Final Fantasy Resonance Is A Return To Classic Series Conventions While Also Evolving Square Enix’s HD-2D Style

Given its rich legacy spanning almost four decades, it's something of a surprise that Square Enix has taken its time to give Final Fantasy an outing in HD-2D, the retro-modern aesthetic that clearly harks back to the pinnacle of pixel art from RPG classics of the 16-bit era, including Final Fantasy VI. But rather than introduce this visual style to the franchise with a brand-new title, Square Enix is using the HD-2D treatment to reimagine and preserve a now-defunct mobile game. Final Fantasy Resonance is a reimagining of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius that's similar in scope to Octopath Traveler 0, an enhanced console adaptation for Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent. Although Final Fantasy Resonance is a retelling of Brave Exvius's first season, casting you in the role of Rain along with party members Lasswell, Fina, and Lid, the mobile title was played with just touch controls, and so there's naturally been an overhaul to the control system to suit a console experience. But from hands-on at Gamescom 2026 plenty more has been overhauled and added to transform this from the mobile game's streamlined structure and limited exploration into something you would expect from a cl…