Final Fantasy Resonance isn't revolutionary, but I'd argue that it doesn't need to be

There's a particular kind of joy that comes from seeing a character you once dismissed as disposable gacha fodder suddenly given something meaningful to do. In Final Fantasy Resonance, Ilias, a minor character from Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, turns up as an apothecary and side quest character. It's an entirely unremarkable role in the grand scheme of things, but as someone who spent an obscene amount of time playing Brave Exvius, I was delighted. Someone remembered Ilias! Someone cared enough to give him a place in this world!

That tiny detail rather neatly sums up everything I love about Final Fantasy Resonance. It's a game made with an extraordinary amount of affection for its predecessors, and it's rarely afraid to indulge that affection. Resonance is an unapologetically old-fashioned Final Fantasy game, and it's all the better for it.

There's very little about Resonance's underlying RPG structure that's especially surprising. Its story follows familiar beats, its characters fit established archetypes, and its narrative progresses through the sorts of peaks and troughs that will be immediately recognisable to anybody who's spent a substantial amount of time with the earlier Final Fantasy games. I don't consider any of this a fatal criticism.

If anything, it's refreshing to play something so comfortable with the conventions of its genre. Unlike, say, FF16, Resonance isn't interested in dramatically reinventing what a Final Fantasy game can be. Instead, it takes a formula that worked tremendously well for the series' first nine or so numbered entries, dresses it up with gorgeous modern presentation, and lets it work its magic all over again.

Source link