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.

Square Enix doesn't have the best track record on mobile, thanks to the company letting many of its premium games languish without updates for years, including its old Final Fantasy titles. These ports weren't that great, to begin with, with missing features and letterboxed/pillarboxed graphics that didn't fit modern screens. And so the company recently set out to recreate its classics for the umpteenth time, and these are the recent pixel remasters that have been landing on Android, iOS, and PC since July, coincidentally the same month the old mobile ports disappeared from the Play Store.

Only the first six games in the series have been remade as pixel remasters, and today marks the launch of the last in the group, Final Fantasy VI. Of course, VI is heralded by fans as one of the best JRPGs ever made, and so today's launch is an important one, especially since the release was already delayed once. Let's also not forget that the last Final Fantasy VI title on Android offered horrible art that replaced the original pixel graphics, which is why today's release is important. We finally have something on Android that looks much closer to the original SNES game after all these years of mediocrity.

Like the previous pixel remasters, Final Fantasy VI offers new pixel art that suits modern screen ratios while still looking close to the original game. But here's the thing, Square hasn't all of a sudden turned a new leaf, and so the latest and greatest Final Fantasy VI also suffers from a few issues.

First and foremost, even though Final Fantasy VI was designed to be played with a physical controller, there's no controller support in the Android version. None. Like the previous five pixel remasters, you have to use the touchscreen for all controls. Coincidentally, the PC version offers partial controller support, begging the question of why the mobile versions do not offer similar support when they are priced the same. And that's the core issue, the Android version of Final Fantasy VI retails for $17.99, the same as the Steam version, and yet the Steam version is currently on sale for $14.39. So not only do Android gamers not get a sale price on release day, but we also get a version that offers fewer features, thanks to the missing controller support.

The good news is that the new pixel graphics look great, though the odd fonts are haven't gone away. Still, It's a pleasure to finally have a version of Final Fantasy VI that actually fits my phone's screen, as the pixel remaster does feel polished despite the missing controller support and outrageous pricing.

So what you get is a mixed bag, nothing new from Square when it comes to its pixel remasters. There's also the question of whether or not Square will support these games better than the last group, highlighting the high price once again, when there's no guarantee the pixel remasters won't fall to the wayside just like the delisted iterations. So it's a tough call to say whether or not Final Fantasy VI on Android is worth the asking price. Of course, everyone can take a look for themselves to make up their own mind, and remember, the Play Store offers a 48-hour window for returns if you don't like what you see.