Square Enix Honors Their Past with Remasters and Ports

If there’s one games studio that always seems to cherish its past it’s Square Enix, makers of long-running franchises like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts. This year at E3, we saw Square Enix push forward with the high profile return to Final Fantasy VII, reveal new content headed to Kingdom Hearts III, and then cap things off with Crystal Dynamics’ take on iconic heroes with Marvel’s Avengers. There are several smaller releases though that were extremely fitting to the company’s history of keeping their games alive with localizations, ports, and remasters. These games show that Square Enix takes pride in their past and wants to ensure that players can interact with these games on more platforms.

Square Enix has always seemed to treat their games like timeless classics. Just about every numbered Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest game has seen remasters, ports, and sometimes new content altogether.

One of my earliest moments of excitement about something being localized was the DS remaster of Final Fantasy III, a game that until then had never seen release outside of Japan on the Famicom. I’ve studied those games deeply, more like literature than games, to the point that I’m fascinated by every minute detail of development.

Final Fantasy III as seen on the Steam version.

Games preservation has always been a concern of mine as we push further and further away from physical media. Thankfully, it seems that physical media is still in high demand and companies like Limited Run Games, Fan Gamer, Indie Box, and Merge Signature Edition give more permanent life to smaller or more obscure releases. Seeing new cartridges and discs is great but it’s also important to make games readily available as consoles and platforms evolve.

Square Enix is continuing that trend with several titles.

Cutscenes are sure to still be a highlight of Final Fantasy VIII.

Final Fantasy VIII is being remastered for PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC following its notable absence from a list of most 3D Final Fantasy titles earlier this year. The lack of a remaster being immediately announced seems to be connected to the fragmentation of the game’s original source code and assets. During the 90s, there were several companies that just didn’t hang on to their games, deleting critical files to make room for the next project; hard drive space wasn’t as lucrative as it is now. There’s also the possibility of the music rights of a song that anchors the experience, “Eyes on Me” that was performed by Faye Wong.

Outlet VG 24/7 has insight into the history of what it was probably like at Square Enix during the PSOne days and how that could’ve affected several games.

Hopefully, as E3 continues, we’ll get more information about why Final Fantasy VIII is coming out now. What sort of breakthroughs were made in bringing this game to modern consoles? We’ll probably have to wait for media outlets to secure interviews and then put out the information, so it could be more than a month before a clear answer is revealed.

Either way, many of the features we’ve seen in the latest ports of Final Fantasy IX and Final Fantasy VII are found here, as well as higher quality character models and sharper backgrounds. Features on all versions include MAX HP and ATB options, No Encounters, and Triple Speed. The PC version will also have the ability to instantly obtain all items and abilities, max out the level of Guardian Forces, max out Gil, max magic stocks, instantly gain all special skills and all cards, excluding rare cards.

These little features allow for more options for those that want a quick nostalgic romp or an authentic journey. The choice is left in the hands of the player.

While I personally think that Final Fantasy VIII doesn’t hold a candle to Final Fantasy IX, I have always wanted to play that game in a more perfect sense. I played FFVIII on the original PlayStation with battered discs, so many of the game’s cutscenes would skip, certain powers would take forever to load, and overall it was a nightmare. I loved every minute I got to spend with those games though.

Now, if only we could get a complete Final Fantasy package with all the numbered entries in one place for an affordable price. They did it with Kingdom Hearts, I’m sure it’s possible for Final Fantasy.

Just leave those damn mobile ports of FFV and FFVI out of it. . .

Romancing SaGa 3 HD screenshot of the Japanese version.

There were a couple of other games discussed at their E3 presentation that had me excited. Romancing SaGa 3 is finally being launched worldwide. Originally a Super Famicom game, Romancing SaGa 3 has lots of characters and stories to choose from with an emphasis on replayability. It’s a series I have zero experience with but ever since Romancing SaGa 2 hit PS4 and Vita, I’ve been looking for an excuse to give these games a try.

Romancing SaGa 3 is coming to PS4, Switch, Xbox One, PC, iOS, Android, and surprisingly the Vita.

A screenshot of the combat found in the Japanese version of SaGa Scarlet Grace.

The series’ most recent entry is also being localized. SaGa Scarlet Grace launched on the Vita in Japan but will now head to Switch, PS4, Steam, iOS, and Android as SaGa Scarlet Grace: AMBITIONS. Scarlet Grace features more modern character models and flashy attacks. Personally, I find the sprites of Romancing SaGa 3 more charming but it is always awesome to see more games brought over from Japan.

We’ve known about Crystal Chronicles coming to modern consoles for a while but we now have a more defined release window of winter of 2019.

This winter we’ll be able to explore the quirky take on Final Fantasy lore in a remaster of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles. This spin-off series has seen some handheld releases but I always found the original to be more trouble than its worth. It took a lot of extra stuff just to be able to play the game on the Gamecube with no option for just using a normal controller. It also sucked to be the bearer of the magic, miasma barrier jug thing.

Thankfully the new release features quality of life improvements to bring the game closer to its core experience. Online multiplayer, not having to be a pack mule for the jug, and new content will help rekindle that magic for new and returning players. I’m excited to do some dungeon crawling in a game that I mostly missed out on.

Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is launching on Switch, PS4, and mobile devices.

Lastly, Square Enix just straight up released a cult-classic on the Switch. The Last Remnant Remastered was already available for the PS4 but now brings its tale of powerful Remnants and a diverse cast of characters and cultures to the Nintendo Switch. This was one of the few JRPGs to stay mostly to the Xbox 360, only really going to the PC. Due to this and technical issues with the Unreal Engine, The Last Remnant didn’t get the support it likely would have gotten had it released on PS3. Now it’s getting another chance on modern consoles with better performance overall.

The game was also removed from Steam, an unfortunate loss, which could point to an eventual PC release of the remastered version.

Dragon Quest XI on the Nintendo 3DS featured a retro version of the game as an optional way to play. Looks like this will also be on the Switch version.

Each of these games show just how dedicated Square Enix is to ensure that their titles live beyond their initial release. There were several games listed at the E3 event that I cannot wait to get my hands on. Between these classics given new life, a more complete version of Dragon Quest XI that also features the sprite version found on the 3DS, and a complete reimagining of one of the most iconic video games of all time, I can happily say that Square Enix continues to be one of my favorite entities in games.

Check out the full Square Enix presentation below. More information can be found on their official website.