Final Fantasy Resonance

Story and setting

The story begins in the Kingdom of Grandshelt, where Rain, commander of the airship squadron, and his childhood friend Lasswell are ordered to investigate the Earth Shrine after its protective barrier weakens. Inside, they meet a mysterious warrior in black armour, are defeated and watch the Earth Crystal shatter.

Rain and Lasswell survive, but their airship is wrecked and their comrades are lost. When they return to Grandshelt, they find the kingdom under attack by Veritas of the Dark. After rescuing the king, the pair set out to protect the remaining Crystals, joined by Fina, a mysterious girl they meet in the capital. The wider journey includes airships, chocobos, espers, moogles and several nations built around the Crystal mythology.

Resonance is based on the first story arc of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, but Square Enix describes it as an extensive rebuild rather than a direct port. The cast includes original Brave Exvius characters, while Vision versions of Final Fantasy favourites such as Cloud, Tidus and the Warrior of Light can join the party.

How it plays

Combat is turn-based and organised around a timeline showing the next actions for allies and enemies. Attacking weaknesses reduces an enemy’s stagger gauge; breaking it stops the enemy acting, lowers its defence and can create extra opportunities to attack. A full-party stagger can lead into an Extra Phase, where a character can use a Vision-specific Resonance attack.

Visions are crystallised essences of characters encountered during the story. Equip one to gain abilities, then keep learned abilities active alongside another Vision, provided the combination stays within its cost limit. It is a more flexible take on the traditional Final Fantasy job system, allowing different skills to be combined for party builds and ability synergies.

The game also includes espers, which can be unlocked through story progress and side quests. When summoned, they fight beside the party for three turns before unleashing a finishing move. Optional content includes the wandering swordmaster Gilgamesh, a monster-filled Colosseum, the Chamber of Arms and a battle against Ultima Weapon. The presentation uses HD-2D visuals, combining pixel-art characters with pixelised 3D models, dynamic camera angles and cinematic scenes.

Trailers and demo

The 9 June 2026 Nintendo Direct announcement introduced the game, its crystal-focused story, HD-2D presentation, turn-based combat and 22 October release date. It also confirmed the unusually broad launch line-up, including both Nintendo Switch generations, PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC.

The second trailer, released on 16 July, expanded on the world and cast. It introduced locations including Dilmagia, the Machinopolis, and Olderion, the Aquapolis, alongside characters such as airship engineer Lid and Olderion strategist Nichol. It also gave the clearest early look at Visions, espers, the job-style ability system and completionist activities.

The 3 September State of Play trailer focused on combat systems, including the timeline, stagger gauge, Vision abilities and Resonance attacks. It revealed that Sephiroth can be found and challenged in the full game, and announced the free first-chapter demo for PS5 and Steam, with save transfer to the full release. The 16 September Tokyo Game Show trailer was the final pre-launch trailer, while the game was also playable at Square Enix’s TGS stand beyond the demo content.

Platforms, editions and UK price

The game launches in the UK on Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and PC through Steam and the Microsoft Store on Windows. The Xbox version supports Xbox Play Anywhere, linking the Xbox console and Windows Store versions through the Xbox ecosystem. Steam’s UK listing shows 22 October 2026; Square Enix’s Japanese materials list the Steam release as 23 October in Japan because of regional timing.

The confirmed UK standard price is £49.99, with the Digital Deluxe Edition at £54.99. The Digital Deluxe Edition includes the base game and the Magitek & Grimoire Deluxe Pack, containing the Magitek Armor Key, Archwitch’s Grimoire, Mastery Ring and a selection of consumables. UK pre-orders are available through the major digital storefronts and Square Enix’s UK store. GAME has listed a physical Switch 2 version, although its current listing is marked out of stock.

Square Enix’s UK Collector’s Edition includes a physical standard copy, a Digital Deluxe upgrade code, an acrylic block set, a pixel-art book, a four-CD soundtrack containing 120 tracks and a Final Fantasy Trading Card Game promotional card. Its UK price is not currently listed.

What we still don’t know

Square Enix has not confirmed a UK launch time, so a midnight BST release should not be assumed. The game’s engine has not been named, and no post-launch expansions, season pass or downloadable story content have been announced.

There is also no confirmed launch inclusion for Xbox Game Pass or PlayStation Plus. Resonance is a single-player game with no announced multiplayer, co-op or competitive mode. Nintendo lists cloud-save support for the Switch versions, while Xbox lists cloud saves and Play Anywhere, but broader cross-platform save support has not been confirmed.