By now, every gamer who’s played a Final Fantasy title knows the must-haves of each entry. The chocobos, epic music, heartfelt moments, tactical combat, and a low-stakes plot that turns into a world-saving adventure. Even if some mainline entries have missed the mark on some of those, Final Fantasy Resonance nails every single aspect. Beyond being one of the most enjoyable RPGs of this year, it is also the quintessential Final Fantasy experience, and it makes me wish the next mainline installment would follow everything Resonance executed so flawlessly.
The Tale of the Crystals
For the unaware, Final Fantasy Resonance takes many elements from the now-shut-down Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, a mobile game with some gacha elements at the time. But there’s nothing to fret about: Final Fantasy Resonance is a full single-player Final Fantasy experience, and one of the best we’ve seen in years.
The story follows Rain and Lawswell, who, like many protagonists in the series, get dragged into a world-ending journey when a group of armored figures known as the Sworn Six starts destroying the Crystals of every nation. During their travels, many other companions join the party, and they’re some of the most memorable I’ve seen in recent turn-based RPGs.
Since I didn’t play the original Brave Exvius, this plot was completely new to me, and it hit every note of a proper Final Fantasy tale. You start with that classic adventuring feel and the task of defeating the bad guys. Still, you’re slowly drawn into a more intricate narrative with hints of political intrigue, jaw-dropping plot twists, and dozens of heartfelt, tear-jerking moments.
One thing I found excellent about Final Fantasy Resonance is its pacing. In previous games, including Final Fantasy XVI and Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, pacing can feel off in many ways. You’re often following this high-stakes plot, but the game will throw in some beach filler part or the good old “help the people in the vineyard” quest. While not bad, they can distract from the plot the game has been building up.
However, Final Fantasy Resonance stays on plot all the time, without ever diminishing the seriousness or urgency it’s been building. Even with dozens of side quests, every one fits the narrative and never feels like a small filler arc. On top of that, they are extremely rewarding, with some giving you a new Vision, a powerful skill for some characters, or even a brand-new weapon—every narrative beat is executed perfectly.
While I have enjoyed the recent Final Fantasy releases, I’ve always felt the need to step back after a few hours, as some parts of the story dragged on too long or felt like filler arcs. That never happened in Resonance. This installment tells a compelling story from start to finish, and it delivers one of the best Final Fantasy narratives I’ve experienced in recent years.
Visions of the Past
For combat, Final Fantasy Resonance returns to the series’ turn-based roots, and it does so wonderfully.
At first glance, the system resembles that of Octopath Traveler a lot. Every enemy has weaknesses that you must discover by attacking them or using a spell. If you break their weakness bar, they get staggered, letting you deal more damage. Yet the new additions make Resonance‘s combat one of the best I’ve seen in the turn-based genre.
For starters, every party member can equip a Vision, characters from other entries in the franchise as well as new ones, each with different skills, passives, and spells. While there isn’t a job or class system, every Vision and playable character has set roles that let you combine them in interesting ways.
For example, Rain is a Sentinel, which is basically a tank. At first, I paired him with the Warrior of Light from the original Final Fantasy, turning my protagonist into an unkillable tank. But once I unlocked Clive, Rain became a tank/DPS hybrid, a really interesting combination since I wasn’t trading damage for protection anymore.
The great thing is you don’t have to stick with one Vision throughout the game, unless you want to. Every time you level up a Vision, you’ll unlock passives. Some of them are permanent regardless of what Vision you equip. Yet, others cost points, and you can add them to your character’s build to change their playstyle.
Take Lid, for instance. While she focuses on using her Mecha-Chocobo in battle, I paired her with Zidane and Vaan, both of whom had stealing mechanics, turning Lid into a gil-making machine. For Lasswell, I kept Cloud as his main Vision but usually swapped to other Visions to unlock passives that increased his damage and stagger potential.
The building potential in Final Fantasy Resonance was one of the features I enjoyed most. It was great to give a party member spells they don’t normally have, or skills that turned them into a brand-new archetype I never thought of.
Beyond skills and spells, you can also trigger other abilities when staggering an enemy. If you stagger all foes, you get a Sweeping Stagger moment, where all party members attack in succession. After that, you can trigger a Resonance attack, basically a Vision’s ultimate move. While powerful, what I loved most was how every Resonance move paid homage to each character. Clive’s transformation into Ifrit, Cloud’s classic Buster Sword move, and many of the old-school Final Fantasy protagonists getting mind-blowing attack animations.
The same happens with Summons, by the way. Since this is a series staple, Square Enix did a wonderful job of including these iconic entities and made them work in an interesting way. In combat, you can only summon one at a time, and it’ll attack on its own, culminating in a devastating blow. I also liked that obtaining Summons was challenging, making the search for them even more rewarding.
My only minor complaint about combat isn’t the system itself, but how some attacks are presented. Square Enix crafted the best and most jaw-dropping HD-2D title to date. Why then include 3D animations in Resonance moves when the pure HD-2D Limit Break attacks are already gorgeous? In truth, this isn’t a big deal, but some of these sequences felt a bit off, yet nothing you can’t get used to after a couple of hours.
An HD-2D Marvel
One thing that keeps blowing my mind, ever since I played the first Octopath Traveler, is how much the HD-2D style has evolved. When I reviewed The Adventures of Elliot, I thought that style had reached its peak. Well, Final Fantasy Resonance proved me wrong.
Besides bringing back the gorgeous backgrounds and the beautiful pixel art characters and props, the animation is on a whole new level. The first time I saw a Limit Break in action, my jaw dropped. The art and animation team did a fantastic job at elevating this style to new heights.
On top of that, there are many more animated cutscenes and sequences, with some even combining these low-poly-like models with the iconic HD-2D characters, creatures, and effects. It all comes together cohesively, and in the best way Square Enix has done it.
Even though I enjoy the direction titles like Rebirth and the upcoming Revelation are taking, I think many more Final Fantasy games should get this HD-2D treatment. I dare say this style is perfect for remaking some of the franchise’s more old-school installments, as it gives each title a gorgeous new look while keeping that classic feel.
On the gameplay side, I also liked how you could explore the map on top of your Chocobo and other means of transportation, and how every area stayed in this style. Even if some zones aren’t too big, I loved how Resonance prioritized quality over quantity, crafting every area, town, and dungeon in such a unique way that made the journey unforgettable.
An Ode to a Series
For me, Final Fantasy as a whole has been a staple of RPGs. Its stories, characters, epic battle music, and intricate combat make for a memorable adventure. Final Fantasy Resonance has all of those features, and it elevates them in ways that even recent main installments haven’t.
In the end, Resonance isn’t just a homage to one of the most iconic and legendary franchises out there. It is a flawless RPG that embraces every aspect that has made the Final Fantasy series stand out for decades. My only hope is that Square Enix will continue delivering installments in this style and with this quality, because if so, we could be looking at a promising era in the series.
Review copy provided by the publisher.
Final Fantasy Resonance (PC Reviewed)
Final Fantasy Resonance is easily one of the best turn-based RPGs in recent times, while also being one of the best Final Fantasy titles out there, becoming a love letter to the legendary franchise.
Pros
- The best HD-2D title to date
- A superb turn-based combat system
- One of the best Final Fantasy titles of recent years
Cons
- Some 3D animation sequences may seem a bit off at first
