Square Enixhad a rough go on the PS3 as did a lot of Japanese developers. It was as if Japanese companies were allergic to the HD era. They put out some quality titles on PS3, but it was nowhere near as stellar as the previous generation on PS2.
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ThePS4generation then was like an apology tour for them.Square Enixput out so much great content that it was hard to narrow down thebest of the best. For variety’s sake, only one game per series will be highlighted, although there will be some runner-ups. Also, only games released first during the PS4 generation will be mentioned. No ports or collections will be added, but remakes will count.
8I Am Setsuna
I Am Setsunawas the first game from Tokyo RPG Factory. This separate studio with Square Enix was set up to make smaller RPGs to harken back to the early SNES and PS1 days of the two now merged companies.I Am Setsunawas clearly an attempt to make a successor toChrono Triggerin particular at least in terms of gameplay minus the time travel.
While it didn’t blow up the internet, it is still a very solid RPG for this side company’s first venture. It’s a shame it never got a direct sequel and everything afterI Am Setsunafrom Tokyo RPG Factory has been not as good.
7Trials Of Mana Remake
Seiken Densetsu 3was the name of the third game intheManaseries. It was released on the SNES in 1995 but in Japan only. It did not get an official release in the West untilCollection of Manahit the Switch in 2019 followed quickly by this remake in 2020.
These two games were renamed asTrials of Manain the West. The original SNES game is better inCollection of Mana, butthat collection still hasn’t left the Switch. This remake is a good replacement though.
6Voice Of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars
Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roarswas a surprise game from Yoko Taro who also worked onNieR: Automata. It is aturn-based card RPGwith some strategy elements. Players wander around the world as players on a game board, interacting with NPCs and monsters on their journey.
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Once battles begin, the setup should look familiar to RPG fans. For a card game, it’s incredibly easy to jump into. It has since received two sequels, but they are all standalone ideas, so it doesn’t matter where players start between this game,The Forsaken Maiden, andThe Beasts of Burden.
5Neo: The World Ends With You
Neo: The World Ends With Youis another exampleof a Square Enix game that took a while to get a sequel to.Trials of Manais admittedly a different case as it was more based on waiting for English localization.
Both ofThe World Ends With Yougames feature action RPG gameplay, but the sequel took things into 3D space. It doesn’t hold a candle to the original but few games can. Still, fans ofThe World Ends With Youon DS waited thirteen years, based on the North American release, for this, and they couldn’t have been happier despite some minor gripes.
4NieR: Automata
The aforementionedNieR: Automatablew players and critics away when it launched in 2017. The original was a niche hit for hardcore RPG fans, but it was buried by a ton of technical issues to keep it from true stardom.
Almost everything about this sequel was better. Part of that praisegoes to PlatinumGameswhich Square Enix contracted to help develop it. They know how to make the action feel good in their games andNieR: Automatais no exception.
3Kingdom Hearts 3
Kingdom Hearts 3was kind of like a joke in the industry.Kingdom Hearts 2was released in 2006 in North America, and in-between that game and this third major entry, Square Enix released eleven spinoffs, remakes, andremasters for theKingdom Heartsseries. It was as if they were determined not to move the story forward in a big way with a numbered sequel.
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And yet, in 2019, Square Enix finally gave fans what they wanted and it was glorious. Hopefully, the already teasedKingdom Hearts 4will not take another thirteen years to come out.
2Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Elusive Age
Dragon Questhas never been as popular in the West, unlikeFinal Fantasy.Dragon Questis more like Japan’s favorite RPG. However,Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Agebroke the mold and got more Western players onboard than ever before.
It’s kind of like howPersonaand theShin Megami Tenseiseries overall took a while to get popular in the West.Dragon Quest 11is a top-notch, very long RPG and is the one to play in the series on PS4. However,Dragon Quest Heroes 2andDragon Quest Builders 2are both excellentspinoffs in theDragon Questseriesworth checking out too.
1Final Fantasy 7 Remake
World of Final Fantasy,Final Fantasy Type-0, andFinal Fantasy 15all deserve praise for being great mainline and spinoff titles in this franchise. However, the one game in the series that hit critical mass on PS4 wasFinal Fantasy 7 Remake. It came out at exactly the right time in 2020 when everyone was locked inside.
Maybe that’s why more people played it, or maybe it’s because Square Enix has never made a game quite as adored asFinal Fantasy 7. Fans have been waiting for a remake since Square Enix released that tech demo for PS3.Final Fantasy 7 Remakeis not quite a remake at all in the traditional sense, but that’s what made it so much more engaging.
