Square Enix is one of the best developers and publishers out there and one that is constantly re-releasing its games in collections. The company does a great job of preserving its legendary games,most of them RPGs, for later generations to enjoy. From giant franchises likeFinal Fantasyto smaller ones like theSaGaseries, they are constantly on the front lines.
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Final Fantasy Pixel Remasteris the latest collection for consoles but it did come out earlier in 2022 for the PC crowd. In celebration of its long-awaited re-release, some may want to look back on some ofSquare Enix’s best efforts in the remake and remaster realm of collections.
6Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster
Final Fantasy Pixel Remasteris the latest collection Square Enix has put out, so that may as well be the first one that gets discussed. It includes the first six mainlineFinal Fantasygames with bonuses. For example, the collection adds assist-like features called boosts.
Players can increase how much experience points and Gil they obtain in battle. They can also boost how fast Jobs level up in the games that have them or how quicklyEsper abilities are learned inFinal Fantasy 6. Encounter rates can also be turned down to zero. Overall, it’s easier now than ever before to try these six classic games out.
5Final Fantasy 10/10-2 HD Remaster
Final Fantasy 10/10-2 HD Remasterwas one of Square Enix’s most sought-after collections once it was announced. The collection first hit PS3 and PS Vita systems in 2014 in North America and players could even migrate data between the two consoles. SinceFinal Fantasy 10had a plethora ofmini-games like Blitzball, this made grinding on the PS Vita a no-brainer.
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Since then, the collection has been ported to almost every console under the sun. The Switch is the best system to play it on since it combines the nice features of being able to play on the go and at home similar to the PS3 and PS Vita original combo.Final Fantasy 10is a great RPG from the PS2 era, but fans shouldn’t discount the wackiness ofFinal Fantasy 10-2. It may be a bit different than other games in the series but it is still an incredibly well-made RPG.
4Dragon Quest 1+2+3 Collection
Dragon Quest 1+2+3 Collectionis a bundle that Western fans may not be aware of. In the eShop on Switch, players can buy the first three games in theDragon Questserieswhich are enhanced ports of previously released mobile games. These games are sold separately and exist in their own space.
Elsewhere, the games were bundled together like in the case ofDragon Quest 1+2+3 Collection. For those curious, fans can pick it up on import-friendly websites like Play-Asia. The collection is entirely in English too which makes the whole thing even stranger since it was never sold directly in Western markets.
3Collection Of Mana
Collection of Manaalmost didn’t make it to Western shores either. It was released close to the Switch’s launch date in 2017 in Japan. Eventually, though, the collection did make it to the Switch in North America in 2019. This bundle was a big deal because it was the first time Western fans could officially playSeiken Densetsu 3, which was renamedTrials of Mana.
The wait was long as it had been a Japanese exclusive since 1995. The bundle also includes the Game Boy version ofFinal Fantasy Adventure, which is the firstManagame in the series, as well asSecret of Manaon SNES. The SNES games are the reason to pick this bundle up, especially forTrials of Mana.
2Collection Of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend
Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legendis another case whereFinal Fantasywas used to market a new franchise in the West.Final Fantasy 2was almost like a backdoor prototype forFinal Fantasy Legendwhich is the firstSaGagame. All threeFinal Fantasy Legendgames are collected in this bundle.
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TheSaGaseriesis a bit hard to unwind, so this is basically the gameplay in a nutshell. Instead of leveling up normally through experience points, characters would increase stats through usage. As a result, attacking with swords can increase attack power. Not many enhancements were made to these oddball Game Boy RPGs, but there’s never been a better way to check them out,
1Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Package
Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Packageis, without a doubt, the best collection of games Square Enix has ever produced. Almost every single console game in the series is available in this bundle except forKingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, the latest spinoff, which came out after this package was available. That’s a game worth skipping anyway, but the important ones are all here.
The price for it keeps going down too and picking it up now is practically like stealing this entire franchise. Whenever the date forKingdom Hearts 4gets announced, this will be waiting for newbies to the series to breeze through in anticipation. There are also rumors swirling about how the first game could be getting a full remake. Whatever happens,Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Packagewill remain one of the best collections of all time and not just for Square Enix.
