【Final Fantasy Series】A new journey, wishes, and... revenge. The series' first HD-2D work re-recorded for the Switch version! Final Fantasy Resonance, where various formidable enemies and hidden contents await you, release decided!

If you played old “Final Fantasy” games enthusiastically, you probably have a special attachment to the adventure world depicted in pixel art. “Final Fantasy Resonance” is a work that pursues new possibilities with expressions unique to modern times while cherishing such nostalgia. What this work advocates is an interesting concept of what kind of work it would have become if the series had evolved while inheriting pixel art. Set in a fantastic world where swords and magic breathe, a grand adventure revolving around crystals unfolds. Leaving traditional FF-likeness while incorporating a new feel of play is a major feature. Both people who have enjoyed the series for many years and people who will touch the world of FF from now on seem likely to be drawn into this work spontaneously.

What wants attention paid to in particular this time is the visual expression through HD-2D, the first in the series. By combining pixel art letting you feel warmth with depth and three-dimensionality unique to 3DCG, scenery that is somehow nostalgic yet fresh is created. What surprises even more is a unique expression method of pixelating 3D models. Through this, powerful movie scenes are realized without impairing the charm of pixel art. Dramas unfolded by characters and productions of battles also seem likely to give impressions with a slightly different flavor from conventional pixel works. In what kind of appearance will existences symbolizing the series such as crystals and airships be depicted? Expectations swell just by imagining.

Not only beautiful visuals, but elements to be curious about are packed in the story as well. A tragic war that once shook the world, a mysterious girl who manipulates summoned beasts concealing mystical powers, and an armored man who destroys crystals existing in various places one after another. Events that seem separate at first glance are intricately connected, and eventually fates spanning hundreds of years become clear. Why are crystals targeted? What is the girl carrying? And what kind of truth is hidden in the revenge handed down across long years? Such mysteries seem likely to become the driving force advancing the story. We also want to pay attention to people's thoughts that cannot be described by simple good and evil alone, and bonds with companions nurtured amid hardships.

Speaking of FF, the fun of character nurturing and thinking about ways of fighting is also indispensable. In this work, while basing on familiar turn-based command battles, elements such as “Break” which seals actions by adding certain attacks to enemies, and powerful special moves “Resonance” are introduced. Rather than merely repeating attacks, at what timing to stop enemy movements and with what skill to decide the match seem likely to become important. Furthermore, the job system has also evolved, widening the interest of assembling tactics. In battles with formidable enemies, situations that cannot be broken through by brute force alone might also appear. Finding your own capture method seems likely to become the real pleasure of adventure.

What cannot be missed for series fans is that protagonists of successive works such as Cloud, Terra, and Clive appear. Equipping “Vision Crystals” where their feelings took shape, mechanisms capable of mastering new abilities by repeating battles are prepared. Moreover, because multiple learned abilities can be combined, ways of fighting also change depending on character nurturing policies. Which ability to choose and what kind of combination to try? It is a part where player's ingenuity is tested. The setting where existences of heroes who colored past masterpieces become strength in a new adventure is also a charming point letting you feel the history of the series.

Not ending with just enjoying the main story is also a charm of this work. Beginning with stories concerning the master swordsman Gilgamesh familiar in the series, colorful replay elements are prepared, such as “Colosseum” challenging tough monsters per rank, and “Chamber of Arms” fighting bosses sealed in twelve arms scattered around the world. Furthermore, Ultima Weapon boasting overwhelming strength also appears. It makes you want to test how far nurtured characters and refined tactics are effective, doesn't it? Including traditional elements such as summoned beasts and airships, content that can be enjoyed for a long time can be expected for players wanting to savor adventures deeply.

“Final Fantasy Resonance” is a work that pursued new expressions and play while cherishing charms accumulated by the series. A beautifully evolved pixel world, human drama unfolding beyond eras, nurturing with high degrees of freedom, and battles with numerous formidable enemies. Not just any single one, but by respective elements combining, profound adventures seem likely to be born. It may become a title evoking nostalgic memories for those whose hearts were once captured by pixel art FF, and a title filled with fresh discoveries for those touching it for the first time. To what kind of ending will the new story revolving around crystals arrive? It is a work you definitely want to keep an eye on.