Resonance of Fate

The Japanese role-playing game finds itself in a state of flux, struggling to remain relevant to the key western demographic but, at the same time, often erring on the side of tradition to avoid alienating its domestic audience. A stripped-back Final Fantasy XIII proved an unsatisfying halfway house for some, which makes it doubly refreshing to see in RoF an RPG unafraid to play fast and loose with the template. The setting is a huge tower with its own in-built class system: the rich occupy the upper strata, with the working classes struggling near the base. But anyone concerned about sledgehammer social commentary can rest easy; developer tri-Ace has bigger fish to fry. An inventive and fearsomely complex battle system is Resonance of Fate 's greatest success, blending acrobatic gunplay and turn-based strategy. Machine guns deal temporary "scratch" damage; pistols make it permanent. A whirling circular gauge requires players to time button-presses well to maximise attack power. Players can risk expending one of their limited supply of gems to move and fire simultaneously, but losing them all tips the scales in the enemy's favour, ensuring a knife-edge tension to every encounter. And, although a lacklustre tutorial throws newcomers in at the deep end, a little experimentation soon smooths out the steep difficulty curve. Exploration is equally unorthodox, with new areas unlocked by connecting hexagonal pieces dropped by fallen enemies. Though combat arenas are drab, a dystopian steampunk world is otherwise skilfully realised, while the three likable leads share an engaging chemistry through a quirky, quip-happy script. A game whose ideas deserve a far wider audience than it will likely reach.