The final 9 years have given us two HD-2D Dragon Quest remakes, three Octopath Traveler video games, and a brand new polygonally-challenged hero named Elliot. But regardless of Sq. squeezing its cash’s price out of its eye-catching (and absolutely trademarked) HD-2D engine, in virtually a decade, its golden boy Ultimate Fantasy has bizarrely by no means acquired the identical pixel-led remedy—till now.
Introduced throughout June’s Nintendo Direct, Ultimate Fantasy Resonance sees the collection going again to fundamentals, dropping FFXVI’s real-time skirmishes to play the hits. Full of nostalgia-tickling franchise staples like chocobos, airships, and traditional turn-based shenanigans, as I placed on my headphones and decide up my controller, Resonance instantly transports me to a less complicated time.
Dropped proper onto your traditional world map, my pixel artwork protagonist walks with function whereas an upbeat orchestral rating swells enthusiastically. As I slowly roam the luscious tree-coated map, I instantly understand that I can decide up the tempo. A faucet of ‘sq.’ summons my trusty chocobo – and I’m off.
In Resonance, these as soon as derpy ostriches have been given a notable sense of velocity. Galloping across the overworld, with my experience sprinting like a coked-up Large Hen from Sesame Avenue, I comply with the cracked street earlier than me, taking within the traditional sights of sprawling cities and hillside paths affected by jagged-rock faces till I’m rudely interrupted by an enemy encounter.
Fight in Resonance is basically what you’d anticipate from an old-school Ultimate Fantasy. Your four-member get together can use commonplace instructions, Summons, and talents, and enemies could be staggered. Whereas fight might simply really feel boring, every acquainted component is so slickly stylized that it constantly satisfies all through my 45-minute demo.
A transparent spotlight is Resonance’s screen-filling Restrict Burst assaults. At all times a little bit of an FF showstopper, these particular strikes are delivered by means of elaborate pixel artwork animations that rework particular assaults into a stunning spectacle. Whether or not it’s bombarding enemies with a endless sea of chocobos or launching a blazing inferno on the unfortunate troopers on the opposite facet.
Very similar to Resonance’s mix of HD with 2D, that is an FF that merges the early collection’ traditional fantasy tropes with later entries’ flirtations with modernity. It is a setting that blends old-school temples with trendy, stylish cities. It’s a visible duality mirrored within the lead character designs, too, the place solid members wield historic swords whereas sporting leather-based jackets adorned with sufficient chains and charms to make Nomura proud.
After by chance wandering into some areas that I’m sadly not allowed to write down about, I turned Large Hen round and sped in direction of my principal goal: an eerie-looking tower. As I enter what I quickly be taught is the Wind Shrine—a towering temple containing an enormous inexperienced crystal—my get together races in direction of it in a bid to stop it from falling into the improper arms, kicking off some traditional multi-floor dungeon exploration.
“Very similar to Resonance’s mix of HD with 2D, that is an FF that merges the early collection’ traditional fantasy tropes with later entries’ flirtations with modernity.”
Whereas the broader particulars of the story are being stored tightly underneath wraps, hardcore FF followers will already seemingly acknowledge Resonance’s core solid. My get together consists of Rain, Lasswell, Fina, and Lid —the heroes of cellular recreation Courageous Exvius—who search to guard this world’s crystals. It seems, Resonance is one thing of a reimagining of the aforementioned hit cellular recreation, fully eradicating Exvius’ gacha mechanics, vastly bettering its as soon as fundamental visuals, and rewriting its first main story arc right into a full 30- 40-hour journey. All caught up? Again to the journey!
As a barrage of random battles proceed to ambush me, I quickly uncover that I’ve one lethal trick up my sleeve—weaponised nostalgia. Resonance’s large new fight innovation comes within the type of “Visions,” crystallized essences of legendary heroes from Ultimate Fantasy’s previous. In my demo, I’m joined by Cloud, FFIX’s Zidane, and FF1’s Warrior of Mild. In a pleasant contact, these lovable legends aren’t simply sealed away in your Pokeball-esque crystals; as an alternative, these Visions stand instantly alongside your principal squad within the warmth of battle, making their presence really feel extra tangible than I anticipated.
In one other bid to make these Visions much less gimmicky, your well-known buddies even stage up independently to your core get together members with their very own Mastery Rank. The most effective a part of having Cloud and Zidane by your facet? They’ll use the titular Resonance skills to set off cinematic mega-attacks that deliver their chosen Imaginative and prescient to life in full, wonderful 3D.
With the remainder of your get together resigned to a lifetime of battling in two dimensions, these pivotal assaults by no means stop to dazzle. Watching a completely 3D FFVII Remake-era Cloud carry out a screen-filling Braver on a pixel artwork boss by no means did not elicit a smile, with the Warrior of Mild and Zidane’s over-the-top finishers feeling equally spectacular.
As I climb my approach to the tower’s peak, I race towards the temple’s Wind Crystal, pursued by a sulking, undead-looking knight—the intimidating Aether. The place the earlier fights had been a cakewalk, this boss commonly KOs a slew of my get together members, requiring me to take advantage of the traditional foes’ elemental weak spot, commonly heal my staff and unleash each large assault going. You recognize, traditional Ultimate Fantasy goodness.
Whereas the vast majority of my demo is performed on PS5, after I defeat the cackling boss, I’ve a fast go on the spectacular Swap 2 model. It runs expectedly effectively, wanting sharper than the disappointingly blurry Adventures of Elliot did on Swap 2, and it’s right here that Resonance makes essentially the most sense. When exploring the traditional overworld or battling with my pixel-art get together instantly underneath my nostril, this cosy journey begins to click on.
All in all, I got here away happy—if not wowed—by my time with Resonance. That is an old-school RPG that lastly delivers on the “FF best hits” promise many followers hoped for from 2016’s slightly crappy series-spanning journey World of Ultimate Fantasy. The place Clair Obscur and FF Revelation search to push the style ahead, Resonance then, is a fan-pleasing love letter to Ultimate Fantasy’s storied previous.
Whereas it appears unlikely to win any awards for innovation, it’s seeking to supply a soothing balm throughout turbulent instances—the form of cozy-feeling journey begging to be performed whereas curled up on the couch after gorging your self over the Christmas holidays. We’ll see how the entire journey holds up when Ultimate Fantasy Resonance launches on PS5, Xbox, Swap 2, and PC on October twenty second.
