Final Fantasy Resonance shows why turn-based combat still matters

Final Fantasy Resonance shows why turn-based combat still matters

Opinion: Square Enix may have found a more convincing direction for Final Fantasy in an unexpected place. Final Fantasy Resonance, the premium game built from the mobile gacha title Brave Exvius, initially made a poor impression with weak writing. After most of the story and the approach to its endgame, however, it becomes much easier to see its strengths: confidence, invention and a willingness to be unmistakably itself.

The game is far from flawless, but its most important quality is its independence. It is not constantly asking how Final Fantasy can appear modern, nor is it trapped by reverence for the series’ past. Even compared with Bravely Default, which cleverly revisits classic Final Fantasy ideas while leaning heavily on that earlier era, Resonance feels less interested in legacy for its own sake.

A world that trusts its own strange ideas

There are still some heavy-handed callbacks, including the “spoony bard” reference. Yet once the middle portion has passed, the game settles into its own rhythm. Multiple planets, witches who become chocobos, zombies, magic and science all exist together. That combination sounds chaotic, but the game’s internal rules are strong enough to make the setting feel coherent rather than random.

That self-belief is especially notable when viewed against the last 15 years of mainline Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy 13 pursued prestige and produced a loose narrative that required two similarly loose sequels to resolve. Final Fantasy 15 divided its story across books, films, an anime series and games, while also adopting an open-world structure with a lot of empty space. Its road-trip atmosphere worked for the central friendship, but the large world could feel as though it was discouraging exploration rather than rewarding it.

Final Fantasy 16 pushed further towards contemporary action-game conventions. Its roughly 30-hour structure, action-focused combat and dark-fantasy elements such as swearing and nudity reflected modern industry expectations, but did not always feel essential to Final Fantasy. The broader problem was a concern with meeting external ideas of prestige and relevance instead of allowing the series’ own identity to lead.

Classic systems can still feel current

Resonance demonstrates that Final Fantasy does not need over-the-shoulder action or constant reinvention to remain relevant. Its adjustments to the classic job system are comparatively focused: new combat roles, different spells and a greater emphasis on building a party rather than perfecting individual characters.

The world map adds some freedom without turning the adventure into a bloated open-world exercise. Later side quests develop characters and subplots without demanding huge amounts of animation, modelling and voice work, or forcing those ideas into a separate sequel. The result feels like the freshest modern Final Fantasy since Final Fantasy 12.

For readers who enjoy deliberate party planning and classic RPG structure, that design philosophy is familiar. It is the same appeal found in thoughtful arcade and gaming features, where clear mechanics matter as much as spectacle.

Why the timing matters

Square Enix’s earlier direction was understandable. In 2015, a premium two-dimensional, turn-based game would have been a difficult proposition for a major publisher. The industry still equated quality with photorealism and scale, while many players and commentators treated turn-based combat as obsolete. Asking consumers to pay $50 for that kind of presentation would have seemed commercially risky.

The market has since changed. Publishers have seen that enormous budgets do not guarantee equivalent revenue, while players have shown that a game does not need to resemble a film to be compelling. The renewed interest in classic role-playing games also helped. Square Enix’s Octopath Traveler was rigid and formulaic in places, but its HD-2D presentation helped establish a visual direction that the company has refined over time.

HD-2D with a stronger visual identity

Resonance appears to push HD-2D beyond simply updating old-fashioned artwork for modern screens. Where Octopath Traveler and the Dragon Quest remakes look primarily backwards, Resonance treats pixel art more cinematically. Its presentation includes FMV-style sequences that recall the PlayStation-era Final Fantasy games, producing moments that are beautiful and occasionally moving.

That is a useful reminder that visual impact does not require realism. Strong art direction, a distinctive style and the confidence to follow through can be more memorable than another technically impressive but familiar blockbuster.

For anyone considering a dedicated setup for classic role-playing games, the arcade machine buying guide is a useful place to start. A larger arcade cabinet can suit shared play, while a compact option may be better for a smaller Australian games room.

The case for another turn-based Final Fantasy

The ideal future would put confident design ahead of trends inherited from other studios. It is reasonable to expect Square Enix to retain some of its recent prestige-driven habits for Final Fantasy 17, but Resonance makes a strong case for a companion project that continues in this direction.

Its lesson is not that every future Final Fantasy must look identical or reject action combat altogether. Rather, the series should stop treating turn-based systems, stylised presentation and unusual worlds as obstacles. When those elements are built around a clear creative vision, they can make Final Fantasy feel new again without abandoning what gives it character.