Summary
Square Enixis one of the most prolific video game companies of all time, even if some people feel that their track record has been rather spotty in recent times. However, that should take nothing away from the quality of games released by this company.
Even before this merger, Square was responsible for developing some of the greatest video games of all time, breaking new ground, and many continue to be talked about in high regard to this day. Some of these titles were quiteahead of their timeand shaped the video game landscape in new and interesting ways.
It would be impossible to talk about Square games ahead of their time without mentioningChrono Trigger, a game that needs no introduction. This amazing JRPG took players on a wild ride that was immaculately paced and featured many gameplay innovations that gamers took for granted at the time.
The lack of battle screens, multiple endings, and a New Game+ modebroke new ground for the JRPG genreand have become commonplace since. It’s easy to see whyChrono Triggerhas become one of the most celebrated video games of all times, with countless fans still praising it to this day.
During the run ofstellarFinal Fantasygameson the SNES, Square realized that they’d perfected the development of this JRPG franchise to a T. This gave them extra time to improveFinal Fantasy 6, which was achieved with a drastic shift that led to the creation of a brand-new overworld.
The world suddenly opened up and featured non-linear progression as Celes slowly reunited the party members to make a final stand against Kefka. This open-ended exploration is something that fans have come to expect from their video games, but it was unheard of back whenFinal Fantasy 6came out.
Kingdom Hearts 2is hailed by many as one ofthe greatest action JRPGs ever made, and for good reason. Despite the puzzling nature of the crossover between Disney and Square Enix’s IPs,Kingdom Heartsmanaged to win over gamers with its focus on solid presentation, excellent music, and cinematic gameplay that knew no equal at the time.
The narrative could be rather cliched at times, but fans didn’t mind as long as they got to check out their favorite Disney worlds and interact with beloved figures from Square Enix’s games. It was a masterclass in displaying how important it was to work on a video game’s presentation, which other developers have been learning from ever since.
A lot ofJRPGs back on the PS1were ahead of their time, but none of them embodied this statement more literally thanXenogears. Tetsuya Takahashi’s scope for this JRPG was so immense that they burned through their budget halfway through the game and had to resort to glorified slideshows to lead players toward the end.
After forming Monolith Soft, theXenosagatrilogy didn’t exactly achieve Takahashi’s grand vision either. It wasn’t until Nintendo provided this game director with the backing he deserved that theXenoseries became a household name courtesy ofXenoblade Chronicles.
The Nintendo DS is one of the greatest handheld consoles of all time, and any game that made the most of this console deserves its time in the spotlight.The World Ends With Youis a great example of what creative video games could achieve on this handheld.
Battles took place on both screens, with players using the buttons to control Neku and the touchscreen to control his partner.This made combat chaotic yet satisfyingas players battered their enemies, and it’s a shame that this innovative battle mechanic was lost in subsequent releases that had to work around the limitations of a single screen.
It would be impossible to talk about the most revolutionary Square games of all time without paying credit toFinal Fantasy 7, a game that single-handedly helped usher in the golden age of JRPGs. The focus on bombastic visuals anda shift to a dystopian futuresetting helped this title become one of the most unique games in the genre.
All ofFinal Fantasy 7’s strengths were amazing to witness and showed PS1 owners what they’d been missing out on in this genre. The amazing story andmind-blowing summons helped enhance this game’s cinematic flair, making it one of the best story-driven titles on the console that gamers could check out.
Dragon Questis one of the most legendary JRPG franchises of all time, acquiring numerous fans from the launch of the very first game. This game offers a classic role-playing experience where players control a hero destined to save the world from a great evil.
It may seem cliched, butDragon Questis the first game to experiment withtropes that would become mainstays of the JRPG genre. It can be a hard title to get into since it’s so dated, but players who don’t mind the simple combat and endless dungeon crawls will love experiencing this rich slice of video game history.
Yoko Taro had always been on the cusp of greatness, but the gameplay mechanics of his ambitious titles failed to do justice to his amazing storytelling chops time and time again. Thankfully, after teaming up with PlatinumGames and Square Enix, this developer finally attained the worldwide fame and reputation he deserved.
NieR: Automatais a masterclass of video game narrative design,experimenting with numerous gameplay loopson a whim and letting players experience a story that takes some wild turns. Each ending is just another excuse to get back into the game and uncover other branching paths, making for a satisfying narrative that can only be conveyed via the medium of video games.
