PlayStation 5 users can now experience a free demo of Square Enix's Final Fantasy Resonance by playing the whole first chapter of the title. The demo is available ahead of the October 22, 2026 launch date. Announced during a State of Play event, the demo includes the first full chapter with combat system upgrade, high resolution 2D character sprites world exploration (called HD 2D), and the story explanation. One key feature is that a demo's progress can be saved and a file carrying those saves will be directly usable when the completed game comes to PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and PC.
Beyond the usual preview, the State of Play trailer revealed a major surprise for Final Fantasy fans the mighty antagonist Sephiroth who starred in the game that everyone knows best Final Fantasy VII will be available in Resonance as a boss fight which players can challenge. Once players figure out how to locate and kill him, they can also claim a really unique prize. That should really give the demo a new dimension to pursue, at least for the endgame players. Sephiroth and the already confirmed Cloud were just the beginning of a wider system of collecting crystallised essences of the heroes from all the older Final Fantasy games, which the main characters then carry around the world during their adventure. The concept of these visions is a new and improved version of the old job system that allows players to take a limited number of heroes and their associated skills and combine them in a cost effectively way to achieve the maximum synergies.
Finally Fantasy Resonance is centered around the question, what if Final Fantasy hadn't stopped making pixel art their focus? The game isn't as simplistic as the question suggests. The art style is beautiful 2D, very old, yet rendered in modern HD Resonance pixels. It's an HD 2D artwork that uses pixel art to deliver amazing dynamic visuals while keeping it charming and never losing that old school feel. Players engage enemies in their timeline and the stagger system. Stagger meter, which when emptied, allows the opponents to get hit with very destructive follow ups, and enemies are open to these hits when staggered. Players may also use their Resonance skills that are unique and only available in different visions when a Sweeping Stagger happens. Along a story line and with side quests players reveal espers, strong magic beings that will accompany the party in their battle for three turnings, after which they unleash an impressive final hit.
The main character is a player whose memories are gone and the main goal is to protect the scattered Crystals all the time from Veritas of the Dark who wants everything to end. On player's journey, chocobos appear alongside airships and other Final Fantasy classics and make the game feel like a true franchise product, while at the same time, the combat and vision elements have been brought up to date with new features. As Sephiroth has now been revealed to be the final difficulty for the most devoted players and the entire first chapter can be enjoyed completely free of charge, apparently the Resonance demo not only acts as an amazing teaser but also clearly shows Square Enix's ambition: "Resonance is the Final Fantasy homage which has been entirely reimagined and is backed up by advanced hardware to render every frame with the quality it deserves.
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