Square Enix has made a habit these days of re-releasing their old games. For every new title they put out, they also seem to remaster or remake one of their oldies. Love it or hate it, this strategy has been successful. The strength of the original works and the high quality of the updates often please both seasoned fans and curious newcomers.
The latest in this trend are the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, updates of the first three Final Fantasy titles (with IV, V, and VI coming later). While certain elements are disappointing, such as the ugly font, fans have embraced most of what they've seen so far. There's a lot to like about the remastered versions.
10 Bang For Your Buck
Steam currently sells these three remastered titles as both individual entries and a bundle. Either way, they sit around $10 to $15 USD each. This is obviously a far cry from the $60 to $70 that new games go for nowadays.
To add further value, remember that these are role-playing games. They live and die on players extensively customizing their characters and building them up over dozens of hours, meaning they offer a lot of play time. This gives Final Fantasy much more content than the average single-player title. Needless to say, gamers won't feel like they wasted their money.
9 More Reliable Ports
This isn't the first time these Final Fantasy entries have been re-released or even remade. For instance, the PSP attempted a 3D aesthetic with the 20th Anniversary Edition. Sadly, past versions like this came with new issues, like cumbersome loading times.
Such issues are largely absent from these Pixel Remasters. Aside from the odd screen-tearing in towns, the first three Final Fantasy games run smoothly and efficiently. Any lingering issues will likely be patched out in the future, and as of now, they're a great way to experience these classics.
8 Remade Graphics
These titles may be called "remasters," but that's not entirely accurate. Rather than simply clean up the existing sprites, the developers have recreated the games with fresh assets. As a result, these fantastical realms are more vibrant than ever.
Characters are better defined thanks to the more detailed sprites. Complementing these are the various exotic environments, endlessly enticing players due to the crisp texture work and striking colors. Square Enix pushes the pixel format to its limit, making every screen look the best it possibly can through this lens.
7 Remixed Music
To go along with the remade visuals, the music has also received an overhaul. Series composer Nobuo Uematsu returned to provide new arrangements of the familiar tunes, ensuring they're up to snuff through modern sound systems.
Of course, it helps that the Final Fantasy franchise has some of the best music in gaming. Remixing such solid tracks is just icing on the cake. The only other improvement would be full orchestral renditions, but that would compromise the classic, pixel art experience.
6 Auto-Battle
Grinding is an unavoidable part of most RPGs, and that especially goes for older ones like these. Players sometimes need to beat up weaker enemies to get strong enough for the real challenge. While the Pixel Remasters don't eliminate this necessity, they do make it somewhat easier.
For easier combat, players can now opt for the Auto-Battle function. Skirmishes proceed automatically according to everyone's strength. Gamers no longer have to devote much attention to such mundane fights, freeing them up to lessen the boredom. Keep in mind, though, that this feature only works for easier encounters. Unlike Final Fantasy XIII, Auto-Battle doesn't mean the game plays itself.
5 Post-Battle Stat Reports
In most RPGs, leveling up is simple. Players accumulate EXP to gain a level, which increases all of their stats. Final Fantasy IIis a little unorthodox in that respect. Here, players level up individual attributes through usage. For example, a character's sword skill increases by using a sword. It's basically a primitive version of the system from Kingdom Come: Deliverance.
In past releases, however, it was hard to gauge each attribute's progress. That's no longer an issue, as the Pixel Remaster shows an extensive report after each battle. This indicates how far each skill must go to reach the next level. In short, it makes progression feel more tangible.
4 Auto-Save
Few things are worse than stumbling into death and being sent back several hours to the last save point. That was a problem in the original releases. Players would need to redo countless trials to the point of anguish, all because they forgot to save before the game blindsided them with a tough enemy.
The developers have remedied this with a generous auto-save system. Now, fallen heroes will only be sent back to the start of the area. This cuts down tremendously on repetition and frustration, and it becomes an invaluable gift during the more difficult dungeons.
3 Navigation
The first three Final Fantasy games had nothing inherently wrong with navigation. That said, more info helps people better get their bearings. The reconstructed graphics already aid in traversal through distinctive pathways and landmarks.
More importantly, though, is the new mini-map. It;s small enough to be unobtrusive on the main screen, but it nevertheless gives a detailed view of the surrounding environment. It even comes complete with markers for shops and other points of interest. This all may seem like small potatoes to some, but the small stuff has a big impact on older games.
2 Better Difficulty Curve
This works in conjunction with the auto-save function to remedy an old issue. Gamers don't like being caught off guard by an enemy entirely out of their league. It makes their loss feel like a cheap cheat instead of a deserved death.
That's why the difficulty is generally smoothed out in the Pixel Remasters. Players are less likely to walk into a doomed battle against insurmountable foes. In addition, they have a handy dandy bestiary detailing the stats of each enemy. This way, the heroes can plunge into combat armed with invaluable knowledge of the villains' weaknesses.
1 Extra Stuff
Developers sometimes throw a bone to those looking outside the main game. This is especially appreciated in single-player titles, and Square Enix recognized that. They may not have put in a Photo Mode, but they have offered a look behind the scenes.
Each game in the Pixel Remaster collection has two such extras: concept art and a music player. The former is self-explanatory. Curious players can see several illustrations used in crafting the games' visual style. As for the latter, the creators must have been proud of the redone scores. All three entries now let gamers listen to every track that tickled their fancy.