Alright I'm going to try and give a good preview of the game if anyone is still on the fence on what to expect from this game.
Resonance of Fate is a MUST play for JRPG fans. It's a MUST play if you have enjoyed any tri-ace games. If you fall into either of those two categories then have no fear, because you will enjoy this. The only way I find it might be not fun is if you can't stomach difficulty. This game WILL give you a few game overs and maybe more for those who aren't quick with their brains. :lol While a game like Demon's Souls last year was hard it eventually reached this point of you learning what to expect so that you somewhat coasted to the end of it. Here the regular enemies for most chapters can be dealt with fairly easily, but here and there things get turned up several notches. When that happens be prepared to go all out and hold nothing back, because every turn needs to be the best choice.
I could sit here and explain in full detail the games battle system, but that's just too much writing. It's NOT over complex, but you might find yourself lost if you skip over the tutorial portion in the start of the game. As far as JRPG battle systems go it's one of tri-aces most shining ones yet. They might not hit the ball out of the park always with stories or characters, but they def. hit a grand slam with how fights work in this game. It'll keep you on your toes enough from start to finish unlike some RPGs which have you just mashing X when grinding.
The game characters and the world they are placed in is all very well realized. The cast being guns for hire in this futuristic world fits and their personalities all do well to stand out. It's a bit of a stretch maybe to say they aren't cliched, but they aren't annoying. Compared to tri-aces SO4 cast these characters you can like, laugh along with or at the very least not be muting them or rolling your eyes at them. To add to the world it's just great to look at in the various places you will visit. While the environments might seem hollow the detail of the place you are in really fits the games style with mechanized gears and long ways down. The world map specifically looks great when you peer over the edge to see the draw distance down and how spectacular Basel really is. To add to the world immersion there is a night and day cycle too. It effects what monsters you can find, strength of enemies, where NPCs can be, and how the world looks.
The story and the dialogue to move it forward is probably not going to trounce whatever your favorite RPG is and heck it might not make your top 10, but it may very well be the best this generation has offered for some. Lip syncing isn't perfect, but it doesn't detract from the experience. It's a shame this game couldn't have had a bigger budget to iron things like this over for the nit pickers, but what can you do?
Exploration and customization are key to filling in the extra hours. Side quests encompass every chapter as well as tough monster fights to be found. Uncovering more of Basel, upgrading guns, and changing your clothes all add to your overall game time and enjoyment of the game. A fighting arena is also included to reward those who like to get their feet wet with some difficult fights the harder you go and the pay out is cash as well as a coins currency to trade for better gear than stores have. This is the only time I could think where DLC for a RPG could work really well. With more fights to try in the arena or more dungeons to uncover on the world map thanks to the hexagon system the developers COULD have stretched this game out more for the fans, but again I doubt it will be in the budget.
Music and sound as a whole needs to be addressed. This game has a fantastic soundtrack. I believe I've already encountered 4-5 different tracks just for the battle theme that ALL fit very well to the monsters being fought. Now of course this is purely opinion and others have different tastes in music, but a few hits of youtube to hear the OST and you might agree. The game also has voices for NPCs in towns that all fit from what I can tell and the NPCs you find in areas have a sense of belonging to where they are. A minor complaint is some areas you can visit that have no monsters also do not have any NPCs and can feel empty. Sound effects within game all feel mechanized and the sound of machine gun fire against metal enemies is almost music to my ears on its own accord.
It's hard to stress why this game is as good as it is without you playing it. The real driving factor IS the battle system. While I don't go into depth on it you can find previews of it and videos from the OP as well as some searching of your own. I don't think all previews cover every facet of it either, but once you see just how much you are given to play with you will feel like a kid at a candy store. :lol
If you are looking for direct comparisons to FF13 from me I am probably the wrong guy for that. I think FF13 is a solid 8.5 to 9 in my book(Haven't hit a solid # I want to stick with), but just from my (I want to say 14 hours?) time with RoF I can easily say I am enjoying more than I did the first 14ish hours of FF13 by a LONG stretch. If the game keeps this pacing and fun all the way to the end then it will be a major success in my book. FF13 really picks up steam at Chapter 11+ and when it does well holy hell it's like a complete 180 from a boring game into an amazing game. :lol
FF13 haters who wanted towns, side quests from the get go...wait let me stress how get go get go is. Intro CG scene takes maybe 3 minutes, then if you check your clock in the main menu for when the game lets you play it's only 4 minutes into it. 4 minutes into RoF you can already explore the starting town, talk to npcs, get side quests, explore the world map, start fighting enemies, do a tutorial(optional), and go advance the story from cut scenes. That's a LOT of variety and it lets the player pick right away where you want to go. So if you WERE/ARE a hater of that aspect of FF13(most of us are and who could blame us), then have no fear because RoF doesn't dabble in a linear approach for a long time. That's not to say this game doesn't have its linear parts. Dungeons are so far just a sets of rooms with monsters to fight or skip with some variations on treasure rooms with fights down other corridors. The story is also a straight shot of chapter to chapter linearity, but I can't really think of a JRPG that doesn't pull you through this way for the most part. Some games have multiple endings to branch itself off, but for the most part JRPGs follow this formula for story telling.
RoF wants to kick your butt. RoF wants to suck you into its world and lose hours in it just beating up baddies. RoF wants you to think and be involved when you are fighting. It's just a game that wants and NEEDS to be played by the JRPG fan masses. Spread the word, because I'd love to see tri-ace get the right message that this IS the right step forward in this genre. It might also wake up SquareEnix to see that a game they passed on was actually a BETTER approach and step forward this generation for JRPGs. I hope it meets at least a big of a success as Demon's Souls or Valkyria Chronicles from the niche crowd spreading it around.
(Sorry for the giant wall of text and I actually fell asleep half way into writing this because I'm so tired. Skimming through it I can tell I might have not elaborated or worded things well enough, but hopefully my general message reaches people----BUY THIS GAME)
