Turn-based is back in style. As the wait continues for Final Fantasy VII Revelation, the franchise’s first HD-2D title is lapping up attention as the most popular single-player Final Fantasy instalment based on Steam figures. According to SteamDB, Final Fantasy Resonance hit an all-time high of 42,885 concurrent players on the platform, outpacing Final Fantasy VII Rebirth‘s peak of 40,564 when it launched.
While the numbers are a far cry from Final Fantasy XIV (95,150), which is excluded from the list as an MMORPG, it marks a strong start for the first turn-based mainline title in almost 25 years. The big difference, though, is that Rebirth arrived on PC almost a year after its PS5 debut, whereas this latest romp launched simultaneously across PC and consoles.
An adaptation of the first story arc from the 2015 mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, Resonance centres on Rain, Lasswell, and Fina as they set out to protect the remaining crystals across the world after the Earth Crystal is destroyed by Veritas of the Dark, a member of the Sworn Six – a group of armoured warriors who serve as the main antagonists. It features traditional turn-based combat instead of the ATB system from previous entries, alongside enemy-stunning elements built on the Stagger system from the Octopath Traveler series. Unique to the adventure are Visions, crystallised essences of legacy characters from the franchise that can be summoned in battle to gain additional abilities, with Final Fantasy VII‘s Cloud, Lightning (Final Fantasy XIII), Clive (FFXVI), Terra (FFVI), and Warrior of Light (original 1987) among them.
It’s an impressive feat, but the crown may soon have a new contender. Unlike its predecessor, Final Fantasy VII Revelation will also release on both PC and consoles on 8 April, and the hype is naturally through the roof, as it looks to close out the final leg of one of the highest-regarded JRPGs in video game history.
Si Jia is a casual geek at heart – or as casual as someone with Sephiroth’s theme on her Spotify playlist can get. A fan of movies, games, and Japanese culture, Si Jia’s greatest weakness is the Steam Summer Sale. Or any Steam sale, really.
