Square Enixhas been a JRPG powerhouse for many decades. They consistently make some of the most popular games in the genre, but they also have some lesser-known titles that are equally good in quality.
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New IPs, series revivals, remakes of older games, and some spin-offs have filled Square Enix’s 2022 library to the brim. This list will highlight the best games they pushed out this year.
15Voice Of Cards: The Beasts Of Burden
The Beasts of Burden is the third entry in the Voice of Cards series, which only started a year prior. Too many releases in a short time frame result in individual entries being less memorable.
There Aren’t enough gameplay improvements for this installment to stick out from its predecessors. That doesn’t, however, make it a bad game. It still contains good card-based gameplay and Yoko Taro’s unique charm.
14Voice Of Cards: The Forsaken Maiden
Voice of Card’s second installment was released not too long after the first, so it suffers from the same problems that Beasts of Burden has. The Forsaken Maiden was made too quickly to have large-scale gameplay improvements.
This entry contains NieR Automata-inspired DLC. It adds android clothes, pod cards, new music, and a new board. Since Voice of Cards already had the same art style and charm as NieR, this DLC makes itan excellent game for NieR Automata fans.
13Final Fantasy 14: Endwalker Updates
Final Fantasy 14 has become one of Square Enix’s biggest successes. For a while, Square Enix made it impossible for new players to begin playing due to the servers being overloaded. Partway through 2022, it came back.
Endwalker is the fourth major expansion that was initially released at the end of 2021. Throughout 2022, it has gained a few updates that include new arenas and other features. This game would be higher if the full story expansion was released this year, but even just the small patches have added enough to make it worth revisiting.
12Star Ocean: The Divine Force
The future of the Star Ocean series was uncertain after the poor reception of the fifth installment, yet it managed to return with this entry. The Divine Force can be played without previous knowledge of the series.
Its story focuses on an intergalactic war. The explorable area is divinely large and easy to navigate, but the lack of enemies makes it somewhat lifeless.
11Harvestella
Harvestella makes an attempt to blend farming simulator gameplay with RPG combat. In concept, this is an interesting idea. Harvestella succeeds at blending both genres together but fails to rival the complexity of other games.
The farming and combat depth are both very basic. The basic narrative and lack of voice acting also hold the game back. Harvestella has many good ideas but lacks polish. DLC or a sequel can unlock its true potential, but even now, it’s worth trying.
10Strangers Of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
Strangers of Paradise is a reimagining of the original Final Fantasy. The general story and map are reused, but the characters and details make it an entirely separate experience.
Most aspects of the game are adequate. The mechanics, characters, and writing are more entertaining than Harvestella, but it doesn’t deliver the strong story that it could have if it tried to be entirely unique.
9Triangle Strategy
Triangle Strategy is a tactical RPG with Octopath Traveler’s well-detailed pixel art style. The story focuses on a political conflict between three nations. The player’s choice can alter the story’s direction.
As with many tactical RPGs, the cast of characters is very large. There are 30 playable characters in total. Some are unlocked through the story, but there are many with strict requirements. These factors contribute to Triangle Strategy having replayability.
8Crisis Core —Final Fantasy 7— Reunion
Out of all theFinal Fantasyspin-offs, Crisis Core is one of the most important to a main installment’s story. It is a prequel to Final Fantasy 7 that focuses on Cloud’s best friend, Zack Fair, before the events of the main game.
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Crisis Core’s ending is one of the most emotional in the entire franchise. This remake doesn’t change any of the stories, but the combat has been entirely revamped. The new faster-paced action is somewhat akin to the Final Fantasy 7 Remake.
7Valkyrie Elysium
The Valkyrie series makes a return to consoles after nearly a decade. It has now taken the jump from turn-based battles to action combat like several other long-time Square Enix series.
Valkyrie Elysium is a short but sweet game that takes heavy inspiration from mythology. Combat is much more polished than Harvestella, and the atmosphere is more lively than what The Divine Force offers.
6Final Fantasy 6 Pixel Remaster
6 is one of the most widely loved entries in the Final Fantasy series. It contains over a dozen playable characters with unique play styles and a fan-favorite villain.
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The Pixel Remaster improves the visuals, but not as much as what other Square Enix remakes have gotten. Another SNES era RPG, Live A Live, got a much more beautiful HD 2D improvement. Final Fantasy 6 also hasn’t gained any new story or content from this re-release.
