Square Enix's mission to remake or remaster classic RPGs from its back catalog has now turned its attention back to Final Fantasy 6. In a recently published interview with Inverse, Masaaki Hayasaka (producer of the recently released Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake) spoke candidly about wanting Final Fantasy 6 to be the next game the company tackles in its continued interest toward remaking classic titles, which runs counter to statements recently made by Yoshinori Kitase concerning how extensive of an undertaking such a project would be. And even though Kitase's estimate of it taking "20 years" to remake Final Fantasy 6 is referencing a full 3D reimagining, a potential HD-2D remake is still a double-edged sword.
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The last game in the franchise to use traditional 2D sprite-based graphics before the series' switch to 3D on the Sony PlayStation, Final Fantasy 6 is arguably one of the most important games ever released, RPG or otherwise. With 2024 marking the 30th anniversary of Final Fantasy 6, as well as the game's pixel art serving as one of the major inspirations for the HD-2D art style first used in Octopath Traveler, it makes sense for the release and success of Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D to bring the last 2D Final Fantasy to mind as an obvious remake candidate. But the title's continued relevance, as well as other rumored remake projects existing prior, call to question whether such a remake is necessary.
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Final Fantasy 6's Pixel Remaster Could Make an HD-2D Remake Feel Redundant
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One of the more obvious roadblocks standing in the way of a potential Final Fantasy 6 HD-2D remake is the recent release of the Pixel Remasters series. Intended by Square Enix to be the definitive versions of the first 6 games in the Final Fantasy series, the Pixel Remasters only just arrived on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 last year following a short period of PC and mobile exclusivity. It would be surprising to see the company move forward with remakes of those early Final Fantasy games given the investment made in remastering them for modern consoles and PC.
But beyond the resources used to develop, market, and release the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters, the version of Final Fantasy 6 contained as part of that series is arguably the best-looking and sounding version of Final Fantasy 6, even if it doesn't feature any of the additional content from the Final Fantasy Anthology release on PS1 or Final Fantasy 6 Advance on the GBA. The core Final Fantasy 6 experience still holds up as one of the all-time greats in the RPG genre, begging the question of whether it even needs a remake.
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Square Enix Needs to Make Good On Previously Leaked Final Fantasy Remakes First
In addition to the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters' existence making an HD-2D remake of Final Fantasy 6 not make financial sense, there's also the previously leaked existence of other remakes in the series to consider as being more viable candidates for the remake/remaster treatment. Prior to both Kitase and Hiyasaka's contrasting comments on Final Fantasy 6 regarding it receiving a remake, Square Enix already hinted at the possibility of both Final Fantasy 8 and Final Fantasy 9 receiving remakes in some capacity. The Final Fantasy 9 remake even dates back to the infamous GeForce Now leaks.
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Each Final Fantasy game has its die-hard fans and detractors, but few games in the franchise are as universally appreciated as Final Fantasy 9. As the final game in the series to feature any involvement from series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, the title has always felt like a fitting swansong for a distinct era of the series. Similarly, Final Fantasy 8 is a polarizing game that continues to maintain a cult following despite its flaws. With Final Fantasy 6 already having a recent "definitive" version, these later entries in the series are arguably more deserving of being reimagined for modern audiences.
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Final Fantasy 6
RPG
Systems
- Top Critic Rating:86/100 Critics Recommend:91%
- Franchise
- Final Fantasy
- Platform(s)
- SNES , Android , iOS , Nintendo Game Boy Advance , PC , PS1 , PS4 , Switch
- Released
- October 11, 1994
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix , Square
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix , Square
- Engine
- Unity
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Fantasy Violence, Partial Nudity
- How Long To Beat
- 35 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Mighty
