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What are the best Square Enix games?

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Jul 31, 2021

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18 Games Considered

Best Square Enix games	Price	Genre	Platforms
-- NieR: Automata	$59.99	Action Role-Playing	Windows, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
-- Rise of the Tomb Raider	$38.00	-	-
-- Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions	$13.99	Tactical / RPG	-
-- Chrono Trigger	14,99€	Role-Playing	Windows, SNES, Nintendo DS, Wii, PS, PS3 (Digital Only), PS Portable, iOS, Android
-- Life is Strange	$19.05	Adventure, Narrative	-

NieR: Automata

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Top Pro

A unique take on storytelling leads to a very entertaining experience

NieR: Automata's outlook on storytelling is great: in order to get the full experience, you've got to do multiple playthroughs of the game. You unlock more chapters of the story as you complete the previous chapters more times: completing the first chapter twice will unlock the second chapter, then when you complete that you will unlock the third. When you begin, you play as an android known as YoRHA. However, subsequent playthroughs will allow you to choose different characters. This lets you experience the story from a different perspective. It's really interesting and certainly serves to make the game more fun overall. See More

Top Con

Some boring fetch quests

The pacing gets messed up when you're forced to run certain fetch quests near the start of the game. This is somewhat forgivable after the fun and action-packed introductory level, but the quests themselves are still a drag to play through. Some of the side quests can also boil down to the same thing. Even though these quests give a lot of useful information about the world, they're not all that fulfilling, and you may dread having to repeat them when playing through the game again. See More

ReliableLongmu's Experience

Fun engaging story with really awesome battle mechanics. Has a lot of replay value. See More

Specs

Genre:Action Role-Playing

Top Pro

An incredible amount of gameplay

You can easily spend 60 plus hours exploring the world NieR: Automata, and still have much more to do. See More

Top Con

Second playthrough can get repetitive

Once you get to Route B, your second playthrough, you may find that too much is the same. There are some big differences, such as the new way you get to see things play out, but a lot of it rehashes Route A, your first playthrough. There's a ton of hacking you have to do as well, which gets pretty boring after repeating it over and over again. But if you stick with it, Route C and onward are absolutely worth the time spent getting to that point. See More

Top Pro

Fast-paced and action packed combat

The combat in NieR: Automata is incredible. It has a very hack-and-slash feel to it, with an emphasis on agility and acrobatics. You will have to switch from using small, quick jabs with your weapon, to devastatingly strong attacks. You also have to utilize ranged attacks, as well as the companion that follows you around if you want to have any hope of surviving every encounter. It can be very difficult to win battles sometimes, but it also feels equally rewarding when you finally achieve victory. See More

Top Con

Buggy

Some players have been complaining about the game crashing, freezing, save files missing, etc. See More

Top Pro

It's got a hauntingly beautiful environment

NieR: Automata is set in an apocalyptic time where Earth has been overrun by robots, and the artists really nailed what that would feel like. Abandoned and overgrown cities litter the landscape along with old refineries, graveyards, and eerie forests. When you add the beautiful soundtrack to the experience, it fills you with a bittersweet mix of loneliness and hope. See More

Top Con

Random lag spikes

When walking into an abandoned city, or during cutscenes, you'll randomly experience lag from time to time. See More

Top Pro

Unique storytelling with a real emotional impact

NieR: Automata's outlook on storytelling is incredibly special. To get the full experience, you have to run multiple playthroughs of the game, each of which offers a new experience and perspective. Your world view of the story events and characters expands drastically as you complete each playthrough, playing on your expectations to help you develop a deeper emotional bond with the protagonists and become invested in their plight. Things take a real turn on your third playthrough, putting you on an emotional roller coaster all the way to the true ending. The plot twists and knocks on the fourth wall elevate the story to a truly unique place. Getting all the way to the very end can be a religious experience from how much heart and meaning you discover in the symbolism. See More

Top Pro

Gorgeous, ethereal soundtrack with amazing vocals

NieR: Automata's music is out of this world. It's so stunning and elegant in a way that nothing else can really live up to. The soundtrack manages to emotionalize the game through music, from the action-packed tracks with hard-hitting wind instruments and percussion, to the softer, somber songs that encapsulate the hauntingly beautiful environments and story moments you encounter. Vocals in the lore's indescribable language makes the music even more memorable, adding to the ethereal quality of the sound. This soundtrack is definitely one that you can go back to again and again without getting sick of it. See More

Rise of the Tomb Raider

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Rewarding exploration

Each level is large, so there is quite a lot to see and do in each one. You'll be rewarded for exploring as there are many hidden items, weapons, and beautiful views to be found. This gives you an incentive to fully explore each location. See More

Top Con

Overused and overly familiar plot

The gist of the plot is that Lara is searching for the key to eternal life. This plot has been used in other franchises such as Indiana Jones and Uncharted. It seems kinda lazy, especially because both of these franchises are also about treasure hunters. You won't be able to shake the feeling that you already know the story, which somewhat ruins the enjoyment. See More

Specs

Top Pro

Challenging but fair optional puzzles

In Rise of the Tomb Raider there are 9 optional tombs that serve as large scale environmental puzzles. They all rely on you reading the environment carefully. For example, one of them is a wooden ship frozen vertically on the wall of an ice cavern. The puzzle is reaching the treasure at the top of the ship. It might seem really hard at first, but if you carefully look at the environment you'll find a path. Solving one of these puzzles is really fun, especially because you get an upgrade from them. See More

Top Con

Stealth seems pointless

While there are stealth takedowns and you can be stealthy in many areas, there is no real incentive to be stealthy. You can easily take out most enemies in an open confrontation and you won't ever feel like you're truly in danger. See More

Top Pro

Replayability through unlockables

Once a level is competed, you can to complete unfinished or new objectives. These will unlock new outfits or other items. This gives you plenty of goals to strive for outside the main story. Trying to complete all the optional objectives can be quite addictive. See More

Top Con

Difficulty spikes late game

During the latter half of the game the gunfights will suddenly become a lot harder. While they're not impossible to beat, the sudden difficulty spike will take time to get used to. This may cause some frustration and worsen your overall experience. See More

Top Pro

Replayability through unlockables

Once a level is competed, you can to complete unfinished or new objectives. These will unlock new outfits or other items. This gives you plenty of goals to strive for outside the main story. Trying to complete all the optional objectives can be quite addictive. See More

Top Con

Very linear

Most of the time you'll be forced to move along a single path. There are occasional quick-time events and simple puzzles, but every situation only has a single solution. This makes it feel more like an interactive movie than a game since you're never really given any freedom of choice. See More

Top Pro

A variety of weapons to keep the gameplay fun

There are over 20 weapons to choose from, including handguns, shotguns, assault rifles, and bows. You can also craft special ammo or explosives such as nail bombs. This keeps the gunfights interesting since you can switch to a new weapon whenever it gets dull. See More

Top Con

Focuses on action too much

Rise of the Tomb Raider doesn't have many puzzles or slow-paced sections, so you never really feel like a treasure hunter looking for artifacts. There are just way too many gunfights and high intensity moments one after another. It would have been nice to see more puzzles to balance out the action. See More

Top Pro

Jaw dropping graphics

Rise of the Tomb Raider has phenomenal graphics and a very great attention to detail. Simple things like the snow moving as you step into it or how Lara's hair moves in the wind. This gives it a feeling a of polish most games don't have. The character models and animations are also phenomenal. Each of their movements and facial expressions look real, creating a movie like experience. See More

Final Fantasy Tactics: The War of the Lions

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Deep turn-based tactical combat that you can easily sink hundreds of hours into

To simplify how the gameplay works it is a bit like playing chess where in each turn needs to be scrutinized in order to find the best play on the board. Being that there is a large amount of RPG elements thrown into the game, these choices become even more complicated while also adding a huge amount of options to the game. See More

Top Con

Touch controls feel awkward to use

The touch controls use an on screen dpad overlaid on top of the game. This means fingers move cover some of the game field or action when trying to maneuver. See More

Specs

Genre:Tactical / RPG

Controller Support:No

Top Pro

Masterpiece

This tactical RPG always ends up destroying all other alternatives with jobs, skills, stats, items, story, and enhanced dialogues. If only it had better graphics, it would be mainstream. See More

Top Con

Poor port on Android

There is no immersive mode, which would allow this to be fullscreen on devices that have the Android navigation bar. On top of this the game is letterboxed on both sides of the screen do to it being a port of the port for iOS. There is also no other Android specific features to speak of in the game either. See More

Top Pro

For a mobile release, this is a large game with many hours of content, which is often rare on the mobile platform

Being that this is a port of a console game the player will find the length of the title much more than the average mobile release. See More

Chrono Trigger

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Quality art and music

Chrono Trigger has a wonderful art style and soundtrack that make the game worth going back to over the years. The 2D sprites are expressive and unique to each character's personalities, all as a nice fit to the funny moments and the more serious points in the story. Their original designs have a cool and colorful anime look, hand-crafted by the creator of the Dragon Ball series. And the music, despite the old SNES sound from the 1990s, is filled with meaning in a way that makes it obvious the composer poured his heart into each track. Everything is still worth a listen today, giving off a timeless and classic feeling. See More

Specs

Genre:Role-Playing

Life is Strange

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Great story

Life is Strange expertly portrays a teenagers life during high school, capturing all the good and bad emotions, while also adding a supernatural twist. The main character and her issues are relatable, side characters are interesting, and the plot twists are very unexpected. The story as a whole is very enjoyable, keeping you on the edge of your seat most of the time. See More

Top Con

Choices feel a little lacking

While there are many choices in Life is Strange, most of them have no long term impact on the story. The only noticeable changes are the dialogue lines and what scenes you get. While this adds some nuances to your journey, the destination is ultimately the same. See More

Specs

Genre:Adventure, Narrative

Top Pro

Choice based gameplay with a twist

Your character can rewind time, so you can undo any recent choice or action, allowing you to try out different ones. This feels really awesome since in most games you'd have to reload your save or replay through entire sections just to view the other choices. See More

Top Con

Some audio sync issues

In addition to poorly done lip syncing, character voice lines sometimes overlap as well. You might not understand what's being said unless you turn on the subtitles. It can be really annoying at times, even with subtitles. See More

Top Pro

A well-polished experience

Excellent voice acting, great story, smooth lighting, detailed object/level design, extensive number of people and objects to interact with, and even amazing music. Everything about the game makes it very enjoyable to play. See More

Top Pro

Very special game

This game is so special to me I played it and I cried so many times. I imagined it in my head as realistic as I could and it made it by for one of the most emotional games I’ve ever played. Worth playing this game is in my heart now I feel the game. See More

Deus Ex: Human Revolution

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Boss fights take you out of the experience

Boss fights are too structured. For a game designed around player choice and different outcomes, the boss fights stick out as too linear. See More

Top Pro

Excellent stealth system

The stealth system is concise and predictable. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Overwhelmingly Positive

Genre:Action Role-Playing, Stealth, First-Person Shooter

Top Con

You must be lethal during boss fights, even on a pacifist run

It's really disappointing that the game doesn't let you take a purely pacifist approach. You can sneak around all you want while making sure to only perform silent takedowns, but the moment you step into a boss room, all of that role-playing goes out the window. You have to kill the boss, no questions asked. It would have been nice to have the option to outmaneuver them instead and lead them into non-lethal traps. Thankfully, the devs addressed this issue in the sequel, Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, but you still have to deal with it here. See More

Top Pro

Can be played entirey non leathal.

Can be played through with max result attained and no character killed. See More

Top Con

Needs more polish

The framerate is not the best in the game, there will be slow down in places. The design of some NPCs also tends to look less than stellar compared to the main characters, which shows a lack of care in the design. Overall this adds up to a less than stellar experience, which may pull some people out of the immersion of the title. See More

Top Pro

Personalized experiences

Through the amount of customization in the game, unlocking and upgrading ones abilities allows for a personalized experience in how the game plays. One person's build may be completely different from the next persons, meaning each ones experience has been different. See More

Top Pro

Allows for choice and consequences

Each mission is branching depending on how the player has chosen to solve it. Depending on what the outcome is of each missions means there may be consequences for one's action or rewards. This means on each mission the player can choose to make ethical or non ethical choices that will effect the outcome of the game. See More

Final Fantasy XIV Online: A Realm Reborn

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Play all classes with one character

You don't have to create a different character for every single class. Your one character can be every single class. Each class has a specific weapon (bow for archers, daggers for rogue, axes for marauders, etc.), and you just equip that weapon type and your character switches classes. Each class starts at level, so you have to level each class you want to play, but there are numerous ways to get exp so it feels a little less like a grindy chore. See More

Top Con

Pay to play

The game itself has a base price of $19.99, but also has expansion pack prices that could be added on top of that. This is just to get the game, once purchased the player will also need to pay a monthly subscription of $12.99 to continue playing the game, which can add up over time making for a pretty steep investment for some. See More

Specs

Top Pro

Plenty of side-quests to keep the player busy

For those that would like to level their character without having to d a lot of grinding in dungeons or the main story, There is quite a lot of side-quests on offer in this game. So many in fact that the player could level up through mainly side-quests if they liked. Every area the player reachers will see plenty of NPCs that will offer a new quest to go out on (an even sometimes multiple quests), which not only means a ton of content but an actual story to the game (that is different from the main quest) that can keep the player involved without feeling like they are repeating the same things over and over again. See More

Top Pro

An absolutely stunning game

Final Fantasy XIV is gorgeous. The developers clearly put a lot of time and energy into creating all types of climates, ranging from harsh, desolate deserts to untamed, icy wastelands. The cities and villages in this game are vibrant and alive, while the cinematics can be dreary and depressing. Apart from the landscapes, the spells and abilities of this game will take you by surprise. Every ability is animated very well, and has gorgeous pixel designs to pull you even further into the game. See More

Top Pro

The story is incredible

Most MMORPGs don't offer much in the way of a story line, but that is not the case with FFXIV. The story will span the entire world, and is completing it is actually a requirement to get into most of the game's content. However, it doesn't feel like you're being forced into following a story you don't care about, the characters get into your head and you begin to feel like an actual hero. It's very well written, and can be listened to in multiple languages if you prefer that. See More

Top Pro

Combat is very in-depth

The combat in FFXIV is incredibly polished. It requires quick, real-time decisions and reactions, as well as a plan for how your team is going to take on whatever you're fighting. Like many games, it begins as simply hitting your attack buttons and waiting for your abilities to be ready again. FFXIV, however, has taken it a step further and has implemented complex combos and other interactions. These other interactions often have wildly different end results, so you must decide how best to use them. See More

Sleeping Dogs

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Police sidequest are some of the best quests in game

The police sidequests allow for a wide range of tasks to complete such as tracking serial killers or busting up trafficking schemes. See More

Top Con

Triad missions are boring compared to the cop missions

The triad missions feel as though they drag on when compared to the fun cop missions. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Top Pro

Intuitive fighting system

The fighting system ins Sleeping Dogs is very reminiscent of the system in Batman Arkham Asylum where the players uses a flowing system of attacks and counters. See More

Top Con

No multiplayer

Unlike most other open world action adventure games, Sleeping Dogs has zero multiplayer. See More

Top Pro

Split skill trees

There is a split skill tree system that allows the player to level up as a Triad or Cop or both depending on how the game is played. See More

Deus Ex: Mankind Divided

Top Pro

Freedom of choice

Lets you approach and solve problems in multiple ways (or not at all). See More

Top Con

Relatively short

Mankind Divided is not as long as it should be. It can be completed in about 20 hours, and this is including most of the side quests. Doing just the main story would take even less than that. See More

TolerantSoteria's Experience

Engaging story. Lots of freedom of choice. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:First-Person Shooter, Stealth

Top Pro

Awesome ambient music

The ambient music adds to a deep atmosphere. See More

Top Con

Side missions are hard to find

For people who want to complete every single side mission it can be hard to find them. They are given by NPCs which are differentiated from other, non-quest-giving NPCs by their name. Most are defined as "citizen", while those who have a quest to give have an actual name. However, the only way to find these quest givers is by running up to every person in the game which is very time consuming. See More

Top Pro

Colorful characters

The characters for the main and side story are colorful without being steretyped. See More

Top Con

Storyline feels hurried

While the first chapter of the game is quite slow and intriguing, it starts to become clumsier and unnatural as the player goes through the missions. After heading out of Prague, the story starts to feel hurried. Characters are introduced and fall into the sidelines, only to return out of nowhere in crucial moments of the story with very little to no justification. See More

Top Pro

Convincing atmosphere

The dystopian setting with permanent police presence and derogatory comments from average citizens creates a depressing atmosphere. See More

Top Pro

Engaging side quests

The side quests in Mankind Divided are almost as engaging as the main storyline. This is also helped by the fact that the NPCs who give these quests deliver their speeches in such a passionate way that makes you want to engage in their stories. Coupled with the fact that this game has a constantly-grey morality and it truly feels like the player has the fates of these people in their hands. See More

Top Pro

Great espionage-based gameplay

The game really shines when the players find themselves needing to infiltrate somewhere to complete a mission. There's a myriad of ways to approach each situation and multiple outcomes depending on the approach. Hacking terminals, crawling through vents, and stealthily taking out enemies is what this game is all about. There is a tangible tension to every move because if the player is caught by one of the enemies, the mission may come to an unexpected halt. See More

Life is Strange: Before the Storm

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Great soundtrack

Daughter, the indie folk band from England, worked on the tracks for Before the Storm, pulling together many of the game's great moments with thoughtful acoustic tunes and moody piano tracks. The more upbeat, hopeful tracks fit in incredibly well with Chloe's adventurous scenes with Rachel, giving a sense of wonder as the two explore Arcadia Bay together. One song in particular, 'All I Wanted', is a memorable, catchy folk track that captures the feeling of Chloe and Rachel supporting one another through their struggles, which is what Life is Strange: Before the Storm is all about. See More

Top Con

Third episode falls flat in some areas

Life is Strange: Before the Storm is an all-around stand-out title, with the first and second episodes building up to an impactful third installment that feels lacking in certain aspects. Without getting into spoilers, there are a few plot holes that aren't wrapped up by the end, and much of the tension in the episode falls flat because of these glaring holes that none of the characters bother to address. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Adventure, Narrative

Top Pro

Improved writing over the first game

The original Life is Strange suffered from some instances of awkward lines that sounded like a middle-aged adult trying to emulate how teenagers speak; thankfully, Before the Storm has a much clearer, down-to-earth script that helps the characters sound more authentic and real. Rachel's use of "hella" is more amusing this time around, as it gives context as to why Chloe picked up on it and used it frequently in the first game. Overall, each of the characters in the game are more well-rounded across the three episodes thanks to the smooth writing. See More

Top Con

Limited exploration

With much of the focus on the storytelling, it's still unfortunate that Chloe can't leave the designated story areas without turning around and repeating the same line about how she's supposed to focus on her objective. The limited areas to walk around in are understandable, yet disappointing, with missed opportunities for Chloe to walk down the street from her home and see what her neighbors are up to, or for her and Rachel to hang out in more places around Arcadia Bay together. See More

Top Pro

Chloe is more likable this time

In the first Life is Strange, many players complained that Chloe was insufferable and selfish as Max's best friend, complaining in order to have more of her time when she might not have deserved it. This time around, watching the events of Before the Storm unfold from Chloe's eyes is enjoyable, largely thanks to how easygoing she is with Rachel--for the most part--and how far she's willing to go to sacrifice for her throughout the plot. Chloe makes dorky jokes that don't always land and back-talks school staff at Blackwell Academy with harmless ease, making her a much warmer, sillier character compared to her prickly, temperamental self in Max's adventure. See More

Top Pro

Choices have consequences

Much like in the first game, Before the Storm features several choices throughout the game that have an impact on future plot points across the three episodes. How these choices end up impacting the ending are debatable, but there are still a myriad of choices that change the outcome of a single playthrough, such as Chloe's decision to handle certain sums of money, or whether or not she's willing to accept her mother's unlikable new boyfriend. Chloe and Rachel's interactions can also be limited to friendship or expanded into a romantic relationship through player choice. See More

Just Cause 3

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Top Pro

Entertaining over-the-top action

Just Cause 3 is all about going crazy in its open world environment. To help with this, your character has a wide variety of weapons, including assault rifles, rocket launchers, and even a limitless supply of C4 explosives. You can stand on top of a plane as it flies over an enemy base and rain down fire and death down on it with your RPG. Or you can attach a C4 charge to everything you see, and watch the world's most colorful fireworks simulator. You even have a grapple gun that allows you to perform various hilarious shenanigans. This includes connecting two helicopters with a rope, causing them to spin out and tangle into a massive explosion. Whatever you decide to do, it's guaranteed to be over-the-top action goodness. See More

Top Con

Story missions feel tedious

Just Cause 3 severely lacks story mission variety, having mostly tower defense and escort missions that start getting really repetitive after a while. As a result, you might find yourself hoping a story mission ends sooner, so you can get back to the free-roam and destroy-at- your-own-leisure aspect. See More

RickZeeland's Experience

On offer on Humble Bundle at the moment for only €2.99. See More

Specs

Top Pro

Massive open world

The total area of JC3 is 400 square miles (1,000 km2), which makes its world one of the largest in gaming. You can explore rural settlements, military bases, grassy plains, dense forests, damp subterranean caverns, and even snowy mountains. There's so much to explore it almost never feels like there's an end to it. See More

Top Con

Poorly optimized

Sometimes you might get sudden fps drops, even when there's practically nothing happening on screen. It can make playing the game very difficult, which is especially annoying during very intense moments. See More

Top Pro

A really fun way of getting around

To explore have a wide selection of vehicles available to you, including bikes, sports cars, tanks, helicopters, and airplanes. However, all of the vehicles combined are nowhere near as fun as the combination of your grapple gun, wingsuit, and parachute. This combination gives you one of the most fun open-world traversal methods to date. You use the wingsuit for gliding, the parachute for gaining height and accurate steering while the grappling hook helps you latch onto various vehicles such as helicopters. It takes a while to get used to, but once you do, you'll probably not look back at regular vehicles. See More

Octopath Traveler

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Gorgeous old school visuals with a modern touch

Octopath Traveler is a beautiful game that updates the nostalgic JRPG formula, especially with the graphics. The characters are all expressive 16-bit sprite models in 2D, calling back to games from the SNES era, while the backgrounds are in 3D with an incredible amount of detail. Walking through snowy mountains, across beaches, or through deserts, parts of the backgrounds glitter in the sunlight in captivating ways. It's a unique style that appeals to longtime JRPG fans while keeping things modern enough for the current console generation. See More

Top Con

The eight character stories never really come together

While the individual stories are all great in their own ways, the characters don't ever join together as a cohesive group of allies. You can pick and choose who you want to bring along for combat, and who to explore with, but they hardly acknowledge each others' existence. The most they do is speak a few words to certain characters here and there, but there's nothing substantive to help everyone feel like a group that's working together. It makes the story feel hollow with too much wasted potential. See More

Specs

Genre:Role-Playing

Top Pro

You can play through the eight separate character stories at your own pace

As Octopath Traveler is more of an intimate, character-based story, you have the freedom to experience each tale however you want. The stories themselves are mostly well-written with a wonderfully mature tone, with a seriousness that isn't overdone, and a nice sense of brevity that lets you fill in certain blanks with your imagination. You can start with one character and play through his or her origin story, and as you explore the world map to travel to new locations, you run into other characters' stories that you can complete in any order you prefer. The first character you choose is your "main" character, whose story you see through to completion throughout the game. This freedom of choice makes the game perfect for picking up and playing on the go or in short bursts. See More

Top Con

The origin stories are repetitive

All of the eight origin stories, the initial chapters, virtually play the same. You get introduced to the character and their world, they work through their struggle, and then there's a boss at the end. This samey structure can make back-to-back playthroughs of origin stories feel like a slog, since there isn't much variety aside from the individual characters themselves. It may help to space out the origin stories to keep things from feeling repetitive. See More

Top Pro

Engaging classic turn-based combat with plenty of strategy involved

The battles are a great throwback to older JRPGs with enough of a contemporary twist. You have the familiar setup of a party of four characters standing in a line opposite the enemies, all of whom have their own weaknesses for you to figure out. Your party takes turn attacking the enemy to find their specific weaknesses, whether it's to sword attacks, certain elemental spells, and so on. Once you find it, pummeling their weakness depletes their armor, and then you land your strongest hits to combo for massive damage. But their weaknesses can change as the battle goes on, so you have to strategize with how to maximize your damage before that change happens. The system is pretty engaging in the way it keeps you on your toes for every fight. See More

Top Pro

The job system lets you tailor everyone's playstyles however you want

While everyone begins as their own set job, such as warrior, dancer, and so on, you can further customize everyone to your liking. As you progress through the story, you eventually get the option to assign secondary jobs to everyone, meaning they get the benefits of both their main job and the second one you give them. You can give your warrior access to healing magic, for example, to shore up his weaknesses, or double-down and assign him a more combat-oriented secondary job. You can't give more than two characters the same second job, though, so you have to be selective in how you choose to customize everyone. See More

Top Pro

The music is really, really good

It's easy to say that a Square Enix game has good music but Octopath Traveler has some of the best orchestrated video game music of all time. See More

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

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Top Con

Later parts of the story feel tacked on

Final Fantasy XII's political story is dense, mature, and captivating--until you reach a certain point after the halfway mark where things become too predictable. Plot holes begin to crop up, competent characters make questionable and reckless decisions for the sake of drama, and compelling villains are reduced to tropes. It's as if someone took the foundation of XII's well-written story and characters and mismanaged them with nonsensical plot points for the sake of finishing the game on time. See More

Top Pro

Additional content, changes and upgrades for the HD remaster

The HD remaster includes new content from the PlayStation 2's Japanese International version that didn't get a Western release. When assigning battle roles for your characters, you have the option to give them two jobs instead of one. If you decide to make Balthier's initial job a white mage with healing magic, you can also have him take a secondary job as a knight or machinist to shore up his physical weaknesses. The Trial Mode with 100 floors of enemies gradually increases in difficulty as you progress, offering more challenges and rewards beyond the game's existing plethora of optional content. The remaster also includes a newly arranged soundtrack, though there's the option of sticking with the original soundtrack if you prefer. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Role-Playing

Top Con

Airship travel is limited to picking destinations on the map

When you gain access to the airship, that excitement sours quickly once you realize you can only select locations on the map and travel to them instantly. You'll only get to see a cutscene of the airship taking off for flight before you're faced with a loading screen. See More

Top Pro

Huge and diverse open world to explore

The world of Ivalice is a medieval fantasy setting that has elements of magical technology beneath the surface, with several locations to explore out in the wild. The grand, magnificent Royal City of Rabanastre is sequestered between a desert, branching off to plains that alternate between dry and wet seasons. Beyond the plains are mysterious mines with traces of science experiments gone awry, leading to a magical jungle, and snowy mountains that lead up to a religious city at the peaks. Far beyond those are vast beaches and caverns that lead to the intimidating and expansive Imperial City of Arcades. This breadth of locations in the PlayStation 2 version were ahead of their time, including options to return to these places and find secret paths leading to optional bosses. See More

Top Con

Main protagonist adds little to the plot

The main character, Vaan, is a teenage pickpocket who aspires to be a sky pirate with his own airship, which sounds interesting, but his relevance to the plot falls off sharply within the first 6-8 hours. He wants to avenge the death of his older brother Reks, but this becomes only a tertiary goal compared to the more urgent ones that his other companions have. As the story progresses, it's easy to forget that Vaan is there, especially with the option to choose another character to control as the party leader while exploring the world. There are other, stronger characters who could have been the lead instead. See More

Top Pro

Amazing amount of challenging optional content

Once you reach the later parts of the game, you'll be free to go after many different side quests like hunting powerful enemies for great rewards, and taking down stronger Espers, Final Fantasy XII's version of the series' magical deity summons. You'll be able to traverse each map in the game and find secret areas that weren't reachable during your normal playthrough of the story, allowing you to find the game's strongest weapons and magic spells along the way. See More

Top Pro

Standout characters among the cast

Unlike the majority of the cast whose motivations and growth are too closely linked to the plot, Fran and Balthier have their own lives that don't revolve around the story, making them feel more authentic than the others. Balthier is a charming, witty sky pirate who always has his eye on the prize. He tags along with the rest of the cast, willing to do whatever's needed--for the right price. His devil may care attitude is a nice foil to the seriousness of the plot and many of the other characters. Fran, his fellow sky pirate, is more quiet and mysterious, speaking only when she needs to impart knowledge of yore and magic onto the other party members. Even while saying little, she has a strong, magnetic presence in the group that makes her stand out from the rest. See More

Top Pro

Intuitive player-programmed combat with the gambit system

The gambit system allows you to assign pre-set conditions and commands for your characters in real-time battles, like using healing spells when a party member is at less than 50% HP, or only using physical attacks when an enemy reflects magic. As you progress through the story, you'll find more of these conditions and commands scattered across the world through treasure chests or available for purchase in shops. With the right gambit setup, you'll find a sense of satisfaction in defeating groups of enemies or even tough boss fights without having to press a single button. See More

Kingdom Hearts II

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Specs

Genre:Action Role-Playing

Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition

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Amazing performance and textures on high-end PCs

For players with top-of-the line PCs, Final Fantasy XV looks incredible in 4K and HDR, with hardly any dips in the framerate. If you want to see every little detail, you'll need to install the HD textures. The textures will take up about 155GB of space, but it's worth it to flesh out the game's beautiful open world. If you have a powerful machine and you want a game that will push it to its limits, this is a great choice. See More

Top Con

Weak story

Because the Final Fantasy series is known for its great stories, it's frustrating that the one here is badly executed. There are a lot of payoffs in the plot that the writers intended to be dramatic and emotional, and yet you probably won't feel the full impact of them since the buildup to those moments is lacking. There's too much missing with Final Fantasy XV's storytelling, all but abandoning the plot to land on its face by the end credits. See More

Specs

Steam Rating:Very Positive

Genre:Action Role-Playing

Top Pro

Powerful soundtrack

The soundtrack in this game is grand and inspiring, going the extra mile to help plenty of moments stick out in your memory alongside the music. The prologue alone gives a great preview of a fiery level you'll reach later in the story, playing the song "Hellfire" with an energized chorus singing over a strong mix of percussion instruments. Music for regular boss fights, called "Omnis Lacrima", is as whimsical and intense, with a determined chorus singing in Latin over frenzied violins, pianos, and brass instruments. Certain story sequences are heartfelt with "Love Lost" playing in the background, featuring wind instruments and pianos that are strong enough to affect you emotionally. The music overall does a great job of elevating the plot with its huge sense of scale and emotional impact. See More

Top Con

Core character development for Noctis' companions isn't in the main story

The weak story in Final Fantasy XV links back to Noctis' companions--Ignis, Gladio, and Prompto--and how you won't get to know the guys all that well unless you exit to the main menu to play through optional DLC. You have to reach certain points in the story before these DLC stories are available, and without the context in this content, you won't have a solid understanding of the main characters beyond the tropes they represent. Aside from a few heartwarming moments in the story, it's all too easy to dismiss Prompto as a happy-go-lucky guy with little depth to him. It isn't until you play through his DLC, Episode Prompto, that you get to know him in ways that should have been in the main story. It's a poor business decision that prevents the story from standing on its own two feet. See More

Top Pro

Impressive visuals

Final Fantasy XV is an epic game that knows how to put on a show with its visuals. Some of its best moments are visually awe-inspiring, standing out from other games through sheer ambition and huge proportions, like fighting boss battles against enormous foes. Even during regular battles, if you're at low HP and you need to finish off a group of enemies, you can summon a giant, god-like being to instakill the enemies at the cost of not gaining any experience points. The summon animation for the thunder god Ramuh is amazing, with the whole sky shifting to a violet lightning storm as the huge deity comes down from the sky, using his scepter to rain down crazy amounts of lightning to kill everything in your path. Instances like these are more of the norm instead of the exception, making for some unforgettable scenes throughout the game. See More

Top Pro

Solid companionship between the main characters

Playing as the main character Prince Noctis, journeying across the world with his friends is the most authentic part of the game because of their realistic bonds. Other than the main story scenarios, you'll get to see the smaller ways that Noctis interacts with Prompto, his upbeat best friend, Gladio, his protector who grounds the group with his level-headedness, and Ignis, his adviser who helps the group plan out their next moves. When resting at an RV for the night, Ignis will cook for everyone while Noctis, Gladio, and Prompto play a mobile game together. Or when Noctis goes fishing, his friends will make comments and jokes about what he reels in to help pass the time. The guys all go well together, managing to feel like a real brotherhood with friendships that transcend the rest of the story. See More

Top Pro

Excellent combat that runs smoothly

The flashy active combat system looks amazing and runs well. It's full of spectacle, with Noctis dashing from enemy to enemy with his warp strikes, and his magic spells that scorch the earth or freeze the winds nearby. With the freedom to switch between Noctis, Ignis, Prompto, and Gladio whenever you want, you'll also get to experiment with the different fighting styles that everyone has to offer, like Ignis' quicker, more methodical fighting with his daggers compared to Gladio's brute strength with his huge sword. Everything looks and feels polished, and the combat will more than likely keep you engaged throughout the game. See More

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT

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Polished graphics and designs

Each of the Final Fantasy characters have flashy battle styles, and their gargantuan summon deities are slick, clean and full of detail. Particle effects and vibrant, colorful magic spells look impressive on the battlefield, and characters look great casting them. Older series characters look stunning with modern PlayStation 4 graphics, such as Kefka from Final Fantasy VI on the Super Nintendo Entertainment System with his menacing face paint and gaudy, circus-like outfit reminiscent of a court jester. See More

Top Con

No dedicated servers for online matches

Multiplayer battles run on peer-to-peer connections instead of dedicated servers, meaning that one of the six players in the battle acts as the host for the match. The quality of everyone's connection depends on the host's internet. If host's connection is bad, they may not notice too many issues on their end. If you're the host, and you're running a wired connection from your router or modem to your PS4, then you have little to worry about. If someone else is the host and they have an awful connection, then be prepared for a lot of lag. See More

Specs

Top Pro

Plenty of fan-service

Dissidia Final Fantasy NT features protagonists and antagonists from each mainline Final Fantasy game, like Sephiroth from Final Fantasy VII and Noctis from Final Fantasy XV. During story cutscenes, characters from different games interact with one another, like Lightning from the Final Fantasy XIII games agreeing to team up with Squall from Final Fantasy VIII. In battle, they can summon the classic guardians like Bahamut and Ifrit. Victories in battle earn currency and unlocks, like as cosmetic upgrades to change the color of a character's clothes or their official alternate designs, such as Lightning's red and black outfit from the third game in the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy. See More

Top Con

Battles are too chaotic

With six players on the field at one time, all of them performing flashy attacks, chaining huge casts of magic one after another, and zipping and dashing around the field, there's too much to keep track of at once. There are arcs of red and blue lines meant to denote who's targeting you and who you're targeting, respectively, but these can get lost amid the chaos of particle effects, smoke, and obstacles such as cliffs and walls. It can be difficult to quickly notice when you're targeted by two or three players at once if you're not already a safe distance away, leading to sudden, irritating defeats. See More

Top Pro

You can summon giant guardian deities to help you pull off victories in cool ways

After filling the summon bar by hitting enemies, players can choose to summon these giant Final Fantasy guardian deities who stay on the battlefield and deal constant damage to the enemies, often able to help a losing team pull through to a victory. The water serpent Leviathan loops dangerous tides of water throughout the field to trap the other team, while the intimidating dragon Bahamut fires down powerful beams of energy that explode, severely wounding anyone caught nearby. Each summon also grants special passive effects to their team during battle: Alexander, the great protector, raises HP and defense, while the fiery demon Ifrit helps players quickly reduce their foe's stamina. See More

Top Con

Gameplay speed slowed down from previous Dissidia titles

The flow of battle in Dissidia NT is noticeably slower than in the PlayStation Portable and PlayStation Vita games, with dashes bogged down by stamina bars, and downed combatants given periods of invincibility while they recover. There's a frustrating pace to combat where you can't freely travel around the field without pausing to recover stamina, and successful barrages of attacks on enemies are interrupted by their free seconds of invincibility until they're able to be targeted again. See More

Top Pro

Characters are balanced

The Final Fantasy fighters are separated into different types of specialties: assassins, vanguards, and marksmen who all have strengths and weaknesses relative to one another, as well as specialists who fall into a category of their own. Characters like Cloud who wield huge, powerful swords as vanguards are effective at punishing lighter assassin-type fighters. Marksmen cast barrages of spells from afar, like Y'shtola with her black and white magic. They're great at against vanguards who move slowly, but weak against assassins like Lightning who are adept at quickly getting in close and interrupting their casts. Meanwhile, specialists are more versatile in their move sets, but they require a lot of time before unlocking their full potential, without any major strengths or weaknesses. This rock, paper, scissors-type of gameplay balance helps to solidify everyone's identity as a fighter based on their weapons and personal style. See More

Top Con

Soundtrack is subpar

Remixes of tracks from the original Final Fantasy games for Dissidia NT are considerably lacking, sounding like mere demos or unfinished pieces. Songs such as The Extreme, the final battle track from Final Fantasy VIII, feel empty and soulless, not at all like the larger-than-life theme with the eerie female chorus chanting in Latin and the energy of the piano backing the vocals. Almost every song in NT lacks what made the original tracks so great. See More

Top Con

Awful story mode progression

Story mode cutscenes can only be unlocked one by one after fighting dozens of arcade or multiplayer battles first, causing a terrible stop-and-go pace for watching the plot unfold. Sometimes the cutscenes are only 20-30 seconds long, and then you're forced back into more battles before you're allowed to progress to the next scene. See More

Final Fantasy XII

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Top Con

Main protagonist adds little to the plot

The main character, Vaan, is a teenage pickpocket who aspires to be a sky pirate with his own airship, which sounds interesting, but his relevance to the plot falls off sharply within the first 6-8 hours. He wants to avenge the death of his older brother Reks, but this becomes only a tertiary goal compared to the more urgent ones that his other companions have. As the story progresses, it's easy to forget that Vaan is there, especially with the option to choose another character to control as the party leader while exploring the world. There are other, stronger characters who could have been the lead instead. See More

Top Pro

Intuitive player-programmed combat with the gambit system

The gambit system allows you to assign pre-set conditions and commands for your characters in real-time battles, like using healing spells when a party member is at less than 50% HP, or only using physical attacks when an enemy reflects magic. As you progress through the story, you'll find more of these conditions and commands scattered across the world through treasure chests or available for purchase in shops. With the right gambit setup, you'll find a sense of satisfaction in defeating groups of enemies or even tough boss fights without having to press a single button. See More

LogicalArensnuphis's Experience

good story See More

Specs

Genre:Role-Playing

Top Con

Airship travel is limited to picking destinations on the map

When you gain access to the airship, that excitement sours quickly once you realize you can only select locations on the map and travel to them instantly. You'll only get to see a cutscene of the airship taking off for flight before you're faced with a loading screen. See More

Top Pro

Standout characters among the cast

Unlike the majority of the cast whose motivations and growth are too closely linked to the plot, Fran and Balthier have their own lives that don't revolve around the story, making them feel more authentic than the others. Balthier is a charming, witty sky pirate who always has his eye on the prize. He tags along with the rest of the cast, willing to do whatever's needed--for the right price. His devil may care attitude is a nice foil to the seriousness of the plot and many of the other characters. Fran, his fellow sky pirate, is more quiet and mysterious, speaking only when she needs to impart knowledge of yore and magic onto the other party members. Even while saying little, she has a strong, magnetic presence in the group that makes her stand out from the rest. See More

Top Con

Later parts of the story feel tacked on

Final Fantasy XII's political story is dense, mature, and captivating--until you reach a certain point after the halfway mark where things become too predictable. Plot holes begin to crop up, competent characters make questionable and reckless decisions for the sake of drama, and compelling villains are reduced to tropes. It's as if someone took the foundation of XII's well-written story and characters and mismanaged them with nonsensical plot points for the sake of finishing the game on time. See More

Top Pro

Amazing amount of challenging optional content

Once you reach the later parts of the game, you'll be free to go after many different side quests like hunting powerful enemies for great rewards, and taking down stronger Espers, Final Fantasy XII's version of the series' magical deity summons. You'll be able to traverse each map in the game and find secret areas that weren't reachable during your normal playthrough of the story, allowing you to find the game's strongest weapons and magic spells along the way. See More

Top Pro

Huge and diverse open world to explore

The world of Ivalice is a medieval fantasy setting that has elements of magical technology beneath the surface, with several locations to explore out in the wild. The grand, magnificent Royal City of Rabanastre is sequestered between a desert, branching off to plains that alternate between dry and wet seasons. Beyond the plains are mysterious mines with traces of science experiments gone awry, leading to a magical jungle, and snowy mountains that lead up to a religious city at the peaks. Far beyond those are vast beaches and caverns that lead to the intimidating and expansive Imperial City of Arcades. This breadth of locations in the PlayStation 2 version were ahead of their time, including options to return to these places and find secret paths leading to optional bosses. See More

Final Fantasy Type-0 HD

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Top Pro

The story shows a dark and gritty depiction of war

Final Fantasy Type-0 isn't afraid to show what war is really about and how it affects the world without glorifying anything. You play as a gifted group of military academy students called "Class Zero", and despite their youth, they manage to see through some pretty horrific things, like the true evil and sadism of the evil empire taking over the world one country at a time. The very beginning of the game shows the more violent and depressing aspects of war, hooking you in on an emotional level. It's a surprisingly mature story, especially if you're a fan of Final Fantasy, since the series typically doesn't go this far into gritty realism. See More

Top Con

Inconvenient time management mechanics

There are some time management details that you have to deal with. While at the academy, you can choose what you'd like to do in between major missions, but these activities all take up a certain amount of time. Heading out to the world map to explore takes up a handful of hours, regardless of how long you actually spend out in the open, while spending time with your teammates and getting to know them better only takes a couple of hours. This mechanic essentially makes it impossible to see everything in a single playthrough, since you have to sort your priorities and go with whatever's most efficient. See More

Specs

Genre:Action Role-Playing

Top Pro

Varied cast of playable characters

There are over a dozen playable characters that you can choose from to fight on your squad. They all have a range of different personality types, fighting styles, and specialized weapons to choose from. You can pretty much bring along anyone you want for most missions; if your preferred characters are all spellcasters or sword-users, you can take them with you just because you like them as characters and not miss out on anything. Even though some characters devolve into tropes, for the most part, they're all quite likable and well-rounded. See More

Top Con

Some of the characters are bogged down by tropes and stereotypes

Sometimes, the large cast of characters ends up working against the story. A good number of them are fleshed out well, but others are just there for the sake of being there, or they're so poorly-written that you may forget that they exist. The worst ones have awful cliches as their central personality traits, like the dumb brute or borderline damsel in distress. It's irritating and cheapens the story as a whole. See More

Top Pro

Fast-paced action combat

The real-time fights in Final Fantasy Type-0 are fun because of how quick and chaotic they are. You bring along a small squad with you for missions with everyone's different fighting styles at your disposal, though even the characters with heavy-hitting weapons are still agile enough. Targeting enemies and firing off lightning-fast combos of magic spells or physical hits feels satisfying. It gets even more intense once you're on some of the game's important, story-heavy missions with critical objectives and high-stakes. The combat is overall incredibly engaging and doesn't get old. See More

Top Con

Graphics are dated and inconsistent

It's hard to get away from how bad the graphics look. Since this is a remaster of a handheld game from 2011, there was only so much the devs could do to improve things without fully remaking Type-0 from scratch. The main characters look okay, but environments and non-important characters have sloppy textures that make it obvious they didn't get the same special treatment. It's jarring when one of your main party members is in a cutscene with a less important character, and your party member has better graphics and detail than the other person. This unfortunately happens a lot throughout the game. See More

Top Pro

Huge world to explore with tons of content

There's tons to do in between main story missions. The world is sizable enough with plenty to do during your free time. You can take on side quests to help liberate other towns and cities, go dungeon crawling and take down powerful monsters, or just hang around the military academy and talk to your classmates to get to know them better. More activities also open up as you progress through the story as a way to change things up from the usual combat. See More

Top Con

Convoluted story that requires multiple playthroughs to fully understand

The story hardly makes any sense on its own, and on top of that, the game expects you to play through multiple times to figure things out. With all the terminology and mythos that's so poorly explained, you might find yourself getting lost right from the beginning, struggling just to keep up as the story goes on. There's a bunch of lore that you can find outside the game through other media, but if you don't go looking for it, you won't be able to fully get what's going on. But the worst part is that the endings you can get on your first playthrough don't really explain much of anything, so you have to play through again if you want to have any basic comprehension of how the plot wraps itself up. See More

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