Final Fantasy Finally Nails the Pixel-Art Comeback

FINAL FANTASY RESONANCE launched on Steam on October 22, and it's doing something a lot of legacy-franchise revivals don't manage: it's actually landing with the people who bought it. Right now it sits at "Overwhelmingly Positive" with 96% positive reviews on Steam.

What it actually is

This is the first mainline-adjacent Final Fantasy built in Square Enix's HD-2D style, the same pixel-and-3D-lighting look the studio has been refining since Octopath Traveler. It's a turn-based party RPG where you exploit enemy weaknesses to stagger them, then unload powerful "Resonance" attacks once they're open. You also recruit Visions, which are basically playable echoes of classic Final Fantasy characters, to round out your party.

Why people are into it

• It leans hard into old-school Final Fantasy furniture: airships, crystals, moogles, chocobos, all present and accounted for
• The combat rewards actually reading enemy weaknesses instead of just mashing attack
• There's a free demo on Steam and your save carries over into the full game, so you can try before you buy
• It's Steam Deck Verified if you'd rather play it on a couch

Who it's for

If you grew up on the SNES and PS1-era Final Fantasy games and have been waiting for Square Enix to stop chasing open-world spectacle for five minutes, this is clearly built for you.