Resonance of Fate breaks the limits of your typical RPG and delivers a solid story.
When I first saw the trailer for this on a website, I said to myself immediately that this game was going to visually amazing. When I was at GameStop facing the Xbox 360 section; looking at both Final Fantasy XIII and Resonance of fate, I chose Resonance of Fate because I wanted to see if my intuition was right. Immediately I was hooked on the visual darkness of the games background and the intro movie that got you sucked in. The story follows 3 hunters, Zephyr, Vashyron, and Leanne who make their living taking jobs from the local townsfolk and upper class in a world that has been destroyed by intense Global Warming. The world focuses on a man made tower system known as Basel with at least 13 different tiers each with its own quest. The voices are captured beautifully by the English actors which give the characters a much more real approach as seen in past games. The game immediately takes off into action rather than Final Fantasy XIII which takes almost 10 hours to get out into the world. Your characters start off with quests from both the Cardinals and other NPC's which provide optional story-lines opposed to the main. The Game revolves around guns opposed to the usual swords and staffs that you see in typical Japanese RPG's. It gives the game a good edge that you don't see most of the time in Japanese RPG's. Excited yet? You should be.
Game play and Controls:
The game play focuses on moving your player around the map to narrow in on a certain enemy or more than one if you want the challenge. In the beginning you have to be pretty close to get a clean shot, but as you move on your aim and distance get much better. The T-A-B system damage is split into direct damage and scratch damage. You want to start out with as much scratch damage as possible with the machine which then opens up the ability for more direct damage with the handguns. Your goal is to wind up your meter as many times as you can so you can get in as many hits as possible. When your Hero Gauge is full you can team up with your other party members to strike altogether on one or more targets. Crossing your firing stream over another party member can increase your gauge. You are also given the ability to jump into the air to avoid walls and other objects as you are firing unleashing your fury on your enemies. As if it didn't get any better you can also dabble into Hero Actions like kung-fu kicks, grenade's, and of course the all famous item stockade allowing you a break from all the gun toting action. All of your quests are offered in numerous guilds that can be located in each town you visit.
Pros:
A good question is what are some of the perks to this wonderful game, well to start you are able to buy and collect different parts for your guns to customize them into weapons of destruction. You can also shop in a wide variety of clothing customizing your character into a fashion frenzy. Stores around the neighboring towns offer these items along with gun customization. The Story is also very intriguing and keeps you hooked on continuing through the world of Basel. The graphics and the voice acting are just right and add its own dark but vibrant feel to the ever so ominous world.
Cons:
This game is actually very frustrating and requires good strategy in order to succeed in battle. If you find yourself in a jam when you are in battle and decide to run, it is pretty much pointless since you have to go back and face the inevitable at some point. When you die you will start out whatever way you left off before, so if you are in a tight situation with low health then you better get logical cause you will have to find some way of finishing what you started. It also costs your rubies in order to start over or the more expensive option of starting over with your Hero Gauge replenished.
The Bottom Line:
Ultimately this game is definitely a must have for hardcore JRPG fans. With a solid story and a complicated but different battle system you are pulled into the excitement of the world where Al Gore was right all along about Global Warming. Resonance of Fate will mesmerize you with its bleak cinematography and keep you wanting more and more as the story progresses. The gameplay may take some getting used to, but it is well worth the time and effort to put into learning how it works. If you want something different from your typical JRPG, then this is the game to buy.