People love to initiate conversations about Final Fantasy V by labeling it "underrated." For the longest time, I agreed with that assessment. It's a great game that has always existed in the shadow of its SNES-era brethren, Final Fantasy IV and Final Fantasy VI. Cecil, Kain, Rydia? Hot topics. Terra, Celes, Shadow? Hot topics. Bartz, Galuf, Faris? It's telling, perhaps, when the most frequent comment on the internet regarding FFV's protagonist is that his Japanese name is "Butz." It's not about his spirit of adventure and kindhearted ways. It's about butts. That may hold true to this day. But several years ago, something started to change. An annual celebration in Final Fantasy V's fandom ballooned in size, and the broader Square Enix fandom took notice. That celebration is called "Final Fantasy V Four Job Fiesta." It's cool. You can read about it over at our sister site. What matters, in the context of this review, is that it turned a lot of heads. And thus, when Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster launched a few weeks back on Steam and mobile devices, there was notably more interest in a return trip to the world of butts than there would have been a decade

Square Enix has shared some of the Black Friday sales and promotions running through the holiday weekend and beyond - check them out below: MARVEL'S GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY Both digital Standard and Deluxe Editions of the game will be discounted 35% off in the PlayStation Store until November 29, on Steam and the Epic Games Store until December 1, and on the Microsoft Store on Xbox until December 2. Further, players in the US or Canada who purchase Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy will be able to enjoy one free month of Disney+ after signing up and linking their Square Enix Members account. This promotion will end on December 31. MARVEL’S AVENGERS From now until December 4, save up to 60% off on both the physical Standard and Deluxe Editions at all participating retailers. Further, both digital editions of the game will be discounted up to 60% off in the PlayStation Store until November 29, on Steam until December 1, and on the Stadia and the Microsoft Store on Xbox until December 2. All Heroic Starter Packs on the PlayStation Store and the Microsoft Store on Xbox will be on sale during this time as well. OUTRIDERS From now until December 4, the physical version

Developed by Deck Nine games and published by Square Enix, Life is Strange True Colors, will arrive digitally on Nintendo Switch starting December 7th. A physical version of the game will be released on March 22nd, 2022. This marks the first time a series title will arrive on the platform. Jon Brooke, co-head of Square Enix External Studios, which is a London-based arm that works with studios to publish games under the Square Enix banner, shared that “this is the most advanced game in the series, so it was important for us to maintain a high standard of visual quality, performance and optimization when bringing the game to a new platform." Brooke stated that they are "delighted with how the Switch version turned out" and want to expand the series' community with the debut of the first Switch entry. True Colors follows a new protagonist named Alex Chen, who arrives in the idyllic Haven Springs to reconnect with her brother. When he dies in a suspicious accident, Alex discovers that she has supernatural powers that allow her to perceive empathy in a way that allows her to uncover the secrets the quiet mountain town is hiding. Aside from the Nintendo Switch release, the

Developed by PlatinumGames and Square Enix, Babylon's Fall is an upcoming multiplayer action-RPG designed as an ongoing service game. Recently, the third closed beta test was conducted where testers were asked to stress test the servers amongst other features. We summarized the highlights from the previous beta test here. During this test, players noticed that certain gear obtained looked remarkably similar to sets used in Final Fantasy XIV. Amidst criticism that the game was borrowing assets from other titles rather than developing it's own original content, Babylon's Fall producer Yosuke Saito and Final Fantasy XIV producer/director Naoki Yoshida responded in tandem on the Hanging Gardens community website."Ahh, so he’s making a hardcore action-based hack-and-slash game. I’m kind of jealous.” Yoshida thought to himself when Saito unveiled his plans to develop Babylon's Fall. "Preparing all of the gear variations needed for the gameplay is going to be really difficult." Yoshida himself is a noted Diablo fan, with an understanding that creating a wide variety of gear options makes a loot-based game all the more attractive. "Naoki Yoshida was also in attendance and offered his help," Saito shared, "to which I replied, “Yes, please!” From that point the two teams coordinated how the assets

Recently released on Steam, iOS, and Android, Final Fantasy V Pixel Remaster is a new version of the original Super Famicom title released in 1992. Featuring updated visuals, a newly-arranged soundtrack, and more, the the Pixel Remaster is part of a series revisiting the first six title in the Final Fantasy franchise. Final Fantasy V, in particular, revisits the popular job system that allows its protagonists to freely mix and match abilities they've learned, and continues what would become a tradition of "Active Time Battle" turn-based encounters. The story follows Lenna, princess of Tycoon, as she ventures forth to find her father who is searching for the world's remaining crystals to forestall impending doom. On her journey, she meets the adventurer Bartz, and amnesiac elder named Galuf, and the pirate captain Faris. They are blessed by the crystals and tasked with saving them from the clutches of the evil Exdeath, who seeks to deliver the world into nothingness. Today, Square Enix updated the Steam version of the game with various adjustments and fixes to bugs experienced in the game. Additional updates are also planned to be deployed to fix other unresolved issues. Check it out below: Battle Adjustments The ability "Cover" has been altered so

Developed by gumi and published by Square Enix, War of the Visions Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is a smartphone gacha strategy RPG set in the Brave Exvius universe. Today, a special limited-time collaboration event with Final Fantasy XV kicks off, where you'll be able to collect rare units based off the game. Noctis Lucis Caelum can be summoned in game now through December 28th, and is an Earth-type Ultra Rare unit that has a unique Vanguard Strike Class job that can raise barriers on his opponents by using various attack types.Prompto Argentum is a Crownsguard Marksman and a Dark-type Ultra Rare unit that can inflict status ailments on distant foes and deal even greater damage to enemies suffering status afflictions. Aranea Highwind can be summoned starting December 1st, and is an Ice-type Ultra Rare unit that is built for single-unit attacks, including foes who have had their attack power reduced. Her job is an Airborne Division Commodore. The Oath of Salvation Vision Card can be obtained through December 28th, and will increase attack power and dexterity for Earth-type units like Noctis, and will boost magic attack resistance once it reaches the level cap. Paired with Noctis, this card will increase his slash

Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier, the mobile battle royale set in the world of Final Fantasy VII, is out today worldwide through iOS and Android devices. The launch marks the beginning of the game's first season - "Rise of Shinra". Taking place prior to the events of the original FFVII, players must fight to be the last SOLDIER standing. Enter the game as SOLDIER candidate, using magic and special abilities along with range and melee weapons throughout several storied locations including Seventh Heaven, Corneo's Mansion, Honeybee Inn and more. Players can choose from various styles that allow for unique special abilities and include: Warrior – This Style’s strength comes from close-ranged melee attacks.Sorcerer – Specializing in mid-ranged AoE attacks; this Style’s basic magic spells Fire, Blizzard and Thunder are powered up.Monk – A high-vitality Style which comes with self-healing and shield abilities.Ranger – Skilled in seeking out enemies and sniping them from afar.Ninja – Perfect for stealth and ambush attacks, this Style comes equipped with a double jump. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKgj5K0AYNw Players will also find themselves against monsters who inhabit the outskirts of the city. Defeating them nets you experience to level up and unlock new weapons. Classic series elements such as chocobos,

Square Enix shared an all-new look at upcoming action RPG Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin as it prepares to launch March 18, 2022. Following along with new screenshots, we've a look at the game's story, new characters to encounter and locations to visit, as well as the battle system. Those familiar with Final Fantasy I may want to take a look. Story Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin tells the story of Jack and his mission to return light to the crystals of Cornelia, a land ruled by darkness. The king of Cornelia reveals the Prophecy of Lukahn, which tells the tale of the Warriors of Light. Jack and his friends are believed to be the four fabled warriors and hope is placed on them to vanish the darkness that clouds the crystals. Sarah can be seen playing the lute to her sister Mia, she plays the Final Fantasy prelude. After crossing the northern bridge to Pravoka, Jack and his companions encounter a mysterious man by the name of Captain Bikke. Locations Pravoka is a new location in Final Fantasy Origin, found after crossing the northern bridge to the continent. The port town is filled with people looking for crystals with the aid of

Published by Square Enix and developed by People Can Fly, Outriders is a third-person shooter slash RPG looter that can be played solo or co-op online. It released back in April of this year to a mixed response, largely due to the amount of bugs and balancing issues that plagued an otherwise enjoyable game. After months of relative quiet, the team is back with a new free update New Horizons and a 'fully-formed' expansion 'Worldslayer' set to release in 2022. Details were shared in the latest broadcast. Releasing on Tuesday, November 16th, the New Horizons update is free of charge to those who previously purchased Outriders. It's intended to fix many of the game's core issues that sandbagged the game's launch. It also includes a reworked endgame experience, four new Expedition maps, new Expeditions that won't be timed, an improved loot drop system, and a new transmog system that will let you superimpose one piece of gear's appearance onto another. The endgame experience as it exists today rewarded you for how quickly you could complete an Expedition, and in so doing, players prioritized one style of play only: to maximize damage output. For a game that wanted encouraged its community to experiment

As part of Microsoft's Xbox 20th anniversary announcements, a slate of new titles from the Xbox 360 era are now backwards-compatible with the Xbox One and Xbox Series consoles. This list now includes 2010's NieR or NieR Gestalt, which features an older protagonist and father of Yonah, as opposed to NieR Replicant and its 2021 remaster featuring a younger protagonist as Yonah's brother. This title will also benefit from a 'FPS Boost' feature that will raise the ceiling for the game's framerate to 60. Final Fantasy XIII-2 and Lightning Returns Final Fantasy XIII were previously available as backwards compatible titles, but will now improve from the FPS Boost feature that will increase framerates to a ceiling of 60 per second. Players may remember slowdown in the more graphically intense areas of XIII-2 such as the sprawling and vertically-oriented Academia, which seem ripe to benefit from such an update. The original Final Fantasy XIII and NieR Automata are also currently part of Microsoft's Xbox Game Pass offerings.