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If you played throughTheatrhythm: Final Bar Line’stutorial, you learned about several types ofmusic stages. Battle Music Stages (BMS) are Theatrhythm’s combat-focused stages. Meanwhile, Field Music Stages (FMS) are Theatrhythm’s exploration-focused stages. But what are the significant differences between these stages, and do they matter?
Related:Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line - Beginner Tips
Two significant differences exist between a Battle Music Stage and a Field Music Stage. First, FMSs contain significantly different hold triggers than BMSs. And second, your party must travel between battles in FMSs while enemies will approach you one after the other in BMSs. We’ll go over these stages in more detail, as well as the less common Event Music Stages (EMS), below.
What Are Battle Music Stages?
Battle Music Stagesare music stages that emphasize combat. Triggers move across the playfield from left to right in four rows. You must hit the triggers in time with the music as they pass through the four targets on the right.
There are four types of music targets:
In battle music stages, you’ll face a continuous string of enemies with little respite in between. Therefore, missing a single trigger will make your party vulnerable to attack.
What Are Field Music Stages?
Field Music Stagesreplicate the explorational part of Final Fantasy. In these stages, you’ll still battle enemies. However, you’ll have to travel from one battle to the next. Unlike Battle Music Stages, Field Music Stages use one moving target rather than four.
The triggers present in Field Music Stages are mostly the same. However, Hold Triggers are significantly different. The hold trigger lines in Field Music Stages will move up and down. Therefore, you must change direction with the thumbstick in sync with the music and the line’s direction. Fortunately, you do not have to match the line’s position precisely. Hitting the directional input in time with the line’s rise and fall is enough to score Critical timings.
If you wish to take down more enemies in an FMS, add characters with high aglity to your party. Higher agility will help your party travel faster from battle to battle. Abilities that boost your party’s agility, likeHasteandHastemarch, will also go a long way.
What Are Event Music Stages?
Event Music Stagesare special music stages that showcase cutscenes and music videos from the Final Fantasy series. You’ll unlock these songs after clearing a title in Series Quest mode. Event Music Stages play identically to Battle Music Stages. The only difference is that triggers from the top of the screen fall in four columns toward four targets at the bottom. While there are no enemies in Event Music Stages, you will lose HP when you miss a trigger.
