Final Fantasy Resonance impresses with HD-2D visuals and combat

Shacknews published its review of Final Fantasy Resonance on Oct. 20, 2026, calling the turn-based RPG an incredible experience and one of the best showcases of the HD-2D art style yet. The review highlights the stagger mechanic and the Vision system, which summons spirits of past Final Fantasy heroes to enhance battles.

Developed by Square Enix and Lancarse, Final Fantasy Resonance adapts the opening arc of the 2015 mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. The story follows Rain and his adoptive brother Lasswell, Knights of Grandshelt who must stop the Sword Six from destroying the crystals after their home is destroyed. The party grows to include Fina, an amnesiac with ties to the Sworn Six; Lid; Jake; Nichol; and Sakura, an ageless mage who appears as a child.

Shacknews reports that Rain, Lasswell, and Fina share an arc as memorable as any crew. The turn-based battle system draws from classic Final Fantasy games, with a timeline similar to Final Fantasy X and every enemy having a health bar and a stagger bar.

Breaking every enemy in the same turn triggers a Sweeping Stagger, granting bonus actions and a Resonance attack. Exceeding damage requirements triggers an overkill effect that awards bonus gil. Each main character is assigned one of six roles — Breaker, Commando, Medic, Saboteur, Sentinel, or Synergist — similar to Final Fantasy XIII’s job system.

Lid’s combat revolves around her robotic chocobo, Jake uses a Luck meter to boost critical-hit rate, and Nicol specializes in party-wide buffs. The starting party is Rain, Lasswell, Fina, and Lid.

The Vision system is a central draw, with 17 Visions based on Final Fantasy characters, including Cloud, Tidus, Cecil, Y’shtola, Shantotto, and Sephiroth. Visions can be upgraded from rank 0 to rank 3 using Magicite, and Mastery Points unlock additional abilities and stat boosts.

Fully mastering a Vision unlocks its Soul, reducing AP cost and enabling combinations like Shantotto’s Dualcast on Terra. Shacknews notes that Resonance attacks from Final Fantasy alumni are animated in a contemporary 3D style with theatrical flourish, though the heroes only have Japanese voiceovers.

IGN’s preview from Sep. 3, 2026, described acquiring Visions by entering a Vision Sanctum and answering questions about the character. GameRant felt this process was too simple and suggested it could require battling them first.

Critics praise the HD-2D visuals, with GameRant calling it “Square Enix’s most beautiful HD-2D game yet” and IGN saying “this might be the prettiest HD-2D game yet.” Shacknews notes the art style has been a major feature of Square Enix’s 2D RPGs for the past decade, mostly from Team Asano, and calls Resonance the best usage of it to date.

The art style makes characters expressive with exaggerated gestures and emotions, and the voice cast includes Alejandro Saab as Lasswell. The soundtrack is composed by Noriyasu Agematsu, featuring battle and overworld themes, while the Chocobo theme features callbacks to Swing de Chocobo and the battle theme is described as a standout track that may appear at Distant Worlds concerts.

Shacknews praises the game’s dungeons as an evolution of Final Fantasy dungeons, but criticizes the fixed camera angle in towns for making navigation difficult. Mashable reports that the menu design makes switching Visions a chore.

The narrative receives mixed reviews, with Shacknews reporting that the story takes a drastic turn in the final few hours, which the reviewer found unsatisfying after becoming familiar with the Sworn Six. WorthPlaying notes that the romance subplots are less successful, particularly in Fina’s storyline, where relationships feel underdeveloped despite the game’s focus. WorthPlaying also reports that the story has baffling decisions.

The Shacknews review criticizes Jake’s character dynamic with 16-year-old Lid, noting the writers attempted a Pokemon-style dynamic, but the humor fell flat, while Nichol’s half-hearted revenge arc feels underdeveloped. The plot is described as feeling like a mid-’90s JRPG with brisk pacing and short cutscenes, and the game provides a proper resolution rather than ending on a cliffhanger like the mobile original.

Despite narrative issues, the combat and progression receive high marks, with WorthPlaying giving Final Fantasy Resonance a score of 9.0 out of 10 and GameRant highlighting satisfying combat, rewarding Vision progression, gorgeous visuals, challenging bosses, and compelling characters, with inconsistent English voice acting as a criticism. GameRant also describes the game as a celebration of Final Fantasy’s history that takes players through the franchise’s past. Bleacher Report reports that the pacing feels good and the cast is memorable.

Bleacher Report also reports that equipping different Visions dramatically changes the scale of combat possibilities. Mashable reports the game takes about 40 hours and is not as large as Octopath Traveler, but the combat and exploration make it a satisfying throwback RPG.

GameRant describes optional content, including hidden bosses, bonus encounters, and optional content, with the Colosseum offering increasingly difficult encounters with powerful item rewards and the Chamber of Arms requiring players to find 12 legendary weapons and pieces of armor sealed behind powerful bosses. GameRant reports that the game takes nearly 50 hours to complete, and that the hardest bosses require careful examination rather than familiar strategies, while WorthPlaying notes that with the right build, players can take on level 99 enemies at level 60, and that the flexible job system allows for outrageous combinations like casting Flare Blade 16 times.

WorthPlaying reports that the encounter rate cannot be adjusted until late in the game, requiring players to defeat a level 95 enemy to unlock the ability to disable random encounters. Shacknews found no real reason to use other characters since everyone levels up at the same rate regardless of participation, as players form parties.

Final Fantasy Resonance is rated E10+ by the ESRB with content descriptors for Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Language, and Suggestive Themes. Shacknews concludes that the game is a triumph that proves the series is still the gold standard. WorthPlaying reports that the game’s old-fashioned presentation feels deliberate rather than dated. WorthPlaying also reports that the recycled assets do little to detract from the excellent combat and customization.

Bleacher Report calls it one of the better RPG releases in a stacked 2026 lineup. Mashable reports that the game serves as a reminder that Square Enix is still capable of making such games and may signal better things for the mainline series.