"Resonance" reviewed: the best "Final Fantasy" since "X"
Finally, turn-based combat is back in a 'Final Fantasy' game. Thanks to the Vision system, it's incredibly fun. The story provides a retro feel, and the HD-2D visuals perfect 'Resonance' as well – a must-play for fans of classic RPGs.
There it is again. That warm, fuzzy feeling I always had during Square Enix’s golden era – the years between 1995 and 2002. That feeling of experiencing an epic adventure with a great group of people. Of belonging. With "Final Fantasy Resonance," Square Enix is finally picking up where they left off. That’s what I’ve been missing in every installment since "X." "Final Fantasy" didn't feel like "my" "FF" anymore, not just because of the focus on more active combat systems, but also because I never felt that certain something again.
Now my favorite franchise is back, and I can't get the game out of my head.
Many clichés, but still a great story
"Final Fantasy Resonance" retells part of the story of the mobile gacha game "Final Fantasy Brave Exvius" and packages it into a classic RPG structure. Right off the bat: I’ve never played the original, and I found my way around without any problems. The gacha mechanics are all gone, too.
The focus is on Rain and Lasswell, two knights from the Kingdom of Grandshelt. They are practically brothers and lead the airship squadron together. Not bad for being only about 18 years old. And no: you don't have the airship from the very beginning, of course. They witness villains destroying the Earth Crystal. This draws them into a conflict over the world's crystals. The goal is to protect the other seven crystals. The overarching plot is nothing special. The story is defined primarily by its characters. I thoroughly enjoyed my roughly 25 hours with the main story.
On their adventure, Rain and Lasswell encounter other companions. There’s the mysterious white mage Fina, who suffers from – watch out, huge surprise – amnesia. She’s not the only cliché JRPG character, though. At a tender 16, Lid is the cheeky rookie of the group and an enthusiastic airship builder. Fans will immediately notice the intentional phonetic similarity to the recurring character Cid, who is also part of the mix, though not playable. The strategist Nichol, the revolutionary/pervert Jake, and Domina-Fina – don't ask – round out the party.
Despite all the clichés, I liked the group immediately. And naturally, all the characters have more to offer than meets the eye – even if familiar tropes come into play here as well. Rain is the typical, always cheerful hero, but he suffers from daddy issues. Lasswell, on the other hand, is his loyal friend but is always competing with him to see who is stronger. None of that bothers me; in fact, it thrills me. I feel at home immediately. And because of the way the story is written, the characters still have something unique about them.
I also find the villains particularly great. At the beginning, they are just plain evil. Over time, however, I get to know them and their motivations better. This gives the story additional depth.
HD-2D to perfection
I notice that "Resonance" looks fantastic within the first few minutes. Unlike other games in the HD-2D style to date, "Resonance" experiments with a dynamic camera. This makes the game feel truly cinematic despite the pixel art.
The style is convincing in other ways, too. For instance, on the world map: clouds drift leisurely across the screen, and the wind moves the grass under my feet. As pretty as HD-2D has always been, the pixel characters sometimes felt out of place in the 3D environments. Not here. The characters stand out while still fitting perfectly into the world. You can also tell that the development team has refined their craft over the last few years in terms of lighting and combat presentation.
Then there are the various cities I enjoy strolling through to chat with NPCs. They range from the European medieval-looking Grandshelt to the technocratic Dilmagia and the water city of Olderion. And, of course, the dungeons, where I use elevators, search for treasures, or solve simple switch puzzles. A classic "Final Fantasy" dungeon, in other words.
I do have two small criticisms regarding the presentation. The fact that Domina-Fina’s huge breasts visibly jiggle from left to right while walking or fighting, even in pixel art, is simply unnecessary. The character portraits that appear during dialogue look good, but I am irritated by the fact that the weapons are only partially depicted. Rain, for example, only holds the hilt of his sword in his hand; the rest is missing.
The soundtrack is in no way inferior to the visual splendor. When I ride the Chocobo across the world map and the Chocobo theme plays, including nods to "Swing de Chocobo," I feel right at home. The battle theme is a banger that makes my head nod automatically. The orchestral sounds carry the emotional moments to their peak.
The English voice acting is good, but I like the Japanese original even better – even if I don't understand a word. For pixel games, however, this isn't that important to me because I prefer to read the text. Also, not everything is voiced. I can switch the text to German if needed.
Turn-based with a brain
In combat, "Resonance" reminds me of "Final Fantasy X": a timeline shows when each character and enemy will act. I’m constantly eyeing it and planning ahead. Through spells like "Haste," I can change the turn order. I also learn abilities from the Visions that allow me to change the order, such as swapping a character's turn with another.
The combat system also includes a stagger system, similar to the one in "Final Fantasy 7: Remake" or "Rebirth." Every attack lowers an enemy’s stagger bar. If I hit them with their elemental weakness, it plummets. Once the gauge is empty, it interrupts their action for that turn and opens a window for more damage and an additional turn for the character who staggered the enemy. If I empty stagger gauges in a very short time, I can, for example, prevent a dangerous attack before it hits me. This creates a nice rhythm where I’m always thinking one or two turns ahead. If I put all enemies into a staggered state in one round, it’s called a Sweeping Stagger. Then all my characters receive an additional turn.
Otherwise, the battles offer typical "Final Fantasy" fare. Naturally, the Espers, the summoning spells, are a must. Carbuncle, Leviathan, Bahamut, Odin, or Siren briefly intervene in the battle before unleashing their signature attacks.
The only small criticism of the battles: the characters regularly comment on their actions. That’s basically fine. But when Lasswell, for example, keeps saying "We have their weakness" during a ten-minute boss fight, it gets annoying.
Visions: Legends in your luggage
The highlight is the Visions. These are partners that I assign to each character and whose strength I use in battle. There are 26 in total, with 17 coming from previous main "Final Fantasy" games and the other nine being characters from "Brave Exvius." So, I have characters like Cloud, Squall, Zidane, and Tidus by my side in battle.
I can equip one Vision per party member. Each brings its own attacks, spells, and special abilities and influences which strategies and elements I use. Like the characters, the Visions level up and learn new abilities. I can also equip some of these abilities. This allows me to create individual builds so that I can handle the challenges. It’s incredibly fun. Especially when I fail miserably against a boss on the first try, but then stomp them into the ground minutes later with an optimized build.
But I don't just use the Visions for builds; I also use them for so-called Resonance attacks during a Sweeping Stagger. In these, one of my Visions lays waste to everything with an elaborately animated 3D attack. The contrast to the HD-2D looks really cool, even if it is a break in style. If I ever get tired of them, I can skip the animation.
Exploration is rewarded
The way I obtain the Visions is also great: for all those from the main games, I experience scenes from the respective "Final Fantasy" again in a kind of montage within a crystal cave. In addition, I answer questions about what I would do in their place. The closer my answers are to their actions, the stronger the bond. I find the caves on the world map by exploring it rather than just stubbornly following the quest marker.
There is also plenty to do outside of the main story: powerful monsters in other caves drop Magicite, which I use to improve the Visions. And other optional dungeons hold great rewards alongside tough enemies. For me, the normal difficulty level is perfect. An easy and a harder one are also on board if you want to focus entirely on the story or are looking for more of a challenge in the battles. If I die in a battle, I can try again thanks to regular autosaves or load a save file.
Naturally, side quests are not missing either. In these, I learn more about my characters or get the Visions from "Brave Exvius." Even if they are tasks like "Defeat this monster" or typical fetch quests, they feel rewarding because they allow me to dive deeper into the brilliant game world. I still haven't discovered everything and think the game easily provides content for 50 hours of gameplay or more.
"Final Fantasy Resonance" was provided to me by Square Enix. I tested the PC version. The game will be available for PS5, Xbox Series, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC starting October 22, 2026.
In a nutshell
A love letter to the golden era
Pro
- great HD-2D visuals with cinematic camera work
- atmospheric soundtrack
- exciting tactical, turn-based combat system
- Visions with well-known "Final Fantasy" characters and plenty of build freedom
- Villains with relatable motives
Contra
- repetitive voice lines during combat
- Superfluous fan service with Domina-Fina's pixel breasts
From big data to big brother, Cyborgs to Sci-Fi. All aspects of technology and society fascinate me.
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