One of 2020’s biggest games was Final Fantasy 7 Remake. It was a promise fulfilled that Square Enix unintentionally teased with a PS3 tech demo. It was only supposed to be just that, a tech demo showcasing the hardware’s capabilities, but ever since that stunt was pulled fans had been clamoring for an actual remake for the game. 

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After almost two decades the pact was finalized and with it brought new hope for future projects. Final Fantasy 7 Remake was far from the first remake Square Enix put out, and it certainly was not the last. Including this game, what others are among its top picks?

10 Lufia: Curse Of The Sinistrals

Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals is a remake, or more like a reimagining of Lufia 2: Rise of the Sinistrals. The first edition was a classic turn-based RPG which released for the SNES in 1996 in North America.

This remake was released for the DS in 2010 and was instead an action RPG. There are story bits that follow along with the original title's plot but Lufia: Curse of the Sinistrals is also almost a completely different game. 

9 SaGa 2: Hiho Densetsu Goddess Of Destiny

SaGa 2: Hiho Densetsu Goddess of Destiny is a remake of Final Fantasy Legend 2. The original was a 1991 release for the Game Boy, while the remake came out in 2009 for the DS. Despite its name, the original game has nothing to do with Final Fantasy as it is part of the SaGa series.

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The naming convention was done to help sell copies at the time. Both games virtually play the same but the Japan-only remake does look better and there are some quality-of-life improvements to make the game less brutal. 

8 Dragon Quest 3

Dragon Quest 3 released on the NES in 1988 in Japan, although North America had to wait until 1992 This SNES remake was released in 1996 but in Japan only. Enix also released a combo pack of the first two games remade for the SNES as well, but only for Japan.

There are fan patches for both packages, although the digital versions on Switch are basically the SNES games, so those are the official releases available in English. There is also a bigger remake planned for 2022.

7 Star Ocean: First Departure

Star Ocean released in 1996 in Japan only on the SNES. The West would not get the game until it was remade for the PSP in 2008. The art was redone, new content was added, and the story was adjusted as well.

In 2019, this PSP version got an HD update called Star Ocean: First Departure R. While this is just a shinier version of the PSP action RPG, Star Ocean: First Departure R is the easier game to buy today. 

6 Final Fantasy 3

Final Fantasy 3 released in 1990 on the NES in Japan. This was the same year North America got the original game, Final Fantasy, which threw localization off for the subsequent entries.

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Final Fantasy 3 would not come out until 2006 in the West when it was remade for the DS. The original game was still in the archaic age of the series where it was gameplay focused without much attention paid to the story. The remake helped fill in some gaps along with building the game back up from the ground.   

5 Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain Of Memories

Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories is a 3D remake of the GBA original, Kingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories. It released originally on that hardware in 2004 before getting this PS2 remake in 2007.

At that time, Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories was included as a bonus disc for a re-release of Kingdom Hearts 2 in Japan. This updated version of Kingdom Hearts 2 would not be seen in the West until the PS3 HD remaster but this bonus disc remake was sold alone starting in 2008 for North America. 

4 Trials Of Mana

Trials of Mana first released in 1995 on the SNES in Japan only. In 2019, Square Enix released a collection of Mana games for the Switch including Final Fantasy Adventure, Secret of Mana, and for the first time in the West, Trials of Mana.

A year later in 2020, Trials of Mana received a full 3D remake. For Western fans of the series, it was an embarrassment of riches. In 2021, Square Enix also plans to release Legend of Mana as a remaster. 

3 Final Fantasy 4

Final Fantasy 4 first released in 1991 on the SNES. At the time it was called Final Fantasy 2 in the West, which would eventually get adjusted for a PS1 port years later. This DS remake released in 2008 for North America.

The Final Fantasy 4 remake has a similar style to Final Fantasy 3, making fans believe more games in the series would get the remake treatment in this style. Besides these two DS games, Square Enix didn't release anything else.

2 Dragon Quest 7: Fragments Of The Forgotten Past

Dragon Quest 7: Fragments of the Forgotten Past released for the PS1 in 2001 in North America. It was not a huge success in the West for many reasons. Firstly, this was at the tail end of the PS1’s life cycle and the PS2 had already launched in 2000. Secondly, compared to other PS1 RPGs, like 1997's Final Fantasy 7, Dragon Quest 7 seemed dated, almost coming across as a better-looking SNES game. 

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This turned some people off. Dragon Quest 7 would eventually get a 3DS remake in Japan in 2013, but it would not hit North America until 2016. It improvements much of the original’s faults but was perhaps again a case of too little too late. 

1 Final Fantasy 7 Remake

Final Fantasy 7 released in 1997 for the PS1. It was a massive hit in the West, prompting many gamers to pick up an RPG for the first time in their lives. To call it a game-changer would be an understatement.

Fans have been clamoring for a remake of Final Fantasy 7 ever since the PS3 tech demo was shown off. In 2020, the remake was released and proved to be a huge success, with Final Fantasy 7 Remake Intergrade even coming out in 2021. The remake is part one in what could be a two, three, or more part series of remakes. 

NEXT: 5 Things We Miss From Early Final Fantasy Games (& 5 We Don't)