Some video game franchises are so sprawling and prolific that, for new fans, it can be a little intimidating to figure out how to start playing them. One of those franchises isFinal Fantasy.Anyone who’s into video games is familiar withFinal Fantasy,the Square Enix franchise that continues to set standards for RPGs and define the genre, even after all these years. The great success ofFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeattests to the franchise’s timelessness and impact. Even thoughFinal Fantasyis largely composed of standalone stories, some fans might wish they could play the series from the beginning anyway to see how it’s evolved over the years. That’s why the recent announcement of theFinal Fantasy Pixel Remasterseries is a big deal.
Square Enix payedFinal Fantasya lot of mind at E3 2021. Some viewers might argue thatStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originwas one of the most memorable game reveals of the whole event. During the same event, though, Square Enix briefly teased theFinal Fantasy Pixel Remasterseries on Steam. Through this initiative, remasters of the first sixFinal Fantasygames will come to Steam. This is a huge deal for a lot of reasons. For one thing, it makes these games more accessible and perhaps even more affordable than before. For another, these remasters look like they’ll transcend more recentFinal Fantasyclassic remakes that fans weren’t too pleased with.
RELATED:How Long It Takes to Beat Every Final Fantasy Game
Experiencing Final Fantasy on Steam
Lots of otherversions of the earlyFinal Fantasygamesare already available on Steam in one way or another. However, not all of them have been received with overwhelmingly positive reviews. Many have criticized theFinal Fantasy 6port that came to Steam a few years ago for using the same character sprites as the mobile version of the game. Thanks toFinal Fantasy Pixel Remaster,though, fans will be able to relive the 16-bit glory days of earlyFinal Fantasy. The sprites have been polished and made more detailed, but they’re overall very faithful to the first versions of the games.
Sharp-looking remasters will be a big addition to Steam’s library, and could sell pretty well for Square Enix. To give itself an extra edge, Square Enix and Steam might work together to price these games in a competitive way that’ll encourageFinal Fantasyfans new and oldto jump on the remasters. The earlyFinal Fantasygames are already fairly affordable, but if Square Enix offers a package deal for all thePixel Remastertitles or prices them even a little bit cheaper than the other editions, they can save fans a little money while making a ton of sales.
RELATED:Final Fantasy 7 Areas That Will Likely Appear in Remake Part 2
A Worthy Final Fantasy Reunion
Square Enix remastering all six of these games at once is a big deal. It’s not common that a developer remakes multiple games at once, let alone six. Even just the firstFinal Fantasygetting a sharp remaster would’ve been exciting. Instead,Square Enix is following its recent patternof doubling down on and rapidly expanding theFinal Fantasyseries. Six of the franchise’s earliest games are getting remastered all at once, giving fans a wealth of games to revisit or experience for the first time.
Although details on theFinal Fantasy Pixel Remasterseries are scarce, one hopes that they’ll release soon if Square Enix felt ready to announce them at E3. AsFinal Fantasygets more and more attention with the help of content aroundFinal Fantasy 7 Remakeand side ventures likeSephiroth joiningSuper Smash Bros. Ultimate,now is the perfect time to be nostalgic for the youth ofFinal Fantasy.Fans and critics agree that these games hold up. These lots of RPG conventions and innovations that fans can watch evolve if they pick upFinal Fantasy Pixel Remastertitles once they release.
MORE:What You Need to Know About FF1 Ahead of Final Fantasy Origin’s Release
