2D sprites moving in a 3D plane has been the hot new trend for Japanese roleplaying games for a while now. It’s easy to see why: the retro aesthetic taps into the nostalgia of 90s Final Fantasy games. Ironic, then, that it’s taken until 2026 for the forbearer of the genre to get its own ‘HD-2D’ game.
Final Fantasy Resonance was announced at the Nintendo showcase on Tuesday, and it’s a looker. The turn-based JRPG is not a Switch 2 exclusive — it’s also slated for PlayStation 5, PC, and Xbox as well — but it might as well be. A game like this is practically meant for portable consoles, no? Like many of the games shown during the Direct, the title is also headed to the original Switch as well.
Square Enix says that it came up with the concept by asking, “What if Final Fantasy had continued to evolve while remaining pixel art…”, and says that it is “a story revolving around crystals is depicted in high-definition pixel art.”
The game taps into the wider Final Fantasy oeuvre, pulling in series protagonists like Cloud Strife, Noctis, and Lightning, among others. It’s out pretty soon, too: Final Fantasy Resonance‘s release date is Oct. 22, 2026. Square Enix promises that the title “pursues the original fun of the series.” In the comments, many fans are comparing Resonance to the free-to-play mobile game, Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. Normally, saying that a game looks like it was meant for phones would be an insult. In this case, fans actually mean it as a compliment.
“This was a dream come true,” one YouTube comment on the trailer reads. “Thank you for reviving Brave Exvius.”
“I can’t believe this is real,” another wrote.
While most of the game features the signature HD-2D look, some aspects of the game — perhaps cutscenes — appear to be in 3D. Square Enix says that the game features pixel art with “dynamic camera work.”
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