by design. I personally don’t mind a more simplistic combat system as long as it’s still fun, rewarding, and overall doesn’t feel boring. In fact, with some games, I actually prefer it so I can instead focus on grinding, exploring the environments, or getting enthralled into the story.

One of the most intriguing facets of Reynatis is that it has a collaborative crossover with NEO: The World Ends with You. This isn’t a simple event or anything, either. Characters from NEO: TWEWY will appear throughout Reynatis, and are actually a substantial component of the story. I’m always down for some more TWEWY, so this only furthers my excitement for Reynatis.

The only negative I could take away from the preview is that Reynatis features Japanese voiceovers only. English subtitles are available, but I do know some players will be disappointed that there is no dub option. However, if that’s not an issue for you, Reynatis looks like a solid fast-paced Action RPG set in a beautifully authentic rendition of the city of Shibuya.

I’m looking forward to exploring the city myself when Reynatis releases on PC via Steam, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Nintendo Switch on September 27, 2024.