Square Enix Announces New Final Fantasy HD-2D For This Year

We are in the final stretch of the gaming announcement season—a stage previously occupied by the now-defunct E3—and a Nintendo Direct has just closed the curtains. I was expecting some good announcements, but not ones that would almost give me a heart attack. The best among them was a brand-new HD-2D Final Fantasy spinoff called Final Fantasy Resonance, which was not only announced for all platforms but is already just around the corner, with a release planned for 22 October 2026, on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Windows.

In case any of you saw the announcement and recognized some of the sprites, rest assured that you are not going crazy. Final Fantasy Resonance can be considered an offline version of the mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, which ended its service on 31 October 2025. This new version will adapt the first story arc of Brave Exvius, which is practically a quarter of the full game. Does this mean we will get sequels to Final Fantasy Resonance in the future? Only time will tell.

Final Fantasy Resonance is an Enhanced Version of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius

Square Enix has already warned that the game is more than a mere port. It was rebuilt from scratch to be a single-player adventure worthy of the Final Fantasy name. Players can expect turn-based battles, crystals, chocobos, espers, an overworld, airships, and cinematics that use technology to render 3DCG in pixel form, achieving dynamic, realistic visuals while retaining the wonderful beauty of pixel art. It is practically an experiment in asking, "what if Final Fantasy never stopped using pixel art?" and it is wonderful.

The story begins in the Kingdom of Grandshelt right after the knight protagonist Rain receives a royal decree to investigate the Earth Shrine and find out why its barriers have weakened. You know, everything we loved about older Final Fantasy games. Accompanied by his friend Lasswell, they encounter a dark armor-clad man who easily defeats them. Rain and Lasswell can only watch helplessly as the Earth Crystal shatters before their eyes. Now it is up to the duo to protect the remaining crystals from the man known as the Veritas of the Dark. Love a good dramatic plot like that.

To achieve this, we will embark on an adventure with staple turn-based gameplay, but now dictated by a timeline that shows the turn order for every character. Enemies feature a stagger bar that can be reduced with regular damage, but it is much more efficient to exploit elemental weaknesses. If all enemies are broken at once, a sweeping stagger occurs, granting allies a bonus action.

The most innovative feature, adapted from the original gacha system, is the Visions, which function sort of like a Job mechanic. After completing events involving certain characters, we earn their crystallized essence. By equipping them, we boost the stats of our characters and teach them abilities based on the corresponding Vision. Furthermore, after triggering a sweeping stagger, it is possible to use Resonance with a Vision, unleashing a devastating attack with an impeccable cutscene that even brings in 3D models of some familiar faces.

Progression with the Visions will feel incredibly familiar to anyone who has played other Job-based Square Enix JRPGs. While equipping a Vision, we can freely use its abilities. After hitting a certain threshold, a character permanently learns that ability and can use it (provided they have the necessary resource cost) even while equipped with other Visions. This allows incredible flexibility for players who love to customize and create distinct builds for various characters. Or, you can simply grind to the max and turn every party member into a one-character army.

Finally, Final Fantasy Resonance will feature Legacy Visions, which are characters from other Final Fantasy entries. The ones confirmed so far are the Warrior of Light, Terra, Cloud, Shantotto, and Y'shtola. There might be more that haven't been revealed yet, but to be completely honest, this is already an excellent lineup for me. Just the fact that there isn't a gacha system blocking me from getting my favorites, like Kain Highwind, makes me happy enough.

Final Fantasy Resonance will launch on 22 October 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam and Windows. If you are one of those people who always complained that Final Fantasy wasn't turn-based anymore, well, there you have it.

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Released June 30, 2016

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