There are two things that a vocal part of the Final Fantasy fandom has wanted for some time now. One is a return to a turn-based battle system. The last true turn-based Final Fantasy game is arguably Final Fantasy XII, but some would even say Final Fantasy X was the last time we saw a turn-based title in the series. Second is a hard return to some pixel-based graphics. Although many love the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, some fans felt they didn’t go far enough. Well, Square Enix has heard them loud and clear and brings to the table Final Fantasy Resonance, a turn-based HD-2D Final Fantasy game based on Final Fantasy Brave Exvius.
I had the privilege of spending a short time with Final Fantasy Resonance, thanks to the lovely people at Square Enix. In the short time I had, we got to try out the battle system, explore a small dungeon and a few places on the overworld, and fight a storyline boss. I was very impressed with what I played. I’m not a hater of any of the 3D action titles in the series, and I actually really enjoyed my time with Final Fantasy XVI and the recent Final Fantasy VII Remake and Rebirth games. I am a fan of both action-based and turn-based RPGs, but it’s really cool and exciting to play a turn-based Final Fantasy again. On top of that, it’s also nice to see a 2D Final Fantasy as well. The HD-2D style has come a long way since the original Octopath Traveler (2018), and it looks absolutely amazing in Final Fantasy Resonance.
My preview continues below, and we also have a video version here from our YouTube channel:
As always, I will avoid spoilers as much as I can in this preview, but I want to share a bit of what I played for a better understanding of what Final Fantasy Resonance is like. The small section I played had us a little bit into the game, apparently right after the 4th character, Lid, joins the other three: Rain (the main character), Lasswell, and Fina. We were tasked with visiting the Wind Shrine to seek out — you guessed it — the wind crystal. Before that, we got to explore the overworld and check out a few places and do some battles as well. I’ll break this down into two sections: gameplay and battle.
Final Fantasy Resonance Gameplay
Final Fantasy Resonance takes many of its gameplay systems from classic Final Fantasy. You have a world map to traverse, side quests to seek out, shopkeepers and other NPCs to talk to, and towns and dungeons to explore. The real appeal here is the Sanctums on the map. These are where you will recruit the classic Final Fantasy characters (and some original characters) to aid you in battle. This system replaces the gacha system from Brave Exvius. As far as I was told and understand, a lot of what I played, both story- and gameplay-wise, is a large departure from Brave Exvius. So even if the core story beats are pulled from Brave Exvius, everything else built around it is not.
The Sanctums in particular are very cool, as the mechanic behind unlocking a character at each Sanctum involves you answering pseudo-trivia questions as if you were in the shoes of said character to unlock them. I can’t go into specifics, but from a nostalgia standpoint, I think it’s engaging and will put a smile on Final Fantasy fans’ faces.
As you visit these Sanctums, you’ll be able to use these classic Final Fantasy characters as equipment called Visions. They are basically tethered to whatever character equips them. That character not only has access to their own individual skills and abilities, but also the skills and abilities of the classic Final Fantasy character. For example, Warrior of Light has several tanking abilities like cover and HP passives, while Terra has magic spells like Fire, Ice, and Thunder. This system gives you a lot of customization options, such as letting you pair a character with a Vision that complements their playstyle, or with a Vision that fills in for what that character lacks. Mix and match to min-max, or just choose the characters you like the best. You can also level up each Vision with magicite shards to increase their abilities. For example, Terra only starts with basic spells, but if you level her up to star level one, she then has access to tier two spells like Fira. Visions can also be used in battle as summons at the end of Resonance Attacks.
Battle in Final Fantasy Resonance
So speaking of battle, here we are with the first turn-based Final Fantasy battle system in some time. Battles are random encounters with a warning system on the map to tell you when the next one will occur. As you enter battle, you will see the timeline bar at the top of the screen. It includes both your characters’ and the enemies’ turns, along with the order for the next round of combat. If you have played Octopath Traveler, you have seen this system before and how well it works when planning out your turns. Your characters take turns using their own abilities or their Vision’s abilities. Each character also has access to a limit break they can use if their bar is full. Enemies have an HP bar and a stagger bar. It’s as simple as hitting the enemy’s weakness to decrease their stagger bar.
The fun begins when you fully stagger an enemy. If you continue the assault on that enemy with other characters, they are added to an extra turn called Resonance. This extra turn begins before the next regular turn starts. Each character gets a chance to attack again to deal additional damage, but after all four characters attack, you are prompted to select one of the four Visions you have equipped (via directional input) to unleash a Resonance Attack. This is where you see that character’s flashy CGI super move. Some are damage types like Terra and Cloud, but some will AOE heal or have support effects. So choosing the right Visions you have equipped becomes much more important in certain fights.
There are traditional Final Fantasy summons in Resonance as well. We had access to Siren, who, when summoned, is like adding a character to your team for three turns before they depart in their own little summon ultimate move. I must also note that the limit breaks are extremely flashy. The HD-2D style has come so far with how it can handle camera angles and elevation. It’s something that traditional pixel art just can’t pull off, and it’s really fun to watch.
Battles have a lot of flavor borrowed from Octopath Traveler, with Resonance adding its own spin. And honestly, that’s enough to get me heavily engaged. It can easily lead to some cool combos and decision-making, since we were told the game will have some fairly challenging fights. The boss at the end of the Wind Temple was still a decent challenge even with the overleveled characters we had. Lid, in particular, has a standout ability to give her turn to another party member, which I spammed to give my damage dealers more chances. It’s turn-based goodness from start to finish.
I’ll finish this up by trying to quell some fears that Final Fantasy Resonance is just Brave Exvius “minus the gacha.” I never played Brave Exvius, but I did play Octopath Traveler 0 last year, which uses the Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent mobile gacha game as its base. Octopath Traveler 0 was outstanding, and everyone I talked to who had played the mobile game said it wasn’t even close to a 1:1 port, but was instead drastically different. From playing a bit of Final Fantasy Resonance, I feel like this is going in the same direction as Octopath Traveler 0. I never felt like I was playing some thrown together “gachaless” game; I felt like I was playing Final Fantasy. So take that as you will.
I would once again like to thank Square Enix for letting me play a tiny portion of Final Fantasy Resonance. I’m even more hyped to play this than I already was. Final Fantasy Resonance releases on October 22nd for Nintendo Switch 1 and 2, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
Before you head out, check out several new screenshots below:
Final Fantasy Resonance Screenshots
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