This was my first game of the year for some reason. was interested in the steam punk look, and honestly was surprised by how much I like the combat system. I seriously never play games like this, but it was hard to put down and I played it mostly over long stretched out sessions in the winter haze. I've also been unemployed for a while now. So this was a game I spent time on while not really having any grasp on life and society, and many characteristics of my lifestyle had become what some would describe as degenerate. Shelved for now since I'm trying to be a little more normal lately.
I played this when it was first released for the PS3. I was pretty hyped for the game, but I ended up disappointed by it in the end. After many years later, I decided to do a replay of the game with the 4k version to see if I would have a more positive opinion to it. At the end of this playthrough, my thoughts are mostly the same from what I remembered, but I did appreciate the main trio more.
The story is probably the weakest part of the game for me. For many of the early chapters, the trio are tasked with random jobs. Most of it aren't particular relevant to the main story. While these jobs are comedic at times, they do very little to hook me into the main story. Much of the main story is hinted with some short cryptic scenes scattered throughout the chapters, but provide little context. It isn't until the final third of the game or so is when what little semblance of a story finally gets to manifest. But by then, the story reaches the end with me feeling wanting much more.
Ironically, the only parts of the story I enjoyed are the random odd jobs the characters get which aren't directly important to the story due to the comedic value they present.
The characters are a mixed bag for me. Outside of the main trio, the other story characters don't leave much of an impact. And while the main trio does get some character development, it feels either rushed or unfinished by the end. At least they are very entertaining and have great chemistry between each other.
The combat system is pretty unique and does seem overwhelming at first. The (optional) tutorial at the beginning does take a while to go through as there are many mechanics to it, but it won't take long after to get used to it. Despite how it may seem, it reminds me a lot of tactical RPGs. Standing completely still essentially stops every enemy in their tracks. Positioning and timing is key. Overall, it is pretty fun, but some fights can get dragged out due to the shields that some enemies have.
Dungeons are a pain to deal with. You walk slowly through them because you're in a permanent battle state even when no enemies are in the room. It's also annoying how you can change your equipment loadout while in the dungeons.
Overall, the game has some interesting ideas and the combat is fun most of the time. The weak and poorly told story really hurts my experience. I do wish for a sequel that improves on the mechanics though.
The story is probably the weakest part of the game for me. For many of the early chapters, the trio are tasked with random jobs. Most of it aren't particular relevant to the main story. While these jobs are comedic at times, they do very little to hook me into the main story. Much of the main story is hinted with some short cryptic scenes scattered throughout the chapters, but provide little context. It isn't until the final third of the game or so is when what little semblance of a story finally gets to manifest. But by then, the story reaches the end with me feeling wanting much more.
Ironically, the only parts of the story I enjoyed are the random odd jobs the characters get which aren't directly important to the story due to the comedic value they present.
The characters are a mixed bag for me. Outside of the main trio, the other story characters don't leave much of an impact. And while the main trio does get some character development, it feels either rushed or unfinished by the end. At least they are very entertaining and have great chemistry between each other.
The combat system is pretty unique and does seem overwhelming at first. The (optional) tutorial at the beginning does take a while to go through as there are many mechanics to it, but it won't take long after to get used to it. Despite how it may seem, it reminds me a lot of tactical RPGs. Standing completely still essentially stops every enemy in their tracks. Positioning and timing is key. Overall, it is pretty fun, but some fights can get dragged out due to the shields that some enemies have.
Dungeons are a pain to deal with. You walk slowly through them because you're in a permanent battle state even when no enemies are in the room. It's also annoying how you can change your equipment loadout while in the dungeons.
Overall, the game has some interesting ideas and the combat is fun most of the time. The weak and poorly told story really hurts my experience. I do wish for a sequel that improves on the mechanics though.
This is undoubtedly Tri-Ace's ultimate game. Spanning several generations of the studio's dreams and ambitions, it combines all the kurosawa cinematography, indirect storytelling and light-hearted doomsday tone that the studio loves so much.
This is undoubtedly, the most a game could ever score for me from non-gameplay aspects. If I was to rate the game off of that it'd be 11/10. But as a game?
It's good... when it works. Target switching is an exercise in pain, and the game slowly chokes out the player's freedom in how to approach battles the further it goes. Past a certain point, every fight starts to feel scripted and you get severely punished for trying to improvise. If I were to give tri-ace too much credit, I'd say that's some kind of gameplay allegory on the "oppressive nature of destiny" theme of the game. However, it's more likely that being extremely strict is just their idea of how a game is made challenging.
This is undoubtedly, the most a game could ever score for me from non-gameplay aspects. If I was to rate the game off of that it'd be 11/10. But as a game?
It's good... when it works. Target switching is an exercise in pain, and the game slowly chokes out the player's freedom in how to approach battles the further it goes. Past a certain point, every fight starts to feel scripted and you get severely punished for trying to improvise. If I were to give tri-ace too much credit, I'd say that's some kind of gameplay allegory on the "oppressive nature of destiny" theme of the game. However, it's more likely that being extremely strict is just their idea of how a game is made challenging.
Fun game with interesting systems, interesting story, decent characters, and while there is a lot of room to improve, its still a very solid game. Sad we'll likely never see a sequel.
Played the original and it's still the same game. The game on the 360 was hella fun though, so I don't mind
This battle system is so fucking cool dude
this game is pretty dumb but i had a good time. as i have since had confirmed, resonance of fate is a classic tri-ace game: it has really amazingly designed systems but couldn’t write itself out of a wet paper bag. it’s also like weirdly cruel and sexist to its only female protag in a way that i just don’t understand even a little. everyone is a cunt to her even though she is nothing but kind and helpful.
unfortunately this game has a case of too-fucking-long-and-not-enough-level-design-itis. i played for like 30 hours before it introduced a battle arena that wasn’t a flat box with some walls in it. really weird cos its battle system owns and is crying out for exciting level design.
if this game wasn’t written by a sexist toddler (and if it had even an ounce of pacing) it could probably be pretty good! oh well.
unfortunately this game has a case of too-fucking-long-and-not-enough-level-design-itis. i played for like 30 hours before it introduced a battle arena that wasn’t a flat box with some walls in it. really weird cos its battle system owns and is crying out for exciting level design.
if this game wasn’t written by a sexist toddler (and if it had even an ounce of pacing) it could probably be pretty good! oh well.
Yeah, this game is awesome but frustrating as hell at the same time, will return to it at some later point.
I had a blast with this game. it needs a lot more refinement regarding understanding past events that lead up to the events in the story. THE MUSIC SLAPS and the gameplay system is SOOOOO ADDICTING. This was the only game I've ever enjoyed grinding all because of the gameplay system. I think it could have used a better tutorial that isn't so long. I didn't learn anything from it, but luckily I figured it on my own not long afterward >:)
I enjoyed the trio, their banters in the story and battle, and getting to know them :') they're just a little found family and i love them so much T-T
I enjoyed the trio, their banters in the story and battle, and getting to know them :') they're just a little found family and i love them so much T-T
Man, do I love this game.
Resonance of Fate has a unique and engaging battle system, incredible gun customization, great characters, great music, great voice acting (especially Nolan North) - all wrapped up with a story that seems pretty convoluted on a first playthrough (but still manages to be interesting). However, the story makes much more sense in NG+, and it's good enough that it sticks with you and makes you think about some of its implications.
I've played through this game three times over the years (well, six, if you count all the NG+s immediately after finishing), and each time I still watch all the cutscenes.
My only gripe about this edition is whatever the heck they did with the subtitles - half of them put the text in quotes (""), while the other half don't - often in the same conversation! It's really the only part of this game that is inferior to the PS3/360 versions, and I hate that it hasn't been fixed. It's incredibly distracting, and one of the only black spots on a game I really like.
Resonance of Fate has a unique and engaging battle system, incredible gun customization, great characters, great music, great voice acting (especially Nolan North) - all wrapped up with a story that seems pretty convoluted on a first playthrough (but still manages to be interesting). However, the story makes much more sense in NG+, and it's good enough that it sticks with you and makes you think about some of its implications.
I've played through this game three times over the years (well, six, if you count all the NG+s immediately after finishing), and each time I still watch all the cutscenes.
My only gripe about this edition is whatever the heck they did with the subtitles - half of them put the text in quotes (""), while the other half don't - often in the same conversation! It's really the only part of this game that is inferior to the PS3/360 versions, and I hate that it hasn't been fixed. It's incredibly distracting, and one of the only black spots on a game I really like.
I played Project X Zone as a little baby child who had just been given a 2DS, which would really be my first real introduction to Japanese games beyond Sonic and Final Fantasy. Zephyr, Leanne and Vashyron were among the characters that I was most fascinated by, and my many attempts to buy Resonance of Fate on Xbox 360 was often thwarted by the GAME employees refusing to sell a 16-rated game to a 13 year old.
Eventually somehow I managed it, but I ended up not understanding the battle mechanics at all and I soon gave up. The PS4 port of the game did renew my hopes since I figured being older would help me comprehend the systems here, and it really did! I enjoyed that playthrough a lot, and I loved having this ghost from my childhood comforting me as I had a difficult time adjusting to a new school back then.
On a whim, a couple weeks ago, I decided to replay it. What for I have no idea. Perhaps that sense of comfort is what I was looking for - I'm currently quite apprehensive about starting my second year of university after a year of exclusively online classes so maybe I anticipate a similar hard time socially as I had the last time I played this. Doesn't really matter I suppose.
The battle system is as immaculate as I remembered it being, and this time I engaged a lot more with the gun customisation system, experimentation and general messing around. Finished every single sidequest too!
An aspect I did take notice of more than before is how genuinely strong the writing is. JRPGs are often criticised for wearing their hearts on their sleeve, characters shouting platitudes at each other and spelling out every decision the writers ever took. It's a legitimate surprise then, that Resonance of Fate doesn't really follow that. I'm not familiar with tri-ace's other works to purely pass judgement like that though. I love how much this game thrives in its implications - so many questions unanswered, from direct plot threads left open to more fundamental questions of the nature of the soul and it's relationship with God, the congruence of science and faith and more. Many JRPGs use Christian theology as aesthetic, some try to use it in commentary like Monolith Soft's Xeno series, but they rarely use it as a fulcrum to spin their own narrative wheels as well as this game does. It's something that I will ruminate on for a while until I have my own interpretation, which is really refreshing to think coming off a game in this oeuvre.
Eventually somehow I managed it, but I ended up not understanding the battle mechanics at all and I soon gave up. The PS4 port of the game did renew my hopes since I figured being older would help me comprehend the systems here, and it really did! I enjoyed that playthrough a lot, and I loved having this ghost from my childhood comforting me as I had a difficult time adjusting to a new school back then.
On a whim, a couple weeks ago, I decided to replay it. What for I have no idea. Perhaps that sense of comfort is what I was looking for - I'm currently quite apprehensive about starting my second year of university after a year of exclusively online classes so maybe I anticipate a similar hard time socially as I had the last time I played this. Doesn't really matter I suppose.
The battle system is as immaculate as I remembered it being, and this time I engaged a lot more with the gun customisation system, experimentation and general messing around. Finished every single sidequest too!
An aspect I did take notice of more than before is how genuinely strong the writing is. JRPGs are often criticised for wearing their hearts on their sleeve, characters shouting platitudes at each other and spelling out every decision the writers ever took. It's a legitimate surprise then, that Resonance of Fate doesn't really follow that. I'm not familiar with tri-ace's other works to purely pass judgement like that though. I love how much this game thrives in its implications - so many questions unanswered, from direct plot threads left open to more fundamental questions of the nature of the soul and it's relationship with God, the congruence of science and faith and more. Many JRPGs use Christian theology as aesthetic, some try to use it in commentary like Monolith Soft's Xeno series, but they rarely use it as a fulcrum to spin their own narrative wheels as well as this game does. It's something that I will ruminate on for a while until I have my own interpretation, which is really refreshing to think coming off a game in this oeuvre.