Square Enix

I Cry Every Time A Legendary JRPG Series Goes Mobile

Over the weekend, Square Enix held a live Star Ocean event in Japan that brought together fans of the RPG series with creators and voice actors for a day of livestreamed festivities. Fans hoping to get news on a new Star Ocean for consoles had their hopes dashed, though, as the spotlight was firmly pointed…

Hands On With Kingdom Hearts III, Finally

I did it—I played Kingdom Hearts III, or the finely-polished vertical slice of it that Square Enix is willing to show off, anyway. What I found was in no way surprising: It’s another mashup of Disney movies and Final Fantasy tropes sure to delight fans of either, but doesn’t seem like it’ll solve any of…

Square Enix Will Hold An E3 Conference This Year

After skipping 2016 and 2017, Square Enix is again holding its own press conference this year, the publisher said today. Is it time for Final Fantasy XVI? Square’s presser will take place on Monday morning at 10am PT, just before Ubisoft’s at 1pm PT. It’s safe to say we’ll see Kingdom Hearts III, Shadow of…

We Played Shadow of the Tomb Raider, And It Looks Like The Darkest One Yet

At a Square Enix event in London yesterday evening, I played through an hour of Shadow of the Tomb Raider, the final game in a trilogy, which comes out September 14 for PS4, Xbox One, and PC. Though the action felt very familiar, the tone was a little different. The newest Tomb Raider game is…

Dragon Quest X Director Jin Fujisawa Is Leaving Square Enix 

Jin Fujisawa has worked on the Dragon Quest series for around two decades. Today on Twitter, he announced he’s leaving Square Enix. Fujisawa got his start as an assistant for DQ creator Yuji Horii in the late 1990s. He was the scenario assistant on Dragon Quest VII in 2000 and rose up the ranks to…

Weird Stuff Happens Off Screen In Kingdom Hearts II

Kingdom Hearts II contains dozens of worlds to explore and hundreds of cutscenes to watch. The latest episode of YouTube show Boundary Break sheds light on some of the tricks behind the game’s awesome presentation. These include squishing characters’ heads and building entire cityscapes that the player never gets to explore. Boundary Break is a…

Iconic Shibuya 109 Building Is Changing Its Logo

If you’ve been to Tokyo, you’ve seen Shibuya 109. The building is a symbol of Japanese youth culture. If you’ve played Square Enix’s The World Ends with You, then you also are familiar with it. In that game, however, 109 was rebranded as 104 Website Kai-You reports that now, after nearly 40 years, 109 is…

Kingdom Hearts III Features Retro Mini-Games

This weekend, Square Enix revealed that Kingdom Hearts III will feature playable retro-style mini-games. They include The Barnyard Battle, The Karnival Kid, Giantland and Musical Farmer. According to KH Insider, there will be over 20 in all.

My Favorite Moment In Nier: Automata Is A Musical Cue

Nier: Automata’s existential story about an endless war between androids and machines has a ton of great moments. My favorite moment of all doesn’t come from an epic sword duel on top of a tower or a difficult, fourth wall-breaking decision, but instead from a perfect musical cue. Early in the game, protagonists 2B and…

Final Fantasy XV Is Never, Ever Going To End

Today at PAX East, Square Enix released this image (via ResetEra), proving definitively and thoroughly that Final Fantasy XV will never end thanks to downloadable content that’s currently planned through mid-2019. First up is Episode Ardyn, then Episode Aranea, then Episode Luna, then Episode Noctis, then Episode Bahamut, then Episode That Guy Who Looks Like…

Poll: The Most Beloved Japanese Games According To People From Around The World

The most recent issue of Weekly Famitsu polled 6,678 non-Japanese people, asking their opinions about Japanese video games. Which twenty did they say they liked most? Let’s find out! Here is the breakdown by age: Under 9 years old: 2 people In their teens: 717 people In their 20s: 4,429 people In their 30s: 1,378…

Chrono Trigger PC Will Get Patched To Add The Original Graphics

In February, publisher Square Enix surprised everyone with the release of Chrono Trigger on PC, leading to a rollercoaster of emotions as fans first grew elated to have new access to a classic game, then disappointed when they saw what it looked like. Today, the publisher says it’s hoping to change that. “We have been…

Dragon Quest VR is coming to VR Zone Shinjuku later this month, allowing DQ fans to explore the famed role-playing game series like never before. Check out those shield peripherals!

Luminous Producitons, the newly announced Square Enix studio headed up by Hajime Tabata, isn’t only doing big-time games. As you can see on this preview of an NHK program, it’s also doing CG for television. Here, the CG is used to show how humans evolved.

Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age will be out September 4 on PS4 and PC. The game released last summer in Japan on PS4 and 3DS but the North American release will be an upgraded version including a new hard mode, camera mode, improved graphics, an overhauled UI, and dashing.

Square Enix Creates A New Studio Headed Up By Final Fantasy XV‘s Director

The studio is called Luminous Productions. It will be headed up by Hajime Tabata, director of Final Fantasy XV. According to Square Enix, it will primarily develop AAA games as well as new and unique entertainment experiences. Tabata will be the studio boss as well as the Chief Operating Officer, and the studio aims to…

Square Enix is ending service for mobile game King’s Knight: Wrath of the Dark Dragon this June. “We would like to express our sincerest apologies for ending the service but we hope you have enjoyed your time with the game,” the company said via Twitter

Japan’s Newest Meme Is “Self-Defense Geezer”

Last week, a Japanese morning show interviewed a man on the street about the country’s national pension. His brief response has turned him into an internet superstar. The guy’s name was not given, and the show only listed him as a “35-year-old man.” He’s now known as “Jiko Bouei Ojisan” (自己防衛おじさん) or “Self-Defense Geezer.” In…

Shadow of the Tomb Raider Will Be Out This Fall [Update: Trailer]

A new teaser countdown from Square Enix promises big Tomb Raider news tomorrow, but a quick HTML check will give it to you right now: Shadow of the Tomb Raider is coming out this September. Head to the official Tomb Raider website and you’ll see a message promising an announcement on March 15, 2018 at…

The Game Franchises That Will Exist 100 Years Into The Future

Video games are still a relatively young medium. Many of the most iconic characters weren’t created that long ago. But what about a century from now? Which ones will remain? A thread on 2ch, Japan’s most popular bulletin board, covered those same questions. The answers probably won’t be a surprise, but here are some, but…