Square Enix has been remastering, remaking, and re-releasing its older games for a few years now. Secret of Mana, Final Fantasy 7 Remake, and the Final Fantasy pixel remasters are some examples of this. Among the releases have been titles from Square Enix's golden era of the PlayStation 1. Some usual suspects, such as re-releases and remasters of Final Fantasy 8 and 9, have already been ported to newer consoles. However, more obscure releases such as SaGa Frontier and Legend of Mana have also seen a re-release.
With the recent announcement that Front Mission 1 and 2 are being remade and Chrono Cross is being remastered, it seems Square Enix is more than willing to dig deep into its catalog and give little known and even disappointing titles a new lease on life. Hopefully, Square Enix will continue this series of re-releases and provide updated versions of some iconic PlayStation 1 games. From well-known series to forgotten franchises to acclaimed one-off titles, there are plenty of games worth updating so new and old players alike can enjoy them.
Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy is one of the biggest franchises under Square Enix’s umbrella, and as a result, many spin-off titles have come from this one series. Crystal Chronicles, Dissidia, World of Final Fantasy - there’s a whole series based on the Chocobo birds in the franchise alone. However, arguably the most beloved spin-off title is Final Fantasy Tactics. Originally released for the PlayStation 1, this game changed the usual turn-based combat system into a grid based strategy game with multiple classes and abilities as well as various terrain and positioning mechanics. The story tells a great tale of warring Middle Ages empires, common bloodlines, and political intrigue. Its world of Ivalice was so interesting it was revisited in a main entry in the series, Final Fantasy 12.
The title admittedly did see a re-release on the PlayStation Portable. Subtitled The War of the Lions, it included new characters, cutscenes, jobs, and a 16:9 resolution display. This means a more modernly presented version of the game already exists, which could simplify a further remaster. This version could be used as a base for an easy remaster to 4k resolutions, as older pre-high definition titles are easier to scale to 4k than newer titles since the multiple is a perfect fit. The additional content would also be a bonus, as many people probably have not played the PSP version. In any case, the title’s different and involved take on combat joins an expansive world to make it a prime choice for remastering. There are rumors already of a Final Fantasy Tactics remaster being worked on, so maybe fans will see this title again sooner rather than later.
Xenogears
One of the biggest RPG franchises right now on the Nintendo Switch is the Xenoblade Chronicles series. With the third entry of the Xenoblade Chronicles series coming this September, it might be surprising to know that the franchise is the spiritual successor to not one but two other titles. One is actually another trilogy of RPGs from the PlayStation 2 era called Xenosaga. The other is the predecessor to all of these games: Xenogears. Each game was created by Tetsuya Takahashi, and Xenogears started off life as a pitch for Final Fantasy 7 and later as a sequel to Chrono Trigger.
The game uses the traditional turn-based combat system, but also a combo system for its martial arts-based attacks to increase damage, similar to SaGa Frontier or the obscure Legend of Legaia. It also uses a gear system, which are giant mechs, to increase stats and possibilities in combat. All of this should sound familiar to some extent to those who have played either a Xenoblade or Xenosaga title. Xenogears nowadays would be a fascinating look back at how the Xenoblade series started and whait it could’ve been, as a sequel was planned before being canceled due to Square moving forward with the creation of the movie Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.
SaGa Frontier 2
With the first SaGa Frontier remastered, it could be worth updated the sequel. Similar to the first game, SaGa Frontier follows a mostly non-linear approach to its gameplay, not necessarily adhering to a strict series of events for its story. However, that’s where most of the similarities end. Rather than having seven (or eight in the remaster) storylines, there are only two. They still influence each other the way the storylines did in the first game, but the impact is more story driven rather than interconnecting due to their place in time.
Gameplay allows players to travel to nearly anywhere in the world they would like to go, and exploration is much more a part of the gameplay, as there is often something for players to do as they search for the next story beat. In this way, a log similar to what was added to the first game could be useful as a quality of life improvement. The game would also look beautiful in high definition, as the watercolor look of the graphics were stunning for the time and would still be a unique look even today. This title is often forgotten, even within its own franchise, being overshadowed by the more prominent Romancing SaGa titles and the unfortunate mistake that was Unlimited SaGa. However, this is one of the biggest examples of a time period where Square was very experimental, and it deserves a chance to shine once again.
Parasite Eve
If there was one genre outside of RPGs that exploded in popularity during the PlayStation 1 era, it was the Survival Horror genre. Thanks to the popularity of Capcom’s Resident Evil series, the genre saw an influx of new releases in that series’ wake. Clock Tower, Silent Hill, D - even Capcom tried to double down on the survival horror craze with Dino Crisis.
The same could be said for RPGs, as after Final Fantasy 7, players saw titles like Sony’s The Legend of Dragoon, Capcom’s Breath of Fire 3 and 4, and Konami’s Suikoden. However, Squaresoft came up with the brilliant idea to combine the two genres into a bloody marriage of modern sci-fi horror that’s a sequel to a book to boot.
Parasite Eve stars Aya Brea, an NYPD rookie trying to stop a woman from taking over the world by killing humans through spontaneous combustion. The game was Square’s first mature rated title, and it makes ample use of the rating. Creatures are strange and terrifying, deaths are horrific and gruesome, and the story is creepy and unsettling. Gameplay is a hybrid of turn and action based combat with a small arena players move around as they fight their enemies. It’s something of an amalgamation of the combat system in the Tales series and the strategy system of Fire Emblem. All this makes for one of the most unique titles in Square’s catalog as well as on the PlayStation 1. Parasite Eve definitely deserves to be experienced by new players, so a remaster would be exciting.
Vagrant Story
Some titles on this list deserve a remaster due to their uniqueness, while others deserve it due to being history lessons or fan favorites. This game is all three, and it’s a good game to boot. Vagrant Story is actually a title developed by the same team as Final Fantasy Tactics and features some callbacks to that game as well. However, the interesting things the game does with the RPG formula help it stand out even in today’s RPG climate. The combat system actually resembles Parasite Eve’s, featuring turn-based combat in a strategy style arena. Attacks can be chained together, much like Chrono Trigger or Xenogears, and there’s a risk system that increases or decreases accuracy, defense, critical hit chances, and healing opportunities.
There are no real towns in the traditional sense in the game. That means no NPCs to talk to, no shops to go to, and no weapons and armor or even spells to purchase. Instead, there is a crafting system that gamers utilize in specific rooms. The material the weapons are made of affects their power and effectiveness. Weapons can also be combined and affinities associated with the weapons can grow, decline, and be lost or gained depending on what players choose to do. Grimoires, which are dropped by enemies, are how players learn magic. These not only allow gamers to cast the typical attack, defensive, and healing spells, but affect the player character’s affinity as well.
The dungeons gamers experience allow them to jump and interact with objects for platforming and puzzles. That’s not even getting into Vagrant Story's memorable narrative, which is set in an isolated place known as Lea Monde and involves the murder of a high ranking official who has ties to a cult and the vagrants caught in the aftermath. Vagrant Story is one of the most unique titles Square Enix has to offer, and it desperately needs a remaster so younger generations can experience it.