For over a decade now, some Final Fantasy fans have been calling for a return to a more traditional gameplay structure. And while Final Fantasy Resonance is far from a mainline AAA Final Fantasy game, it does provide a taste of what a modern installment is all about. could would look like, if it adhered to old-school sensibilities.
Resonance is built on the foundations laid by Final Fantasy Brave Exvius – the now-defunct mobile game. But it’s not just a strange console port; it’s a complete overhaul that removes Exvius from its free-to-play systems and reinvents it as a classic turn-based adventure.
The result is a surprisingly awesome JRPG, complete with all the franchise’s usual trimmings.
It’s a well-paced journey that doesn’t get bogged down in endless amounts of dialogue – a genre trend that’s increasingly difficult to escape. And in that sense, Resonance really feels like a return to simpler times, where big story moments came in quick succession and there was very little filler between them.
That said, Resonance’s relatively simplistic approach leads to a notable lack of narrative depth.
The plot, which revolves around the most important crystals and the mysterious group of knights obsessed with their destruction, has its share of twists and turns – but it’s all very, very predictable.
The characters tend to be incredibly stereotypical, and you can see their eventual struggles and further development coming from miles away. The casting sometimes feels frustrating on a surface level, especially since the interactions between characters – particularly between party members – often suggest there’s more to offer.
Yet, I found myself loved by these personalities in the end. A combination of beautiful character portraits and sometimes humorous writing is very useful; there’s an undeniable charm and confidence about Resonance in the way it presents itself.
Indeed, this may be another example of Square Enix’s foray into HD-2D visuals, but I think the style is far more effective than its peers, like the relatively static HD-2D Dragon Quest remakes.
That’s because he’s not afraid to move the camera and work some really good cinematic angles during cutscenes. It can be a little strange to see pixelated character sprites moving as if they were part of a fully 3D production, but the big story beats I mentioned earlier are undoubtedly better for it.
The environments are also pretty. The explorable world map is a real treat for the eyes, while the game’s multiple towns and villages are all beautifully put together with carefully crafted lighting and depth of field effects.
So it’s a shame that the user interface is just a bit… basic. Generic and boring font choices are the main culprit here, and while visual clarity is extremely important in a game that features so many different menus, I think something like an alt text setting – as seen in Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters – would be more than welcome.
But it’s a minor gripe, the sort of thing that’s so easy to overlook when you’re having fun – and damn, Resonance is fun once it really gets going.
The opening hours are perhaps a little too simple. Combat options are limited, you’re stuck with only two or three party members, and the first few enemies pose almost no threat. It can feel like Resonance is just going through the motions of the JRPG – to its own detriment.
Fortunately, it doesn’t take long before you begin to realize the importance of “Visions”. Scattered throughout the game in easy-to-find shrines, Visions are essentially the spirits of past Final Fantasy protagonists.
They can be equipped to your party members, giving them access to unique skills, magic spells, and passive abilities. Think of them as a system of interchangeable classes and you’re on the right track.
Visions can be freely swapped at any time, but keep them equipped on a character long enough, and that party member will benefit from both permanent stat increases. And passive perks, allowing you to shape their overall combat build.
This process opens up huge potential for customization and it helps if you receive new visions quite frequently. It got to a point where I stumbled upon a Vision shrine and was excited about the possibilities.
It’s just a great progression system, which also happens to appeal to existing Final Fantasy fans. See Cloud, Squall and Tidus launch attacks in combat, floating alongside your characters as JoJo’s Bizarre Adventure stands – is a fairly cheap but effective fan service.
There are some Short The narrative reasoning behind the existence of the Visions, by the way – but you can kind of say that they were originally implemented as part of a gacha system in Brave Exvius.
As such, Visions may seem slightly I jumped in to experiment, but again, they work so well on a mechanical level that I was willing to look past the more uneven details.
So what about the fight itself? Well, it’s a turn-based affair — not an ATB, it must be noted – and it’s actually fantastic.
The system focuses on enemies with a shifted gauge and specific elemental weaknesses. Just like in the Persona games, you are strongly rewarded for exploiting these weaknesses, so it pays to make sure your party covers a wide range of elemental strikes and spells.
Hitting a weakness depletes the stagger bars at a much faster rate, and staggering all of your opponents grants a full sweep of bonus rounds, which is usually where your highest damage comes from.
Success lies in distributing these stunners as efficiently as possible, but when you add additional options like Vision-specific summons and super attacks, things get really dynamic and interesting. There is an impressive degree of depth here.
Gn tech
