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 like Final Fantasy to smaller ones like the SaGa series, they are constantly on the front lines.
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster is 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 of Square Enix’s best efforts in the remake and remaster realm of collections.
6 Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster
Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster is 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 mainline Final Fantasy games 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 quickly Esper abilities are learned in Final 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.
5 Final Fantasy 10/10-2 HD Remaster
Final Fantasy 10/10-2 HD Remaster was 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. Since Final Fantasy 10 had a plethora of mini-games like Blitzball, this made grinding on the PS Vita a no-brainer.
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 10 is a great RPG from the PS2 era, but fans shouldn’t discount the wackiness of Final Fantasy 10-2. It may be a bit different than other games in the series but it is still an incredibly well-made RPG.
4 Dragon Quest 1+2+3 Collection
Dragon Quest 1+2+3 Collection is a bundle that Western fans may not be aware of. In the eShop on Switch, players can buy the first three games in the Dragon Quest series which 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 of Dragon 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.
3 Collection Of Mana
Collection of Mana almost 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 play Seiken Densetsu 3, which was renamed Trials of Mana.
The wait was long as it had been a Japanese exclusive since 1995. The bundle also includes the Game Boy version of Final Fantasy Adventure, which is the first Mana game in the series, as well as Secret of Mana on SNES. The SNES games are the reason to pick this bundle up, especially for Trials of Mana.
2 Collection Of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend
Collection of SaGa Final Fantasy Legend is another case where Final Fantasy was used to market a new franchise in the West. Final Fantasy 2 was almost like a backdoor prototype for Final Fantasy Legend which is the first SaGa game. All three Final Fantasy Legend games are collected in this bundle.
The SaGa series is 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,
1 Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Package
Kingdom Hearts All-in-One Package is, 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 for Kingdom 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 for Kingdom Hearts 4 gets 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 Package will remain one of the best collections of all time and not just for Square Enix.