In the waning years of the last millennium, Squaresoft was high off of Final Fantasy VII’s monumental success, and unleashed a salvo of roleplaying games on Sony’s PlayStation console. They were wildly imaginative games that, despite not having the budget of a mainline Final Fantasy title, had a creative and technical mastery that deserved just as much attention.  The finish line at the end of the generation bought the “Summer of Adventure”: Chrono Cross, Vagrant Story, Threads of Fate, and Legend of Mana. Me, as a young teen, had the summer sprawled before me to delve into these new RPGs. I filled notebooks with information and light sketches of characters. I fell asleep in the dim glow of a tube TV with Nobuo Uematsu, Yasunori Mitsuda, or Yoko Shimomura at just the right volume to not disturb my parents. Halcyon days. Legend of Mana was an endless fascination. Admittedly, it's one of my favorite games ever. Rather than tell a typical story from start to finish, everything had a modular design. Stories told within this world - split up into individual events and scattered about - with the intention of you finding the next chapter rather than simply proceeding to it. You

June 27th marks the day Square Enix will stream a three hour broadcast highlighting what's next with the Mana series, the company announced today. The broadcast will cover the full 30 years series history going all the way back to 1991 and up to today's release of the remaster. Fans can also expect news on the future of the series to be shared and can view the broadcast via YouTube. We've linked the placeholder stream below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TANOyelWgHo

Square Enix and Paris-based Cyber Group Studios are working on a new animation project for younger audiences (8 to 13 year olds) featuring Final Fantasy IX, revealed today via Kidscreen. Work on the series seems to be in early stages as production is yet to start, although Square Enix has arranged the deal with the studio. In addition to producing the show, Cyber Group will take on worldwide distribution, licensing and merchandise duties. The company is putting the finishing touches on a "bible" for the project, citing plans to begin pitching to broadcasters within the coming months. Episode count has not yet been determined, however the goal is to begin production by the end of the year if not by the start of 2022. Details on how exactly the RPG will be adapted remain under wraps for now, but the goal is to position the animated series as an introduction of sorts or an immersive treat for those looking to revisit the universe. Final Fantasy IX the game is currently available for PlayStation, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PC, Nintendo Switch and mobile platforms.

There's already a sound theory crystallizing in the minds of Final Fantasy fans regarding the potential narrative beats in store for us when Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin launches sometime in 2022. Between possible hints in concept art and the expectation of a form of plot subversion downright native to series scribe Kazushige Nojima, some among us are buying into the notion that Jack, Origin's angry and macho hero, is either the knight Garland from the original Final Fantasy or that he becomes Chaos, that game's final boss, in some weird, timey-wimey, way. It's typical for us Square RPG diehards to see a reveal trailer and immediately attempt to piece together a fraction of the puzzle. It's less typical for a Square RPG reveal trailer to elicit such strong negative reactions and meme-centric rebuttals within seconds. Enter Team Ninja, the studio most recently renowned for its success with the Nioh franchise. Through Koei Tecmo, Team Ninja is spearheading development on Origin, playing in Square Enix's sandbox but bringing several of their own toys to the occasion. This is readily apparent on several levels, from the art style and texture work to the visceral animations and complex battle system. It also

Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy is coming to Nintendo Switch via cloud gaming, Square Enix has announced during the Nintendo Direct E3 2021 showcase. The company has shared details regarding what is required to operate the cloud version of the game on the system among other facts via a post on the game's official website. Lastly, Square Enix has also confirmed the game will release on the same day as all other platforms: October 26, 2021. Check here to view additional details on the game including extended gameplay footage, screenshots and so much more. Check out the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHd5KcHFJ3k

During the Nintendo E3 2021 showcase, Square Enix has revealed both Life is Strange: True Colors and Life is Strange Remastered Collection are making their way to the Nintendo Switch system. Life is Strange: True Colors will launch on September 10, while Life is Strange Remastered Collection is set to release later this year with an unspecified date. Check here to view additional details on the two titles including screenshots, pre-order bonuses and more. View the trailer below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FVOE2PxYNl0

Several months ago, Square Enix showed us the "expanded universe" as it were of Final Fantasy VII is still very much alive and well when they announced a slew of new titles to go along with it. First up, we had another version of Final Fantasy VII Remake to look forward to with Intergrade - an updated and perfected version of the game for PS5 along with a new bit of downloadable content featuring Yuffie. Next, a separate "remake" projects of sorts was revealed with Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis. This title will feature retellings of the entire Compilation works spanning from Before Crisis all the way through Dirge of Cerberus. And finally, Square Enix revealed Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier - a battle royale taking place 30 years before the events of the original FFVII. Recently, the publisher held the game's closed beta test, giving a select few entry into the early beginnings of the game. I too had a chance to see what all the fuss was about thanks to an opportunity given to us by Square Enix. After getting everything set up on my Android phone (a Sony Xperia 5, just for the record), The First

Square Enix just dropped a new look at the remastered Legend of Mana, featuring a look at its new opening cinematic ahead of its June 24 release date on Nintendo Switch, PC and PlayStation 4. Legend of Mana will release digitally and will feature remastered graphics, a rearranged soundtrack, and the “Ring Ring Land” mini-game, which had not been previously released in the West. The game comes with a price tag of $29.99, and those who preorder before the release date will receive an early purchase reward, which includes ten avatars and a special Legend of Mana theme (PlayStation 4) or a Legend of Mana Wallpaper(Steam). Catch the opening movie below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxZeYJ-NkKo

The Life is Strange series received a bundle of updates today during the Square Enix Presents livestream event. Both the recently announced Life is Strange: True Colors and Life is Strange Remastered Collection made a brief appearance at the presentation, with True Colors getting a in-depth look at the Empathy gameplay mechanic. You can check out the trailers below. Announced back in March, Life is Strange: True Colors follows the story of Alex Chen as she attempts to the solve the mystery surrounding her brother's death. She possesses the psychic power of Empathy, which allows her to see, manipulate and absorb the strong emotions of other people. The presentation showcased during the livestream provided a much closer look at Alex's Empathy powers, granting players a glimpse at what kind of difficult choices they will have to make. Preorders are available now for True Colors, and those who preorder the Ultimate Edition will also receive Life is Strange Remastered Collection as part of the bundle, alongside the Wavelengths Bonus Story and a Hero Outfit Pack. You can check out the full stream over on the official Youtube channel, and check out the Power and Consequence trailer below. Life is Strange: True Colors is

During Square Enix's E3 2021 livestream, the company announced Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin for PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One and PC. Developed by Team Ninja, the creator of the Nioh and Ninja Gaiden series, this new action RPG allows players to explore this dark fantasy world as they battle an array of iconic monsters from the Final Fantasy series, using powerful spells and abilities from a sample of jobs including warrior, dragoon and black mage. In addition, Square Enix also revealed that a PS5 demo for the game will be available for free for PlayStation 5 beginning today from June 13 to June 24 at 7:59 PM (PDT) / 3:59 PM (BST). Players who download and play the trial version are invited to participate in a survey to provide feedback to the development team on their play experience, helping to shape the outcome of the game. The survey will open from June 13 to June 30 at 7:59 PM (PDT) / 3:59 PM. (BST) and will be accessible from the menu screen of the trial version. Check out the trailer and screenshots below: English Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ntQ-utIdWWE Screenshots Character Renders AshJackJed Official Keyart Square Enix also shared a few words from the developers of the game: “While it is