Dear Square Enix,
How you doing? Itâs been a while. Last I heard, you guys had some money issues. Hope youâve bounced back. Sold off some of those extra records in the attic. Took out a second mortgage on your airship. Made some Facebook games. Whatever.
Iâm writing today because youâre the vanguard of role-playing games in Japan, and Iâm Kotakuâs JRPG columnist. And we have a lot to talk about.
First of all, congratulations on your impressive E3 showing. Between Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, the new Kingdom Hearts, Heroes of Ruin, and that ridiculous next-gen engine youâve been touting behind closed doors, I think itâs safe to say you had a pretty good show.
Your Western arm is doing well too. Deus Ex: Human Revolution was one of the highlights of 2011, and both Hitman: Absolution and Tomb Raider look promising, despite their assorted controversies. Sleeping Dogs is getting tons of good buzz, and I had lots of praise for the puzzle-happy Quantum Conundrum
But I have some requests. Some advice. Some tips for the future, from a big fan of your work.
For starters, you need to stop holding out on us Westerners. I can see why you might be worried about localizing Final Fantasy Type-0, the action-RPG you released for the PSP in Japan last October. The PSP market is tepid, to say the least. And Sonyâs given up on the old handheld in favor of its successor, the Vita.
https://lastchance.cc/gamestop-no-longer-selling-psp-games-in-25-of-u-s-sto-5909579%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
But thereâs still a fairly strong base of PSP owners here. As you know, many of us enjoy RPGsâthatâs why youâve released games like Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy IV: The Complete Collection. Smaller companies like Atlus and XSEED are still releasing new role-playing games for the old system. And we love them for that.
You could release Type-0 on the PlayStation Network, like you did in Japan, so Vita owners can buy it too. Maybe even design a high-definition remake just for the Vita. The possibilities are endless!
While weâre here, hereâs another reminder that you guys should localize Bravely Default: Flying Fairy. Thanks in advance.
https://lastchance.cc/hey-square-enix-please-bring-this-rpg-to-the-u-s-5920504%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
In fact, Iâll make you a deal: for every new, original JRPG you bring to the U.S., you can release one remake, port, or Facebook game. Weâll buy them all. Does that seem fair? Canât you see how desperate we are?
I snark about this âFacebook gameâ thing, and indeed, it does seem like you spend a great deal of time on social gaming these days, but itâs still exciting to see you come out with creative experiences like Theatrhythm Final Fantasy. Sure, Theatrhythm is basically just Elite Beat Agents with Final Fantasy music, but youâre thinking outside of tradition. I love that. Keep it up.
https://lastchance.cc/the-game-square-enix-was-counting-down-to-is-5897722%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
Speaking of Final Fantasy, you need to stop worrying about how to âfixâ that series. You donât need to fix it. With releases like Final Fantasy XIII-2 and the upcoming Final Fantasy XIV version 2.0, youâre not just apologizing for previous games, youâre admitting that you just donât know where you want the series to head.
https://lastchance.cc/heres-how-i-told-square-enix-to-fix-final-fantasy-5916145%3C/a%3E%3C/p%3E
But donât lose sight of your origins, either. Youâve gotten a lot of flack over the past few years for seemingly abandoning the franchises that made you great, and I canât help but agree. You have some tremendous properties in your stable: Chrono, Mana, SaGa, Front Mission, Vagrant Story, Parasite Eve, and many more. Stop ignoring them.
Here are some more random ideas. Youâre welcome in advance.
Try new development techniques for some of your RPGs. Instead of just putting the same directors in charge of your projects, try giving creative control to random staff, like programmers or artists. Try taking a more horizontal, Valve-like approach to design.
Make another Chrono Trigger sequel.
Why not let a Western studio try its hand at a Japanese-styled RPG? Iâd love to see what game-makers like Eidos Montreal could do with a traditional, turn-based game.
Design a new RPG for the Vita. Seriously. Sony is desperate.
How about a Final Fantasy VI remake for the 3DS? Isnât it about time?
Turn Dragon Quest into an online game. No, wait, donât do that. That would be an awful idea.
Make another Chrono Trigger sequel.
Admit that Final Fantasy Versus XIII was never actually a real thing, and that Tetsuya Nomura has just been dreaming this whole time.
You know what would be perfect on a handheld? A new Star Ocean. Or a new Mana. Or a new SaGa. See what Iâm getting at?
Keep experimenting. Keep trying new things. Surprise us. Shock us. Make us say things like âthis isnât Final Fantasy!â and âWTF, Square Enix?â
But also make another Chrono Trigger sequel. Donât you like money?
Youâre in a lucky position here, Square Enix. You have the brands, the clout, the manpower to both play around with crazy new ideas and continue cranking out Final Fantasy remakes. Take advantage of that. Give us fewer mediocre traditional games like Infinite Undiscovery. More zany, original ones like Nier. Or more solid blends like Final Fantasy: The Four Heroes of Light
And remember, if your financial situation ever gets really dire, if youâre ever in a situation where the money-bleeding canât be patched, thereâs a four-word answer to all of your problems.
Final Fantasy VII HD.
Random Encounters is a weekly column dedicated to all things JRPG. It runs every Friday at 3pm ET.
