Square Enix Is Sitting on One of the Greatest RPGs Ever Made

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Square Enix has been hugely influential in making JRPGs as popular as they are today. It’s rare to see a new RPG released without developers mentioning Final Fantasy – often VII – as a key inspiration. A great example of this is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, which many believe revitalized the genre with its broader appeal.

While Square Enix is famous for hits like Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy, they also have a number of lesser-known, and sadly, forgotten games. Among these are true gems – titles so good it’s a shame the company hasn’t revisited them. One game, in particular, deserves more attention, as it actually laid the groundwork for a popular JRPG that players are currently loving.

Square Enix Needs To Bring Back Xenogears

Developed by Square Enix, Xenogears is widely considered one of the best Japanese role-playing games (JRPGs) of all time, though it’s not as well-known today. Released in 1998 to rave reviews, the game was created by Kaori Tanaka and Tetsuya Takahashi, who later created the Xenoblade Chronicles series and co-founded Monolith Soft. Xenogears actually started as an idea for Final Fantasy 7 and was even considered as a sequel to the classic game Chrono Trigger. It ultimately became the first game in what is now the popular Xeno series.

When it first came out, Xenogears was a game-changer. It uniquely blended classic Japanese RPG elements with exciting mech battles, all wrapped in a grand, thought-provoking story. It’s a truly impressive game that any serious JRPG fan should experience. However, it can be difficult to play today. You’ll need an original PlayStation, a PS Vita, or a PlayStation 3 with a North American account to access it. Sadly, there’s been no announcement or release of a remastered version or even a simple port for modern or older consoles.

One reason a Xenogears revival hasn’t happened is Square Enix’s strong control over the game’s rights. Many of the original developers now work at Monolith Soft, which is owned by Nintendo. Plus, the game has significant problems that might make a full-scale update too costly. To truly satisfy fans, a remake would need to be as ambitious as the Final Fantasy 7 trilogy. However, a simpler remaster or even a re-release like the one currently available on the PlayStation Network would also be welcome.

It would be fantastic if more people could play Xenogears. It’s arguably the best example of what creators Takahashi and Tanaka envisioned for the Xeno series, and it’s a truly innovative game with a story as compelling as classics like Clair Obscur, Final Fantasy X, and the Xenoblade series. It’s disappointing that Square Enix isn’t making this incredible game more accessible, as it’s a significant loss for JRPG fans.

Xenogears Deserves The Final Fantasy 7 Remake Treatment

The biggest problem with revisiting Xenogears is that, unlike other popular Square RPGs people want remade, it feels unfinished and doesn’t fully deliver on its ideas. While it’s still a beloved classic, the game shows its age – it’s almost 30 years old! – with frustrating random battles and a lack of features players expect today. More significantly, the latter half of the game feels rushed, likely due to the developers being overly ambitious, lacking experience with such a large project, and facing strict deadlines.

The second disc of the game mainly consists of a narrated slideshow showing the ending. Because Square wanted to develop Xenogears quickly, within two years, and the team included many new members, they couldn’t fully realize their original vision. Instead of simply ending the story after the first disc, Takahashi made compromises and included the somewhat abrupt, but ultimately rewarding, ending we see in the game.

While Final Fantasy VII received a comprehensive remake, Xenogears arguably deserves the same treatment, as its full potential remains untapped. If Square Enix were to reunite the original development team – including Takahashi and Tanaka – a remake could finally deliver the complete vision for the game, perhaps as a single, expansive title or a series of games. Although bringing back the original team seems unlikely given Square Enix’s focus on its most popular franchises, even a remake similar in scope to the Star Ocean R series would be a significant improvement.

While the Xenosaga games are nearly impossible to play, it looks like Xenogears will sadly be a hidden treasure. Once Sony stops supporting the digital store on the PS3, Xenogears will only be available through expensive, hard-to-find physical copies, putting it out of reach for most JRPG fans. Ideally, Square Enix would recognize how great this game is and release it on modern consoles. But until then, Xenogears risks becoming lost to time.

What do you think Square Enix should do with Xenogears? Share your thoughts in the comments or discuss it on the ComicBook Forum!

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2026-01-22 01:12