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Apparently, someone at Square Enix remembered Chrono Trigger exists, and so a fresh Japanese trailer has dropped that outlines a substantial incoming update that's expected to land on mobile and PC this Friday. The sharp eyes at Gematsu reported on the trailer's existence early this morning, and the video covers what fans can expect when the update lands later this week.
Pre-registration opens for Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent closed beta
Testing begins on March 22nd
Octopath Traveler is a popular Square Enix RPG that made waves on the Nintendo Switch back in 2018, later ported to Stadia, PC, and Xbox One in the following years. It's a game that pulls on the old nostalgia strings thanks to its scrumptious HD-2D art that mimics the look of Square's '90s RPGs, all while still offering modern 3D graphics. Seeing that Octopath Traveler was a success across multiple platforms, Square decided to capitalize on the brand's polarity with a mobile game. This mobile game has been exclusive to Japan since its release in 2020, known as Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent. Well, during a recent streaming event in Japan, Square has announced that Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent is coming to the US and Europe this summer, with a beta planned for spring.
Final Fantasy VI makes a triumphant return to Android, but it's far from perfect
This time as a pixel remaster
Earlier this month, we learned that Square Enix had finally listed its pixel remaster of Final Fantasy VI on the Play Store for pre-registration, gearing up for its February 23rd launch. Of course, with Square, you never really know if a release will hit an announced date, especially when the Final Fantasy pixel remaster website lists FF VI as a February 24th release in several places (quality coordination there, Square). Still, today's the day, and so one of the best JRPGs ever made is back on the Play Store after the previous remaster was delisted last July in preparation for today's launch.
The Final Fantasy VI pixel remaster is now available for pre-registration on the Play Store
Start collecting those Magicite
At the end of December, Square Enix announced it needed a little more time to polish the upcoming Final Fantasy VI pixel remaster and that it would launch the game sometime in February. The first five pixel remasters are already available on mobile and PC, but of course, six is heralded by many as the best of the bunch, so it's likely the most important release yet. Thankfully it does appear that Square will hit its mark with a February launch, as the Final Fantasy VI pixel remaster just entered into pre-registration on the Google Play Store, a good sign things are on track.
The Final Fantasy VI pixel remaster is set to arrive soon
Square Enix just needs a little more time to polish the game
Square Enix has spent the last five months trickling out its pixel remasters for the first six Final Fantasy titles. The first three of these repolished classics arrived in July, with the fourth title landing in September, and the fifth was recently launched in November. Well, the only one missing is, of course, the most important title, VI. Up until this week, there was no date for release, but Square Enix recently announced that the fan-favorite RPG needs a little more polish, and it has been kind enough to throw out February as the release date.
Legend of Mana is a quality (and pricey) remaster finally available for Android and iOS
It's a great port, but $22 is a bit much
Legend of Mana is the fourth entry in Square Enix's popular RPG series, originally released on the PS1 in 1999. Well, Square has been busy making a slew of remasters, with many that are already available on the Play Store, but Legend of Mana was one of the holdouts. The game landed on consoles and PC this past June, so it's something of a recent release, and it was known it would come to mobile at some point, and that point is today. That's right; Square Enix has finally launched its Legend of Mana HD remaster on Android and iOS.
The Final Fantasy IV pixel remaster lands on Android, but it will cost you
This 30-year-old JRPG retails for $17.99. Ouch!
Last month Square Enix released the first three pixel remasters for the Final Fantasy series on the Play Store. These remasters aren't cheap, and seeing that the first two replaced games many of us had already paid for, these pixel remasters are difficult to get excited for. In Final Fantasy IV's case, the only way to play on Android is through the 3D remake ported from the Nintendo DS, which is still available but does not offer the pixel design of the original SNES game (known as FF II in the US). This is why many are patiently waiting for IV's pixel remaster to land on the Play Store. Essentially, a pixel version has been a long time coming, and the wait is almost over now that we know Square plans to launch IV's pixel remaster on September 8th.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered now has controller and cloud save support on Android and iOS
Square makes good on a six-month-old promise, surprising everyone
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In 2016 Square Enix released Final Fantasy VII and IX on Android, but VIII was still missing from the collection, a point of contention with fans over the last few years. Well, out of nowhere, Square has just released Final Fantasy VIII Remastered on the Play Store, and it's on sale for $16.99 until April 4th, which is when the price of the JRPG will jump up to $20.99.
NieR Re[in]carnation lands on Android with one small caveat
You can't play yet, but the servers should go live soon
We've known for a while that NieR Re[in]carnation would land on Android on July 28th, but thanks to a recent tweet that hinted at a delay, some were left wondering when the game would actually launch. Well, right now, you can indeed install the title from the Play Store, though the servers aren't live just yet, which is why you'll be treated to a splash screen that says as much once you boot into the game. Still, this pop-up states the game will either be playable this afternoon or evening, so NieR Re[in]carnation should go live soon enough.
The first three Final Fantasy remasters are coming to Android this month
Slated for release on July 29, a day after the PC versions
Square Enix announced at E3 that it's remastering its classic Final Fantasy games with 2D pixel graphics. Final Fantasy I through VI will see all new releases on mobile and PC, each as a separate title. Clearly, Square is looking to sell these games all over again since many of the previous remasters offer graphics fans don't like, whether that be the dated and undetailed 3D graphics of III and IV or the much-hated redesigned mobile graphics used in V and VI. So even though it's nice to see that Square has finally figured out that its classic pixel graphics are what fans want, it's pretty tiring to see Square constantly reselling its older games over and over. So here's hoping these remasters are top-notch, as I'm sure people are getting sick of repurchasing these games.
Square Enix has another really expensive, really old RPG coming to Android
You'll have to cough up $25 if you want to play this 23-year-old game
Square Enix recently revealed that the classic PS1-era RPG SaGa Frontier is coming to a plethora of platforms as a remaster in the summer of 2021. The game is slated for a release on Android, as well as the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, Steam, and iOS, and that's about all of the information Square currently has to offer. Luckily the developer has released an announcement trailer, and so far, things are looking pretty good.
Sony recently held a State of Play digital livestream where a host of developers and publishers announced new games for Sony's platform, and so Square Enix revealed an enhanced and expanded version of Final Fantasy VII Remake while also taking the time to announce two new mobile games that are themed around FF VII. The first is called Final Fantasy VII The First Soldier, and it will be a battle royale. The second game is called Final Fantasy VII Ever Crisis, and it will offer a single-player experience. Both titles will be free-to-play.
Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is finally here, and the wait wasn't worth it
Yet another lazy and overpriced port from Square Enix
We've known since June of 2019 that Square Enix would bring Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition to Android, and after several more announcements, we learned the game would be released on August 27th, 2020. In case you didn't realize, that's today, and so Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is officially available on the Play Store as a free-to-play release, with cross-platform co-op available to free and paid players alike. This setup affords fans an easy way to test the game while also boosting co-op for everyone, and if you'd like to unlock the entirety of the title, you'll have to plunk down $25.99. Sadly the Android port lacks a bevy of expected features for such an expensive title, showing Square Enix has yet to learn from its past mistakes.
Tales of Crestoria is the latest gacha RPG to land on Android, and it's a buggy mess
Surprise, Bandai Namco is still cashing in on popular franchises
Yesterday (July 15th), many of those who pre-registered for the release of Tales of Crestoria received a notification the gacha RPG was available on Android. Of course, Bandai Namco decided that Google's pre-reg system exists to be abused, so the game wasn't actually available, but was instead released while the servers were still in maintenance. This resulted in the Play Store listing being flooded with 5-star reviews before the game was playable since the "release" was tentatively called a pre-load by eager fans sticking it to anyone that left a 1-star review after receiving a release announcement for an unreleased game.
SINoALICE is the latest RPG from Yoko Taro, and it's available today for the first time in the West
Coming from the head video game director behind Nier: Automata
Yoko Taro's mobile RPG SINoALICE will finally see a worldwide release after an indefinite delay last year. The game was initially published in Japan back in 2017 by Nexon, and yet it would appear that the publisher wants nothing to do with the title anymore, and so Nexon is transferring the license to the original developer Pokelabo. Interestingly Pokelabo has just announced that it's cooperating with Square Enix to bring the game to the West on July 1st, though I have to wonder if this announcement is simply a last-ditch effort to make money with an aging mobile game that even Nexon couldn't bring to fruition as a global release.
Romancing SaGa Re;UniverSe is a collection-based RPG from Square Enix, now available worldwide
Yet another F2P collection-based RPG from Square Enix
Much like Dragon Quest of the Stars (coincidentally released today), Romancing SaGa Re;UniverSe is an older gacha RPG that's coming to the West. You see, Square Enix actually released Romancing SaGa Re;UniverSe in Japan back in 2018, and apparently the title is coming to the West with an English translation in tow sometime this summer, and guess what, this English version just landed on the Play Store as a pre-registration listing.
Dragon Quest of the Stars is available for download a day early, but you can't play it yet (Update: Out now)
Pre-download today, play tomorrow
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Square Enix has revealed this morning that its mobile RPG Dragon Quest of the Stars is officially available on the Google Play Store for pre-download. We last heard about Dragon Quest of the Stars back in January when Square announced that the title was available for pre-registration and that it would be officially released on February 25th. Well, clearly today isn't the 25th, but you can indeed install Dragon Quest of the Stars a day early if you'd like to prepare for tomorrow's release.
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Square Enix just announced that its free-to-play role-playing game Dragon Quest of the Stars will come to the West in early 2020. On top of this announcement, the developer has stated that starting today mobile gamers in select regions can register to participate in a closed beta test for the Android version of the game. Supposedly this is a "critically acclaimed" title in Japan that's racked up over 20-million installs, though, from the looks of it, the game is a casual RPG with a popular brand slapped on top.
Square Enix has just announced that it will be shutting down Mobius Final Fantasy, a free-to-play RPG originally released in 2016. The game's servers have been offline in Japan since December, and as of this morning, the studio has made it clear that the global version will be shut down on June 30, 2020. Updates and in-game events will still take place in the coming months, including the conclusion of the Warrior of Despair story, though Magicite (purchasable in-game currency) sales will end in March.
Square Enix has just surprised RPG fans by releasing The Last Remnant Remastered on Android and iOS for $19.99, hot off the heels of the releases for Romancing SaGa 3, and SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambitions. What strikes me as odd about today's lowkey launch is that Square Enix didn't announce the title in any shape or form for mobile (though a Nintendo Switch version was released this summer), and after the lukewarm reception for the two SaGa games mentioned above, I have to wonder if Square Enix's pricing for its mobile titles is starting to wear thin on fans and consumers alike.