Reynatis review: Yoko Shimomura can't save this game from lacking magic

On paper, Reynatis sounds like the perfect game for me. Written by one of the storywriters for the Kingdom Hearts series, directed by Trinity Trigger’s Takumi Isobe, and with a soundtrack by legendary composer Yoko Shimomura, it ticked absolutely every box for me. Unfortunately, the end result isn’t quite what I was hoping for. Reynatis tells the story of multiple characters in a futuristic Tokyo where magic users are both common and outcasts. There are a few ways in which somebody can become a wizard, as they’re called — some people are naturally born with magic in their veins, while others awaken powers upon having a near-death experience. Some, too, are turned magical through the use of drugs, but this has devastating side effects that almost always result in the person being turned into a horrific monster. Because of this, wizards are shunned by society and seen as deeply dangerous, subject to harsh policing and harsher sentencing. It’s a bit of a clumsy analogy to minorities that the game doesn’t stick