FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE

Final Fantasy IV used to be my favorite Final Fantasy. Now Resonance is. As someone who grew up playing each new FF game as they came out, I got accustomed to the pixel art/sprite style that the older FF games used. However even when they leapt into 3D with the release of Final Fantasy VII, I still stuck with Final Fantasy because of the stories they told, the new things they pioneered/tried, and the characters/worlds they created. Each game was a new story waiting to be told, and I was always eager for them. Fast forward to this year, now, in late October, almost a week from the release of Resonance, and I am so happy to be a fan of this franchise. A lot of people will say that Final Fantasy "lost it's identity" somewhere around 7, or even X. Depends on who you ask. But I say it never lost anything. Final Fantasy has always championed trying new things. Each new game offered something new and unique for players to experience, and Resonance is no different. As you may have already known, Resonance is a restructured retelling of the story from Season 1 of one of Square Enix's former FF mobile games - Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. I did not get into Brave Exvius when it was still live, but after playing Resonance I kind of regret not trying harder. The story and characters are great, and Rain is probably my new favorite character. But while Brave Exvius had the now-common gacha mechanics that most do not like (but still partake in, secretly), Resonance does NOT. Everything is formatted to be a self-contained standalone single player RPG. There are no microtransactions of any kind, or any multiplayer/PVP, etc. It's just you the player, vs the game's world. The defining feature of Final Fantasy Resonance are the Visions, spirits or manifestations of the heroes (and in one case, a villain) from mainline Final Fantasy titles...with a handful that hail from Brave Exvius. These Visions are scattered across the world of Lapis, and are mostly found in Sanctums of Light. When you enter these and interact with the crystal inside, you are given a sort of quiz where there are no incorrect answers (it has zero bearing on anything in the game) to get to know the Vision you are about to receive. These quizzes do give spoilers, ranging from minor to major, for the mainline Final Fantasy titles these characters come from, so if that is something you are concerned about...you've been warned. The Visions coming from Brave Exvius are awarded from side quests, starting in Chapter 5. Visions are treated as equipment by the game, as they are equipped to your party one at a time, and while equipped they grant that character their abilities. While you earn EXP and gil in combat, you'll also earn MRP, which is how the game gauges your Mastery of each Vision. Each Mastery level you gain with a Vision awards you with either permanent stats or new abilities, which are often VERY powerful boons. Abilities awarded from Mastery bonuses can be equipped on the character, even after taking the Vision off of them, so building your characters can be very fun and flexible towards the end of the game. I've made some wild combos and seen some even wilder ones! If you are interested in more specifics about Visions, check out my Steam guide below: Earlier I mentioned that Resonance was Season 1 of Brave Exvius' story. What I did not mention was Brave Exvius had FIVE seasons. So Resonance could possibly continue with either expansions or sequels, and both of which I am personally down for. This game has such great combat, flexibility, and the potential for some insane buildcrafting that I would be absolutely thrilled to see more. I loved the story and characters so much I want to see what happened to them after Season 1. I want to see where they go, who they meet, what they do, and more. I just need more!! As far as performance goes, I played with a controller (Logitech F310, yes -- the submarine one) and had no issues with stuff like random crashes, FPS drops, or anything of the sort. The game ran exceedingly well even on my now somewhat older build. If you are an RPG fan and have been curious about this game even a little, go ahead and take the plunge. It's 100% worth it. I 100% this game over the weekend after it came out and I had the BEST time doing it. Recommendation: A must-play