Square Enix’s first HD-2D game was a few years ago.Octopath Travelerwas seemingly a one-off marketing term they created to promote the game. Since then three games have been announced to take on this art style as well. There is the new tactical RPG,Triangle Strategy. There are two remakes in the works viaDragon Quest 3andLive A Live.
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Live A Liveis a special case since it never left theSuper Nintendooutside of Japan. There are plenty more classicSquare Enixgames that should come over with the HD-2D treatment. Then there are the more known classics that should receive the upgrade as well.
8Super Mario RPG: Legend Of The Seven Stars
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Starsstill holds up in terms of gameplay. However, the graphics are a bit more dated by Super Nintendo standards. It waspushing the limitsof the SNES at the time by creating polygonal models in a top-down world. It was impressive at the time and proved that the SNES was capable of 3D alongside the newer consoles. However, the drawback was time. An HD-2D remake could help clean it up.
7Chrono Trigger
Chrono Triggerholds up even better and might bethe greatest RPGon the SNES. It was ahead of its time, parodying and doing away with RPG tropes by the dozens. There were no random encounters, for example.
It was also unique as it was a time-traveling game. Players could affect time in various ways. Choices had meaning. Oddly, this andMario RPGaren’t on theSwitch’sVirtual Console equivalent. Square Enix making an HD-2D version of both games would explain why.
6Final Fantasy Tactics
Final Fantasy Tacticsmay take a bit more work to turn into a 2D game. That’s because a majority of the models and landscapes were already in 3D. It might be a better idea, and an easier one, to justremaster the originalonPS1or to enhance thePSPversion.
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There are ways to make use of the HD-2D engine though. Let’s leave it up to Square Enix to figure it out.Triangle Strategyis a great tactical RPG from them with good visuals. However, some players would be even more excited to play an HD-2D version ofFinal Fantasy Tacticsinstead. That’s why this is a good choice.
5Bahamut Lagoon
Bahamut Lagoonis a lesser-known tactical RPG on SNES from Square Enix because it never left Japan. It has been fan translated so hardcore players have been able to check it out for quite some time now.
LikeLive A Live, there is always hope that this will someday see the light of day in the West officially. What better way to experience it now than with an HD-2D remake? As the name suggests, dragons are a big theme in the story and gameplay. Bahamut, asthe king of dragons, is a huge part of many Square Enix RPGs.
4Alcahest
Alcahestis a top-down action RPG. It was only published by Square at the time and developed by Hal Laboratory.Nintendofans may recognize that name because they have worked on a number of their titles including most earlyKirbygames.
It’s another SNES game that looks and plays great to this day. A remake wouldn’t change much. However, it was never released outside of Japan officially likeBahamut Lagoon. This makes the idea of an HD-2D remake more appealing even if there is a perfectly fine fan translation forAlcahestalready.
3Robotrek
Robotrekwas not an early Squaregame on SNES. It is instead an older Enix title before the merger. Players get to create and customize a robot pal to their liking through the RPG. It is a more traditional turn-based game and kid-friendly but there are plenty of surprises throughout it as well.
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They can even create more for a whole army. It was a unique RPG at the time which is still special now. Enix’s games, besidesDragon Quest, deserve attention in the remake market as well and this is a great example.
2Valkyrie Profile
Valkyrie Profileis another Enix title inneed of more attention. For a time, it did. After this PS1 original, it got a sequel onPS2and a tactical RPG spinoff on theDS. There was even a port for the PSP ofValkyrie Profilebut it was weighed down due to poor load times.
The mobile game,Valkyrie Anatomia: The Origin, was the last major release and since then the series has been dormant. This game used high-quality 2D sprites in a 3D world. It would be the perfect candidate for an HD-2D remake.
1Xenogears
Xenogearsmight be themost deserving gameon this list because it was technically never finished. This andFinal Fantasy 7were being developed at the same time on PS1. Eventually, the focus shifted over toFinal Fantasy 7with a lot of this game’s budget being cut.
For those that have played the final disc, it is readily apparent that something went wrong. As this also uses high-quality sprites, it would look great in an HD-2D remake. Square Enix could, and should, finish the game from its original vision too.
