Square Enixmostly makes games for the Everyone or Teen ratings in North America.Kingdom HeartsandFinal Fantasyare two fine examples. It may be surprising to know that evenFinal Fantasy 7 Remakewas considered a Teen game.
So, Square Enix is not known for being a company that makes M-rated titles, unlike Activision for example, which makes a killing on theCall of Dutygames. Still, Square Enix has both published and made plenty of M-rated games over the years starting with the PS1. They’re some of their most well-known titles and brands too, so here’s a peek and see what they have.
Forspokenis an Isekaiadventure that finds a young girl down on her luck, Frey, transported to a fantasy world. With the assistance of a magical bracer, she learns to perform magic. She can also zip around like Spider-Man from dashing quickly to leaping in the air. Traversal is one of the most fun things in this open-world adventure along with all of the magic powers.
New skill trees can be unlocked after defeating bosses of regions, sort of like a more fantasticalMega Mangame. From earth to fire, Frey will learn it all and have a blast doing it. Now, some didn’t like the game upon release, and Frey as a character tends to be very divisive. She’s a bit harsh with words, true, but the gameplay segments ofForspokenare quite engaging if not a little unoriginal.
The Last Remnantis probably an RPG from Square Enix that most forgot about from the early HD era. It didn’t review well initially with a big problem being the high difficulty levels and some graphical glitches. Someone within Square Enix must have believed in the game enough to give it a remaster though. While it didn’t fix all of the game’s issues, the remaster did improve a lot of them like the glitches which led to slightly better reviews.
The story follows a young boy, Rush, who got swept up in a war while looking for his friend. Players do not level up traditionally in battle, as getting hit or performing certain moves increased stats like HP or granted characters like Rush new moves. Also, players went into battle with squads who acted on their own after being given vague commands. It’s kind of like a hybrid between a classic turn-based RPG and a tactical one with a few RTS elements too. It was hard to get used to at first, liketheSaGagames, but it was rewarding for players who put their time into it.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Originwas a collaboration between Square Enix and Koei Tecmo, who have teamed up before. This was likeFinal Fantasy’stake on a Soulslike experience except one that was a lot more accessible than a game likeDark Souls. It was also a darker reimagining of the first game in the series, loosely following that game’s plot. Players assumed the role of Jack, one of the noble Warriors of Light who was out to destroy Chaos.
Players could hardly forget he was after Chais since Jack seemed to like saying it a lot, leading to some great memes. Memes aside, players could take two AI partners on a mission a lot they could team up with friends online. They could also choose a class for Jack which ranged from classics like Black Mages to more niche classes like Samurai. Unlocking skills in each class would lead to new classes, so there was always a reason to press forward to get new stuff.
NieR: Automatawasthe hit no one saw coming as the previousNieRgame was met with a lukewarm response. TheDrakengardseries overall is a niche one within Square Enix’s franchise vault. Part of the reason this game found success has to do with the collaboration with PlatinumGames which excels at creating fun action combat systems. Slicing through enemy robots never got old in this game thanks to fast and fluid gameplay in battle.
The open-world areas were also interesting to explore even though it was a bit depressing seeing as how the apocalypse happened on Earth. There was also a lot to the game even though the first playthrough can be completed anywhere between a dozen and twenty hours. To get the full experience though, two other characters have to be unlocked to see new perspectives. It’s a complex game and one that won’t be spoiled here but suffice it to say there is a reason why it won so many rewards in 2017.
Final Fantasy 16is the first game in the series to get an M rating in North America. This specific team knew what they wanted to make and it wasGame of Thronesthrough a Japanese lens and they sure nailed that pitch. From cuss words to titillating scenes between heroes and villains, this game had HBO written all over it. The overall subject matter was dark too as the main hero, Clive, was coming to terms that he could not save his brother Joshua as a child.
There’s a lot more to that tale to unpack but it would be a spoiler-filled session. Beyond the story was a slick action system set in a semi-open-world game that took a while to unlock. From swords to spells to teammates by his side, including a dog, Clive was well-armed in his adventure. Perhaps the most fantastical thing about this entry was the giant Summon boss battles that played out like Kaiju movies.
The greatest M-rated Square Enix game is also one of its first M-rated games:Parasite Eve. It was likeResident Evilgot turned into an RPG which is a combination that surprisingly turned out well. The lead, Aya, was a detective who got roped into a paranormal investigation during Christmas inNew York City. A giant monster woman, Eve, is turning people into blobs and animals into creatures of the night. Battles were fought in real-time, but players could only act once a gauge was filled.
Once it was ready, players could either cast supernatural abilities like Pyrokinesis or shoot various guns that players could find, buy, or customize themselves. Each weapon had a set range and ammo even played a role. While it may sound complicated, it worked tremendously well as a first go and it created ahorror RPG experiencelike no other. In some households, it may be a classic to replay during the Holidays as much asDiehardis to watch.
