Square Enix

Game Companies Say They’re Supporting Black Lives Matter, But Few Are Offering Specifics

As protests over the killing of George Floyd by police spread throughout the country last weekend, some of the gaming industry’s biggest companies put out statements in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. But while a few have shared some specifics about what they’re doing to help fight systemic racism, almost none of them…

Final Fantasy XIV Really Doesn’t Want Me Trying It Again For Free

I’m finally ready to get into Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn by playing its free trial but the convoluted way the game handles its player accounts and various editions is making it that almost impossible. Square Enix announced last week that Final Fantasy XIV would be going free for a limited time on on…

9 Questions I Have About That Weird Box Breaking Game In Final Fantasy 7 Remake

I recently finished Final Fantasy 7 Remake and yet something still lingers in my mind. It’s not the ending or the weird meta-references that went over my head. No, I’m still thinking about that weird mini-game where Cloud breaks a bunch of boxes set up by small children. This doesn’t seem to be a thing…

YouTuber Drinks Really Old Final Fantasy Potion Drink

Back in 2005, Square Enix launched a Final Fantasy Potion energy drink in Japan to promote Final Fantasy XII. The beverage was made by Suntory, and I remember having it and thinking it tasted like a Japanese energy drink. But that was then and not 2020. What exactly did it taste like? If you’ve had…

Final Fantasy III Designer Had His Own Head Canon About White Mage’s Iconic Red Sleeves

Square Enix recently published a super-insightful discussion with Final Fantasy III designer Hiromichi Tanaka, and recently did the same with Koichi Ishii, the man behind the game’s expanded job system. While he isn’t quite as indifferent to the Moogle species as his former co-worker, Ishii did share his differing interpretation of the white mage’s classic…

It’s Time For A Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Remaster

Yesterday, I finished Final Fantasy VII Remake. Today, I find myself wanting more, but only a little more. Maybe another 15-20 hours in and around Midgar, seeing the surrounding slums and deserts through the eyes of somebody who’s more relevant to the series’ larger machinations than ever? Something along those lines? I don’t know, just…

I Don’t Want To Finish Final Fantasy VII Remake

When this time of imposed social isolation began, I had a theory: In the absence of real human connection, some people would find themselves growing more attached than usual to video game characters. Well, dear reader, It Happened To Me. For the past handful of weeks, I—like a great many members of the zeitgeist-chasing gamer…

In a lovely video Final Fantasy artist Yoshitaka Amano dishes on his distinctive art. Confessing a love for Western fantasy, he traces his creative evolution from anime to fine art and explains why inspiration is never in short supply. A truly serene watch, just long enough to enjoy with a cup of tea.

Final Fantasy III Designer Wasn’t Particularly Into Moogles, Actually

In honor of Final Fantasy III’s 30th anniversary, Square Enix recently published an extensive interview with Hiromichi Tanaka, who worked as a designer on the 1990 Famicom game. While lighthearted, they do touch on some interesting subjects, including the debut of Moogles, how they created a cool attack effect for the Odin summon, and the…

Trials Of Mana Demo Disappears From Steam After Exploit Unlocked Full Game [CORRECTED]

Square Enix recently announced the temporary removal of its Trials of Mana demo from Steam due to “unforeseen circumstances.” The company provided no further details, but this news comes hot on the heels of players finding a way to access the full game through the demo without having to pay for it. Hmm. Square Enix…

Square Enix is adding flying to Final Fantasy XIV’s A Realm Reborn maps. The long requested feature will come alongside a streamlining of the Realm Reborn main quests which will be a boon to anyone who’s ever picked this game up and then dropped it five hours in.

The Trials Of Mana Remake Proves Square Enix Can Faithfully Redo A Classic ’90s RPG

The second high-definition remake of a 90s-era Square Enix role-playing game coming out this month is much more faithful to the original than Final Fantasy VII. Beneath Trials of Mana’s cartoonish 3D makeover and questionable voice acting, it’s the same simple, satisfying action RPG it’s always been. This piece was first published on April 22,…

Trials Of Mana‘s Healer Talks Like A Baby And Pwease, No

There are six playable characters in the Trials of Mana HD remake that comes out this week. The only dedicated healer among them is Charlotte, the diminutive granddaughter of the Priest of Light. I’d rather my party die a thousand deaths than be subjected to her insipidly cutesy baby-talk. It’s a widdle too uwu. When…

I Need Much More Of Final Fantasy VII Remake‘s Dancing Mini-Game

Don’t leave a rhythm game fan hanging here, Square Enix. The Final Fantasy VII Remake dancing mini-game is too good to be limited to a practice round and one spectacular sequence. Cloud needs to move his body right. As I played through Final Fantasy VII Remake, former (sniff) co-worker Jason Schreier kept asking me where…

Man Recreates Cloud Strife’s Buster Sword In Cardboard

Previously, we saw the iconic Final Fantasy VII blade carved in pencil graphite. Now, let’s see it recreated in cardboard. YouTuber Crafty Transformer uploaded the clip below showing how he brought the Buster Sword to life in cardboard. In the walkthrough, Crafty Transformer shows each step along the way (unfortunately the closed-caption subtitles are only…

It’s Not Gonna Happen But I Still Want A Physical Copy Of Final Fantasy VII Remake [Update]

I made the mistake of trying to get a physical copy of Final Fantasy VII Remake, the game I’ve been waiting over a decade to play, ever since the idea of it first started knocking around my early-20s brain. It never came, and now I’m staring at page after page of scalper prices on Ebay.…

Final Fantasy VII Remake Has Very Realistic Air-Conditioning Units

Final Fantasy VII Remake might be set in a fantasy world Gaia and have stupid doors, but that doesn’t make the game lacks realistic air conditioning units. Players have noticed all the A/C units throughout the capital city Midgar. Similar units are seen throughout modern-day Japan, where central air is uncommon for apartments and houses,…

The Definitely True Backstories Of Final Fantasy VII Remake‘s Background Characters

Final Fantasy VII Remake is one of the most luxurious video games I’ve ever played. Nearly 20 hours in, Cloud’s character model still causes me to audibly gasp every time I see him from a new angle. The friggin’ pipes in this game tell a story, with grimy textures that make me feel like I…

Final Fantasy VII Devs Wanted Sephiroth To Feel Like Jaws

Like many things in Final Fantasy VII, the main antagonist Sephiroth is an iconic part of gaming history. He’s a striking, menacing presence throughout the classic roleplaying game. Much of Sephiroth’s reputation has to do with the way the developers took cues from an entirely different piece of media: Steven Spielberg’s 1975 thriller, Jaws During…

Final Fantasy VII Remake Gives Cloud’s Honeybee Inn Makeover The Update It Needed

It’s 1997, and I’m sitting in my dorm room at the University of Wisconsin playing the newly-released Final Fantasy VII on my recently purchased PlayStation. Tifa is in the clutches of some slumlord jerk named Corneo and it’s my job, as Cloud, to save her. How do I do it? Putting on a dress. Putting…