Square Enix

A Look Back At Parasite Eve‘s Great Dialogue

I love weird games, ones full of FMV cutscenes, mix-and-matched RPG battle systems, and nonsensical science fiction plots. Parasite Eve has given me all of those things, along with something I didn’t expect: great dialog. Parasite Eve follows NYPD officer Aya Brea, the sole survivor of a mass murder spree during an opera at Carnegie…

People Are Already Making Silly Mods For Final Fantasy XII On PC

If you have ever wanted to play all of Final Fantasy XII as Reks, the character who dies in the opening tutorial, you’re now in luck, thanks to the power of PC modding. “Play as Reks fully” is just one of many substantial PC mods that has popped up over the past couple of weeks,…

After 210 Hours On Kingdom Hearts‘ Destiny Islands, Man Reaches Level 100

AaroneousGaming is a trooper. For the past month, he’s been grinding through Destiny Islands in Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 + II.5 Remix. And yesterday, he reached Level 100. That’s right, Level 100 in Sora’s home islands. You know, the extended tutorial where you’re supposed to get the hang of Kingdom Hearts and not where you’re…

Yuzuru Hanyu Would Be A Good Final Fantasy Character [Update]

This weekend, Japanese figure skater Yuzuru Hanyu won Olympic gold. In Japan, people were excited and online, they quickly pointed out that Hanyu’s dramatic poses and intense stares look like something straight from Final Fantasy Update February 20 – 2:00am: An earlier version of this story included clips of Hanyu apparently skating to Final Fantasy…

The Secret Of Mana Remake Makes A Great Game Worse

When Secret of Mana came out in 1993, it was rightfully praised as one of the Super Nintendo’s best action games thanks to a lovely soundtrack, beautiful spritework, and fun hack-n-slash gameplay. The 2018 remake has ruined all three of these things. I’ve played a couple of hours of the PlayStation 4 version of this…

The Internet Reacts To Riku’s Keyblade In Kingdom Hearts III

Riku has a new Keyblade in Kingdom Hearts III. People have opinions about it. Let’s see what they are! Here is said Keyblade: And the reaction:

Square Enix’s New Arcade Game Looks So Damn Cool

Leave it to Square Enix to make one of the neatest-looking arcade games shown at this year’s Japan Amusement Expo. It’s called Starwing Paradox, and features a movable pilot seat. Now, have a look at it in action. See? So cool. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking…

Listen To Kingdom Hearts III‘s Theme Song By Utada Hikaru

Pop star Utada Hikaru has become synonymous with Kingdom Hearts. It wouldn’t be a main entry in the series without her music. Utada Hikaru recorded songs for Kingdom Hearts and Kingdom Hearts II. She’s back for KHIII with a track called “Chikai” (誓い), which means “oath” or “vow.” And here is the English language version,…

New Kingdom Hearts III Trailer Shows Monsters Inc. World

Joining the likes of Toy Story, Monster Inc. is also coming to Kingdom Hearts III, a game that is still scheduled to come out this year. Oh good. Below is the latest trailer, which shows off the Monster Inc. world with Sora, Donald and Goofy getting monster incarnations. The trailer also features Vanitas and Marluxia.

Final Fantasy XIV’s Almost Got Its Player Housing Problem Under Control

The release of new player housing in Final Fantasy XIV has traditionally meant a mad dash for sparse land followed by angry forum posts about how bad the housing system is. Thanks to new guidelines and restrictions limiting the amount of land players can own, today’s land expansion went relatively smoothly. Previously, when new housing…

Final Fantasy XIV: A Snow Sculpture Reborn 

At this year’s Sapporo Snow Festival, the centerpiece is an enormous Final Fantasy XIV snow sculpture. FFXIV producer Naoki Yoshida appeared on stage, giving a speech during the festival’s opening ceremony. The sculpture is lit up with projection mapping during the evening. This isn’t a first for Final Fantasy. Last year, Final Fantasy VII was…

Final Fantasy XII Runs Pretty Well On PC

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age, a remastered version of the 2006 PS2 classic, came out on PC yesterday. Good news: the port is pretty solid. As a brand new PC Expert, I spent an hour this afternoon playing through the opening of FFXII on PC. After switching the framerate cap to 60—it starts at…

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT Is Pretty Bad At Telling Players How To Play

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a highly technical online fighting game featuring 28 different characters. Each character has their own special moves and abilities, none of which are referenced in the game whatsoever. That’s not good. Dissidia Final Fantasy NT is a console port of a Japanese arcade game, so an amount of console unfriendliness…

My Final Fantasy XIV Character, From 2010-2018

The Rise of a New Sun update hit Final Fantasy XIV this week, and for the umpteenth time since the launch of the ill-fated original version back in 2010, I’ve transformed my Warrior of Light into someone new. Being able to change my character’s look, race and gender on the fly for a nominal fee…

Players Have To Fight To Unlock Dissidia Final Fantasy NT‘s Story Mode 

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT, out today for the PlayStation 4, is a game primarily built for competitive online play. It has a story mode, but each chapter has to be earned in battle. When I hear “story mode” in regards to a fighting game, I imagine a short-ish narrative dotted with battles against AI opponents,…

Here’s a new video from the makers of Octopath Traveler, talking about improvements they plan to add to the upcoming Switch game after reading feedback to last year’s demo. The list includes faster walk speed, a better interface, and a less cumbersome save system. Inject this game directly into my veins, please.

Square Enix’s Lost Sphear Feels Like It Was Made In A Factory

One of the first things you see in Lost Sphear, a new role-playing game from the aptly named Tokyo RPG Factory, is an inn. For most RPGs this would be par for the course, but in Lost Sphear it’s a symbol. “Hey look,” the game is saying. “We have inns this time.” Lost Sphear, like…

A Good Look At Official Post-Final Fantasy X-2 Character Art 

Square Enix just kicked off a Final Fantasy 30th anniversary exhibit in Tokyo. Among the displays was this Tidus and Yuna character art. The art might look familiar, because black and white versions of these Tetsuya Nomura character designs, as well as ones for Chuami and Kurgum, were included in the Final Fantasy X |…

Dissidia Final Fantasy‘s First Major Tournament Shows Its Potential And Pitfalls

After hosting sporadic tournaments over the last few months, game developer Square Enix hosted a special Dissidia Final Fantasy NT invitational at Wednesday Night Fights in Santa Ana, California. The players—an eclectic bunch comprised of traditional fighting game competitors, longtime Dissidia fans, and online personalities—put on quite a show, even if there’s still room for…

Final Fantasy Descends On Universal Studios Japan

This month, a new Final Fantasy rideis opening at Universal Studios Japan. Besides the attraction, the theme park is also getting FF themed snacks and goods. Here are the eats. And the goods. And finally, the ride. Which is called Final Fantasy XR Ride and, as previously reported, a revamped version of Space Fantasy the…