Square Enix's new title, 'Final Fantasy Resonance' (hereafter FF Resonance), is a unique game in many ways. For starters, it marks the first time in eight years that HD-2D—first introduced through Octopath Traveler in 2018—has been applied to the Final Fantasy series. This first encounter between the Final Fantasy franchise and HD-2D carries significant meaning.

That is not all. Its origins are extraordinary in several ways as well. It is neither a new numbered entry nor a conventional spin-off. Instead, it is a newly built console title based on Season 1 of Final Fantasy Brave Exvius (hereafter FFBE), the mobile game that ended its service in 2025. Nor did it stop at simply porting the original game to consoles; from the combat system and graphics to the characters and story, the entire game was completely reconstructed.

Naturally, looking at 'FF Resonance' raised several questions. Why remake a mobile game whose service had already ended into a console game? Would it provide enough fun as a new Final Fantasy title even to players who never experienced the original? And in a recent Final Fantasy series that has shifted heavily toward action, what kind of game does 'FF Resonance' aim to be with its HD-2D visual style and turn-based combat? As the release date approached, these questions only grew.

Then, an opportunity to answer these questions finally arrived. We had the chance to meet directly with Director Hiroto Furuya and Producer Keisuke Nakajima. From how the 'FF Resonance' project came to be and the reasons behind opting for classic turn-based combat, to the developers' deliberations on random encounters and HD-2D, and even the possibility of future sequels—we visited Square Enix's Shibuya office to hear all about 'FF Resonance'.

It seems rare for a sunsetted mobile game to be revived as a console title. We heard that 'FF Resonance' started from the end-of-service announcement for FFBE. Were there any difficulties from planning to execution?

Nakajima: First off, when we began planning 'FF Resonance', the end of service for FFBE had not been decided yet. So it wasn't a project developed with the idea, "FFBE is sunsetting, so let's remake it for consoles." In fact, it was closer to the opposite. We launched the project as an independent team with the mindset of creating a standalone game that could be enjoyed regardless of what happened to FFBE, and we developed the content, systems, and overall structure accordingly.

As for difficulties, there were quite a few. A primary example would be the combat system. We adopted a combat system distinct from FFBE. Along with creating a battle system that feels satisfying even after just a short time playing, pixel-art Final Fantasy games often bring to mind the job system—a classic staple of earlier titles in the series. We put a lot of thought into how to integrate these elements effectively.

Character balance was another major point of consideration. 'FF Resonance' features a wide variety of characters, including main characters and Vision characters. Since we didn't want any particular character to feel useless, fine-tuning the balance so every character had their own distinct role was no easy task.

We also can't leave out HD-2D graphics, one of 'FF Resonance's key features. As with all HD-2D titles, because the environments are 3D while the characters are 2D pixel art, there were many instances where the sprites felt disconnected from the world. Blending them seamlessly was extremely difficult, and our art team put in a tremendous effort to make it look natural.

This title might feel somewhat unfamiliar to Final Fantasy fans, as it isn't a main numbered entry, nor a standard spin-off, but a reinterpretation of a mobile game whose service has ended. What do you think is 'FF Resonance's greatest appeal for Final Fantasy fans?

Furuya: First, I'd highlight the story. It follows a classic narrative arc centered around saving the world. Beyond that, with elements like a mysterious girl, summons, a group clad in mysterious armor, and crystals, it offers a deeply Final Fantasy story while maintaining 'FF Resonance's own unique charm.

There is also the combat system. We reconfigured elements unique to 'FF Resonance' by combining Visions—which feel like an evolution of Final Fantasy V's job system—with distinct character playstyles drawn from other Final Fantasy titles. As a result, we created a battle system that feels fresh yet evokes a sense of nostalgia. Existing Final Fantasy fans will likely find a lot to enjoy here.

In short, we developed it with the intention of giving Final Fantasy fans a nostalgic experience reminiscent of classic games in the series, while also feeling like a brand-new game.

There appear to be around 10 characters appearing as Visions. You likely had far more candidates; what were your selection criteria? Were there any characters you wanted to include but ultimately had to cut, and lastly, how did you consult with the original developers to balance individual Vision character performance?

Nakajima: As you noted, we went through various criteria to settle on the current lineup of Vision characters. Our top priority was the representation of Vision characters across the numbered titles. We wanted to avoid overrepresenting any single entry, so we aimed to select roughly one character from each main entry in the franchise wherever possible.

Of course, some argued that picking just one per series was too few—that we should include at least two. But if we did that, we'd end up with around 30 Vision characters just from the numbered entries alone. That would lead to overlapping concepts or roles, which inevitably leaves certain characters unused. There was also the matter of balance. Simply adding more characters wouldn't necessarily benefit players who have to build teams with them. Considering all these factors led us to the current number.

Regarding individual Vision character balance, as you asked, we coordinated closely with the original developers. Beyond performance and balance, we sought the original team's supervision on everything from skill animations and abilities to overall effectiveness.

Turn-based combat is sometimes viewed nowadays as somewhat static. In particular, there's a perception that if your character levels and stats are high enough, you can defeat enemies without much thought. As recent turn-based RPGs try various approaches to overcome this, how did 'FF Resonance' implement combat fun and strategic depth?

Furuya: I think one reason turn-based RPG combat can feel monotonous is simply because enemies are too weak—that is, too easy. That's why battles can become tedious over time, so we tuned 'FF Resonance's difficulty to be somewhat challenging to prevent that.

This also ties into 'FF Resonance's key mechanics. Players can devise a wide range of strategies using the Vision customization system. For instance, players can acquire Ability Visions. Because the Vision system allows players to construct their preferred builds for combat, we set a higher difficulty to keep battles engaging and avoid monotony.

While that covers our efforts on the strategic front, another major factor is combat tempo. Depleting the Break gauge located beneath an enemy's HP bar puts them into an incapacitated "Break" state. By constantly shifting the dynamic on the battlefield like this, we ensured combat stays dynamic.

Furthermore, achieving a "Full Break" by breaking all enemies triggers an "Extra Phase" that grants extra turns while enabling powerful ultimate abilities known as Resonance Skills. These possess potent effects, whether dealing massive damage to enemies or healing allies. Through these strategic elements and pacing enhancements, we ensured that 'FF Resonance's combat avoids falling into repetitive routines despite being turn-based.

Many modern games use visible symbol encounters, letting players choose whether to engage or avoid combat. In contrast, 'FF Resonance' uses random encounters, making combat unavoidable. What made you opt for random encounters despite the risk of player fatigue, and how do you mitigate potential boredom or burnout from continuous battles?

Furuya: The biggest reason for choosing random encounters came down to the design core of 'FF Resonance'. In classic RPGs, clearing a dungeon involved managing resources like HP, MP, and items through standard mob battles before ultimately defeating the dungeon boss, which was a core part of the fun. Since 'FF Resonance' aimed to recapture that traditional feel, we felt random encounters fit the design much better.

Of course, we recognize that fighting standard mobs repeatedly can feel tedious. However, as mentioned earlier, we designed mob encounters in 'FF Resonance' to be engaging by incorporating systems like Break, ensuring combat doesn't feel monotonous.

To lessen the player's burden, we implemented several quality-of-life measures, such as battle speed controls and a radar feature on the minimap that indicates approaching enemies, giving players clear visibility so they can prepare.

Nakajima: Additionally, we adjusted encounter frequency depending on the dungeon. For example, in dungeons focused on puzzles or mechanics, frequent encounters would naturally be frustrating, so we reduced the encounter rate and frequency there.

Personally, I believe random encounters have a charm of their own. The greatest advantage of symbol encounters is that players decide when to fight, but that often leads to players skipping regular enemies altogether. Random encounters aren't like that; encountering enemies unexpectedly on a path or inside a dungeon can leave a stronger impression. Ultimately, it shapes the player experience, and we chose random encounters because we felt it could heighten that journey.

While playing, I noticed the radar shifting from green to yellow to red as I moved, signaling an impending random encounter. You just phrased this as 'enemies approaching'—if a player stands still, does the encounter risk drop back from red to yellow and green?

Furuya: No, it doesn't (laughs). Saying "enemies are approaching" was just a metaphor, so the encounter probability won't decrease if you stand still.

Classic turn-based Final Fantasy games frequently used the Active Time Battle (ATB) system, but 'FF Resonance' does not. Did you move away from ATB simply because the mobile original didn't use it, or was it an intentional choice for 'FF Resonance's combat design?

Nakajima: We didn't skip ATB simply because the original game didn't have it. Rather, it's more accurate to say that a battle system without ATB better suited 'FF Resonance'.

When people think of Final Fantasy, ATB naturally comes to mind. However, looking at recent titles in the franchise, they lean much closer to 3D real-time action games where reflexes and split-second decisions take center stage.

In contrast, 'FF Resonance' aims to be a classic Final Fantasy experience. We wanted a game where players take their time thinking and deciding: which elemental weakness to exploit, whether to focus on a single enemy or use area-of-effect skills, or whether to prioritize chipping down HP versus the Break gauge.

While you can pause during ATB to simulate turn-based combat, using ATB still inherently requires a degree of reflexive speed. Since 'FF Resonance' aims to let players ponder and decide at their own pace, we settled on a traditional turn-based system.

The opening uses "Cinematic Pixel," a modern rendering technique that converts 3D into pixel art. However, when summoning an Esper or when a Vision uses Resonance, traditional 3D CG is used instead. Wouldn't unifying everything under Cinematic Pixel have been better? Did you consider that, or was there a specific reason?

Nakajima: We definitely considered it. To maintain visual consistency, we even conducted internal testing to see if rendering the 3D CG scenes in Cinematic Pixel would work. Ultimately, we concluded that 3D CG yielded better results.

Take Cloud for example—he's the protagonist of Final Fantasy VII and widely recognized as a quintessentially handsome character. But when we applied Cinematic Pixel to him, the result fell short of the Cloud everyone knows and loves. Seeing that, we knew fans wouldn't want it either.

So while it might slightly compromise total visual consistency, we agreed that presenting the best possible presentation for each scene was preferable. As a result, certain scenes utilize 3D CG as you see now.

'FF Resonance' is based on Season 1 of FFBE. The original game concluded its service with Season 4—what will happen to the story from Season 2 onwards? Did you pick Season 1 with potential future sequels in mind?

Nakajima: Since 'FF Resonance', which covers Season 1, hasn't even launched yet, it's difficult to discuss sequels at this stage. In fact, we are not working on a Season 2 sequel at this time.

Of course, if conditions align, we would love to make a second entry covering Season 2 if possible. If we do, I imagine it would evolve beyond 'FF Resonance', introducing new presentation techniques or new systems in true Final Fantasy fashion.

However, that is strictly hypothetical. Doing so would raise the production hurdle significantly, so right now we are pouring all our effort into 'FF Resonance'.

Director Furuya, we understand you previously directed Another Eden. That was a mobile game with a distinct console feel—how did that experience influence your development of 'FF Resonance'?

Furuya: To be honest, I don't feel it directly helped much. Console and mobile games are very different, not just in development but in their live-service environments. Mobile games require monthly updates, and player reactions to content are fast, direct, and passionate. However, having experience developing mobile games gave me a general sense of what the environment and atmosphere surrounding FFBE, the foundation for 'FF Resonance', must have been like.

Still, that understanding had a positive impact on developing 'FF Resonance'. For instance, when implementing certain specifications—like content or systems—there were things hard to accomplish on mobile, so having insight into how they originally built it for mobile helped guide us.

With the recent Final Fantasy series shifting toward action, Resonance emphasizes pixel art, HD-2D, and turn-based combat. Was there an intent to revive the sensibility of classic Final Fantasy titles through this direction? Furthermore, does this signal a "revival of turn-based Final Fantasy"?

Nakajima: It's nothing quite so grand (laughs). Rather, even in an era dominated by 3D action games, we believed that classic turn-based combat could still succeed if done well. We thought it would be exciting to craft a title that preserves the fundamentals of turn-based combat while integrating modern technology.

It's something I thought back when I worked on the ActRaiser remake as well: although modern storage capacity is incomparably vast, fun isn't proportional to file size. There are huge games that turn out lukewarm, and older games that remain far more entertaining.

In that sense, we hope players view 'FF Resonance' as a game pursuing the core enjoyment of authentic turn-based RPGs.

The Korean game industry relies heavily on online, mobile, and live services. Consequently, a sunsetted service often means the complete end of a game's legacy. Seeing 'FF Resonance', many feel envious. If other developers attempt to convert a live-service game into a single-player packaged game like 'FF Resonance', what advice or cautionary tips would you offer?

Nakajima: Even with existing source material, porting to consoles is not easy. Considering costs and development scope, it essentially costs almost as much as creating a brand-new title. So realistically, unless the project can attract new players beyond existing fans of the original, it's not particularly profitable.

Therefore, while appealing to the nostalgia of original fans is important, the most critical factor is delivering a polished, fun console experience that can captivate new audiences as well.

Finally, do you have any words for Korean gamers looking forward to 'FF Resonance'?

Furuya: 'FF Resonance' takes FFBE as a foundation and transforms it into a brand-new console title with fresh mechanics and elements.

As someone who personally loves Korean games and grew up enjoying online titles, I hope 'FF Resonance' proves successful, demonstrating to the industry that remaking sunsetted mobile games for consoles can succeed. Please consider buying and playing the game!

Nakajima: 'FF Resonance' is packed with the core appeal of Final Fantasy. For fans of classic Final Fantasy, our goal is to evoke nostalgia—making them think, "This is the Final Fantasy I've been waiting for" or "This reminds me of classic Final Fantasy."

Of course, it isn't only for existing fans. Ideally, we hope it serves as a gateway for players who know about Final Fantasy but haven't played one yet, or as a reason to return for those who loved Final Fantasy in the past but fell away. That was our mindset throughout development. We hope you look forward to it.