Final Fantasy Resonance Review: Famitsu Hands It 36/40 One Week Before Launch

The first final fantasy resonance review is officially out, and it's a strong start. Famitsu handed Square Enix's turn-based RPG a 9/9/9/9 -- 36 out of 40 -- six days ahead of its October 22, 2026 launch on Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch. That's about as clean a debut as a JRPG gets, and it lands before any Western outlet has published a word.

For a game that had been quietly building buzz since its announcement, this is the moment it goes from "promising" to "penciled in." Here's what the score tells us, what it doesn't, and whether you should buy on day one or hold off.

The Facts at a Glance

• Score: 9/9/9/9 -- 36/40 from Famitsu
• Launch: October 22, 2026, on Nintendo Switch 2 and Switch
• Main story: 20-30 hours, with ~70 hours for completionists
• Demo: out now, save data carries over to the full game

Final Fantasy Resonance Review Breakdown: What the 36/40 Means

Famitsu's four-reviewer panel rarely moves in lockstep, so four straight 9s is its own kind of signal: not the rare 40/40 masterpiece coronation, but broad agreement that this thing works. In practice, 36/40 is the score a lot of beloved RPGs carry -- excellent in its lane, with quirks that keep it out of the absolute top tier. The reviewers praised the turn-based combat and, more importantly, the side content.

One of the review's most interesting reveals is runtime: 20 to 30 hours for the main story, stretching to roughly 70 hours for completionists. That's a refreshingly honest length for a modern JRPG -- long enough to sink into, short enough to actually finish. And the side quests are reportedly the good kind: genuinely rewarding and carried by the main cast's personalities, not checkbox filler bolted on to pad the hours.

Why a Famitsu First Review Matters

Being first isn't just a bragging point. The first review sets the terms of the conversation for everything that follows -- every subsequent outlet will be writing in its shadow, agreeing or pushing back on its read. When that first verdict is four unanimous 9s, the follow-up reviews have a high bar to argue against. It also tells us something about Square Enix's confidence: embargoes for the biggest outlets usually lift closer to launch, so a Famitsu cover story dropping six days early suggests the publisher was happy to let this one be judged on its merits.

The Demo Is Out Now -- and Your Save Carries Over

If 36/40 isn't enough to convince you, you don't have to take Famitsu's word for it. A demo is available now, and your save data carries over into the full game at launch. That makes the demo effectively a free head start -- progress you make now is progress you keep.

This is worth doing even if you're already sold. Twenty-plus-hour RPGs live or die on their first hours, and the demo is the lowest-risk way to answer the questions a review can't answer for you: does the combat tempo suit you, and does the cast click for you the way it clicked for the Famitsu reviewers?

Buy Day One or Wait for Western Reviews?

Here's the honest read. Famitsu scores have a well-known home-field lean toward big-budget Japanese RPGs, and 36/40 from that panel doesn't automatically translate to an 86 on Metacritic. The open question is what Western reviewers will think -- the consensus on pacing, localization quality, and how the base Switch version holds up next to Switch 2 could still move the needle.

My take: if you're a turn-based Final Fantasy loyalist who's been waiting for a fix, the combination of a 36/40, a 20-to-30-hour story, and a carry-over demo makes this a safe day-one bet. If you're on the fence, the demo costs you nothing -- play it this weekend and decide before the 22nd.

If you're tracking what else we're playing this month, read our Castlevania: Belmont's Curse review. And if you want another RPG to tide you over until launch, our Valor Mortis review covers one we liked. Finally, if launch week means upgrading your setup, our roundup of the best Switch 2 docks of October 2026 covers the gear side.