Square Enix Plotting More Retro Revivals After Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster Success

CHRONO TRIGGE- I mean... Ahem. Chrono Trigger would be nice 😌

I DEMAND Dragon Quest 1-9

Yeah, we know they're creatively bankrupt. That's kind of been their thing for a while.

Let's hope they'll IMMEDIATELY go with the "on everything" route from the get go.

Brave Fencer Musashi, please.

Not like I haven’t emu everything I wanted to play already 😂

Final Fantasy 7 8 9. But please, no remakes! FF7R is disaster.

@Cordyceps To be fair, there's a lot of demand from people who want the older titles on modern hardware, so it's not just them releasing things out of the blue. In fact, a lot of companies are re-releasing their older catalogs of games in some manner.

I won't be happy until Impossible Mission, Sensible World of Soccer and Winter Games get re-released! 🤣

@MasterVGuides Yeah, I know I apparently needed to have an outburst or something. I feel better and nothing was accomplished that day. 🤣

@GorosBat didn’t the earlier titles get Remastered for mobile and Nintendo Switch?

@djlard disaster 😂

Dragon Quest 1-6 Pixel Remaster.

@danzoEX
They need to do 4-6.

@Cordyceps Most publishers are nowadays.

@danzoEX 1-3 got the mobile ports on switch and as we are aware, 3 is getting remastered. Would be nice for 1-6 to all get the HD-2D treatment but that could take forever to actually happen. 7 and 8 could have the 3ds ports upscaled for modern systems and that would be enough and 9 is still stuck on the DS.

@Krysus For sure. I guess it just burns me that they constantly re-release their back catalog while maintaining the position that turn-based isn't popular, or at least, not popular enough for AAA (Mad LAD Kiryu says Hey).

@Cordyceps Keep in mind that Crash Bandicoot (1-3) the remaster sold incredibly well, suggesting there was an appetite for such games, only for Crash 4 to come out, which got great reviews, yet failed to sell well at all. A turn based FF wouldn't do well just because FF remasters sell relatively well. There's no nostalgia factor to a new FF title.

Sounds good to me. Up until recently the only turn based games I've played before the PS4/PS5 era have been Pokemon Blue, one of the Mario RPG's and Blue Dragon. Having now played a handful of FF games, Dragon Quest XI and Trails of Cold 1 & 2. I enjoy these games a lot. Also loving FFXVI at the moment, being new to the series maybe helps but I like that Square changes it up with different entries.

Edit: Also looking forward to getting into Like a Dragon. Played Yakuza 0-6 and again I'm fairly new to this series and not a disgruntled fan who moans about change.

Would love chrono trigger, and hopefully a release of dq8 on current gen, maybe with the 3ds additions.

@Cordyceps You really didn't like FF16 did you? Square are still releasing turn-based games, Octopath 2, Bravely Default 2 just to name two recent-ish ones. Don't get me wrong, plenty about Suqare annoys me too, but they are still making decent games. I'm also all for remasters of Xenogears, chrono trigger and Final Fantasy Tactics, if they are creatively bankrupt then i'll eat up the re-releases like a good boy.

@naruball People definitely underestimate the nostalgia factor, which is a shame for the devs who pour their heart into the likes of Crash 4(which I maintain is the best Crash game; having been a fan from the original). Me and group of my mates love the FF7 remake, but mainly on nostalgia, otherwise, it'd be anime nonsense i would've ignored probably.

The FF Pixel Remasters were topnotch. Even though I only played the first 3. I really enjoyed them.
With FFXVI being an easy GotY contender and Live A Live was topping its original by a mile, it's safe to say Square Enix might be getting back in shape.
Minus the Forspoken one. We just ignore that.

Who owns Vandal Hearts 2, cos that would be sweet? Oh ****, it's Konami. 😨

Welcome to the generation of the remake and the re-release. Not just in games but in films and TV too.

@__Seraph Nostalgia has to be nostalgic though, that is the other thing people miss. It is not enough to merely give it the same name, it has to actually remind people of what they loved about the original.

Indiana Jones 5 failed in part because its a CGI mess that in no way looks like the pulp-inspired romp that it used to and Indy himself is now a broken mess instead of the larger-than-life adventurer.

For me it's:
Chrono Trigger
Dragon quest 4-9
Dragon quest spin offs - monsters and rocket slime defo
Tactics (including advance/A2)
Ogre battle
Bahamut lagoon

There's probably more psx games I never got to, but these are my biggies.
I'm a big proponent for companies making their older back catalogue accessible - even if it's just a bare bones port, it's better than nothing

@__Seraph It was quite sad to see Crash perform so badly, because I heard it was such a good game. I'm glad to hear you enjoyed it.

I would love to see Koudelka come back I would even accepta resolution upgrade with some updated textures, Parasite Eve 1 and 2 and of course Legend of Dragoon.

Still baffled that Square Enix does not release any extra copies physically for the Pixel Remaster on PS4 /PS5....

Parasite Eve please!

Vagrant Story. Or Valkyrie Slimeria..With sequels to them as well..I can dream..

@__Seraph That game lives rent free in his head, in fact there’s several members of this forum that just hate on that game like nothing I’ve ever seen before. It’s kind of crazy considering they’ll never play it anyway.

@LifeGirl Blame gamers, nobody will give anything new a chance so we’re stuck in this timeline, Even Returnal as amazing as it was only sold half a million. Personally I enjoy supporting new IP. I’m also tired of this trend but businesses simply do what makes money

@Cordyceps the older I get, the more I really appreciate good turn based games like Octopath or Triangle Strategy. I am a little surprised there aren't more Indy RPG's. Most games just get funneled thru the 'will sell X amount' chutes and nothing more.

@Krysus There are a good deal of indie RPGs, It's just that, unfortunately, a lot of them are by Kemco.

I've tried adding a few to the database of games here, but they've been pending for months. From an old account even.

'Ara Fell' and 'Rise of the Third Power' from Stegosoft are both pretty basic, but fun casual TB rpgs that serve as an amusing diversion. Kinda like an afternoon paperback sort of cozy. Decent stories and great world building, basic gameplay though. But fun!

Bug Fables is actually great. Paper Mario rip off FS, but beyond the basic artwork, it's engaging and challenging (I used the badge for hard mode the whole time though), loads of fun and good to play with kids.

Chained Echoes is it. As far as indie RPGs go, this is the tops. ONE guy made it over 8(+, still tweaking) years and hired a composer. It's excellent. But yeah, even as a love letter to old school games, that opening scene is a bit much. Just ignore that, the rest of the game is great.

Redemption Reapers is an upper mids tactics rpg. It's pretty challenging but has been nerfed with difficulty levels after patching. It's basically old school Fire Emblem.

Crosscode and Undertale are two of the top rated indie RPGs, and not just in my backlog. Kind of need a shoehorn here though. Not entirely TB.

And there's Sea of Stars to look forward to. I'm actually hype for that one.

Octopath Traveler is great. Haven't gotten to the second yet, but I possess it. The Bravely series has been one of diminishing returns for me. I loved the first, liked the second, and tolerated the third (which is titled Bravely Default II, because numbering confusion is also old school FF). Sad to see (or not? T'was Japan only) they did the gacha route there.

There's a lot more indie RPGs on PC, but i'm not a pc gamer.

@Cordyceps CrossCode is still on my unfinished list. I got burnt out after the 999th screen of puzzles in the Lightning temple. Great story tho. Bug Fables is also quite fantastic. Problem with the random indie RPG's there just aren't many of them. Come to think of it, I think there's a Paper Mario clone coming out soon I wanted to check out...forgot the name.

Xenogears is my #1 Square wishlist item. Port or remaster, I don’t care—just get it on modern systems Square-Enix!!! PRETTY PLEASE
(promising to see a shareholder mention this)
Beyond that, Vagrant Story would be lovely, thanks!

About parasite eve.that game is amazing.word up son

Simply put: I would be thrilled with a Xenogears remake. I remember thinking how unique the game was back then. I loved it! I also never got to finish it. I can't remember why, but I'd love to play it again.

I would also greatly appreciate a Final Fantasy Tactics remake. I know rumors have been around, but I don't believe it until it happens. Tactics Ogre: Reborn was fantastic and just what the doctor ordered for me. Give me FFT and I'll quiet down. Lol

Final Fantasy XIII Trilogy please??

@orange_shogun Oh this one would be day 1 for me. Always wanted to play it but never found the game!!

Seeing people till about Bug Fables and CrossCode (especially the music in that game), is great. I loved both of them. I’ve actually gone from thinking I’d get FFXVI for my summer holiday, to the FFVI remaster and now Chained Echoes (which the community seem to love and looks right up my street). That’ll save a few quid

Remaster the FFXIII trilogy and I'm all ears, Square.

I would put in my request for SaGa Frontier 2 remaster/remake.

It’s an often overlooked JRPG that would be perfect to play after Final Fantasy XVI and with the director himself (Takai) having worked on SaGa Frontier, you can certainly see the influences and parallels between XVI and SaGa Frontier 2.

In some ways, Gustave is like Clive and there are also parallels regarding the anima, Firebrand Ceremony and the like which I cannot discuss in details without going into spoiler territory.

Echoing above comments, 13 is the last single player mainline entry that needs to be on PS5.

I really want a Xenogears remaster.

@Andy22385 Am I not right? That weird auto battle system ruined whole experience...

@djlard I thought it was outstanding. Especially when played on hard mode. It was actually difficult.

@Andy22385 It lost all it's soul. I've tried to play it three times, always I just pass that Scorpion boss and put game aside... Yes, graphics is outstanding, but that's all. Battle system is... simply said bad... Again as all 3rd person games enviroment feels too huge. I've tried.. I've really tried to like this game at least, but whole game feels like Netflix adaptation.

@djlard I guess everyone's allowed an opinion but that's like half an hour of a 30 hour game, barely any battle features are unlocked, not even summons. If you're a fan of FF7 giving it half an hour to see at the very least how they remade all the locations ain't much.

And the auto battle isn't like you think, they don't use abilities when you're not controlling. It actively rewards you for switching party members and keeps you involved and you could always pick a different battle mode

Surprised they never released Final Fantasy 13 Trilogy on PS4/5.

I am sure there is a market for it.

@ear_wig

I would love to see them get the original team back together and actually finish Xenogears.

It’s an amazing game but it’s incomplete. They had to rush the last third of the game to meet their deadline and you can definitely tell.

I would love for them to remaster it and at the same time finish the game as was originally intended.

@CastelloGG

Yay another Saga Frontier II fan!!! I thought I was the only one!

That game was the underrated gem of Square’s golden PS1 era. A brilliant story, fascinating characters, a really good battle system (still has some of that Saga jank in it, but it’s way more understandable than earlier games in the franchise), and the best soundtrack Square ever produced.

My ringtone is still Todfiend. I love that battle track.

@Krysus

Triangle Strategy was absolutely amazing. One of Square’s best games in years.

@mikeawmids Konami do good work when it comes to releasing their back catalogue. A Vandal Hearts collection would be pretty cool.

@OrtadragoonX That would indeed be awesome! I’d still take a straight port though. Such a fantastic game.

@Andy22385 Maybe I'm too die hard fan of FF7 (It was first game I've ever seen on Playstation). Of course I've tried another battle mods, but none does fit. And as I said, I've tried to give it a chance and also give it another, but now is it still "look how they massacred my baby". And I'm sad, very sad, because I was looking forward to it.

@djlard same tbh, ive probably completed FF7 10 times, that's why no matter what it was like I was totally excited to see each scene and how the graphics were remade and would push through. I'm a massive turn based/ATB fan, I'd agree it would have absolutely worked like that. I'm just glad I enjoyed the new system too

@OrtadragoonX

A fellow Saga Frontier 2 fan! I'm also very happy to finally find another!

I recently showed Saga Frontier 2 through an emulator to my friend, and the art still holds up so well today to the point that my friend said "this was on PS1?!" The character design, animation, watercolor painting background etc is just a marvel and I don't think I've seen many games more beautiful than that. That opening where Gustave cried after bullying his friend Flynn made both of us cry as we went through it...

Thinking about it, maybe Saga Frontier 2 doesn't need a remaster as much as, say, Xenogears. They just need to make it more accessible to everyone, maybe just port it to Switch and PSN, because almost 25 years later it still holds up so, so well.

@naruball Thanks mate, honestly, it's a great game, got hours and hours of fun out of it.

@Sekijo Agreed, i've been noticing their comments, nothing of value to say, just baseless negativity.definitely hasn't played the game. Someone I should really just ignore!!

@KaijuKaiser They definitely didn't play the game, and bashing it because it isn't turn-based is sad. The fact they ignored my comment proves they've got nothing to throw back in terms of a decent argument.

@LifeGirl Agreed, though i think it's tougher for movies, especially when you consider that Harrison Ford is literally so far past retirement age that i'm surprised that the last Indy film didn't kill him. It's easier to manufacture nostalgia with games. The successful remasters and remakes we are getting prove this

@CastelloGG

It really does hold up. I replayed two years ago on my PS3 and the game feels super fresh from both an artistic and gameplay standpoint.

The only thing they need to touch up are the 3D polygon battle spaces. Those have aged a bit. But thanks to just how strong its art design was it’s perfectly tolerable unlike a bunch of other PS1 Square games.

Doesn’t hurt that it has one of the best final boss fights in RPG history. The Egg is so iconic as a final boss. It’s truly challenging (unlike Final Fantasy’s final bosses), has fantastic music (both Misgestalt and Todensegel), makes you use every skill and strategy you’ve learned over the course of the game, and even has a natural difficulty modifier.

I still have yet to beat the Egg with all Anima Lords left alive. But just the fact that they allow you to try that (I’ve tried on a few occasions) is super cool. Not many games allow you to naturally set the difficulty of the final boss. But even if you clear out four lords it’s still a really challenging fight.

@Andy22385

I really loved Remake’s battle system. It felt like the perfect marriage of FFXIII (which has a really underrated battle system in my opinion; it’s that otherwise average Final Fantasy game’s crowning achievement) combined with FFXV’s real time actions and even reworked the classic ATB system into its design. It’s brilliant and every single fight is super entertaining (especially the boss fights; the Hellhouse fight was one of the best boss fights in any game in years and the Sephiroth fight was just magic).

It also has hands down the best English Dub Square has ever done.

@ear_wig

The story of Xenogears is so good. It really pushed the concept of video game stories forward in my opinion.

It touched on so many things in an adult and realistic way. Especially religion.

@OrtadragoonX especially on hard mode. Hell house was definitely tough

Keep remastering secret of mana and I’ll keep buying it!

@OrtadragoonX Right! Religion and existentialism. The whole idea of the Id was pretty mind blowing as a kid too. Just thinking about the story gives me goosebumps! And that’s not even getting into the amazing combat and world you get to explore.
Such. An. Amazing. Game!!