Overall Impression – Final Fantasy Resonance
The evolution of the 2.5D pixel experience is here. Final Fantasy Resonance evokes both nostalgia and also pushes the art style and genre forward with its stunning visual design. Not too often do we see this happen especially in an art style that we thought we had already seen and experienced it all. The gameplay is challenging and the RPG systems allows the player to customize their builds and team. This game builds upon an iteration that was available on mobile. However, it is not a remake but more a reimaging of it. Altogether it’s a powerful and unique offering in the genre.
Target Audience
The main target audience for this game are fans of classic RPGs especially the pixel based Final Fantasy series. This game takes the classic experience and pushes the envelope in visual design to another level. This is still a JRPG so fans of this style of experience will feel at home here. If you’re not accustomed to the style of storytelling you want to do more investigation before deciding to purchase. The long form story telling may or may not connect with you depending on your preference as a gamer.
Gameplay
The core gameplay is strategic and challenging. It utilizes a weakness and a stagger system. Enemies are usually susceptible to certain types of damage. You can experiment by testing out different attacks or use a skill that will reveal enemy weaknesses. As you do damage there is also a 2nd stagger bar under the health bar. Once it reaches zero the enemy will be staggered. In this state they take more damage and miss their turn. It’s a strong mechanic that makes you focus on having the right tools for a fight.
Furthermore, characters can be equipped with a vision. Each vision is represented by a character which has a class and comes with skills that can be learned. It’s a way to essentially custom build a units class. These visions also have a resonance ability that can trigger kind of like an ultimate ability when all enemies are staggered. This can help do damage or boost your teams survival.
The unique vision system and ability to customize characters is exciting. We don’t often see this type of free from customization. It means you can tailor each unit as you see fit. It’s an incredible tool especially if you enjoy theory crafting and coming up with unique setups based on your playstyle.
Lastly, the base combat experience does present a challenge. It’s not overly punishing but it does make you pay attention to your choices during a fight. This is often necessary in this style of game so that encounters feel meaningful and strategic.
Art & Design
The art is stunning. This is what it means to push the genre and art style forward. This builds upon the 2.5D pixel art style that we’ve seen in other games, but Resonance brings it to another level. It incorporates the use of different camera angles and exceptionally designed animations that feel visceral and iconic. Together you have an experience that is redefining and setting a new standard for the genre and art style.
Challenges
One of the core challenges in this style of game is the random enemy encounters. These can be numerous throughout a journey. They often offer an easy to moderate challenge but can also feel like filler content between signature boss encounters. They are also necessary to level your characters. However, from an overall experience perspective they can start to feel repetitive and boring. This may or may not be an issue for everyone as it’s a core part of the experience for this style of game.
The other main challenge is whether the narrative resonates with you. This is a JRPG in the sense that it is heavily story driven. There’s a mix of light hearted and sometimes dramatic/over the top dialogue mixed with moments of genuine emotion. This is long form story content meaning there’s usually a much higher ratio of story/dialogue scenes vs gameplay compared to other RPGs. None of this may be an issue for the right gamer; however, those new to this genre may want to try out the demo before purchasing to see if this is the right style of RPG for them.
Closing Thoughts
Final Fantasy Resonance presents an exciting leap forward in the turn based pixel art style. It draws inspiration from the past but pushes forward with bold visual design choices that will leave a mark on this generation of games. It’s open ended skill customization allows for creative team building. The core gameplay is challenging and those that enjoy the old school RPGs of the past will feel right at home here.
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GAME DETAILS
PLATFORMS: PC, Nintendo Switch1/2, PS5, Xbox Series X/S
RELEASE: October 22, 2026
DEVELOPER/PUBLISHER: Square Enix
GENRE/TAGS: RPG, Turn Based, JRPG, 2.5D Pixel Art Style, Story Driven
TARGET AUDIENCE: Fans of classic RPGs that are looking for the next evolution of the genre.
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