Game review: Final Fantasy Resonance (Switch 2)

If you have played many of the more modern 3D Final Fantasy games, you'll notice most of them have been 3D action games. Final Fantasy VII Remake, Final Fantasy XV, and Final Fantasy XVI played more like hack-and-slash games than anything else. The latter even had help from a former Devil May Cry 5 developer!

However, older folk like me remember when Final Fantasy games featured slower, turn-based combat. The PSOne trio of Final Fantasy VII, VIII, and IX all used turn-based combat. It wasn't until the release of Final Fantasy XII in 2006 that the mainline series started to experiment more with other combat battle systems.

There's been a long debate amongst the Final Fantasy fandom about which battle system is superior. Some people like the hack-and-slash approach, while others like turn-based combat. If you're the latter, you might be interested in a new Final Fantasy game out right now called Final Fantasy Resonance.

Final Fantasy Resonance takes the franchise back to the past with not only turn-based combat, but also an old-school style of 2D graphics. Final Fantasy VI was the last mainline FF game that was 2D, so playing Final Fantasy Resonance is like a trip back to the past!

That's not to say Final Fantasy Resonance's graphics are totally retro. It borrows some of the visual elements seen in the Octopath Traveller series, as both games are labelled as 2D-HD titles. This means the game has 2D character models, but the environments are rendered in glorious 3D.

Square Enix did not skimp on the game's presentation either, because it has full voice acting for all main characters. The game also includes some epic-looking 3D-rendered cutscenes for some action sequences and summons. The only time the game does not have voice acting is during side quest dialogue scenes.

As for the story, you assume the role of a young Knight named Rain who fights alongside his friend Lasswell. They meet a girl with amnesia called Fina, and the trio set out to fight an evil group called the Sworn Six, who are hell-bent on destroying all of the world's most important elemental crystals.

When you progress through the story, you'll get to know more about Fina's past, as well as the identities of the Sworn Six. I've heard some criticisms that this game had a weak story, but I enjoyed most of the game's plot and cast of characters.

In terms of gameplay, Final Fantasy Resonance takes inspiration from the older Final Fantasy games. You normally start off in a quiet town with an inn and shops to buy armour and weapons. After that, you venture out into the open-world map to fight enemies or explore dangerous dungeons.

One thing that might annoy more modern gamers is that Final Fantasy Resonance brings back random battles. If you have never heard of random battles before, it means battles can happen at any time, and you don't know who you are fighting.

Not to mention, Final Fantasy Resonance does not have any parry or dodge system like Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. When an enemy attacks your four-person party, you just have to sit there and take it, unless you cast special techniques such as Dark or Reflect.

That said, I still liked the turn-based combat system in Final Fantasy Resonance because your characters have a lot of special techniques and magic abilities to use. For example, you can cast lightning anytime you see a robot enemy because electricity is their biggest weakness.

The other cool thing about combat is that you can stagger both enemies and bosses. Underneath an enemy's health bar is their stagger bar. When the stagger bar is empty, the enemy will be stunned, giving you more time to attack them with lots of damage.

However, the coolest part about Final Fantasy Resonance is that you can summon both Espers and Visions. Espers are the usual cool summoned monsters Final Fantasy fans will be familiar with, such as Ramuh, Ifrit, Shiva, and more. You can find them in special caves, and if you beat them in battle, they will join your team.

Visions are crystallised versions of past Final Fantasy characters that you can attain when you visit Sanctum of Light caves. They are like the Kameo characters in Mortal Kombat, as they can aid you in combat. Some of the famous characters you can equip include Cloud, Lightning, Zidane, Noctis, Terra, and loads more.

Another cool thing about Final Fantasy Resonance is that it caters to gamers with all skill types. You can set the difficulty to Casual, Normal, or Expert. Whether you are a beginner or expert at JRPGs, you should be able to find a difficulty setting that suits you most.

The only thing I can criticise about Final Fantasy Resonance is probably its addition of random battles. I remember trying to navigate my way through a dungeon, and it got really annoying every time I got interrupted by a random battle. If the enemies were visible, I would have been able to avoid combat entirely.

Some people may also not like the fact that you cannot parry or dodge enemy attacks. Being unable to avoid boss attacks can be frustrating, especially if it's a move that can wipe out the entire party. With moments like this, you better hope you have enough money to equip the game's best armour.

Aside from a few flaws regarding its combat, I still had a great time playing Final Fantasy Resonance. The story was interesting, and the presentation of the game is immaculate. If you like turn-based JRPGs, this game is worth checking out.