A 20-Hour Story, a 70-Hour Hunt: How Big FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE Gets

For the first time, a Final Fantasy game wears Square Enix’s HD-2D pixel art look. FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE arrives on October 22 across PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and both Switch consoles. Japan’s Famitsu has already scored it 36 out of 40, setting a high bar for Western reviews.

How FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE Rebuilds Brave Exvius

Resonance is not a brand-new story. Instead, it rebuilds the first arc of the mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, set in the world of Lapis. Square Enix built it with Lancarse, the studio behind The DioField Chronicle.

According to Gematsu’s announcement report, the reveal came in June 2026, with every platform launching on the same day. HD-2D first appeared in Octopath Traveler, so the style now reaches Square Enix’s flagship series.

Cloud and Noctis Join the Party

Combat sticks to classic turns, with a twist built around weaknesses. The game’s Steam store page breaks the system into three layers:

Stagger: Hitting an enemy’s weakness breaks its defenses. That earns your party extra turns.
Resonance attacks: Staggered foes open the door to cinematic finishers, which give the game its name.
Visions: Echoes of series heroes fight beside each party member. Trailers have shown Cloud, Noctis, Terra, Lightning, Clive, and the Warrior of Light.

Outside the main story, Gilgamesh wanders the world looking for a fight. A monster Colosseum awaits too, along with a duel against Ultima Weapon. The Chamber of Arms adds bosses sealed inside legendary weapons.

Four Nines From Famitsu

All four of Famitsu’s reviewers scored FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE 9 out of 10, as Push Square reported. The magazine also put the main story at roughly 20 to 30 hours. Meanwhile, full completion reportedly stretches to around 70 hours.

That makes Resonance a fairly compact adventure by series standards. Still, one Japanese score is only a first signal. Western outlets had not published reviews at the time of writing.

The Limit Burst Problem

Not every preview came away dazzled. A GameSpot hands-on noticed that the Visions’ Limit Bursts skip the upgraded HD-2D animations. As a result, the flashiest moments can look older than the world around them.

Some fans also distrust the mobile roots, because Brave Exvius was a free-to-play gacha title. In addition, some demo players disliked the English voice acting, and the Steam version ships with Denuvo anti-tamper DRM.

Try Chapter One First

Anyone on the fence can play the entire first chapter for free, since the demo launched on September 3. Progress carries over to the full game, although the demo caps your level.

On PC, the bar is low, with Steam listing a GeForce GTX 1650 and 8 GB of RAM for 1080p. Pre-orders add a Magitek Airship skin and starter items. Similarly, buyers before November 6 get a small early purchase bonus.

A Remix Worth Trying

FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE looks like the classic turn-based adventure longtime fans keep requesting. However, its mobile origins and uneven Limit Bursts point to a polished remix rather than a bold new chapter. At $49.99 with a free first chapter, though, the risk sits squarely with Square Enix rather than players.