Even though Square-Enix are primarily known for their flagship RPG franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. However, they are responsible for developing and publishing several other gaming franchises of note too.
After Square and Enix merged to become Square-Enix in 2003 the company acquired Eidos Interactive and its IPs like the Tomb Raider series, Deus Ex, Legacy of Kain, and Hitman - before handing the rights back to the developers IO Interactive.
While one may expect Metacritic’s scoring for Square-Enix to be dominated by their RPGs for better or worse the company has a varied list featuring on the best and the worst of their rating system. Let’s take a look at 5 of the best and worst games in Square-Enix’s library according to Metacritic.
10 Worst: Fear Effect: Sedna (Metascore 42)
Fear Effect: Sedn was released in 2018 for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and the PC. It is the third entry in the Fear Effect series which found popularity on the original PlayStation eighteen years prior. The game was developed using a Kickstarter fund and is part of the Square-Enix Collective.
While the game was praised for its cell-shaded visuals the Fear Effect Sedna’s outdated and repetitive gameplay along with its terrible storytelling effectively sealed the series’ fate. Even though it wasn’t developed by Square-Enix themselves it is still one of the worst games to be published under their banner.
9 Best: Deus Ex: Human Revolution – Director’s Cut (Metascore 91)
Deus Ex: Human Revolution was released in 2011 on the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and the PC. It’s a science fiction action RPG with a cyberpunk setting. Human Revolution’s narrative takes place 25 years before the events of the original Deus Ex which was released in 2000.
The game allows players to take lethal and non-lethal paths to their missions by implementing stealth and straight first-person action mechanics. The game’s narrative is also affected by the player’s choice in conversations and the actions they take throughout the game.
8 Worst: 0 Day Attack On Earth (Metascore 41)
0 Day Attack on Earth was released in 2009 on the Xbox 360 Live Arcade service. Players are tasked with fighting off an alien invasion in a top-down twin-stick arcade-style shooter. The visuals look like accurately recreated satellite images and presented very well.
Unfortunately, decent graphics aside the gameplay is a horrible let-down. The action itself is bafflingly slow for this kind of game and mission design is repetitive throughout despite being set in three distinct cities four when including the DLC content.
7 Best: Chaos Rings (Metascore 91)
Chaos Rings was an RPG released on system iOS, Windows Phone, and Android systems in 2012. It was later ported to the PlayStation Mobile which meant it was playable on the PSP in 2013. The game’s characters designed by long-time Final Fantasy art director Yusuke Naora.
It was one of the first RPGs that proved that an epic adventure on mobile devices could be on par with some of Square-Enix’s best consoles games. In addition, Chaos Rings hark back to some of the PS1 classic RPGs that Square released in the mid to late '90s. Unfortunately, the game is no longer available for download.
6 Worst: Left Alive (Metascore 37)
Released in 2017 on the PlayStation 4 and the PC, Left Alive is a stealth game set within the Front Mission universe. With its already established universe, character designs by Metal Gear Solid’s Yoji Shinkawa, direction from Armored Core veteran Toshifumi Nabeshima, and a soundtrack composed by series regular Hidenori Iwasaki Left Alive should have been great.
Instead, it is ranked as one of Square-Enix’s worst titles. Despite being a stealth game Left Alive forces the player into battle scenarios against bullet sponge enemies with very little ammo. Additionally, the story and characters are one-dimensional and fans of the Front Mission series will feel let down that this is the best idea Square-Enix could come with to bring the series back on to modern machines.
5 Best: Chrono Trigger DS (Metascore 92)
Square-Enix’s time-bending RPG Chrono Trigger was first released for the Super Nintendo in 1995. It was later ported to mobile devices and the PlayStation. However, it is the Nintendo DS version that has received the most praise, receiving Metascritic’s DS game of the year in 2008.
Chrono Trigger was developed by the Hironobu Sakaguchi and Yuji Horii the creators of Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest respectively. The artwork designed by Dragon Ball Z creator Akira Toriyama and music composed by Yasunori Mitsuda and Nobuo Uematsu Chrono Trigger remains one of the greatest RPGs of all time.
4 Worst: The Quiet Man (Metascore 28)
The Quiet Man was released in 2018 for the PlayStation 4 and the PC. It is a beat-em-up and action-adventure that features a deaf protagonist in the lead. Unfortunately, the character’s deafness is nothing more than a gimmick that was badly executed.
The game forces the player to play through it twice in order to unlock the sound which would have been acceptable if the actual combat was competent enough to keep players coming back. The camera angles are terrible and the players only need to mash the buttons to win a fight.
3 Best: Final Fantasy XII (Metascore 92)
First released in 2006 on the PlayStation 2, Final Fantasy XII is the highest-scoring game in the series according to Metacritic. It was later released in HD on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and the PC with additional features making it an even better game.
It is part of Yasumi Matsuno’s Ivalice Alliance series which consists of games he headed such as Final Fantasy: Tactics and Vagrant Story all of which take place in the same world. The Final Fantasy series has a lot of allusions to Star Wars but Final Fantasy XII plays and looks like the two franchises crossed over more than ever before.
2 Worst: Final Fantasy: All The Bravest (Metascore 25)
Final Fantasy: All the Bravest was released in 2013 for iOS devices. By featuring characters, locations, and concepts from past games in the Final Fantasy series it should have been a dream come true for Final Fantasy fans that wanted something to play on the go.
Unfortunately, the game was critically panned by fans and critics alike due to its unfair use of in-app purchases forcing players to either wait to revive characters or pay for it. The purchases are also made worse by the randomness that was implemented as players would be left unsure as to what character they would end up with.
1 Best: The World Ends With You: Solo Remix (Metascore 95)
Originally released as a Nintendo DS game in 2008 The World Ends with You: Solo Remix is an enhanced port for iOS and Android systems in 2012 and 2014 respectively. Despite being a port the game felt more at home on the bigger touch screen device than it did on the DS.
Furthermore, the graphics were redrawn to take advantage of the higher resolution devices. It also received an expanded soundtrack and an improved battle system. Despite the higher score on Metacritic however, the definitive version of The World Ends with You is the Final Remix on the Nintendo Switch. The Switch version included a new epilogue as well as a co-op mode using both Joy-Cons.