Square Enix’s Naoki Yoshida (more widely known as “Yoshi-P”) made waves recently when asked which games in the company’s vast catalog he’d like to see remastered or remade. TheFinal Fantasy 14director (andFinal Fantasy 16producer) has long been known to be a fan of director Yasumi Matsuno’s work, citing Matsuno’sFinal Fantasy TacticsandVagrant Storyas the games he believes should be updated for current and future generations to experience them. Unsurprisingly, he’s not alone in that sentiment, and there’s a strong case to be made that there’s never been a better time than now forSquare Enixto honor Yoshida’s request.
While there’s no doubt that remaking (or even remastering) bothFinal Fantasy TacticsandVagrant Storywould take considerable resources, Square Enix has been steadily combing its back catalog in recent years for beloved titles from previous generations. Each of these has been both commercially and critically successful, with this year alone bringing the highly anticipated second chapter in theFinal Fantasy 7remake trilogy and the recently releasedRomancing SaGa 2remake (withDragon Quest 3’s HD-2D remakearriving soon as well). NeitherFinal Fantasy TacticsnorVagrant Storyhave seen a release in over a decade, and it’s time for both of these classics to make their way to modern consoles and PC.
A Final Fantasy Tactics Remake/Remaster Could Capitalize on the TRPG Renaissance
WhenFinal Fantasy Tacticsfirst came to the West in 1998, it was likely most North American players' first experience playing a tactical/simulation role-playing game (TRPG/SRPG). With its profile boosted by the recent release and mainstream crossover ofFinal Fantasy 7, though,Final Fantasy Tacticswould achieve similar success, breaking through to a mass audience despite its steep difficulty curve and complex mechanics. And whileFinal Fantasy Tactics(and its spiritual predecessor,Tactics Ogre) is still viewed as a masterpiece within the genre, the TRPG landscape has changed greatly in the ensuing decades. Players would likely be even more receptive toFFTnow than they were 27 years ago.
The influence ofFinal Fantasy Tacticsis still being felt today, with one of 2024’s most critically acclaimed RPGs even landing on the radar of its creator. When pressed about the possibility of aFinal Fantasy Tacticsremake or remaster, creator Yasumi Matsuno shot down the idea and suggested that players go out and experience Vanillaware’sUnicorn Overlordinstead. But withFFTstill revered as one of the greatest TRPGs and millions of players enjoying some of the genre’s latest entries, there’s no reason for Square Enix to not capitalize on the TRPG genre’s moment in the spotlight.
Vagrant Story’s Mechanics and Narrative Still Stand Out Nearly a Quarter Century Later
Along withFinal Fantasy Tactics, Yasumi Matsuno would be the driving force behind one of the PlayStation’s underappreciated classics, the groundbreaking 2000 RPGVagrant Story. Ahead of its time both in the context of its release and now,Vagrant Story’s unorthodox approach to dungeon crawling and combat, along with its smartly written and mature narrative rife with political intrigue, cement it as one of the more original and innovative titles inSquare Enix’s PS1 library. So much so that it begs the question of whyVagrant Storyhas yet to be released on PC and modern consoles.
Other than a release on PSN as part of the “PSOne Classics” label for PlayStation 3 and the PSP,Vagrant Storyremains trapped on the PS1. Considering how fresh the game still feels almost 25 years later, Square Enix is arguably sitting on buried treasure that is begging to be unearthed for a modern audience. The level of care and attention that Square Enix has been putting into remakes and remasters of its rich catalog set it up to bring some hidden gems to modern audiences, and aVagrant Storyremakeis as ideal a candidate as any.
