As of late, I find myself contemplating the precarious state of many ofSquare Enix’s time-honored franchises. The publisher’s latest fascination with theburgeoning field of NFTsis obviously coming at the expense of leveraging the potential of its dormant IPs, but I wouldn’t say I’m really bothered by that; let Square Enix indulge in its newfound obsession all it wants. My uneasiness stems from the frustrating recent trend of the company’s underwhelming attempts to revive these IPs through new sequels and reboots likeValkyrie Elysium,Neo: The World Ends With You, andStar Ocean: The Divine Force.
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Before we start pointing fingers at Square Enix, it’s important to note that almost none of these games has seen a lot of success critically or commercially. Take Valkyrie Elysium, for instance — it onlysold about 40,000 copiesduring its debut week in Japan, Star Oceandid about as well, and NEO: TWEWY (to make that names less of a mouthful) didn’t evenreach the 30,000 sales milestone, ultimately failing to outperform Square Enix’s similar releasesfrom the previous year. Moreover, unlike their predecessors, none of these games have managed to break the 80 score barrier on Metacritic. It’s safe to assume that these titles have failed to make any significant paradigm shifts worthy of their revered names, and that there’s a vexing pattern secretly at work here.
These figures become even more lackluster when compared to the reverberating success of modern game ports with less new content or visual glamoursuch as Tactics Ogre Reborn(boasting a remarkable 84-86 Metacritic score), or the remastered edition of Chrono Cross' Radical Dreamers (whichgenerated substantial revenue). The triumph of sequels to games that haven’t been around as long, such asOctopath Traveler 2(a critical andcommercial hit on Steam) adds to the mystery and begs us to question what these underperforming titles have in common, as well as what makes Square Enix’s revivals click with gamers and critics alike.
I’ve taken notice of many fans expressing their disappointment with the inadequate marketing efforts for these games. However, in my humble opinion, I don’t think slapping their names on cereal boxes and backpack ads would have made much of a difference. I firmly believe that a game’s quality should speak for itself, and that releasing a good game is more than enough in today’s Internet-drive era. The real issue isn’t how they are getting these games out there; it’s more about people not knowing what to expect from ‘em.
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For example, releasingValkyrie Profile: Lennethfirst and giving it time to simmer could have done wonders for building anticipation for Elysium, instead of burying it inan expensive $74.99 deluxe edition. New fans wouldn’t risk that amount to explore the origins of an unfamiliar title. Similarly, if you’re planning a sequel for PlayStation and PC fans, it would have been wise to release The World Ends With You outside of the Switch and Android platforms first, in the same vein asOctopath Traveler. As for Star Ocean, it’s not that it’s necessarily doing anything wrong, apart from not releasing the best games on modern platforms (cough cough Second Story), but that’s kind of the problem — it doesn’t really stand out in any particular way.
When it comes to blending sci-fi and fantasy, Star Ocean ain’t exactly one of a kind anymore, with games likeTales of AriseandXenoblade Chroniclesalready dominating the scene (although revealing their sci-fi side might be a bit spoilerish, so forgive me for that). Even the concept of having multiple protagonists with different perspectives is becoming more commonplace in JRPGs, as demonstrated by the likes ofScarlet NexusandNier Automatastealing that spotlight. Fans are no longer lacking options that offer what Star Ocean brings to the table, so I don’t think the real problem isonlyraising awareness for these games, but their inherent design philosophy.
It’s more about Square Enix looking at what sells, not what is correct for each respective game.
Marketing is all about addressing a problem and creating a need for a product in the current marketplace, and unfortunately, these sequels and reboots weren’t designed from the start to take into account the changing times. For example, the Einherjar gimmick in Valkyrie Profile isn’t particularlyrareanymore given the proliferation of other games that allow players to control and recruit NPCs, such asCaligula Overdose, Octopath Traveler, and evenWatch Dogs Legion. The Norse mythology market is getting oversaturated as well these days, with an abundance of titles featuring its folkloric tales and allegories fromGod of WartoHellbladeand evenSkyrim.
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Not only has Square Enix developed these games with this glaring lack of market foresight, but it also stripped away the very things that made these games unique and charming in the first place. I was already in love with The World Ends With You’s touchscreen integration and how I am able to draw attack patterns like an artist, but the sequel replaced all of that with watered-down and button-mashy 3D-action gameplay that made it almost indistinguishable fromFinal Fantasy XVand so many other modern action JRPGs.
Valkyrie Profile suffered a similar fate, losing its turn-based tactical identity in favor of yet another 3D-action-styled template. I am sure the original creators who devised these innovative systems wouldn’t have wanted them to just wither away, so I believe it’s more about Square Enix looking at what sells, not what is correct for each respective game. Star Ocean: The Divine Force’s clichéd story also dimmed in comparison to its predecessors and their mind-bending meta-twists that have kept fans talking to this day, so maybe Square Enix wanting to play it mundanely safe here ended up inadvertently backfiring.
Tactics OgreandChrono Crossdo well tomaintain the original charmof their first releases whileenhancing them, and Octopath Traveler 2 goes to great lengths toimprove on the missteps of its predecessorwithout forsaking its classic Octo-pathic identity. On the other hand, these sequels and reboots fail to provide a continuing identity that fans can invest in over the long term — like Final Fantasy’s Fabula Nova Crystallis or Kingdom Heart’s story sagas — develop interesting and marketable gimmicks, or even improve on the original charm of their predecessors.
I am sure the big suits would look at the numbers and say there is no thirst for these names anymore, but when you look at all the factors and development decisions, these IPs never had a chance to be relevant to our generation from the start. Dearest Square Enix, love takes time and effort, and by not giving it to your games, you’re also denying it to your fans. Stop trying to mold your games into something they’re not, and consider embracing their unique qualities and allowing us to appreciate and grow to love them over time. Cultivate this relationship, and surely players will flock to your games with adoration and fervor, as they have done so for decades.
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