Game Reviews

While I missed out on the opportunity to review Final Fantasy XIII - arguably the opening quarter's biggest role-playing release - Resonance of Fate represents the third JRPG that's dropped into my lap in 2010. It's been a trying time. In fact, it's been a veritable trudge of disappointment through the sucking, muddy depths of mediocrity. I never thought I'd say this, but I'm honestly starting to miss first-person shooters.But wait, despite the lingering pain of White Knight Chronicles and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles: The Crystal Bearers there's a chance for hope and respite in equal measure with Resonance of Fate from "renowned RPG developers" tri-Ace (Infinite Undiscovery, Star Ocean: The Last Hope). For a start, Resonance of Fate and its dystopian mechanical city of Chandelier represent a steampunk fantasy built around the unconventional gameplay draw of modern day projectile weaponry. How refreshingly simple in a genre weighed down by oversized phallic swords, flamboyant summoning, and elemental spell casting.Actually, the last thing Resonance of Fate's gameplay can be described as is simple. It may well centre on just gunplay and curing the odd status effect, but the surrounding structure often appears bewilderingly complex and a million miles from simply pulling a trigger while occasionally distributing vials of health-restoring elixir.My first few hours with Resonance of Fate were akin to being pushed unwittingly into a darkened room crammed with untold riches and terrible perils. Without clear direction I was forced to stumble blindly onward, grasping at fistfuls of treasure in one moment only to be knocked to the ground by terrible foes the next. Repeatedly painful physical contact soon presented a confused picture of my immediate surroundings but offered no clue as to why the room was there, what my purpose was within it, and how progress could be attained without incurring further harm. Confused, I scrambled forwards in search of answers as crippling blows rained down through the darkness. Then, as fear and frustration threatened to engulf my blunted senses, the room was bathed in a glorious light, and suddenly all seemed right with the world.