Square Enixhad a pretty decent year as far as video game releases go. This includes all of its partners as well, such as studiosEidos. Their outreach this year has been wide, ranging from brand new IPs to long awaited sequels to remasters — even with some stellar DLC and expansions in the mix.
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The new games they unveiled in 2021 makeSquare Enixlook like they could have an even bigger year in 2022.ForspokenandStranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originhave release dates so hopefully they can make those deadlines work. But as for 2021, which Square Enix games stood out the most — for either good or negative reasons? Were there even any bad games to discuss? Let’s go through the entire year and find out.
13Balan Wonderworld
Balan Wonderworldfeels like a spiritual successor toNights into Dreams. It’s a traditional platformer but with the added twist of costumes. These special suits can give the players unique powers from extra jumps to drill attacks. It’s bright, colorful, and everything seems to be in place for a good time.
However, the final package just didn’t seem finished beyond a prototype phase. Most players felt it was simply lacking in content and polish.
12NieR Replicant
Nier Replicantis a remaster, but also technically a new game. In Japan, this game was launched in 2010 with two separate versions.Nier Replicantfeatured a young protagonist, whileNier Gestalthad an older protagonist. North America got the latter version, which was just calledNier.
History aside, what did and didn’t work in 2010 is still truewith this remaster. The music and story are strong, but the gameplay and world aren’t. It’s an enjoyable game, but many players find it dense and hard to get through.
11SaGa Frontier Remastered
SaGa Frontier Remasteredis an update from a 1998PS1game. It looks better than it did back then, but that’s about the only improvement this remaster features.
TheSaGaseries has always been a tough sell for the company. The branching paths and protagonists deserve praise, even if it is easy to get lost. The bizarre turn-based leveling-up system can be hard to swallow for most gamers though.
10Legend Of Mana
Legend of Manawas one of the last big PS1 games when it launched in 2000. It was also one of the best looking for the console. The remastered 2021 visuals only enhance what was already gorgeous to begin with. The music also stands the test of time.
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The action gameplay has been improved marginally, but not much work was done to the project overall. The lack of direction may put some players off, as there isn’t much story and aren’t many goals to pursue.
9Actraiser Renaissance
Actraiser Renaissanceis a remake of aSuper Nintendogame from 1991. It was an unusual blend of two genres at the time, and remains unique now.
In this title, players must rebuild civilization and keep watch over them in a sim-like overworld map. When the civilization is in trouble, players must go down to Earth and fight off enemies in 2D action platforming segments. Not much changed in the remake but it’s still a good, albeit short, time.
8Life Is Strange: True Colors
Life Is Strange: True Colorswas developed by Deck Nine as opposed to the series’ original creators, Dontnod Entertainment. Despite that,True Colorsstill feels like a bona fide sequel. It pushes the series forward by giving players more open-ended gameplay.
True Colorsis an open sandbox, where quests can usually be tackled in random order. This game’s empathetic powers aren’t quite as cool as time traveling through photos, as in the first game. However, they can still create some visual wonders for the eyes, as well as a compelling story.
7Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roars
Voice of Cards: The Isle Dragon Roarsis an interesting take for a card game. Players assume the roles of three plucky new heroes, who are all trying to find a name for themselves by defeating a dragon that is rampaging the land.
The story is narrated by a game master, and traversing the world feels very much like a board game or tabletop RPG. The gameplay is simple, but effective. The best parts about it are the art and music. The game came out of nowhere and not many played it, but they should have.
6Outriders
Outriderswas a surprise hit when it launched in the early half of 2021. It was a co-op cover shooter wherein characters also got special abilities like fire magic. It was fun to slay enemies with friends but it could get overwhelming when playing alone.
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The story could have used some tweaking and there were quite a few bugs at launch. But still, as an introduction to a new IP, it was agood first effortoverall.
5Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergrade
Final Fantasy VII Remake Intergradewas the re-releaseof the 2020 smash hit. It featured a lot of quality of life improvements such as a photo mode, better graphics, and a nicer frame rate. Those alone weren’t enough to make it worth discussing a year later though.
What made this release notable was the inclusion of the Yuffie-focused DLC. It was short, but the three to four hour campaign made the journey well worth the extra effort.
4Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalker
Final Fantasy XIV: Endwalkeris the last game Square Enix put out in 2021, launching early in December. It is the fourth expansion to the popular MMO, and this train is seemingly unstoppable.
TheEndwalkerexpansion is so popular that the company had to halt sales temporarily due to the impressive online numbers. Not many games can boast like that. It mainly adds more of the same to the existing meta, but that’s a good thing for most players.
