Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis is pretty good. More importantly, it might be the least obnoxious gacha game I’ve ever played. Emphasis on might. At first glance - that is, via my time with last month’s closed beta - it feels like a full-fledged RPG first, mobile gacha second. Until the game’s been released, and folks have been given the requisite time with the optional real-world currency system, it’s impossible to say just how rough that stuff will be. What I can tell you is as follows. First, the gacha mechanics are tied entirely to weaponry. Second, Ever Crisis offers compelling content for those who, like me, don’t care much about having the best in-game trinkets at any given point, and just want to enjoy the story. Asterisk on that bit; I’ll explain later. When it was announced, Square Enix’s master plan to retell the full original Final Fantasy VII in a fresh form, alongside everything from the old Compilation of FFVII, felt like one of those monkey’s paw situations. On the one hand, it’s cool that we’ll have modern takes on games that are otherwise unavailable in modern ways - Dirge of Cerberus isn’t a good video game, but it’s

I've been spending some serious time with Octopath Traveler II, Square Enix's next big HD-2D adventure and the sequel to the game that started it all for the increasingly popular aesthetic. To be blunt, I'm pretty much in love with it. Let me be clear, however. I adore the original Octopath Traveler. I'm a big fan of the HD-2D engine it brought into the world, and I was impressed with its continued usage in Triangle Strategy and Live A Live. I think composer Yasunori Nishiki's soundtrack for the first game is outstanding. The fast-paced combat feels great, too. Best of all, I love interrogating the hundreds of townsfolk in that game with its 'Path Actions' - reading profile blurbs about them, robbing them blind, compelling them to become my minions, so on and so forth. I mentioned all that with the hope of establishing some precedent before I dive into my time with the sequel. Octopath Traveler II, you see, does not reinvent its series' wheel. Rather, it refines that wheel. Having experienced the inaugural story chapter for each of the game's eight playable characters, I'm feeling very good over here. I'd go so far as to say it's an improvement

The turnaround time from announcement to the fast-approaching release date for Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion is something that’s really impressed me. When it was announced, Square Enix promised a tentative “Winter” date, which as we know can mean anything as long as it drops before March 21. Imagine my surprise when it was then further revealed we’d be returning to the adventures of Zack much sooner than expected. You see, Crisis Core’s upcoming remaster is just weeks away at this point. With a December release in tow, Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion promises to be many things – the likes of which include being “more than a remaster” with upgraded visuals across the board and a retooled battle system. As for what that means in actual practice? Well, I was given a go at the full retail release recently to find out. Crisis Core Final Fantasy VII Reunion opens very much the same as the PSP original – you get the CGI cutscene fielded by then Visual Works, along with the introduction of protagonist Zack, who is as ridiculous as ever. It’s important to note that these scenes remain unchanged – in fact, they’ve gone and used the original

The Mana series has seen a boon as of late with a number of titles either being remade or remastered for various platforms through various means. There's even a new console game in development, which was announced during anniversary celebrations last year. Square Enix seems keen on continuing the series with further developments to come, the first of which has culminated in the upcoming mobile action RPG Echoes of Mana – a smartphone game that promises to be a love letter to the series for both existing fans and newcomers alike. We had a go with the pre-release version of the game ahead of the game’s pre-registration announcement. Echoes of Mana starts you off innocently enough. You’ll select between a male or female player character that will serve as your avatar, give them a name and into the tutorial you’ll go. It’s a short trip through some of the game’s basic mechanics – the likes of which encompass traditional RPG setups. Attack by selecting the appropriate action tapped on the screen including basic attacks and special abilities triggered after building enough Magic Gauge to do so. You can move your character along the screen in a side-scrolling fashion by swiping left

Final Fantasy XIV is something special. Ten years on from its initial release, it goes without saying the game is absolutely thriving - not only because of various influencers and good word of mouth, but because the game really is that good as we have shouted about from on high time and time again. Despite today’s realities of an on-going global pandemic, things are shaping up for its fourth, latest (but not final) expansion due to be in reach of players hands within the next month. Whilst the strain of said pandemic has been hard on us all – particularly for the development team at Square Enix – producer/director Naoki Yoshida stresses to all of us his gratitude to the medical staff and all those who have had to work hard. That gratitude extends to the launch of Endwalker, where once again people around the world will be able to connect and share their experiences as a sort of relief from these trying circumstances. It’s to that end we were invited to participate in the latest media tour covering a first look at expansion content. Normally, we would convene in person, but obvious reasons dictated that a digital event was to

Back in June, I wrote a lengthy piece here concerning my impressions of the first public demo for Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin. I rambled, I posted a picture of a literal piñata, and if you ask me now to reread what I typed back then and determine whether or not I came across in favor of the game, I couldn't tell you to save my life. Naturally, as soon as Square Enix mic-dropped a second demo our fearless site leader Erren Van Duine immediately asked me back to do the whole thing all over again. What's changed from trial one to trial two? A fair bit, actually. For one thing, the whole game feels far more responsive. That's not to say it's by any means smooth, but it's improved. The graphics are a touch sharper, the character models are more refined, and the one thing that really matters with Team Ninja games — the moment-to-moment gameplay — has been enhanced significantly. The first demo was a fairly barebones affair, with a limited scope and a single (albeit sizable) major area. Our second date with Stranger of Paradise rolls out the red carpet; eight job classes are ripe for the picking,

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

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

A year has come and gone since the launch of Final Fantasy VII Remake - it's almost a fever dream, in a way, who could have expected 2020 of all things to birth the release and revival of one of history's greatest RPGs. Certainly, it arrived in this world to great applause - from both us and others abroad. This arrival signaled the importance of Final Fantasy VII's continued legacy, one that remains incredibly active today and into the future. That future edges ever near with the release of Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade - an updated experience exclusively for PlayStation 5 that improves on the original in every way. Armed with 4K visuals and 60FPS action, this expanded and shined up take ramps up the experience with the addition of new content featuring fan-favorite character Yuffie Kisaragi. Under the banner of FF7R Episode INTERmission, Square Enix has provided us with an eyes-on, hands-off preview of what to expect when the game drops on June 10th. Check out our footage below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2uX9cDHXqbw Overview Following the footsteps of Final Fantasy in the modern era, FF7R Episode INTERmission aims to expand the existing Final Fantasy VII Remake experience with a new adventure. It’s a solo mission this

Originally launched for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1993, Secret of Mana is a beloved action role-playing game of captivating colors, beautiful music, and unforgettable characters. Two and a half decades later, Square Enix has revisited their old RPG stomping grounds by releasing an updated version of the classic title on Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, and PC. And staying true to the source material, this edition of Secret of Mana is just as charming as it’s 16-bit predecessor. I had played the original Secret of Mana during the glory days of the Super Nintendo; it was one of the first games I had played with a multiplayer feature that wasn’t just a tacked on Player-VS-Player mode. Secret of Mana was a role-playing game that allowed me to progress the story alongside my siblings or friends, making my first experience with the game a special one. So when I had heard Square Enix’s official announcement of the remake in August last year, I was absolutely ecstatic and couldn’t wait for it's release. Just like the original, the remake doesn’t hesitate to throw you right into the fray. It introduces you to the world with two very brief cutscenes, there’s no waiting through