Resonance of Fate Enhanced Remaster Reddit Review: Is This Cult JRPG Worth Playing Today?
If you spend any time browsing JRPG discussion boards, you will eventually stumble across threads asking about hidden gems, overlooked masterpieces, or games.
If you spend any time browsing JRPG discussion boards, you will eventually stumble across threads asking about hidden gems, overlooked masterpieces, or games with outright bizarre mechanics. Among those discussions, Resonance of Fate (released as End of Eternity in Japan) is a frequent topic of fascination.
Originally launched by developer tri-Ace and published by Sega in 2010 for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the game later received a modern lease on life with the Resonance of Fate 4K / HD Edition (often discussed online simply as the "Enhanced Remaster") for PC and PlayStation 4 in 2018.
What do players on Reddit actually think of this stylish, steampunk-themed tactical role-playing game? This review dives into its world, its notoriously polarizing combat system, its narrative highs and lows, and whether the remaster is worth your time and patience.
Setting the Stage: A Steampunk World Controlled by a Clockwork God
Resonance of Fate takes place in a distant, dystopian future where Earth's atmosphere has become completely hazardous to human life. To survive, humanity built a massive mechanical tower known as Basel. This structure is governed by a mechanical system called Zenith, which acts as a deity to the population.
Society within Basel is heavily stratified by social class and governed by a predetermined lifespan system tied to glowing crystals called quartz. When a person's quartz fails or breaks, they die instantly. The narrative follows a trio of independent contractors—Vashyron, Zephyr, and Leanne—who take on odd jobs for the ruling class known as Cardinals. These tasks range from retrieving lost items in dangerous zones to surprisingly mundane slice-of-life errands.
The Story: Bizarre, Charming, and Confusing
Reddit sentiment surrounding the story is typically a mix of affection and bewilderment. The game juxtaposes heavy, dystopian themes about fate, religious control, and systemic execution with surprisingly lighthearted, eccentric character moments. Vashyron brings a smug yet endearing charisma to the group, while Zephyr and Leanne share a sweet, protective sibling-like dynamic.
At the same time, the plot can be difficult to piece together during the first half. Players frequently note that unless you pay close attention to environmental cues and dialogue, the grander machinations of the Cardinals and the true nature of Zenith can feel disjointed. It is a unique narrative flavor—part gritty steampunk drama, part quirky anime episodic adventure—that won't appeal to everyone, but stands out precisely because it refuses to follow standard genre tropes.
The Core Attraction: The Try-Attack Battle System
If the story is divisive, the combat system is where Resonance of Fate truly polarizes its audience. Eschewing traditional turn-based menus or standard action RPG layouts, tri-Ace crafted something entirely singular: a real-time, tactical combat engine with cinematic flair.
Guns, Scratch Damage, and HP Damage
Combat relies heavily on firearms—specifically pistols and submachine guns (SMGs). Instead of dealing direct health damage with every shot, you have to manage two types of damage:
- Scratch Damage (SMGs): Blue damage that strips away an enemy's outer resilience and leaves them vulnerable, but does not inherently kill them.
- Direct Damage (Pistols): Converts accumulated scratch damage into permanent health loss to finish off targets.
Hero Actions and Bezels
Moving around the battlefield isn't just about positioning; it's about executing Hero Actions. By spending a bezel (which doubles as your party's life and resource gauge), a character can run a designated path across the arena while unleashing a relentless barrage of gunfire in mid-air.
Mastering Hero Actions is mandatory. If you run out of bezels—or if an enemy shatters them with a heavy blow—your party enters a panicked, vulnerable state where movement slows to a crawl and defensive options vanish.
Resonance and Tri-Attacks
As you perform Hero Actions between your party members' paths, you accumulate resonance. Aligning your characters to form triangles on the battlefield allows you to trigger a Tri-Attack, sending all three party members into a simultaneous, high-speed firing frenzy.
Reddit Consensus: Players widely agree that when the combat clicks, it makes you feel like an absolute action-movie badass. The flashy acrobatics, dual-weapon customization (where you build out individual gun scopes, barrels, and magazines on a grid diagram), and dynamic camera angles offer an experience unlike anything else in the JRPG genre.
The Flaws: High Difficulty and Repetition
For all its innovation, Resonance of Fate earned a reputation for being aggressively unforgiving, a sentiment echoed across many Reddit threads.
- Steep Learning Curve and Hard Bosses: There are no adjustable difficulty sliders. Boss encounters can easily wall unsuspecting players for an hour or more if they haven't thoroughly grasped the intricacies of positioning, bezel management, and weapon configuration.
- Episodic Repetition: The game's structure revolves around taking missions from a hub, heading out to map-hex areas, clearing out enemies, defeating a boss, and wrapping up the chapter. While the core gameplay loop is fun, mission variety can wear thin over a long playthrough.
- Art Direction: The world is heavily desaturated, leaning into a realistic, gritty look that contrasts sharply with the vibrant palettes of typical Japanese role-playing games. While some players appreciate the distinct atmosphere, others find the visual tone monotone.
Why Did It Become Forgotten?
Despite earning respectable 7-out-of-10 and 8-out-of-10 review scores upon its initial 2010 release for its inspired design, Resonance of Fate struggled to achieve breakout commercial success. Reddit discussions often point to two primary reasons for its obscurity:
- Minimal Marketing: Outside of niche circles, the game received very little advertising during its original run and its subsequent modern remaster.
- Unfortunate Release Timing: The original game launched dangerously close to Final Fantasy XIII, a juggler title that completely dominated the market's attention at the time.
Verdict: Should You Play the Enhanced Remaster?
If you are a JRPG veteran looking for something entirely off the beaten path, Resonance of Fate Enhanced Remaster is well worth experiencing. Its PC and PS4 re-releases offer crisp visual resolutions that help the steampunk aesthetic pop, and the unique tactical gunplay remains entirely unmatched.
Expect to hit a steep learning curve, and be prepared for a narrative that leans heavily into eccentric charm rather than straightforward exposition. If you have the patience to master its mechanics, you will find a bold, deeply creative cult classic that deserved a wider audience.
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