Final Fantasy Resonance, an adaptation of the mobile game Brave Exvius, aims to blend the series' past with modern sensibilities in its return to turn-based combat. Director Hiroto Furuya stated that the team's approach involves understanding Final Fantasy's history while also playing contemporary games to inform their design.
The game's battle system is described as an "experiment" by developer Keisuke Nakashima, who aimed to combine the job system from Final Fantasy V with the unique character traits seen in Final Fantasy VI. "This type of experiment hasn’t been done in the past, so it required a bit of research and innovation," Nakashima explained. The team reexamined existing systems, such as the stagger system, to incorporate these elements, resulting in a system that offers distinct character characteristics alongside customization options.
Another key element is the Visions system, which allows players to summon characters from across the Final Fantasy series. These characters originated in Brave Exvius and were almost removed during the transition to a single-player experience. Furuya confirmed that despite the challenges of integrating these characters' worldviews, the decision was made to include them to deliver on the spectacle and fun players expect.
While the core story of Resonance remains intact from Brave Exvius, the developers have reorganized events and expanded certain locations. Nakashima noted that the original mobile game had a tendency towards a grim narrative, and the team has introduced more neutral and positive scenes to create better balance.
To integrate narrative elements that were previously siloed into separate "character episodes" in Brave Exvius, Resonance now incorporates these details directly into the main story. Characters like the Esper Siren and the knight Emma, for example, have been woven into Chapter 1, with key emotional beats from their original episodes now part of the central plot.
New, high-quality animated cutscenes have been added to highlight key story moments, designed to evoke the CG cutscenes of earlier Final Fantasy titles. Furuya detailed the creation process for these scenes, which involves a blend of 3D environments and pixel-based characters, with dynamic camera work and post-effects to achieve a unique visual style. "We fully utilized technology for 3D and applied it to these cutscenes, which ultimately resulted in that unique pixel/3D blend you see," he said.
Despite Resonance's distinct visual approach, which differs from other HD-2D games, the development team does not see it as a definitive look for the future of that style. Nakashima emphasized that while providing fresh experiences is crucial, the event scenes in Resonance may set a new benchmark for HD-2D titles.
Final Fantasy Resonance is scheduled to launch on October 22.