Why Turn-Based RPGs Are Resurging, According to Final Fantasy Resonance Devs

Final Fantasy returning to turn-based combat through the upcoming Final Fantasy Resonance is a pretty big deal, even if you were just going off the reception to its initial reveal. Many folks, including myself, are thrilled to see the series’ name attached to a game with an HD-2D art style and have the story of Brave Exvius get adapted in the form of Resonance. In my exclusive hands-on preview of Final Fantasy Resonance, I experienced first-hand just how it’s rethinking turn-based combat with a stagger system, the Job-like Visions, and intricate party customization. And I got to dig deeper into its inspirations, namely Final Fantasy V, in a conversation with producer Keisuke Nakashima and director Hiroto Furuya.

Turn-based RPGs have had a resurgance in recent years. By no means did they ever go away – look at the continued success of Atlus RPGs (Persona, Metaphor, Shin Megami Tensei) and Square Enix’s own (Octopath Traveler and Dragon Quest remakes). Also, let’s not forget Baldur’s Gate 3 is part of this wave, plus the plenty of independent games that have kept the spirit alive, with the likes of Sea of Stars, Chained Echoes, Dosa Divas, and the ongoing saga of Deltarune just to name a few. However, there’s no denying that the mainstream spotlight is brighter than it has been with last year’s critically acclaimed, award-sweeping Clair Obscur: Expedition 33. So, with that momentum in the genre and bringing it back to Final Fantasy, I asked Nakashima and Furuya about their perspective on the sort of renaissance we’re seeing with turn-based RPGs.

“I still believe that there’s room to grow, evolve, and advance, even for pixel art turn-based games at this moment in time,” says Nakashima. “Of course, the experience is very much ingrained in the classics, leaning into something that feels familiar. However, incorporating some of these new technologies, I still believe there’s a future for these types of experiences that even if you play it current and in this modern day, these types of RPGs may not necessarily feel dated. There is still very much a future for these games, and perhaps that’s where all of this is coming from.”

Furuya attributes part of it to the ubiquitousness of handheld gaming and how it lends itself well to this style of game, letting players play them more accessibly in their free time. However, Furuya touched on something deeper happening within the game development scene.

“I feel like a lot of us creators who had grown up playing turn-based games are now creating games ourselves,” he says. “It feels like there’s this general movement towards revisiting and potentially reassessing or reworking some of the experiences we personally had when we were younger.”

He continued by mentioning Sandfall Interactive’s hit RPG, saying, “When we’re talking about Clair Obscur, I believe they are creators who grew up playing JRPGs.”

To Furuya, it’s not just something happening in games, however.

“I think it’s a movement that we’re also seeing in anime, manga, and other mediums where creators are now revisiting past projects, remaking them, and reimagining them,” he says. “That’s also potentially a factor that contributes to this kind of resurgence that we’re seeing right now.”

In a similar vein, P-Studio director Kazuhisa Wada told Game Informer, “What we’re calling a ‘resurgence’ may simply be the rediscovery of things that had fallen outside our field of view,” in a story covering the modern wave of turn-based games and mainstream success. It speaks to the fact that it is also on the minds of those who are making the very games that contribute the genre’s success.

Final Fantasy Resonance is set to launch on October 22, this year for PlayStation, Xbox, PC, and Nintendo Switch 1 and 2. For more on Square Enix’s upcoming RPG, be sure to check out my hands-on preview and read my full interview with Nakashima and Furuya on its development history.

Michael Higham is an editor at IGN who regularly contributes with reviews, previews, features, and news in written and video form. He’s usually entrusted with covering long RPGs and tech products, but he’s got range when it comes to games. You’ll also catch him at events and hosting video content, including IGN’s weekly podcast Unlocked.