Final Fantasy Resonance looks promising but its Brave Exvius roots worry me

Final Fantasy Resonance made a striking impression when Team Asano brought the HD-2D treatment to the series, and as a longtime fan I felt an immediate rush at the reveal. That excitement cooled when the trailer showed a raft of returning characters and it became clear the game adapts the first story arc of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius rather than being a wholly original project.

I've spent a lot of time with the franchise's mobile entries — Brave Exvius, Final Fantasy 7 Ever Crisis and Mobius Final Fantasy — and they left me bruised by long, drawn-out narratives, lightweight combat and gacha mechanics. Yes, I even had Ariana Grande in my party; no, I'm not proud of it.

Those memories make me wary of a console-quality remake that still lives inside a mobile game's framework. On paper Resonance should address those problems: it’s reportedly far from a direct port and has been rebuilt as a full-fledged console RPG with more thoughtful battles and pacing.

resonance, final fantasy, hd-2d, team asano, brave exvius, ever crisis, mobius, gacha mechanics, console rpg, combat