Summary
Heading deeper into the ninth generation of game consoles, Square Enix’s leading RPG franchises are both flourishing.Final Fantasystill reigns supreme in many parts of the world, having put out the last ofFinal Fantasy 16’s DLC,Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, andFinal Fantasy 14’sDawntrailexpansion over the course of 2024. Meanwhile,Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remakeis finally releasing in November, with similar remakes ofDragon Quest 1and2following in 2025. With talk of aFinal Fantasy 9remake andDragon Quest 12announcements looming, theFinal FantasyandDragon Questfranchises should keep their momentum strong.
Apart from what’s been announced and rumored, the distant future forFinal FantasyandDragon Questis less clear than their present. Both will inevitably produce their next numbered entries with a variety of side games along the way, but the frequency of these releases is still in question. Square Enix may have to ramp up the number of smallerFFandDQspin-offs it pumps outto compensate for the increasing time their mainline outings are taking, and fortunately,Dragon Questhas already started work on an idea thatFinal Fantasycould make great use of.
HD-2D Is A Natural Evolution Of A Dragon Quest Trend
By now, every numberedDragon Questtitle, apart fromDragon Quest 9, has been re-released, and the majority have changed in significant ways. Whether that means a few new Easter eggs like in thefirst few mainlineDragon Questgames’ oldest ports, a significant reduction in filler by theDragon Quest 7DS remake, or a full remake with new mechanics likeDragon Quest 10 Offline, this franchise has been making remakes long beforeFinal Fantasyjoined in. TheHD-2D Remaketitles are simply their latest form, but their upgrades may be the most meaningful.
Why HD-2D Remakes Work
HD-2D is an approach defined by maintaining a 2D sprite-based art style, but augmenting it with modern 3D, post-processing, and otherwise special effects, to create the best presentation possible.Square Enix has led the charge toward HD-2D games, and its approach has served new projects just as well as classics likeLive A Live. These games don’t stop at just looking good, either; completely remade soundtracks, voice acting, and even additional story and gameplay elements in HD-2D remakes all ensure that the result is as good as it could be. It’s a wonder, then, whyFinal Fantasyhas yet to jump on the trend.
Final Fantasy Should Make Its Own HD-2D Remakes
TheFinal Fantasy Pixel Remaster Collectionis the closest this historically presentation-obsessed franchise has come to HD-2D, and it still has a long way to go.Final Fantasy 6 Pixel Remaster’s extra changes, especially the new Opera House voice acting and 3D environments, get closer than the rest, but the wholesale approach ofDragon Quest HD-2Djust isn’t there. The faithful sprites of thePixel Remasterswould need to give way to ones rebuilt for even more altered 3D backdrops, and plenty of other aspects would be given more room to change and expand than before.
Dragon Quest Shows How Final Fantasy Can Nail Its Retro Remakes
Fortunately, the existence of thePixel Remaster Collectionmeans fans will have modern versions to fall back on, so future remakes of classicFinal Fantasytitles can freely include the bonus content their PlayStation and Game Boy Advance ports introduced.Motivating theseFFHD-2D remakesis the opportunity to have them serve as side games between larger releases, like the originalDragon Questtrilogy is currently doing. HD-2D’s inherent ambition means these projects would be treated as larger releases, but that just raises them to the bar of otherFinal Fantasyspin-offs. FollowingDragon Quest’s example, top-of-the-line remakes of its oldest entries will make the wait for the next numberedFinal Fantasyeasier.
