The Remaining Fantasy Pixel Remaster, which incorporates modernized variations of Remaining Fantasies 1 via 6, is ready to be launched for consoles on April 19.
The remasters have been obtainable on PC and cellular for some time however can be imminently arriving on Nintendo Swap and PS4. The brand new launch date has been accompanied by a pleasant recent trailer, treating viewers to sport scenes and a beautiful orchestral association of the Remaining Fantasy sequence’ central theme.
The discharge trailer guarantees “an expertise to bridge the ages” and affords a brand new technology of avid gamers an opportunity to take pleasure in Sq. Enix’s traditional sprite-based RPGs. It’s a superb alternative for anybody even remotely curious to delve into the franchise’s historical past.
Sq. Enix has typically stumbled when remastering its older video games. When Remaining Fantasy Pixel Remaster launched in 2021, they had been infamous for having terrible, difficult-to-read text (opens in new tab) resulting from poor font selection. It’s telling, then, that the primary main characteristic touted within the Remaining Fantasy Pixel Remaster trailer is the brand new, much more legible pixel font.
Although it is probably not to everybody’s tastes, I see the brand new font as a marked enchancment from the outdated. It does an excellent job of preserving the traditional Remaining Fantasy aesthetic whereas sustaining legibility at larger resolutions. That being stated, your mileage might differ with any matter of aesthetic style. Why not watch the trailer under and choose for your self?
Humble beginnings
These first half-dozen Remaining Fantasy video games had been instrumental in inventing and popularizing dozens of RPG mechanics that stay the spine of the style immediately. The job system, launched in Remaining Fantasy 3, would go on to tell future class-based fight programs.
Along with apparent successors to this technique, like MMORPG Remaining Fantasy 14 and Bravely Default 2, we additionally see similarities to the unique job system within the likes of Yakuza: Like a Dragon and even Overwatch 2, which permits gamers to modify their workforce composition in a way similar to Remaining Fantasy 3.
The primary six Remaining Fantasy video games are seminal components of online game historical past
Remaining Fantasy 6 additionally launched an formidable type of ensemble storytelling, harking back to trendy serialized tv like The Mandalorian and Higher Name Saul. It’s from this formidable type of storytelling that Remaining Fantasy 7 was capable of craft its personal distinctive character arcs, resulting in the success of Remaining Fantasy 7 Remake and the hype round its imminent sequel, Remaining Fantasy 7 Rebirth.
The primary six Remaining Fantasy video games are seminal components of online game historical past. Whereas possessed of their flaws and limitations, the Pixel Remaster is a good alternative to revisit these classics and see the origins of extensively beloved sport mechanics and storytelling strategies, which are actually commonplace within the trade.
The affect of those video games might be the topic of dozens of books or tutorial papers and is much too nice to account for right here correctly. What I do advocate, nevertheless, is experiencing these seminal video games for your self and with the discharge of the revamped Pixel Remaster, there’s by no means been a greater time to just do that.