Final Fantasy Resonance has its first review score, and it’s a strong one. Japanese magazine Famitsu gave Square Enix’s turn-based RPG a 9 from each of its four reviewers, for a total of 36 out of 40, according to Nintendo Everything and Nintendo Life, both citing this week’s issue.
Resonance is the first Final Fantasy built in the HD-2D style, the blend of pixel-art characters and 3D environments that Square Enix introduced with Octopath Traveler. It launches October 22, a week from today, and a demo is already out. Nintendo Life notes that demo saves carry over to the full game.
What Famitsu’s reviewers liked
Famitsu’s verdicts are short comments rather than full reviews, but the four critics landed on the same themes. Nintendo Everything’s translation has one reviewer calling it “a timeless, classic JRPG adventure,” with series staples like crystals, jobs, summons and airships reworked into a modern battle system and story.
Another reviewer says the art style “will be irresistible to those who loved the series from its pixel art era.” That critic singles out the Visions system, which lets you equip characters from earlier Final Fantasy games, and the combat loop of pushing an enemy into a “break” state before unleashing a Vision’s special move, called Resonance.
A third reviewer praises the game’s pacing, saying the fast progression, side quests included, makes it “hard to stop playing.” The fourth notes that the difficulty is high enough to call for Phoenix Downs from the start, but says the balance is fair enough that you can keep going “without becoming discouraged.”
How long it runs
Famitsu puts the main story at 20 to 30 hours. Players who chase the extra content can expect up to about 70 hours.
Final Fantasy Resonance arrives October 22 on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch and PC. For the trailer and platform rundown, see our Tokyo Game Show coverage.
