Genre: RPG Mode: 1 player local Developer: Square Enix, Lancarse
Engine: Unreal Engine 5
Final Fantasy: Resonance is a return of the traditional Final Fantasy series that comes with JRPG storytelling while retaining the classic RPG mechanics. Praised for its emotionally charged narrative, orchestral score, and innovative Resonance combat system.
Ensemble heroes that includes a wandering bard, disgraced knight, and mysterious child tied to the Resonance.
Announce Trailer
Story
Set in the fractured world of Lyricis, where elemental harmonies have collapsed.
Protagonist Aurelia, a Resonant chosen by fate, must now restore balance while confronting her own lineage.
Themes of memory, sacrifice, and the cost of harmony run throughout the plot.
Launch Trailer
⚔ Game Play
The game leans heavily inspired by Final Fantasy IV, a true classic that was very popular during it's era. Coming in as a return to old school RPG experience that fuses the line between retro and modern. When you start off as lead protagonist Rain, and his deputy commander Grand Shelt, are dispatched to collect 1 of the 8 crystals scattered across the land that protects the fabric of the world. Rain, Lasswell, and Fina comes to protect the world in time to save the castle from a dark knight. The cutscenes are partial 2d images infused into 3d environments. Get to recruit tons of original Final Fantasy characters including casts from Final Fantasy 6, and 7 Remake.
Traverse across a diorama-esque landscape in a vast open world filled with mysteries and secrets. Large variety of landscapes awaits you to explore from lush grasslands, mining town, deserts, grand castles and more. There's plenty of side quests that comes with rewards, collectibles from loot drops, and plenty of equipment upgrades and character enhancing features. Exploring the towns are a joy with ability to run across places to chat and enjoy the highly detailed and beautiful settings. Scattered throughout the world are Sanctums of Light, a place where it serves as a vehicle for one Visions. Each Sanctum let's you pull in an avatar from a different dimension. It will recap the heroe's story and then let's you add him/her to your roster of heroes. You can then add 1 vision member to your party.
They serve as a job system, with their own unique abilities and attacks during combat. You can hold up to 4 vision members in the menu and use 1 at a time while swapping them during combat. Each character can have their unique abilities unlocked for mixing and matching movesets with other heroes. When unlocking, their team members will also level up and gain new abilities with enhanced stats.
In the world map, you explore on foot, on chocobos, and even airships. Going on foot exposes you to random encounters with enemies that will then transition you into the combat view mode.
Game Play Trailer
Final Trailer
Combat The combat system returns back to the classic turn-based system, however this time, it's got a deep and compelling mechanics. Though there are no ATB system this time, however a timeline system is placed on top of the screen, which you have to keep tabs of which enemy will be attacking and choose which hero you want to engage them first. Enemies will have a stagger bar, once depleted, they become staggered to your advantage for extra attacks. Heroes get a bonus turn when enemies are staggered, your heroes can unleash an all-out-attack known as resonances by the vision you have equipped at the end of your turn. Summons are known as Espers, which you can use to summon mythical creatures to do special attacks and heavy damage or status effects to enemies.
Music
Not forgetting the musical warms your heart as well as your ear that keeps you engaged throughtout the game that draws inspiration heavily from classic sound tracks.
🧠 Verdict
The game offers long play time value with tons of weapons, equipable, towns to explore, hidden chests, mythical boss fights, and much more. For new gamers to the series, there is no worries you are left out because you don't know the other series, as it's a self contained story-telling. Players will enjoy the classic mechanics and world exploration with complex RPG mechanics with the conveniences of modern design system.
