[Review] Frederic: Resurrection of Music – Nintendo Switch

Developer: Forever Entertainment
Publisher: Forever Entertainment
Category: Music, Arcade
Release Date: 12.21.2017

Frederic: Resurrection of Music

Watch out, Floor Kids, we’ve got another fun rhythm game in the mix!

The Nintendo Switch hasn’t even been out an entire year, and all ready we have quite the selection of rhythm games to choose from. Whether you are playing Floor Kids or Superbeat Xonic, you will find a game that pleases your musical nature. Frederic: Resurrection of Music for Nintendo Switch brings a refreshing selection of music from Polish composer Frederic Chopin and brings it in to a modern setting. While you can use traditional inputs, this game is designed for touch screen and with the use of headphones to really get in to the game.

Chopin, or Frederic in this game, is brought back from the dead to save the world from the over-done music of Pop Stars and talentless musicians. Travelling across the world, Chopin duels with readily available opponents by playing remixes of his music in the style of whichever opponent you are facing at the time. Your mission? Restore peace and good music. Do you choose to accept it?

Throughout the game and as you travel the world, you will have 12 opponents to battle it out with. Each opponent will give a bit of a story showing you why Chopin was brought back to save the musical world. The game, like many others, looks like a hand drawn comic book. This isn’t to say that it’s bad. No, in fact it adds to the quirky, fun nature of the game. With each opponent, you can distinctly tell which part of the world you are in; New York, Jamaica, the Wild Wild West? To add in a bit of humor, there are some indirect jokes made about pop culture icons.

The music and new versions of the classic Chopin are quite enjoyable. It isn’t really new music, but it is a fun and quirky take on one of the world’s most popular composers. With a brother who is a professional classical musician, I grew up listening to Chopin, Bach, Beethoven, etc. Therefore I am very familiar with Chopin’s work…and I loved the fun new take on his classic songs. This game is far from simple, though. There are four difficulty settings, from easy to hardcore, and each offers a substantial jump in difficulty. Holding notes and cascading notes will provide a complex playing experience. This game will require practice, especially if you choose to play on the more difficult settings.

While there may only be 12 opponents to challenge, the replayability for that perfect score is ever present. You will find yourself playing the same chapter over and over to achieve that perfect score and, when that bar reaches fully green, will feel satisfied when your foe is defeated.

The game definitely wants you to play in touch screen mode, but the seven piano keys are also tied in to Joy Con controls for those of you who want to play in docked mode. When playing in handheld, when the orange gauge is filled, Chopin can use a special attack by pressing the shoulder buttons at the same time. I found this a hassle, though. In order to be able to press both shoulder buttons while playing in touch screen mode, you have to stop playing the song and press them as quickly as you can which, in effect, causes you to miss notes. This was quite frustrating for me, so I ended up just giving up on using the Special Attack.

When you finish a level, you will get a break down of your musicality; your standard star rating, accuracy and combo count. As an addition to the rhythm genre, Frederic is definitely worth its $5.99 price tag. A quirky new way to play and a great way to introduce the younger generation to classical music. Combining Chopin’s music with Jamaican and Rap music was…very interesting to say the least. It was enjoyable and I did find myself going back and playing my favorite levels time and time again.