Resonance of Fate

 PlayStation 3
Metascore
72

Mixed or average reviews - based on 42 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 22 out of 42
  2. Mixed: 18 out of 42
  3. Negative: 2 out of 42
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  1. GameCritics
    35
    Unfortunately, Resonance of Fate gets almost everything wrong and even screws up what it got right.
  2. Game Revolution
    25
    You'd have to be the hardest of the hardcore to play Resonance of Fate through to the end (or an intern at Game Revolution). It is violently unruly and complex in its battle systems and structure. I'm sure there are plenty of masochists out there in the RPG community, but Resonance of Fate exudes punishment in spades.

Awards & Rankings

36
#36 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2010
15
#15 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2010

User Reviews

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User Score
8.0

Generally favorable reviews- based on 169 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 131 out of 169
  2. Mixed: 17 out of 169
  3. Negative: 21 out of 169
  1. GodOfWar
    Mar 17, 2010
    10
    despite all of the negative reviews about the games silly nature or steep learning curve this game is superb... Anything worth having is despite all of the negative reviews about the games silly nature or steep learning curve this game is superb... Anything worth having is worth working for or towards and that is what makes it that much more enjoyable. screw game informers diagnosis of this game for whoever played it had no idea what a good rpg is. further more they obviously don't understand the rpg player. This game is a breath of fresh air in a genre that is now a days given more attention in the graphics department than the story and gameplay.… Full Review »
  2. Pombe
    Sep 18, 2011
    1
    I am interested in the art and style of the game. However, there are hundreds of forums discussing the issues of this game freezing frequentlyI am interested in the art and style of the game. However, there are hundreds of forums discussing the issues of this game freezing frequently during game play. I purchased this game and soon discovered my model of PS3 (first generation 60GB) is affected. I cannot in good faith give this game a good rating if SEGA cannot launch a game that plays without freezing. After 2 years a patch has not been released.… Full Review »
  3. tomvs123
    Feb 12, 2018
    8
    Wow, what an experience. If only all niche JRPGs were like this. The multitude of recent low-budget Vita/PS4 JRPGS just don't compare.

    All    Wow, what an experience. If only all niche JRPGs were like this. The multitude of recent low-budget Vita/PS4 JRPGS just don't compare.

    All JRPGs need a gimmick these days and this one has many. Its combat system, weapon upgrade system, and world map are wildly different from other JRPGs (even in 2018). Trying to describe these effectively would require a FAQ, and there's already plenty of those around.

    But for a summary, the world map and weapon upgrading system are unique and fun. The combat is the biggest departure from other games, but don't leave much room for error. It requires careful planning, quick reflexes, and an intricate understanding of how it works. Most people call this "hard," but it's not really after you learn it.

    As for the story, it's a good one. The overall tone and primary goal of the leaders in this world is to find out why their lives are tied to specific crystals so that they can overcome death. All of this while the rest of the population is mostly religious and believes in God, while information on the true nature of life is slowly leaking out into the population.

    Your party of three takes a more or less side approach to the story. Instead of actively participating in the main goal of the world leaders, they're just trying to get by doing their daily jobs. Though of course, your jobs frequently get you involved with the leaders of the world.

    Your party is also incredibly interesting. In the beginning cut scene, one is trying to commit suicide for reasons that I won't spoil for you, another has quite a dark recent past that you get to uncover, and the third has connections to the world's leadership.

    The storytelling is relatively vague and you learn important bits of information in small chunks. It's up to the player to put things together to figure out why things are the way they are. And because your characters (and many of the world citizens) have dark pasts, it makes sense that they just don't tell everyone what happened in the past.

    So it's a great story if you like to piece together mysteries, but not so much if you like things told to you straight.

    Some more tidbits:

    - Just about every NPC in the game has something interesting to talk about. As you progress through the chapters, their dialogue changes and you learn more about their stories. In other games, this is overdone with too many NPCs and no set points when you know their dialogue is updated. In this game, the amount of NPCs is low enough and the chapter breaks makes knowing when they have new dialogue easy.

    - The game might seem kind of grindy, but there's no actual grinding in the traditional sense (fighting monsters over and over to level up / etc). It's just that the fights last so long that it can take you an hour or two to complete an objective or get through a dungeon. As long as you look at it from a strategy-RPG perspective, it's not bad.

    - The game includes Japanese voice acting and it's great (The English isn't so good). Pick the Japanese voice track unless you don't like the language or don't like that some of the in-battle banter isn't subtitled.    … Full Review »
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