One of the giants has fallen. After blessing the world with several of the biggest franchises in gaming, BioWare is shutting down for good.

If you were a big gamer in the late 00’s through the early ‘10s, BioWare was a household name for you. The studio is responsible for the Dragon Age and the Mass Effect franchises. Those two franchises defined the modern choice-driven RPG landscape today.

Unfortunately, the landscape is changing. Over a year ago, a conglomeration of entities entered acquisition talks over Electronic Arts, which owns BioWare. As the ink finally dries on the contract, some studios are facing the chopping block. After struggling with the lackluster sales of Anthem and Dragon Age: The Veilguard, BioWare finds itself as the biggest name for a shutdown.

And that’s where we are now. As a result of the shutdown, BioWare’s upcoming project, an untitled Mass Effect title, is also cancelled.

Obviously, Dragon Age and Mass Effect are on top of everyone’s minds. However, the studio’s shutdown also takes away the legacy of Baldur’s Gate (before Larian Studio revamped the series with the award-winning Baldur’s Gate 3) and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic.

Likewise, BioWare won’t be the only casualty. Electronic Arts is also looking into altering its entire lineup of studios and upcoming projects.

SEE ALSO: Electronic Arts is getting bought out

Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 is now streaming on Netflix, with all 10 episodes available to watch. CD PROJEKT RED and animation studio TRIGGER have also announced a new update for Cyberpunk 2077, bringing content inspired by the anime to the game.

The Edgerunners 2 Update (Update 2.5) launches on October 22, 2026, for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. A Nintendo Switch 2 release will follow shortly.

Edgerunners returns with a new cast

Set in the world of Cyberpunk 2077, Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 tells a standalone story through an entirely new cast of characters. The series follows a veteran edgerunner, a young cinephile, a chrome-obsessed delinquent, and a Snake Nation netrunner as their stories explore vengeance and redemption in Night City.

Director Kai Ikarashi leads the new installment, with Kanno Ichigo serving as lead character designer. Masahiko Otsuka returns as a collaborator, while Bartosz Sztybor serves as showrunner, story writer, and producer.

Both Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Cyberpunk: Edgerunners 2 are available exclusively on Netflix.

Cyberpunk 2077 gets a new update

CD PROJEKT RED announced the Edgerunners 2 Update alongside the anime’s premiere on October 20. The free update will introduce new items and features to Cyberpunk 2077, including content inspired by the new series.

The update launches on October 22 for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. CD PROJEKT RED has yet to announce the Nintendo Switch 2 release date beyond confirming that it will follow shortly.

The studio will reveal more details during a special episode of REDstreams on October 21. The broadcast will air on Twitch, YouTube, and Steam, with official patch notes scheduled for release on the same day.

I grew up in the PlayStation era, when Final Fantasy was already starting to move beyond its 2D roots. And while I’ve come to appreciate how much the franchise has contributed to role-playing games, I’ve always considered myself a casual fan. I don’t have quite the same attachment to its pixel-art adventures as someone who grew up playing them.

Turn-based RPGs, though? Those I’m very much a fan of.

That’s what drew me to Final Fantasy Resonance, which pairs the series’ old-school battles with an HD-2D makeover. Its story originated in the mobile game Final Fantasy Brave Exvius. Square Enix has since rebuilt that adventure for consoles and PC, leaving behind the gacha system of randomized character pulls.

About 12 hours in, I’ve found plenty to enjoy, particularly in the combat and character customization. The story hasn’t quite made the same impression. It’s a familiar adventure that, so far, gives me more reasons to experiment with my party than to care about where their journey takes them.

A familiar adventure

Resonance follows Rain and his fellow knight Lasswell as they try to stop a mysterious enemy from destroying their world’s crystals. Joining them is Fina, a young woman with no memory of her past, whose identity adds another mystery to their journey.

It’s a setup that has its charm. Crystals to protect, a looming threat, and an unlikely group of companions are all fitting ingredients for a Final Fantasy adventure. But in the early hours, the game does little to make those ingredients feel particularly distinct.

Most of the characters are likable enough. Still, they often feel like familiar character types rather than being people I’m eager to learn more about. There’s a difference between recognizing the kind of character someone is and becoming invested in what happens to them. Resonance hasn’t quite bridged that gap for me yet.

Some of the dialogue doesn’t help. Characters spend a lot of time explaining their feelings, when I’d rather see those feelings come through in their actions or interactions. The writing can be a little too eager to tell instead of show, leaving less room for me to feel like I’m discovering the characters for myself.

I wouldn’t call the story bad. Somewhat unremarkable, perhaps, especially for a Final Fantasy game. There’s still plenty I haven’t seen, and I hope the cast becomes more interesting as the journey progresses. For now, though, the battles are doing more to hold my attention.

Making each turn count

The combat is very much rooted in turn-based RPG tradition. You choose your party’s actions, pay attention to who moves next, and exploit elemental weaknesses. It’s a familiar foundation, but the Stagger system gives you something more to consider beyond which attack deals the most damage. 

Enemies have a stagger gauge that you can deplete through attacks. Hitting an elemental weakness helps you stagger them more effectively. Once staggered, an enemy loses its action and becomes more vulnerable, while you gain an opportunity for an extra action.

This reminds me a little of Octopath Traveler’s Break system. The appeal lies in working out when to disable an enemy and how to make the most of that opening. An attack’s value isn’t only in how much health it takes away. Preventing an enemy from acting can be just as useful.

That adds another consideration to the party’s turn sequence. Do you focus on the enemy closest to defeat, or stagger another before it gets the chance to attack? Those decisions give the familiar command-based battles a welcome sense of give and take. And for me, figuring out how to make the most of each turn is incredibly satisfying. 

This being Final Fantasy, there are summons and limit breaks, too. Calling on a legendary creature to help your party or unleashing a character’s powerful signature attack is always a treat. I love watching these flashy moves play out. They bring a welcome burst of spectacle to all that careful planning, while the smaller decisions between those big moments keep the combat interesting. 

Old heroes, new possibilities

Beyond the spectacle, some familiar Final Fantasy faces also help shape how you build your party through the Visions system. These equippable characters grant your party members additional abilities, letting you reinforce their strengths or cover gaps in their skill sets. They include beloved heroes from previous games such as Cloud Strife and Squall Leonhart.

The idea reminds me of Fire Emblem Engage, which also lets characters draw on the powers of heroes from earlier games. It’s a cool way to make the franchise’s history part of how you play, rather than simply something you recognize. And I love that about it. 

For longtime fans, seeing a favorite hero return will naturally be part of the attraction. But what I like most is the flexibility the system gives you. A party member’s starting role doesn’t have to define everything they can do.

You can pair Visions with characters whose abilities already complement them. But you can also try a less obvious combination to give someone an option they otherwise wouldn’t have. Both approaches have their uses, and figuring out what suits your party is part of the fun. 

Some abilities are so useful that I end up wanting them on every character. For example, I used Visions to give all my characters the ability to recover MP whenever they stagger an enemy. I felt that MP recovery was too useful to pass up. It also gave me another reason to prioritize staggering enemies, since doing so now helped replenish my party’s resources.

For me, this has been one of Resonance’s strongest features. I enjoy having a reason to reconsider my party beyond simply equipping something with better stats. Choosing a familiar face is fun, but finding a combination that works is more rewarding.

A beautiful change in perspective

Resonance is also gorgeous to look at. Its HD-2D presentation combines pixel-art characters with three-dimensional environments, giving the game a look that feels both retro and modern. Like the combat, it reminds me of Octopath Traveler, though it has its own approach to presenting that world.

However, what stands out most to me is the camera. Rather than relying entirely on the elevated, diorama-like views I associate with this style, Resonance uses more varied and dynamic angles. Those changes in perspective give the colorful environments a greater sense of depth and scale. 

It’s a creative decision that works tremendously in the game’s favor. The environments already look beautiful, but how the game frames them helps sell the size of the adventure. Pixel-art heroes can still feel small against the world around them, and the camera makes good use of that contrast. 

I may not have much nostalgia for the older games’ visuals, but I don’t think you need it to appreciate what Resonance does here. The presentation is a highlight in its own right.

Is Final Fantasy Resonance your Play Match?

So far, Resonance’s combat and customization have been the highlights for me. I’ve enjoyed experimenting with Visions, and the Stagger system gives me a reason to think carefully about how my party’s actions fit together. The beautiful presentation makes the adventure that much easier to enjoy.

The story feels familiar, but, again, it has its charm. I’m still waiting for the narrative to hook me, though I’m only about two chapters in. So there’s plenty of room for the adventure and its characters to grow.

I suspect longtime fans will get more out of its callbacks than I do. That familiarity may be exactly what they’re looking for. But even as a casual Final Fantasy fan, I’ve found plenty here to enjoy. 

For me, Final Fantasy Resonance is a Swipe Right, especially if you enjoy turn-based battles and traditional RPGs. 

I’m happy to keep experimenting with my party and see where the journey takes them.