Resonance of Fate

This game is a strange kind of role playing game. You play the battles during the game with guns and that’s original. The game also contains a nice story and pretty cool environments. This game is a nice RPG but it isn’t the best RPG of the moment. Nice to try and play one time, but the missing of the tutorial and a very extreme learning curve is something that could have been better.

Resonance of Fate is for the hardcore JRPG fan. It can be difficult and confusing, and requires a lot of grinding and heavy lifting to make it through to the close.

Resonance of Fate tackles things fairly uniquely and that takes some getting used to. When you have the patience to learn the ropes, there’s an addicting and original adventure waiting for you. It’s not so much about the story or surrounding as it is about grinding to level up, though.

The battle system is perhaps the game’s strongest asset, with stylish gun-slinging action that wouldn’t look all that out of place in something like Devil May Cry.

Yes, the game may have some uncreative genre trappings, but the great combat and interesting map structure are fresh and even the established parts are still what fans look for in RPGs. [May 2010, p.80]

Whilst the steampunk atmosphere is really enthralling, the soundtrack delightful, the cut-scenes interesting, and complete with a level of sense of humour to the whole thing, the battle system really does have a massive and infuriating learning curve.

JRPG comes with an attractive yet imperfect combat system, fascinating imaginative world and a couple of fresh ideas. [Issue#190]

Like no JRPG you've seen. [Issue#95, p.120]

Resonance of Fate is ambitious and has an exciting combat system, but you’ll need to immerse yourself in the game for a long time to master the steep learning and difficulty curves.

Resonance of Fate probably won't be named game of the year or end up on a Greatest Hits list, but it is definitely one of the more enjoyable RPGs that I've played recently and should be taken into consideration the next time you need an RPG fix.

Resonance of Fate may appeal to the JRPG connoisseur who is looking for an interesting and challenging new take on combat. Others most likely will be thrown off by the silliness, steep learning curve, required grinding, and other pains – especially when there are so many recent well-rounded RPGs out there.

Resonance is a bold and intriguing role-playing game which is held back by an atypically poor narrative and a preposterous difficulty curve which will alienate all but the most dedicated.

The fighting is too complicated and the story could have been more interesting in Tri-Aces latest effort. Thumbs up for thinking outside of the box, though.

Battles are random. You’re dumped in at the deep end with little indication of how to do what you’re meant to, and when compared to FFXIII everything feels so last century. The characters have the same emotion as a corpse. It’s not at all streamlined, and graphics are washed out and low-res; it’ll take the most hardcore JRPG fan – and we’re emphasizing the ‘J’ – to accept this. A pity, as the townships and world are intricately designed. [Apr 2010, p.76]

For all the spectacle of Resonance's gunfights, the game feels restrictive. It's a strategy game in which your tactical options are limited to one or two reliable strategies, and an RPG in which character development is chained to similar lines. [May 2010, p.96]

While the battle system receives two thumbs up for trying, the rest of the game receives a thumbs down. The steep difficulty might turn off casual RPG fans, though hardcore RPG fans will enjoy the challenge.