Highlights
- Dive into a world of premium free-to-play games with Square Enix's Dissidia Final Fantasy NT and Brave Exvius.
- Explore the depths of FF7's universe on one's phone with Ever Crisis, offering a condensed yet powerful gaming experience.
- Embark on heartfelt adventures with The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, a nostalgic demo from the Life is Strange franchise.
Although discussing the global economy might seem excessive in a gaming article, the high cost of many top-quality titles can make gamers consider tightening their budgets and seeking out free-to-play options. The good news is that the gaming scene has so many premium-quality games with amazing mechanics and plotlines that are completely free and are almost as good as some elite games, and they definitely deserve more attention.
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Square Enix, known for being the most famous and coveted game development and publishing company in the industry, has built one of the strongest, most dedicated, and longest-standing fanbase worldwide. Thanks to several of their global hits, like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Kingdom Hearts, they have remained consistently relevant. However, games from such a popular and massive company often come with a hefty price tag. While this varies across franchises and individual games, Square Enix also offers some excellent free-to-play options.
6 Dissidia Final Fantasy NT Free Edition
Steam Rating: 44%
A Windows version of the third installment of Final Fantasy's sub-franchise, Dissidia was released for free on Steam in 2019. The game was initially released in Japanese arcades but was eventually made available on PS4 as well. While the game's story mode isn't available on the free version, the (offline and online) three-vs-three team battle with distinct characters offers a reasonably enjoyable experience.
The "uniqueness" of the characters in Dissidia Final Fantasy NT comes from the combat-class feature of the game. It has a class system in which all the characters are divided into four different combat types: Assassins, Vanguards, Marksmen, and Specialists. All four classes have unique skills and abilities that can be exploited during a battle. Players only get to control one of the three characters, while the other two are AI-directed. Despite its harrowingly bad reviews, Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a fairly decent game for a casual, relaxed gaming session.
5 Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
Playstore Review: 4.0/5
It's no surprise that the Square Enix franchise with the most free games is their biggest, most iconic, Final Fantasy series. Sure, these games might not be remotely comparable to their main counterparts in terms of gameplay and graphics, but they're still a bang for the buck — which, in this case, is absolutely zero. Final Fantasy Brave Exvius is a spin-off Final Fantasy game exclusively released for mobile devices. Like every other FF game, it's an RPG developed as a joint project between Square Enix and Alim. Naturally, the game features elements from both companies' flagship titles, i.e. Final Fantasy and Brave Frontier.
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Brave Exvius incorporates fairly average turn-based combat mechanics that are derived from Alim's Brave Frontier — although, a mechanic unique in the Square Enix circle. Players have the option to pre-select five characters from other Brave Frontier and Final Fantasy games, each with unique skills and magic, to battle enemies. Once the entire enemy team is defeated, they advance to the next stage. Like a typical RPG, the game also features a free-to-roam mode where players can explore and interact with the map and, consequently, the NPCs on it.
4 Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis
PlayStore Review: 4.1/5
Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisis, despite being a mobile game, is a significantly elaborate version of FF7 that not only features elements from the original game but also from its meta-series, Compilation of Final Fantasy 7. Although most of these are added to the game in a very condensed manner, no one can deny the absolute power this gacha F2P packs — it may not rival the original, but it doesn't aim to replicate it either.
Ever Crisis is a typical mobile MMO where one gets to choose and select certain chapter-based storylines and play them to completion. Similar to the original FF7, Ever Crisis also adapts the Active Time Battle system with Limit Breaks, Materia, and weapons. Like any good RPG, the game features a solid progression system that evolves as the player advances through the storyline and levels up.
3 Octopath Traveler: Champions Of The Continent
Playstore Review: 4.4/5
Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent is a prequel Octopath Traveler game that was exclusively released for iOS and Android in 2022. Interestingly, despite being free, CotC contains a handful of features that surpass those found in the original paid games. Additionally, even in terms of the storyline, CotC delves into certain plot points more deeply than the original installments.
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With that said, CotC is ultimately a JRPG and has a noticeably slow progression system that mostly depends on daily and weekly tasks. Players can have up to eight characters in battle and most of the mechanics depend on swipe controls. In short, the game offers 2D-pixel art with gacha elements and a deeply intricate storyline, ideal for players seeking a "serious" mobile gaming experience.
2 The Awesome Adventures Of Captain Spirit
Steam Rating: 92%
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit is a Life is a Strange spin-off game featuring a young boy named Chris Eriksen. The game serves as an introductory installment to Life is Strange 2, but isn't a full-length release. Although it is officially related to the second installment of the franchise, it doesn't share any significant plotlines with Life is Strange 2, except for occasional appearances by Chris and a few side characters.
The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit, despite only being a demo game, stays true to the legacy of its parent franchise. With its strangely weighty and sentimental themes, and a general feeling of nostalgia, the game tugs on as many heartstrings as it could in its short run. Oddly enough, some choices in the game might extend into Life is Strange 2 and influence certain outcomes there.
1 Life Is Strange 1 & 2 — First Episode
Steam Rating: 96% and 86%
For a company known for its RPGs, Square Enix's collaboration with Dontnod Entertainment on Life is Strange was a refreshing change. It's a series of adventure games that follow an episodic format, where each episode progresses linearly through the plotline. Both installments follow completely different stories revolving around highly unique and multilayered characters and their attempts to navigate through a point of conflict.
While the games, in full, aren't free, the initial episodes of both installments are available on Steam, providing enough content to immerse players in the storyline. Fortunately, the overall pricing of the game is relatively affordable despite being so popular and is slightly more accessible than some of the other Square Enix titles.
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