One of my favorite game publishers is Square Enix. They work mostly in the JRPG space but they always find a way to make games that take the genre in interesting directions. With the first half of 2022 done, I wanted to take a look forward at what they have coming in the future…and boy is it a lot.
Live A Live (7.27.22) – Switch
Live A Live is one of those SNES games that SquareSoft refused to publish back in the day. I’m not sure what the reasoning was but sometime in the early 2000s fans took upon themselves to translate and release the game to the emulation community. For many who played it, myself included, it was one of the most beloved rpgs for the SNES. Now, decades later, Square Enix has decided to give the game a full HD2D remake for the Nintendo Switch. That makes sense seeing as just like in Octopath Traveler, you can pick a protagonist to follow and see their story through. What makes Live A Live special is that you’re between protagonists in different time periods.
Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent (7.27.22) – Mobile
Octopath Traveler is getting its own mobile game spinoff this summer. Square Enix has claimed that this will be a full console experience, something I really hope to be true. It features 64 characters to recruit and a simplified version of the established battle system. I don’t normally stick with mobile games for too long but hopefully there’s something here to keep me interested.
The Diofield Chronicles (9.22.22) – PS4, PS5, Switch, PC
The Diofield Chronicles is an interesting new i.p. from Square Enix and not because of its weird title. I believe this is Square Enix’s first console real time strategy game and its being developed by Lancarse. Lancarse is the same studio that brought us the excellent Monark and are known for their awesome strategy games. I find the world design quite interesting with its blend of medieval and modern influences.
Dragon Quest X Offline (9.15.22) – PS4, PS5, Switch, PC
Unfortunately, for the time being this is a Japanese exclusive but I wanted to include it anyway. Dragon Quest X Offline takes the popular MMO and finally gives old school fans what they want. A chance to play the game like a more traditional entry in the series. They’ve also changed the artstyle to a more chibi look that kind of harkens back to the sprites in older 2D entries. Combat also goes back to the classic turn based system of older games as well. Square Enix has awesome been careful in maintaining a lot of the side activities from the online version.
Valkyrie Elysium (9.29.22) – PS4, PS5, PC
Continuing Square Enix’s move away from traditional turn based combat is Valkyrie Elysium. Valkyrie Elysium is the latest entry in the Valkyrie Profile series. It’s also the first game in the series not to be developed by Tri-Ace, who also work on Star Ocean. We’ll get into why they probably couldn’t work on this but it is being developed by Soleil. Soleil is a relatively new company with a few notable titles under its belt such as Naruto to Boruto: Shinobi Strikers and Samurai Jack: Battle Through Time. The combat looks cool and the story seems it could be engaging. Also, on the day of release, Square Enix is putting out a port of the PSP port of the first game, Valkyrie Chronicles: Lenneth.
Nier Automata: The End of YoRHa (10.6.22) – Switch
Just when you think Square Enix is done releasing Nier Automata, they go and surprise you with one final platform that the game isn’t available on. This action rpg was developed by Platinum and directed by the enigmatic Yoko Taro. Come for the cool and flashy combat and stay for Yoko Taro’s crazy narratives. This version of the game comes with all past dlc and some exclusive costumes.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force (10.27.22) – Xbox, PS4, PS5, PC
Tri-Ace is putting together what looks to be the biggest Star Ocean game yet. Star Ocean is a series of Sci-Fi action role playing games. Many of your typical genre cliches are still present just with the added caveat of space. Fans of the recent Tales of Arise should feel right at home with this new game. In the last entry, it was possible to have all seven party members on screen in battle at the same time. For The Divine Force, we’ve gone back to only having four but with added verticality. It seems you call fly around these huge enviroments which is another change from the fifth entry.
Harvestella (11.4.22) – Switch, PC
Another new I.P. from Square Enix in a genre they don’t typically dabble in. Harvestella is a farming simulator action role playing game. Think Stardew Valley or Rune Factory but with a dash of Final Fantasy. You’ll get to farm crops, take care of livestock, and do a bit of dungeon crawling as well. I think the only thing you can’t do in this game that those games are known for is romancing. The battle system utilizes the Final Fantasy series’ job system and you’ll be able to party up with some of the town’s residents.
Dragon Quest Treasure (12.9.22) – Switch
The newest Dragon Quest spinoff is here. Erik and Mia of Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age star the franchise’s newest monster tamer. The monsters this time around are key to you travels. They’re both used for traversing the land in different ways and for throwing down with those who’d keep you from your treasure.
Forspoken (01.24.2023) – PS5, PC
Recently delayed, but I still wanted to include it on this list. Forspoken is the first game from Square Enix’s new division, Luminous Production who feature key members from Final Fantasy XV’s development team. I’ll be honest, everything I’ve seen from the game hasn’t impressed me so far. Forspoken is an open world action adventure game where you use magic to aid you in combat and traversal. The traversal stuff looks cool and I think all the particle effects look nice. My issue is that I’m not sold on the story or characters just yet. Hopefully, getting my hands on it myself will help me understand it more.
Front Mission 1st: Remake (2022) – Switch
Technically, this isn’t from Square Enix but I still wanted people to know about it. Forever Entertainment entered an agreement with Square Enix to develop remakes based on an older i.p. That i.p. turned out to be Front Mission. Front Mission is a series of strategy role playing games in warfare is done using mechs called wanzers. This remake of the first game stays incredibly faithful to the original game. The only changes made are to the graphics themselves. It was supposed to be released in Summer 2022 but there’s been no word on it yet. I think its best to assume that the game was delayed till a bit later.
Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis (2022) – Mobile
Square Enix is putting out a new mobile game this covering the entire story of Final Fantasy VII. That’s including Advent Children, Before Crisis, Crisis Core and anything else Final Fantasy VII related. So if you didn’t care for the remake (let’s be honest, how could that be) or wanted to experience the whole story again then you have this to look forward to. I really like the artstyle they decided to go with here. Also, different weapons you can equip to your character have different costumes assigned to them.
Romancing Saga Minstrel Song Remastered (Winter) Xbox, Switch, PS4, PS5, PC, Mobile
Romancing Saga: Minstrel Song Remastered is a remaster of the PS2 remake of the original Super Famicom Romancing Saga. The original game is probably the first nonlinear role playing game. The story you get can change based off the character you pick and the choices you make.
Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion (Winter) – Xbox, Switch, PS4, PS5, PC
For years fans have wanted to play Crisis Core on modern hardware and now we can. This game is a prequel to the Final Fantasy VII starring Zack Fair. In a way it spoils future developments for Final Fantasy VII Rebirth and in a weird way it doesn’t. Anyway, besides all the story stuff, it has a fun combat system. This is one of the earliest cases of the Final Fantasy franchise dipping its toe into action combat. Some of it hasn’t aged well so the developers have made slight modifications to the battle system to make it feel more modern.
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