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Square Enix Is Turning Dead Mobile Games Into Full RPGs, and Resonance Takes About 40 Hours
Resonance gives a mobile predecessor an HD-2D makeover, a Vision system and fast travel, and a reviewer says the dungeons and overworld are its weak spots.
A 40-hour RPG from a discontinued mobile game
The reviewer estimates Resonance takes about 40 hours to complete, which matters if you want a full RPG rather than a mobile-sized one [1]. Square Enix has been rescuing discontinued mobile games and turning them into full RPG experiences [1].
Resonance received an HD-2D treatment that upgraded the sprites of its mobile predecessor [1]. Square Enix previously made HD-2D remakes of early Dragon Quest titles [2].
The story
The protagonist Rain is a young knight of Grandshelt, and he is the newly appointed Commander of the Airship Squadron [3]. Resonance's story is about a boy and his best friend, with Rain as the focus [1]. The King of Grandshelt asks Rain to take the airship squadron to check on the Earth Shrine after a suspicious disturbance there [3].
The game opens in a war-torn landscape in the past, where a mysterious woman with incredible power confronts a group of armored beings [3]. The Archwitch is defeated by the armored leader of the Umbra, who seals her inside a crystal [3]. A massive rift opens in the sky during the war, and the crystals pass through it while the land below is torn asunder [3].
After a great magical crystal is destroyed, Rain and his best friend Lasswell set out to stop the destruction of other crystals [2]. Lasswell is a samurai who favors ice, and Jake is a gunner attuned to the wind [1].
How Visions work
Each Resonance character can equip one Vision, which gives them powers in battle and passive upgrades and skills [1]. Visions teach characters transferable skills, and they can give permanent stat boosts as characters level up [1]. Over time, using a Vision with a character unlocks moves and abilities that the character can use even without that Vision equipped [2].
Rain, for example, gains light and dark magic when he equips Cecil Harvey as a Vision [1]. When conditions are met, a Vision can be summoned to perform a super attack shown as a CGI spectacle [1]. The Archwitch can summon the Esper Bahamut during the Iron Giant tutorial battle [3].
Battles and travel
Enemies in battle have health bars and stagger bars, and players can whittle stagger bars by exploiting weaknesses with magic and skills [2]. Multicasting lets a single attack hit multiple targets, and it also applies to healing abilities [3]. Players can speed up fights and skip long attack animations [2].
Players can fast travel to locations on the world map [2]. According to the reviewer, fast travel is generous and dungeons are conquered in just the right amount of time [1]. Random battles are spaced so that grinding is unnecessary unless the player is maxing out a Vision [1].
What it means for you
If you want a long RPG, the reviewer's estimate is about 40 hours to finish [1]. If random encounters frustrate you, the reviewer says an auto-battle option would lessen that frustration [1]. You can speed up fights and skip long attack animations [2].
The reviewer says the overworld connective tissue is thin and the dungeons lack pizzazz, although the towns are praised [1]. If you plan to max out a Vision, that is the case where grinding is needed [1].
Sources
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