10 Games Square Enix Should Remake After Final Fantasy VII
With the Final Fantasy VII Remake garnering a mostly positive reception, one cannot help but imagine what other games Square Enix could give the same treatment to. At this point, the publisher's main goal is to release Final Fantasy VII's subsequent parts over the next couple of years, but gaming will stretch beyond that.
In this case, Square Enix remade arguably its most popular game ever, ensuring there is already a huge customer base waiting for the remake. While that is clearly a smart strategy, it is arguably the company's less-successful titles that would benefit the most from the remake treatment. Whether revisiting an all-time classic or doing justice to a game that failed to live up to its potential, here are 10 (non-Final Fantasy) titles Square Enix should remake after Final Fantasy VII.
10 Drakengard
The success of NieR: Automata has paved the way for Yoko Taro's peculiar brand of genius to find a wider audience. PlatinumGames' combat in Automata cannot be dismissed, but the game's memorable storyline is its true crowning achievement.
As the title that started it all, the original Drakengard would be the most natural candidate for a full remake, especially since Nier is recent enough to get away with a remaster. Set in a dark fantasy world called Midgard, Drakengard explores various mature themes in a narrative that is arguably the strongest in the franchise. The gameplay and visuals were pretty bad even in 2004 and would greatly benefit from a significant touch-up.
9 Dragon Quest III
Technically, Dragon Quest III has already been remade a couple of times, but the 1988 classic has yet to receive the full remake treatment. In fact, rumors have circulated for a while that Square Enix might be considering revisiting this Enix title, but only an average Nintendo Switch port has surfaced since then.
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age proved there is worldwide interest in the series, so remaking arguably the best entry in the franchise makes sense.
8 The Bouncer
Going with a slightly different approach for this entry – The Bouncer is not a great game. Putting aside questionable spin-offs, this PlayStation 2 trainwreck ranks comfortably among Square's most disappointing releases. A beat 'em up heavy on story and light on gameplay, The Bouncer remains quite a unique entry in the genre and does boast a fantastic soundtrack and a decent enough storyline.
As proven by titles like Asura's Wrath, this type of game can work; unfortunately, The Bouncer's combat is too frustrating to be mindless fun and too shallow to be truly engrossing. A remake would only need to improve the core combat to turn this dud into a triumph.
7 Parasite Eve
Parasite Eve was Square's attempt to do a horror game akin to Resident Evil while retaining the publisher's trademark RPG elements. The end result is a flawed but great game with an engrossing narrative, memorable characters, and a combat system that leaves something to be desired.
RPG mechanics like upgradable weapons and a decent amount of exploration work surprisingly well with the more grounded neo-noir tone, but the same cannot be said about the random encounters and pseudo-turn-based combat. Whether Square Enix opts to just remake Parasite Eve as a traditional horror game or to tweak the RPG elements to allow for more enjoyable combat, this is one title that deserves a remake.
6 SaGa Frontier
With Romancing SaGa 2 and 3 receiving HD remasters for the Nintendo Switch, it only seems fair that SaGa Frontier gets its moment to shine. A divisive JRPG due to its non-linear story that features seven protagonists, SaGa Frontier is an ambitious project that occasionally buckles underneath its own weight; that said, there is a lot to enjoy about this somewhat forgotten JRPG.
Although such a niche title is unlikely to receive a remake quite like Final Fantasy VII, a more modest update could be enough to attract some much-deserved attention to SaGa Frontier.
5 Treasure Hunter G
In many ways, Treasure Hunter G offers very little that is truly unique. The grid-based combat does not stand out amidst a sea of Shining Force, Tactics Ogre, and Fire Emblem titles, while the story doesn't deviate too far from the blueprint popularized by Dragon Quest. There is also a heavy focus on exploration and adventuring, but the locations are quite prototypical.
So, why recommend such an unoriginal title? Even if many of its ingredients can be found elsewhere, Treasure Hunter G executes each one of them splendidly. Due to being a 1996 Super Famicom game that was released only in Japan, Treasure Hunter G has mostly been forgotten, which is a shame. While it does not justify a huge remake like Final Fantasy VII, a budget release for the Nintendo Switch would be wonderful.
4 Xenogears
If there is a game that deserves the full Final Fantasy VII treatment, then Xenogears is it. Survived through the Xenoblade Chronicles series, 1998's Xenogears is still the best entry in the franchise, offering a pure JRPG experience that perfectly blends character development, story, accessible but deep gameplay, and mechas.
A remake could do wonders for Xenogears, especially since its presentation was always one of its weaker aspects.
3 Brave Fencer Musashi
Considering Square Enix seems to be prioritizing action RPGs in recent years, a remake of Brave Fencer Musashi almost makes too much sense. With a more lighthearted story and a generally adventurous tone, Brave Fencer Musashi was a welcome change of pace from Square's other projects of the time.
Brave Fencer Musashi's combat could be almost seen as a precursor to the likes of Kingdom Hearts and the later Final Fantasy entries, and it arguably did it better than some of those games.
2 Vagrant Story
Despite being one of the best JRPGs on the original PlayStation, Vagrant Story released too late in the console's life to garner a reputation similar to the likes of Final Fantasy VII. Set in a grim medieval world in the middle of a civil war, Vagrant Story is a character-driven epic about one man's struggle to take down a cult figure who kidnapped a duke's son.
It is a lonely affair that is purposefully zapped of any humor, leading to an experience that is quite unlike any other Square JRPG. This is also reflected in the combat and progression system, which are more about efficiency than style. Vagrant Story is already a masterpiece, but a remake could introduce so many new players to this often overlooked title.
1 Treasure Of The Rudras
Another Japanese-exclusive RPG released late in the Super Famicom's life, Treasure of the Rudras takes inspiration from Indian culture and is set during the last days before humanity is wiped out to allow the world to start anew.
An English port would honestly be enough, but Treasure of the Rudras' customizable magic system is more than enough to justify a proper remake. The chances of Square Enix remaking something like this over any other Final Fantasy entry is pretty much zero, but stranger things have happened.
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