Since my move to South Korea I’ve switched backed to console games due to the fact that all of the wonderful people I enjoy playing PC games with all live somewhere with at least a sixteen hour time difference. It makes it a little hard to coordinate playing games, not to mention trying to deal with server lag can sometimes be an absolute pain. Anyway, to make a long story short, we have a local video game vendor near where I am and I thought I’d peruse the selection. I’ve picked out several games that, while in the states, I have never heard of, but have definitely been enjoying. The first of these games is, Resonance of Fate.
Resonance of Fate, by Sega, was released around the same time as Final Fantasy XIII, however, due to the Final Fantasy’s huge name, this game was largely overlooked. Glancing at the cover (which, at the time aside from the title, I couldn’t read as it was all written in hongul) it seemed interesting, and I’ll admit, I was more or less basing this on the looks of the graphics. That being said, I’m definitely glad that I purchased this game.
The game opens with an action packed cutscene, however, it does little to actually explain what is going on, and unfortunately, I still find myself at times to be a bit lost as far as the actual storyline goes. A little backstory would have been a nice addition. However, storyline aside, the game itself is very engaging. The game also did not disappoint at all with the graphics, while they do have a certain Final Fantasy-like feel to them, they are still impressive to say the least. Another plus is the fact that you can customize your character’s clothing throughout the game if you are willing to spend a little extra in-game currency to do so.
The combat system is definitely something that is unique to this game. Essentially it’s a turn based third person shooter strategy system, and although it took a little bit to get used to, I’ve found I’m really enjoying it. The combat itself is fast paced and very engaging, not to mention that some of the awesome attack poses are fun to watch, though, a little variety would have been nice.
The world map system in Resonance of Fate is a very unique feature and can be very confusing at first, but after a while even it can be fun as you work to uncover the map using the different energy hexes that you gain from battle and from doing side missions or arena battles.
Overall, whilst this is not the greatest game I’ve ever played, I have on more than one occasion lost track of time and spent several hours in the game. It passes the time and is enjoyable to play and look at. Money well spent.
