Destiny of Destruction- Resonance of Fate Review

Recently, a friend expressed a sentiment that I hear with worrisome frequency: a mounting indifference toward the fantasy role-playing genre. When pressed for further insight he explained, “I’m just tired of the same clichéd RPG stuff. Really, how many times can [players] hack up blue slimes?” Evidently, development studio Tri-Ace (Star Ocean: The Last Hope, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria) is acutely aware of an emergent apathy. The team’s recently released Resonance of Fate skillfully avoids many of the hackneyed trappings associated with contemporary offerings.

While most of Resonance feels exhilaratingly fresh, the game’s plot explores a familiar theme – a growing concern over the vitality of Earth. After years of negligence, the title depicts a planet no longer able to support life on its noxious surface. As such, most of the world’s population dies, unable to flee the increasingly pernicious environment. Survivors were able to build a giant city in the sky, named Basel, forged with a distinct hierarchy- allowing the affluent to populate the uppermost levels. Players lead a trio of mercenaries- Vashyron, Zephyr, and Leanne, who are tasked with performing tasks for Basel’s upper-crest elite.

Initially, the party’s duties seem inconsequential- from transporting cooking knives to securing bottles of rare wine.  Soon, these seemingly innocuous quests become progressively threatening, developing into a remarkably somber tenor near the game’s midpoint. The depiction of Resonance’s protagonists follows a similar trajectory, as each hero is developed with a calculated pace. The title noticeably eschews the typically reliance on extended cinematics to push the narrative, offering short sequences that bookend each chapter. As such, Resonance of Fate invites a modest amount of interpretation, as players must infer some of the party member’s motivations.

The title’s light characterization allows Resonance’s focal point to be its gratifying and wonderfully robust combat system. While initially daunting, the title’s protracted tutorial and initial tranquil enemies serve as a solid preparation for the challenges which await. Like the best strategy titles, gamers will have to vigilantly scrutinize Resonance’s mechanics to emerge victorious; careless tactics can lead to a quick demise.

When conflict erupts, players may either move each party member with the analog stick, or set a simple path for the hero. Whichever method is employed, gamers may focus on any enemy on the battlefield. As a foe is targeted, a circular gauge fills to indicate that players have a bead on an enemy; once the meter is charged, players may attack. Now, when the aforementioned trail is made for a character, movement and attack is combined in an option called the Hero Action. These allow for Resonance’s fanciful John Woo-inspired firefights, as party members dive, jump, flip while damaging their opponents. Once the basics are mastered, a bevy of additional options await players- from launching opponents airborne, to setting them ablaze with incendiary ammo.

Deftly, Resonance avoids the characteristic role-playing arsenals, in favor of ballistic weaponry. The one twist is that machine guns are used to deal ‘scratch damage’, while hand guns and grenades deliver ‘direct’ injury. Although this method forgoes realism (you can’t kill an antagonist with a machine gun), it does embed the title with another interesting tactical nuance. For better or worse, Resonance seldom takes its gunplay too seriously. Teammates kick grenades like hacky-sacks, and the game offer one of the most hilariously irrelevant variations seen since Mortal Kombat II’s Friendship moves.

Like the game’s skirmishes, Resonance of Fate’s overworld is equally creative. Successful conflict may reward players with hexagonal pieces, which may be rotated and laid down over blank spots on world map. Once an ‘energy hex’ fills an empty area, roads and towns are unlocked, granting the player new venues to explore.  Similarly, Resonance allows weapon customization, as gamers lay down scopes and additional clips in a jigsaw puzzle like fashion. Occasionally, really powerful armaments end up looking quite silly- it’s not uncommon for a light machine gun to have two scopes, for instance.

While Basel’s avenues display a similar visual style, they are elevated by an appealing day-night time cycle, and an intricately detailed steam-punk aesthetic. Each of the game’s main characters can be customized, allowing players to alter everything from hair color to wardrobes. Sonically, the game offers both the original Japanese voice-overs and a competent English dub, featuring the ubiquitous Nolan North.

Like Valkyria Chronicles, Resonance of Fate offers a fresh, strategic diversion that carefully sidesteps the conventions common to most role-playing diversions. While the title’s involved combat may require a significant investment of time, the perpetual pleasure of the game’s battles is a praiseworthy dividend. Players fatigued by the unwavering consistency of JRPG’s will likely find Resonance to be a refreshing, and consistently challenging adventure.