Final Fantasy Resonance is a game that leans heavily into nostalgia. While largely an original story, charting the journey of heroes Rain, Lasswell, Fina and their friends as they attempt to save the world from darkness, it also largely adheres to the tropes of the Final Fantasy series, as well as its established heroes.
In a recent preview, ScreenHub got hands-on with one of the game’s first arenas and its overworld, and these experiences revealed much of what to expect when this game launches for PC and consoles on 22 October.
Final Fantasy Resonance preview – quick links
Treading familiar ground – but in new shoes
The groundwork for Final Fantasy Resonance was actually laid in mobile title Brave Exvius, with Resonance being an adaptation and transformation of the original plot. Given Brave Exvius is now defunct, it makes plenty of sense to give players a new chance to play, and to ensure its story remains preserved in a form that is approachable for everyone.
As those who played Brave Exvius will know, the original game was elevated by a strong narrative and likeable heroes, all of whom return in a reworked game that removes any trace of this adventure ever being a release for mobile.
Where before, there was simplistic touch-based gameplay and a gacha system, there is now more robust combat inspired by the console Final Fantasy games, and a way to meet each of the game’s main ‘Visions’ – characters from other titles – in the natural course of the story.
The game has also been given a complete facelift, with excellent translation of its art style.
There’s actually a rather neat mix of styles here.
Main characters and enemies are rendered in a very detailed 2D pixel style that gives them plenty of personality. The models are so well done you can see individual expressions of anger and determination, and the dynamic flow of capes and swords as they swing across the battlefield. Enemy models are also grimy and slimy as they need to be.
Rendered environments are delivered in plainer 3D style to ensure they serve as a worthy backdrop.
In addition to these styles, you’ll also encounter painterly anime-style portraits in dialogue, and another art twist in combat. When you summon Visions to fight by your side, their special attacks are introduced with complete CG cutscenes taken from their respective games.
These particular elements don’t work as well, in my mind – if only by comparison.
Final Fantasy Resonance‘s pixel characters are tiny works of art, and having some of their attacks given over to simple cutscenes that are usually pretty long feels like a disservice to the quality and cohesion of the art overall. Personal tastes will differ, of course.
The mix of personalities in Resonance makes for light, fun banter
Beyond a chance to marvel at gorgeous lands and tiny pixel heroes, my preview of Final Fantasy Resonance also revealed much about the intended game loop here.
As adapted from Brave Exvius, your task in leading Rain, Lasswell, Fina and Lid (who aspires to be the new Cid, aka a famed protector of the world) is to tackle an array of enemies and bosses hiding throughout the land of Grandshelt. Each victory brings you closer to your ultimate goal of recovering the magical crystals of the world that determine peace and harmony, which have been scattered by the forces of the evil warrior, the Veritas of the Dark.
For those who’ve played any of the early Final Fantasy games, there’s plenty of familiarity in this quest. It’s usually something about crystals, darkness and the end of the world, and Resonance is content not to challenge the status quo too much.
Good vs evil is a rich trope to draw from, so this layer of similarity isn’t too surprising.
Where Resonance marks itself out as different is in its cohort of characters. The core heroes are strong and noble, but have a fun banter that keeps them all feeling human. There’s some brooding in the mix, as always, but a nice balance of personalities and determination keeps dialogue bouncy and light-hearted.
Lid is a particularly charming companion, and her desire to become a better hero is a nice touch that adds flavour.
Charting the Wind Shrine
As part of the preview for Final Fantasy Resonance, my core goal was to explore the overworld and tackle the Wind Shrine, one of the first locations in the game.
This turned out to be a mysterious temple of floating platforms complete with various pathways, some housing grand treasure and others leading to dead ends. As with the overworld, every step in the game comes with the risk of a monster attack, with this initiating a random battle against a host of enemies.
Anyone who’s played a Final Fantasy game before will find recognisable figures in this lot, from roving ahriman to giant fish creatures, wolves, bats, and more. The combat will also be relatively familiar, with turn-based attacks made possible by HP and MP stats.
The added twist for Resonance is that each hero can also equip a special Vision, as mentioned, with this providing alternative attacks that are more powerful, but more costly. The Visions available in this particular preview included Cloud from Final Fantasy 7, Zidane from Final Fantasy 9 and Terra from Final Fantasy 6.
Initiating the special attacks of these Visions will trigger those aforementioned CG cutscenes, allowing these characters to swing their weapons in dramatic fashion, then deliver a major blow to enemies.
While not made clear in our playthrough, you will seemingly be able to collect all sorts of Visions as you roam, with each offering their own arsenal of abilities to wield.
In the final stages of the Wind Shrine, you’ll find a very powerful armoured boss to defeat, the Veritas of the Heavens, and he’s only put away by ramping up your attacks and leaning on the power of your Visions, while also leaving time to heal and regroup. It’s a grand battle, with the pixel art doing the heavy lifting on dramatic flourishes.
There are plenty of eye-catching moments in this skirmish, likely to be matched or even overshadowed in future encounters.
For those who’ve already played Brave Exvius, there will be some surprises here, particularly in the elevation of the game’s story. This is a ground-up rework with a real eye for scale, and a lovely, polished pixel art style that really sings on screen.
While only short, my Resonance preview was very punchy and very illuminating of what’s to come.
