Key Preview Takeaways:
- This might be the prettiest HD-2D game yet.
- Visions are a fun gameplay mechanic that get fan-favorite characters from previous Final Fantasy games involved.
- The soundtrack is on point based on what I’ve heard so far.
About two minutes into my demo, Final Fantasy Resonance hit me with a word that I’ve never seen before. That doesn’t happen much in a video game these days. The word? “Puissance.” So, like any good writer, the first thing I did was look it up. It’s Middle-English by way of Anglo-French, first used in the 15th century. It means “strength” or “power.” You see, I’d found my way into a strange, crystalline cave where the Vision of Noctis rested. I already had Noctis in my party, but entering the shrine gave me the opportunity to relive the act of acquiring him. The whole thing played out like a montage: moments from Final Fantasy XV played out all around me, and I answered questions about what I’d do if I was in Noctis’s shoes. The more my answers lined up with Nocti’s actions, the deeper our bond would be. None of it mattered of course; I already had Noctis, and I wouldn’t gain additional puissance for redoing it. But I’m glad I did all the same.
HD-2D FTW
Based on my time with it, Resonance has a lot of cool little moments like that. Let’s get the obvious stuff out of the way. Resonance has the most impressive use of HD-2D I think I’ve ever seen. It’s absolutely gorgeous, and you can see it from the overworld. It’s the way the clouds pass gently overhead, the way the wind seems to rustle the grass beneath your feet. What’s equally stunning is the way your character’s spite moves through all of this. HD-2D is gorgeous, but it can sometimes look like your character is a little out of place in the world. Not so here. Your character looks distinct, but it always seems like they fit.
Once I was done chillin’ with Noctis, it was time for me to head to the Wind Shrine and actually do the demo I’d come here to play. I putzed around in the overworld a bit to get a feel for the combat system, but once I felt good, I mounted my Chocobo and headed for the Wind Shrine. The visuals will get most of the ink in previews like this, but you shouldn’t sleep on Resonance’s music. It’s gorgeous. As I rode around on my Chocobo, and the Chocobo theme played (complete with a few callbacks to Swing de Chocobo), I felt right at home. And the battle theme? An absolute banger that I was banging my head to. I wouldn’t be surprised to see it show up at the Distant Worlds concert series sometime in the near future.
Sticking to its Vision
Once inside the Wind Shrine, my demo began in ernest. My party was making quick work of the wolves and other monsters scattered about outside, but inside it was time to get serious. Resonance’s combat system is interesting. I had four characters on the field – Rain, Lasswell, Fina, and Lid. Rain was your fire sword boy protagonist, and I loved him for that; Lasswell is your too-cool-for-school swordsman; Fina is an archer who also serves as the party’s healer; and Lid – who is aiming to be the next Cid, more a title in Resonance than a name – most clearly maps to Thief, despite her giant hammer and stone attacks. It’s a fun group, and I enjoyed the way they gassed each other up – or, in Lasswell’s case, was audibly over that – after fights.
That part is traditional Final Fantasy through and through. What makes Resonance different are the Visions I mentioned earlier. See, Visions aren’t just cool callbacks to Final Fantasies past. They’re partners you can equip to your characters so you can call on their strength in battle. You only equip one to each of your party members at a time, but the crew I was rolling with featured some absolute legends. The Warrior of Light was paired up with my boy Rain. Everyone’s favorite twink Cloud Strife was a natural fit for Lasswell. Lid was hanging out with Final Fantasy IX’s Zidane, and the First Lady of Final Fantasy, Terra herself, was swapping stories with Fina.
Like the main party members, each Vision has their own attacks, spells, and special abilities, so it isn’t much of a surprise to see Cloud pulling off Braver or Terra casting spells. Combat itself reminds me of Final Fantasy X, which is to say it’s actually turn-based, not based on the ATB system, and it feels very good, especially when you can do things like have Lid grant someone else her turn or cast spells that ensure your entire party goes before the enemies do.
If it’s a Fight You’re After…
The other cool thing Resonance does is add a Stagger gauge. Any attack will reduce it, but tag an enemy with its elemental weakness – almost everything in the Wind Shrine was unsurprisingly of the Wind element, which made them vulnerable to Ice spells and attacks imbued with a bit of chill – and you’ll drop that thing to zero in a hurry. Stagger every enemy and you’ll gain access to extremely powerful Resonance attacks, which call in one of your Visions for a “get the hell off my lawn” attack. These are gloriously animated 3D cutscenes, in contrast to Resonance’s lovely HD-2D, and they look pretty rad. Fights are generally quick and snappy, and it’s fun to watch your characters pull off cool attacks or plan to activate a Resonance.
Between fights, I ran around the shrine, riding elevators, finding goodies, and generally Playing a Final Fantasy Dungeon™. I even ran into one of those weird pots that wanted items. I gave him an ether. Life was good. Chill dude, provided you give him what he asks for.
Finally, it was time for a showdown with the boss of my demo: Aether. He was all high and mighty – apparently, folks from the sky look down on us poor land-dwellers – but I’ve played Xenogears before. He wasn’t scaring me. The fight was the hardest of the demo by far, and I was lucky Lasswell had a weapon that piled on Wind resistance. Aether was no joke, and sometimes he’d summon other monsters to help him out. Luckily, I was pretty familiar with my party’s skills by that point, and I knew the right combination of protective spells, attacks, and abilities to take him down. And when things went sideways, I had Phoenix Downs. So many Phoenix Downs. Thank God my team came to the shrine loaded for air.
This was also when I got to see my first summon – Siren, who… I have to be honest, didn’t do much, but she did look cool – and the party’s limit breaks, whether it was Fina’s rain of arrows (between this and her and Terra’s healing magic, she was truly the fight’s MVP) or Lasswell styling on ‘em in a duel under the moonlight, cherry blossoms blowing in the wind. But eventually, Aether went down. And there, my demo ended.
Just Like Old Times
Final Fantasy Resonance feels like it’s walking a tightrope between being a loving tribute to Final Fantasies past while also taking the series into a cool new direction and telling its own story. Is it going to pull it off? We’ll have to wait and see, but I was very impressed by the hour I spent playing it. From the gorgeous HD-2D aesthetic to the awesome soundtrack and a battle system that can hold its own, Resonance looks like it’s doing all the right stuff. The cameos are just a bonus. Just… don’t take Zidane to fight Aether, okay? He’s a windy boy. Doesn’t do much. Bring Noctis and his cool fishing animation instead.
While you’re here, check out these recent previews of other big upcoming games we’ve checked out recently!