Urban fantasy RPG Reynatis from Final Fantasy, Kingdom Hearts, Legend of Mana talent confirms western release

Publisher NIS America has confirmed a western release for action-RPG Reynatis, which was revealed during the Japanese version of last week's Nintendo Direct Partner Showcase.

Reynatis wasn't present in the showcase for overseas, but yesterday NIS America announced it'll also be released outside of Japan on Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam), PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5.

The announcement trailer gives us a flavor of the magic-infused world of Reynatis, set in contemporary Shibuya. The immediate vibes the trailer gives off are Kingdom Hearts meets The World Ends With You, with some hints of Final Fantasy Versus 13 and Kingdom Hearts 3's game-within-a-game Verum Rex. You have my attention, Reynatis.

These influences all make sense given the names attached to Reynatis. Reynatis is in development by FuRyu Corporation, with Final Fantasy and Kingdom Hearts writer Kazushige Nojima in charge of writing. The soundtrack has been composed by Yoko Shimomura, known for her work on Kingdom Hearts, Super Mario RPG, and the Mana series. The creative director of Reynatis is Takumi Isobe, who was the director on 2022's Trinity Trigger (also published by FuRyu in Japan).

Reynatis will follow the story of two protagonists. Marin Kirizumi is a wizard who is forced to hide her magic from her, while Sari Nishijima is an officer who wants to use her magic from her to keep other magic users in line. The game takes place in an alternate version of Shibuya in 2024, where a Criminal Magic Response Act has banned citizens from going out at night. The game will “painstakingly” recreate real-life Shibuya and include plenty of its most famous landmarks.

Reynatis is currently planned for release this autumn, according to the official website. Its reveal mirrors that of last year's Paranormasight: The Seven Mysteries of Honjo, which was also a Japan Nintendo Direct exclusive despite being a worldwide release. The visual novel turned out to be quite the delight, with Donlan calling it “a ghost story that's genuinely haunted by the player on the other side of the screen” in his Paranormasight review.