Which SquareSoft game on the SNES do you think was the best, and why? Gain early access to my videos by supporting me at www.patreon.com/xygorgaming OR through RUclips membership by clicking the JOIN button above!
Kinda wishes Snes Mystic Ark get remaster,it just so otherworldly and the music,art was marvelous,sadly the composer Akihiko Mori passed away before he reached his full potential,the music he made for Mystic Ark is so good
Square soft had some of the best games I ever enjoyed on the SNES. Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6, Secret of Mana and secret of Evermore are just four of the games of theirs that I really enjoyed.
Great video! I was not expecting it to almost be 3 hours long. Lol. I started it with about an hour and a half left at work, stopped to drive home and shower, and when I continued it, I was pleasantly surprised. My PSN wishlist has grown considerably after this video. Thank you. All of the SNES era RPG music playing throughout has filled me with happy nostalgia of my childhood.
Wow! Great documentary. This brings me back to the 90s. It was such a fun time playing these games and talking about them at lunch time with friends. I still listen to the FF6 soundtrack when I work.
Damn, you even covered the Super Famicom ones, awesome. There were some real gems that we never got over here (Bahamut Lagoon, Treasure of the Rudra, etc). Kinda been hoping since Live a Lives rerelease, that they do the same for Rudra and/or Lagoon.
The game besides Mystic Quest that I found conspicuously missing from this list was Radical Dreamers. The Sateliview visual noval first draft of what later became Chrono Cross.
Thank you for the video! It's the longest video on RUclips I have ever watched from start to finish! Tonnes of nostalgia! (...as I played most of the games in the list.) My absolute favorite would be Live A Live. Most of the time I need some short stories, giving me a little bit of everything. Live A Live does just that and I don't know any other game quite like it. My personal top 5 would be: FF 6, Live A Live, Front Mission: Gun Hazard, Chrono Trigger, Treasure Of The Rudras. And also 2 cool little games for Satellaview: Treasure Conflix and Radical Dreamers.
I kicked in the door on this video like "Let me call them out for not including Treasure of the Rudras" and I scrolled through the chapter list and to my shock you actually have it listed. Well done.
No, you're right, I putting it in here in editing and only realized that after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it: ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
i just gotta say, been watching your videos for what seems like decades, and i like to listen to them in the background while i work sometimes. A RUclips Institution.
Man you are an absolute legend for this video, two, unfortunately I didn't grow up with these wonderful classics I started with ff7 in my late teens early twenties and worked my way around, but I still love them as if I did. I came to realize how they literally are the cornerstones of gaming it's kind of crazy to think that many good games came out one after the other. Beautiful video
90's gamers were eating good, so many classics on the SNES it was crazy I spent so many hours playing on the holidays it was a yearly tradition for me when I was a kid to play the square RPGS. Absolutely love Chrono Trigger it was near perfect. I am glad I was able to play many beautiful games before diving into the gaming hobby with the PS1 with my very own money onwards. I still long for the days of the SNES the nostalgia and worry free gaming I didn't have to worry about games not working or dlcs or patches or mission passes. Those games were complete and filled with love from the game developers, they look like low polygon sprites but to my imagination it sent me to a wonderful fantasy world. Thank you for covering such a wonderful Golden age of SquareSoft. It was thanks to SquareSoft and Nintendo that I would grow to absolutely adore and love rpgs. Epic stories, brilliantly written characters, a glorious setting, and fantastic although cliched but beautifully woven plot. Every game is an adventure.
I love this video, as a huge fan of Squaresoft the SNES and PS1 eras were a delight. I know to some extent this was pieced together from various reviews of games over the years but it might be neat to add a post script at the end with a breakdown of the best way to play each title now (or the ones that Square-Enix have rereleased. If there is one thing I really credit SE for in recent years its for making so many of their classic titles more easily available on modern platforms (Pixel Remasters, LiveAlive 2D-HD, Trials of Mana, Many of the Saga games, etc) while some may not be perfect versions it would be helpful to those looking to get into some of them
When it comes to translations for Bahamut lagoon you are better off playing with the 2021 version of the Near patch. It fixed and optimized the menus text etc while being a more accurate translation, too many things to list but people could easily read the patch notes.
Secret of Mana 2 WAS actually going to be localized back when it originally came out. However they had to decide between it and a certain other little known game called SMRPG Legend of the Seven Stars. Basically they had to decide between the two and originally it was going to be Mana 2, but they figured that more people would buy the other game. Yes I know it's Trials of mana, but the original name was going to be that if I recall correctly at least if it had been chosen to be brought over.
Secret of evermore is the game I once played that I thought of when thinking I had played an of mana game. Thanks for this XD Actually, the part that I ferment most clearly is the bazaar exchange thing. I thought the idea was super cool at the time since all it took was knowing who wanted what and for what which you learn by talking to people beforehand.
Battle on the Big Bridge has been remade to death, not just FFXII, but FFXIII, FFXIV, FF Origins Stranger of Paradise, and some remixes made for FF Record Keeper... and maybe even more I might be missing.
I distinctly remember renting LiveAeviL from Blockbuster and beating it over an icy weekend. This was either 96 or 97 and It was definitely in English.
I had the secret of mana soundtrack before I had a cd player to play it on. I also still have the secret of mana shirt and secret of evermore shirt and hat from the old squaresoft mail order catalog. I own 5 signed hiro isono prints and live in a hilly forest, my own slice of the pure lands. safe to say this company has had a tremendous effect on my life. thank you, squaresoft.
I prefer FF4 over FF6 for one major reason, FF4 has characters in defined roles and classes. FF6's Esper system opens everyone to every spell in the game and almost destroys the individuality of the characters. Sabin's Blitzes and Edgar's Tools are epic options in the early game until by the endgame everyone is spamming Ultima. I only really liked FF6 using the Brave New World Mod that limits certain espers to certain characters, keeping their original classes and roles intact.
FFIV and FFVI are my two favorite games of all time, or works of all time for that matter, and I have debated which is the better one for decades now. But finally I decided FFIV, despite appearances, is actually the greatest of all time. The epicness and purity of the whole moon/ending is far beyond anything else.
Chrono Trigger was so damn good. I liked the Quintet games for SNES as well. ActRaiser 1 and 2, Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma, man the SNES had some amazing games.
Great video, got to give my input on Seiken Densetsu 3, particularly the remake. I absolutely LOVED the fan translation of the ROM, and played it almost a dozen times as a kid. Trials of Mana I think is a superior version for a few reasons. First, they adjust the pace of leveling, so you don't have your final class change for barely any amount of time. Second, there's a New Game+, along with high difficulty modes. Third, there's a decent modding scene. The Sins of Mana mod for the SNES ROM is really, really good, and I highly recommend that as a play for those who liked the game(s) as well.
FFIV, FFVI and Chrono Trigger will always hold a special place in my heart. When the twins in FFIV turned themselves to stone, I was a VERY shocking kid. Would LOVE a port of Front Mission: Gun Hazard (and Assault Suits Valken). It's an absolute shame when games like this get lost to history.
OG Romancing SaGa. Normal attacks using weapons can only target the very next row. The exceptions being spears which can target one extra row and bows being able to target any row. This means you want your sword/axe/mace wielders in front row, your spears in middle and your bows/magic users in the back. This is the same for enemies, with most enemies doing melee attacks being front row only, which is good for crowd control. The way formations are scrambled isn't random. In fact it's your same formation rotated by 90 or 180 degrees, based on how the enemy ambushed you. The same applies for enemies. This means that with the right configuration, you can technically make sure some characters always stay where they should. Personally I like og RS systems more than the PS2 remake, but the remake is finished, unlike the very rushed and incomplete Super Famicom version. I've never tried the Wonderswan one since afaik there's no translation and I suck. :(
Someone forgot Mystic Quest.....which was my first SNES FF game. I played MQ first and then played III (VI) and then went back to II (IV) as I had somehow missed IV after Mystic Quest. Either way VI was the first RPG to hook me emotionally from the start with the Mode 7 march to Narshe and Terra's Theme playing. We need a remake or some sort of remaster of VI at some point. And not some action game like they did with VII. I would rather it be more true to the original just with 3D graphics or 2.5D like Octopath Traveler etc
Unfortunately, I realized I missed editing it into the video right after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it: ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
Let's have things like better abilities balance, a revamped magic/esper system where certain characters could only learn certain spells, and we're good !
Any plans on making a video on the Super Famicom game, Aretha? I believe there was a sequel, as well. I hadn't heard of it until today, looks like it'd be right up your alley.
Unfortunately, I realized I missed editing it into the video right after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it: ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
Why they still have not ported Alcahest, Bahamut Lagoon, FM: Gun Hazard, Treasure Hunter G and Treasure of the Rudras in english up to this day is still confounding. Played the translations but want to officially own these games in physical format on current gen handheld/consoles.
Was this recorded before pixel remaster? I'm asking and after watching Final Fantasy IV I heard no mention about it and even reommending the Nintendo DS version. The pixel remaster uses the translation from the Nintendo DS with added tweaks and reverted to back to be consistent with the rest of the series such as the DS calling the summons "Eidolons" that's been changed. The only bad thing is the removal of the bonus dungeon.
so many games on one console, lol. I never played any of them, but Chrono Trigger has one of the best soundtracks in gaming overall and probably the best music ever made for Super Nintendo, imo In the Final Fantasy series, i only listened to FF1 OST and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest OST (A-tier and S-tier respectively) this is all just my subjective opinion, but it's clear that these games have some good music :D
Square was a big part of what made the SNES era a golden age of gaming and a time I'm glad to have been growing up in. My father and I played Final Fantasy 2 cooperatively. (Much as we had the original) I rode my bicycle ten miles on the shoulder of the highway to get to the mall and buy Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, with a sock full of singles and loose change. Playing Chrono Trigger forms a series of precious memories which I wouldn't trade even for the wonder of being able to play the game over for the first time. One of the last games I got to play on my SNES before losing my childhood games collection was the (then newly-released) fan translation of Final Fantasy V, thanks to a Super Wild Card. 😌 Now that I've started rebuilding (and surpassing) the collection of my youth, Square figures pretty heavily... Let's check my progress against this list... 🤔 ✔Final Fantasy IV (Complete-in-Box [J], loose [J]) ❌Final Fantasy IV Easy Mode ✔Romancing SaGa (Complete-in-Box) ⭕Final Fantasy USA (Loose [J]) ✔Final Fantasy V (Complete-in-Box, loose [J]) ✔Hanjuku Hero (Complete-in-Box) ✔Seiken Densetsu 2 (Complete-in-Box) ✔Romancing SaGa 2 (Complete-in-Box) ❌ Alcahest ❌ Breath of Fire ✔Final Fantasy VI (Complete-in-Box [J], loose [J] and [U]) ⭕Live-A-Live (Loose [J]) ✔Front Mission (Complete-in-Box) ⭕Chrono Trigger (Loose [J]) ✔Seiken Densetsu 3 (Complete-in-Box) ❌ Secret of Evermore ✔Romancing SaGa 3 (Complete-in-Box) ❌ Bahamut Lagoon ✔Front Mission: Gun Hazard (Complete-in-Box) ❌ Super Mario RPG ❌ Rudra no Hihou ❌ Treasure Hunter G Huh, more than half isn't bad. I thought I was doing worse than that! Still quite a ways off on PlayStation though... But they were _obscenely_ prolific in the PSX era!!! Definitely at least check out the demo for the Switch version of Front Mission 1st. I played the original in the 1990s (And I now own both the SFC and PSX versions) and the Switch port is solid. Hell, if I recall correctly, it's getting a whole additional campaign! The 3D Seiken Densetsu 3 remake is worth playing too, try the demo on Switch. Heh, Secret of Evermore.... While it certainly had some redeeming qualities, you _know_ it's been disowned when something that unique didn't even get reverse-imported to Japan as _Seiken Densetsu _*_USA_* or someshit, like with Mystic Quest, or SMB2... 🤣🤣🤣 How the hell is the Bahamut Lagoon sprite animations so smooth and detailed?! 😳 It makes me think of latter-day NEO-GEO titles like Garou: MotW and Art of Fighting 3! 🤯 2:13:40 Yo, is that confirmed? The fact that Gun Hazard looks so much like Cybernator immediately made me wonder if Omiya Soft and Masaya shared key staff! 🤔 _Juusou Kihei Valken_ is rad as hell! I remember playing Cybernator back in the day and thinking that the level of detail was mind-blowing. Still don't own a copy, but I've got a nifty vintage promotional poster for the SFC release, and I've preordered the new fully-translated RetroBit reprint! 🤩 $10~20 is okay for a loose FMGH cart on eBay, but the best [online] prices are always on Japanese auction sites. 😁👍 I paid $70 for complete-in-box Front Mission, FM Gun Hazard, FM2, FM3, FM Alternative, and the official Square strategy guides for all except Gun Hazard. I have literally never heard of Rudra no Hihou before... I'm going to have to check this out! 🤔 Ditto for Treasure Hunter G. 🤔
If you haven't played the HD-2D remake of Live-A-Live, it's really good. The soundtrack is re-arranged by Shimomura and it's fantastic. They even added some voice acting and it's... Surprisingly good! Also, a new chapter was added after the usual 8th chapter, and it's pretty awesome.
I noticed you didn't mention Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, was that one post merger with Enix or from a dif company, just curious. Excellent vid brought back a lot of good memories and I even learned of a few games I wasn't even aware of, ty. :D
Unfortunately, I realized I missed editing it into the video right after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it: ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
@Xygor Loved the PS1 era. FF7 kicked in the mainstream door, and the US finally started getting the titles us JRPG gamers deserved. But in the 90s, Squaresoft had a run like none other. Virtually flawless. Truly worthy of the Golden Era title, paving the way for everything that came after including titles outside of Square. Great video as usual but this is something really special, Xygor. Three hours honoring 90s Squaresoft game by game. Well done and thanks for the early Xmas present.
I see a few people bringing up PS1 era Square, and while it's true Square was even more prolific in that era and that the success of FF7 and FF8 opened the floodgates for more JRPGs to get localized, I think that's also when a few cracks in their armor started to show. Cracks which became much more evident during the early 2000s. The special thing about SNES era Square is that it seemed like they could do no wrong. I feel lucky that Secret of Mana was my first Square game and top notch JRPG experience in 1993. That game blew my mind back then and pretty much decided the SNES vs Genesis console war for me. Every year after that Square would release arguably the best JRPG of the year, up until 1999. I know FF8 sold very well but to me it was the first big Square release that was a disappointment. After that game and after playing other much better 1999 non-Square JRPGs like Star Ocean 2 and Grandia (the PS1 port was its first release out west) I never looked at Square the same way and my annoyance with certain aspects of their games that became the norm for them would continue all the way into today.
everyone remembers when squaresoft merged with enix but no one talks about when Square merged with Sunsoft, also you are missing "the 7th saga" I loved that game
Hey Xygor, just in case the 50+ other people mentioning it didn't make it clear: you forgot Mystic Quest. I'm being facetious and snarky. Seeing the same comment over and over is a minor pet peeve of mine. Ignore me. Thanks for all your effort and viewpoints.
Love the shoutout to Secret of Evermore, that was a weird one, I don’t think it even got a Japan release so score 1 for US What’s the score now? 100-1?
i love much of square's library on SNES, but i would definitely say ps1 era was their golden age. FF7 and 8 are their number 2 and 3 highest selling games, ff9 is 9th, tomb raider 1 and 2 are 14th and 15th. so that's 1/3 of their top 15 sellers. the only pre-ps1 top 15 seller is space invaders, 1978.
Unfortunately, I realized I missed editing it into the video right after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it: ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
Squaresoft was the GOAT during my childhood. Some of the absolute best games of all time, period. Also, I genuinely miss ATB/turn-based RPGs. I was so disappointed with FFVII Remake because it wasn't turn-based.
I know I'm late to the game (pun intended) but FFVI was and is one of if not THE greatest game (rpg or otherwise) of all time. The leaps and bounds that game had were like nothing we had seen to that point and I'd argue, since. The story, the graphics, the music, the character design, everything was groundbreaking to say the least. I'd argue that we as gamers will never see a leap like that in gaming again. That generation and that game specifically are why gaming is what it is today.
Unfortunately, I realized I missed editing it into the video right after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it: ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
@@Xygor I don't think you were too hard on it. I do think you were reviewing it comparing it to other games rather than reviewing it on its own merits, though. It did accomplish what it set out to do, which was make a simpler, more approaching RPG for newcomers and younger players.
Honestly with all the remakes going on, how awesome would it be if they reconstructed the Maru Island project and produced the game they originally planned for it
Sorry, assumed you would. Maru Island was the game Squaresoft was designing for the SNES CD add-on, when that was cancelled they massively reduced the plot etc of the game and released it as Secret of Mana, the left over bits eventually became Chronotrigger...................imagine how awesome the original game would have been given how great both of its parts became
As a quick follow-up comment WHERE'S FF MYSTIC QUEST?????? Yes you can argue about it, but it was also the very first Final Fantasy game Europe got. You can't argue that it didn't have an impact as it helped Square actually consider bringing Secret of Mana over seas.
Unfortunately, I realized I missed editing it into the video right after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it: ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
The fact some of the most complex and best games had such small teams make them is amazing considering we have 100s of people now to make reskinned crap.
Which SquareSoft game on the SNES do you think was the best, and why?
Gain early access to my videos by supporting me at www.patreon.com/xygorgaming OR through RUclips membership by clicking the JOIN button above!
Secret Trigger VI. Hands down.
CT. Graphics, Gameplay, Music, Story. At least first three is no doubt best. But both 2 games not a peak in gaming history in this department
Chrono Trigger and FFV for me. Secret of Mana and FFVI following, and an special place for ROmancing SaGa and Front Mission
FF 6
Best: CT
Favorite: FF6
Seeing all these old Square RPGs made me incredibly happy! Thank you so much!
Glad to hear it! Me too!
Kinda wishes Snes Mystic Ark get remaster,it just so otherworldly and the music,art was marvelous,sadly the composer Akihiko Mori passed away before he reached his full potential,the music he made for Mystic Ark is so good
Square soft had some of the best games I ever enjoyed on the SNES. Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 6, Secret of Mana and secret of Evermore are just four of the games of theirs that I really enjoyed.
Same here!
Great video! I was not expecting it to almost be 3 hours long. Lol. I started it with about an hour and a half left at work, stopped to drive home and shower, and when I continued it, I was pleasantly surprised. My PSN wishlist has grown considerably after this video. Thank you. All of the SNES era RPG music playing throughout has filled me with happy nostalgia of my childhood.
Glad you liked it!
Squaresoft was knocking it out of the park in these days. Great content as usual my friend.
Thanks for the visit! And I agree!
AWESOME VIDEO MAN!!! The Squaresoft I loved and made me an RPG fan is the one from this Golden Era. Thanks for the work!! Merry Christmas to everyone.
Glad you like it! Merry Christmas.
Wow! Great documentary. This brings me back to the 90s. It was such a fun time playing these games and talking about them at lunch time with friends.
I still listen to the FF6 soundtrack when I work.
Such a great time! Glad you enjoyed the video.
one day I'll listen to all Final Fantasy OSTs (only listened to game 1 and game Mystic Quest)
Final Fantasy 6 and Chrono Trigger are my 2 favorite games of all time. Unbelievable and legendary.
I was actually playing both of those games simultaneously 😄
I have no love for Squeenix, but SquareSoft was a big part of my childhood.
The golden years!
Bahamut Lagoon
Same
SAY. IT. AGAIN.
@@made.fresh.daily. Same?
Damn, you even covered the Super Famicom ones, awesome. There were some real gems that we never got over here (Bahamut Lagoon, Treasure of the Rudra, etc).
Kinda been hoping since Live a Lives rerelease, that they do the same for Rudra and/or Lagoon.
For sure, I made a video where I included those two on a list of RPGs that most need to be remade!
The game besides Mystic Quest that I found conspicuously missing from this list was Radical Dreamers. The Sateliview visual noval first draft of what later became Chrono Cross.
Watching this over a few days, all I can say is THANK YOU XYGOR for this amazing trip down memory lane!
Glad you're enjoying it!
Thank you for the video! It's the longest video on RUclips I have ever watched from start to finish! Tonnes of nostalgia! (...as I played most of the games in the list.)
My absolute favorite would be Live A Live. Most of the time I need some short stories, giving me a little bit of everything. Live A Live does just that and I don't know any other game quite like it. My personal top 5 would be: FF 6, Live A Live, Front Mission: Gun Hazard, Chrono Trigger, Treasure Of The Rudras. And also 2 cool little games for Satellaview: Treasure Conflix and Radical Dreamers.
Glad you liked it! And thanks for your thoughts on your favorites.
The Seiken Denetsu 3 translation was an absolute gem of a find to kid me. I loved that game
Yes, it was awesome!
I kicked in the door on this video like "Let me call them out for not including Treasure of the Rudras" and I scrolled through the chapter list and to my shock you actually have it listed.
Well done.
Glad you liked it!
Squaresoft were on fire with their SNES and PS1 titles. I knew if I bought a game by them then odds were I was getting a quality experience.
They really were! Such a great time to grow up as an RPG fan.
Did I miss why FF: Mystic Quest isn't here?
No, you're right, I putting it in here in editing and only realized that after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it:
ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
Came here to say the same thing. Nice catch!
i just gotta say, been watching your videos for what seems like decades, and i like to listen to them in the background while i work sometimes. A RUclips Institution.
Thank you! I really appreciate that.
Remember getting my first credit card purely to pre order Romancing Saga 2 here in the UK, only for its Europe release to be cancelled.
Right on, now that's good memory!
Man you are an absolute legend for this video, two, unfortunately I didn't grow up with these wonderful classics I started with ff7 in my late teens early twenties and worked my way around, but I still love them as if I did. I came to realize how they literally are the cornerstones of gaming it's kind of crazy to think that many good games came out one after the other. Beautiful video
Thanks, glad you enjoy it!
0:45 You forgot Final Fantasy IV! (Final Fantasy II on the SNES)
I like how you didn't just show the game, but you gave commentary.
90's gamers were eating good, so many classics on the SNES it was crazy I spent so many hours playing on the holidays it was a yearly tradition for me when I was a kid to play the square RPGS. Absolutely love Chrono Trigger it was near perfect.
I am glad I was able to play many beautiful games before diving into the gaming hobby with the PS1 with my very own money onwards.
I still long for the days of the SNES the nostalgia and worry free gaming I didn't have to worry about games not working or dlcs or patches or mission passes.
Those games were complete and filled with love from the game developers, they look like low polygon sprites but to my imagination it sent me to a wonderful fantasy world.
Thank you for covering such a wonderful Golden age of SquareSoft. It was thanks to SquareSoft and Nintendo that I would grow to absolutely adore and love rpgs. Epic stories, brilliantly written characters, a glorious setting, and fantastic although cliched but beautifully woven plot. Every game is an adventure.
I love this video, as a huge fan of Squaresoft the SNES and PS1 eras were a delight. I know to some extent this was pieced together from various reviews of games over the years but it might be neat to add a post script at the end with a breakdown of the best way to play each title now (or the ones that Square-Enix have rereleased. If there is one thing I really credit SE for in recent years its for making so many of their classic titles more easily available on modern platforms (Pixel Remasters, LiveAlive 2D-HD, Trials of Mana, Many of the Saga games, etc) while some may not be perfect versions it would be helpful to those looking to get into some of them
Glad you enjoyed it!
When it comes to translations for Bahamut lagoon you are better off playing with the 2021 version of the Near patch. It fixed and optimized the menus text etc while being a more accurate translation, too many things to list but people could easily read the patch notes.
Gotcha, actually I didn't realize there were multiple versions.
Secret of Mana 2 WAS actually going to be localized back when it originally came out. However they had to decide between it and a certain other little known game called SMRPG Legend of the Seven Stars. Basically they had to decide between the two and originally it was going to be Mana 2, but they figured that more people would buy the other game.
Yes I know it's Trials of mana, but the original name was going to be that if I recall correctly at least if it had been chosen to be brought over.
Absolutely epic video, love this!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Secret of evermore is the game I once played that I thought of when thinking I had played an of mana game. Thanks for this XD Actually, the part that I ferment most clearly is the bazaar exchange thing. I thought the idea was super cool at the time since all it took was knowing who wanted what and for what which you learn by talking to people beforehand.
Treasure of the Rudras needs the LiveALive remake treatment.
Agreed!
Battle on the Big Bridge has been remade to death, not just FFXII, but FFXIII, FFXIV, FF Origins Stranger of Paradise, and some remixes made for FF Record Keeper... and maybe even more I might be missing.
True!
I distinctly remember renting LiveAeviL from Blockbuster and beating it over an icy weekend. This was either 96 or 97 and It was definitely in English.
Thanks for the trip down memory lane.
You bet!
I had the secret of mana soundtrack before I had a cd player to play it on. I also still have the secret of mana shirt and secret of evermore shirt and hat from the old squaresoft mail order catalog. I own 5 signed hiro isono prints and live in a hilly forest, my own slice of the pure lands. safe to say this company has had a tremendous effect on my life. thank you, squaresoft.
In comparison to very old crpgs, jrpgs in general have tremendous story.
Really great video! Subscribed
Awesome, thank you!
HYPE FOR THIS VIDEO! ✨✨✨✨
Where there is hype, there is hope!
Ffiv might not be everyone’s favorite, but it’s my favorite and was my first jrpg. Nostalgia feels forever from that game.
Very true!
I prefer FF4 over FF6 for one major reason, FF4 has characters in defined roles and classes.
FF6's Esper system opens everyone to every spell in the game and almost destroys the individuality of the characters. Sabin's Blitzes and Edgar's Tools are epic options in the early game until by the endgame everyone is spamming Ultima.
I only really liked FF6 using the Brave New World Mod that limits certain espers to certain characters, keeping their original classes and roles intact.
FFIV and FFVI are my two favorite games of all time, or works of all time for that matter, and I have debated which is the better one for decades now. But finally I decided FFIV, despite appearances, is actually the greatest of all time. The epicness and purity of the whole moon/ending is far beyond anything else.
Chrono trigger is the one that finally got me into RPG games. If it wasn't for that one I would probably have never gotten on board for final fantasy.
Such a legendary game!
Chrono Trigger was so damn good. I liked the Quintet games for SNES as well. ActRaiser 1 and 2, Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma, man the SNES had some amazing games.
Yay! What a great Christmas present!
Merry Christmas, and glad you like it!
Great video, got to give my input on Seiken Densetsu 3, particularly the remake. I absolutely LOVED the fan translation of the ROM, and played it almost a dozen times as a kid. Trials of Mana I think is a superior version for a few reasons. First, they adjust the pace of leveling, so you don't have your final class change for barely any amount of time. Second, there's a New Game+, along with high difficulty modes. Third, there's a decent modding scene.
The Sins of Mana mod for the SNES ROM is really, really good, and I highly recommend that as a play for those who liked the game(s) as well.
FFIV, FFVI and Chrono Trigger will always hold a special place in my heart. When the twins in FFIV turned themselves to stone, I was a VERY shocking kid.
Would LOVE a port of Front Mission: Gun Hazard (and Assault Suits Valken). It's an absolute shame when games like this get lost to history.
Breath of Fire is from Capcom, wasn't this video about Square Soft games? xD
It was published by Squaresoft
@@Xygor now that is something I didnt know :O
OG Romancing SaGa.
Normal attacks using weapons can only target the very next row. The exceptions being spears which can target one extra row and bows being able to target any row. This means you want your sword/axe/mace wielders in front row, your spears in middle and your bows/magic users in the back.
This is the same for enemies, with most enemies doing melee attacks being front row only, which is good for crowd control.
The way formations are scrambled isn't random. In fact it's your same formation rotated by 90 or 180 degrees, based on how the enemy ambushed you. The same applies for enemies. This means that with the right configuration, you can technically make sure some characters always stay where they should.
Personally I like og RS systems more than the PS2 remake, but the remake is finished, unlike the very rushed and incomplete Super Famicom version. I've never tried the Wonderswan one since afaik there's no translation and I suck. :(
Nobuo Uematsu is an amazing man and mind.
Agreed!
The best of all time, especially under Hironobu Sakaguchi's direction.
front mission on switch got free dlc few weeks ago. multiplayer mode and new scenario.
Thanks for this info!
Someone forgot Mystic Quest.....which was my first SNES FF game. I played MQ first and then played III (VI) and then went back to II (IV) as I had somehow missed IV after Mystic Quest. Either way VI was the first RPG to hook me emotionally from the start with the Mode 7 march to Narshe and Terra's Theme playing. We need a remake or some sort of remaster of VI at some point. And not some action game like they did with VII. I would rather it be more true to the original just with 3D graphics or 2.5D like Octopath Traveler etc
Unfortunately, I realized I missed editing it into the video right after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it:
ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
Let's have things like better abilities balance, a revamped magic/esper system where certain characters could only learn certain spells, and we're good !
Silly question- when talking about rereleases, did you mention the most recent pixel remasters for ps4? I might've missed that.
I created the Final Fantasy reviews before they were announced
ah! I thought i was taking crazy pills! Great job! @@Xygor
This is an amazing video. Thanks
Any plans on making a video on the Super Famicom game, Aretha? I believe there was a sequel, as well. I hadn't heard of it until today, looks like it'd be right up your alley.
Love all ur vids thank u for all of it
you forgot Mystic Quest, i know it wasnt everyone cup of tea but it is a squaresoft game and was quite fun
Unfortunately, I realized I missed editing it into the video right after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it:
ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
Why they still have not ported Alcahest, Bahamut Lagoon, FM: Gun Hazard, Treasure Hunter G and Treasure of the Rudras in english up to this day is still confounding. Played the translations but want to officially own these games in physical format on current gen handheld/consoles.
True, all are great!
Been awhile, but from what I remember the boss fights in Chronotrigger were marathons.
Was this recorded before pixel remaster? I'm asking and after watching Final Fantasy IV I heard no mention about it and even reommending the Nintendo DS version. The pixel remaster uses the translation from the Nintendo DS with added tweaks and reverted to back to be consistent with the rest of the series such as the DS calling the summons "Eidolons" that's been changed. The only bad thing is the removal of the bonus dungeon.
Yes it was
Breath of fire is not square. It was Capcom.
It was published by Squaresoft, which was the criteria for this video
I will always have a soft spot for Final Fantasy IV. It was my first FF game.
Right on, it was a great one too!
so many games on one console, lol. I never played any of them, but Chrono Trigger has one of the best soundtracks in gaming overall and probably the best music ever made for Super Nintendo, imo
In the Final Fantasy series, i only listened to FF1 OST and Final Fantasy Mystic Quest OST (A-tier and S-tier respectively)
this is all just my subjective opinion, but it's clear that these games have some good music :D
So true!
Great video. Kids don’t have the childhood I did and that’s sad. SNES was the RPG machine !
Square was a big part of what made the SNES era a golden age of gaming and a time I'm glad to have been growing up in. My father and I played Final Fantasy 2 cooperatively. (Much as we had the original) I rode my bicycle ten miles on the shoulder of the highway to get to the mall and buy Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, with a sock full of singles and loose change. Playing Chrono Trigger forms a series of precious memories which I wouldn't trade even for the wonder of being able to play the game over for the first time. One of the last games I got to play on my SNES before losing my childhood games collection was the (then newly-released) fan translation of Final Fantasy V, thanks to a Super Wild Card. 😌
Now that I've started rebuilding (and surpassing) the collection of my youth, Square figures pretty heavily... Let's check my progress against this list... 🤔
✔Final Fantasy IV (Complete-in-Box [J], loose [J])
❌Final Fantasy IV Easy Mode
✔Romancing SaGa (Complete-in-Box)
⭕Final Fantasy USA (Loose [J])
✔Final Fantasy V (Complete-in-Box, loose [J])
✔Hanjuku Hero (Complete-in-Box)
✔Seiken Densetsu 2 (Complete-in-Box)
✔Romancing SaGa 2 (Complete-in-Box)
❌ Alcahest
❌ Breath of Fire
✔Final Fantasy VI (Complete-in-Box [J], loose [J] and [U])
⭕Live-A-Live (Loose [J])
✔Front Mission (Complete-in-Box)
⭕Chrono Trigger (Loose [J])
✔Seiken Densetsu 3 (Complete-in-Box)
❌ Secret of Evermore
✔Romancing SaGa 3 (Complete-in-Box)
❌ Bahamut Lagoon
✔Front Mission: Gun Hazard (Complete-in-Box)
❌ Super Mario RPG
❌ Rudra no Hihou
❌ Treasure Hunter G
Huh, more than half isn't bad. I thought I was doing worse than that! Still quite a ways off on PlayStation though... But they were _obscenely_ prolific in the PSX era!!!
Definitely at least check out the demo for the Switch version of Front Mission 1st. I played the original in the 1990s (And I now own both the SFC and PSX versions) and the Switch port is solid. Hell, if I recall correctly, it's getting a whole additional campaign!
The 3D Seiken Densetsu 3 remake is worth playing too, try the demo on Switch.
Heh, Secret of Evermore.... While it certainly had some redeeming qualities, you _know_ it's been disowned when something that unique didn't even get reverse-imported to Japan as _Seiken Densetsu _*_USA_* or someshit, like with Mystic Quest, or SMB2... 🤣🤣🤣
How the hell is the Bahamut Lagoon sprite animations so smooth and detailed?! 😳 It makes me think of latter-day NEO-GEO titles like Garou: MotW and Art of Fighting 3! 🤯
2:13:40 Yo, is that confirmed? The fact that Gun Hazard looks so much like Cybernator immediately made me wonder if Omiya Soft and Masaya shared key staff! 🤔 _Juusou Kihei Valken_ is rad as hell! I remember playing Cybernator back in the day and thinking that the level of detail was mind-blowing. Still don't own a copy, but I've got a nifty vintage promotional poster for the SFC release, and I've preordered the new fully-translated RetroBit reprint! 🤩 $10~20 is okay for a loose FMGH cart on eBay, but the best [online] prices are always on Japanese auction sites. 😁👍 I paid $70 for complete-in-box Front Mission, FM Gun Hazard, FM2, FM3, FM Alternative, and the official Square strategy guides for all except Gun Hazard.
I have literally never heard of Rudra no Hihou before... I'm going to have to check this out! 🤔
Ditto for Treasure Hunter G. 🤔
A masterpiece of a video, bro!
Much appreciated!
If you haven't played the HD-2D remake of Live-A-Live, it's really good. The soundtrack is re-arranged by Shimomura and it's fantastic. They even added some voice acting and it's... Surprisingly good! Also, a new chapter was added after the usual 8th chapter, and it's pretty awesome.
Agreed, it’s good!
I was gonna say the same thing. I enjoyed it!
Never played alcahest, but i looks and sounds really good
That's well worth playing!
ty for the video! xmas is saved with alcahest and treasure of rudras
Two great games to play that are so overlooked!
treasure of the rudras looks great. Cant wait to try it out.
It really is good!
Favourite jrpg: Chrono Trigger. Those color palettes!
1:09:08 Yeah, because they were _optional_ characters. 🤷🏿♂️
I noticed you didn't mention Final Fantasy Mystic Quest, was that one post merger with Enix or from a dif company, just curious. Excellent vid brought back a lot of good memories and I even learned of a few games I wasn't even aware of, ty. :D
Unfortunately, I realized I missed editing it into the video right after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it:
ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
Question. Live of Live mechanics is the basics of Octopath Traveller right?
is Romancing Saga's leveling system like FF2?
Pretty similar, yes
Anyone who refers to the PS1 era as the Golden Era needs to watch this.
And adjust.
Right on! They had some great PS1 games too tho
@Xygor Loved the PS1 era.
FF7 kicked in the mainstream door, and the US finally started getting the titles us JRPG gamers deserved.
But in the 90s, Squaresoft had a run like none other.
Virtually flawless.
Truly worthy of the Golden Era title, paving the way for everything that came after including titles outside of Square.
Great video as usual but this is something really special, Xygor. Three hours honoring 90s Squaresoft game by game.
Well done and thanks for the early Xmas present.
I see a few people bringing up PS1 era Square, and while it's true Square was even more prolific in that era and that the success of FF7 and FF8 opened the floodgates for more JRPGs to get localized, I think that's also when a few cracks in their armor started to show. Cracks which became much more evident during the early 2000s.
The special thing about SNES era Square is that it seemed like they could do no wrong. I feel lucky that Secret of Mana was my first Square game and top notch JRPG experience in 1993. That game blew my mind back then and pretty much decided the SNES vs Genesis console war for me. Every year after that Square would release arguably the best JRPG of the year, up until 1999.
I know FF8 sold very well but to me it was the first big Square release that was a disappointment. After that game and after playing other much better 1999 non-Square JRPGs like Star Ocean 2 and Grandia (the PS1 port was its first release out west) I never looked at Square the same way and my annoyance with certain aspects of their games that became the norm for them would continue all the way into today.
Well said, I agree with you!
The good old days. Though the PS1 era was clearly their platinum age.
everyone remembers when squaresoft merged with enix but no one talks about when Square merged with Sunsoft, also you are missing "the 7th saga" I loved that game
I'm late, but great ;list of titles, some id didn't even know about. B ack when I loved squaresoft......
So many great ones!
Great video!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Hey Xygor, just in case the 50+ other people mentioning it didn't make it clear: you forgot Mystic Quest.
I'm being facetious and snarky. Seeing the same comment over and over is a minor pet peeve of mine. Ignore me. Thanks for all your effort and viewpoints.
No problem! The more comments the better!
Cart prices from when i bought them bitd
FF3 $85
SoM $90
CT $90
Worth many times that imo
They've held value better than almost all other SNES games!
So many games I still have to play.
There's a lot of em!
@@Xygor And I'm going to start with the Collection of Mana, I started with Sword of Mana, and the games after that weren't very good.
Love the shoutout to Secret of Evermore, that was a weird one, I don’t think it even got a Japan release so score 1 for US
What’s the score now?
100-1?
Romancing SaGa 2 is the finest 16 bit RPG I've played.
i love much of square's library on SNES, but i would definitely say ps1 era was their golden age. FF7 and 8 are their number 2 and 3 highest selling games, ff9 is 9th, tomb raider 1 and 2 are 14th and 15th. so that's 1/3 of their top 15 sellers. the only pre-ps1 top 15 seller is space invaders, 1978.
Um, Final Fantasy Mystic Quest? I still have nightmares about that.
Unfortunately, I realized I missed editing it into the video right after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it:
ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
Can you imagine how good secret of mana would have been on playstation with more space on a disc, maybe even multiple discs
Like with Capcom and Sega, Square was best in the 90s.
Do an Enix list next for SNES! And thanks for speaking kindly about SaGa, i swear the average rpg game just complains too hard and says its bad
What an honor, except Alcahest I completed all of them ❤
Try Alcahest now!
i remember play all this gold, only livealive and treasure of the rudras i didnt play
Those two are really great!
Squaresoft was the GOAT during my childhood. Some of the absolute best games of all time, period.
Also, I genuinely miss ATB/turn-based RPGs. I was so disappointed with FFVII Remake because it wasn't turn-based.
I know I'm late to the game (pun intended) but FFVI was and is one of if not THE greatest game (rpg or otherwise) of all time. The leaps and bounds that game had were like nothing we had seen to that point and I'd argue, since. The story, the graphics, the music, the character design, everything was groundbreaking to say the least. I'd argue that we as gamers will never see a leap like that in gaming again. That generation and that game specifically are why gaming is what it is today.
What about FF: Mystic Quest?
Unfortunately, I realized I missed editing it into the video right after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it:
ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
@@Xygor I don't think you were too hard on it. I do think you were reviewing it comparing it to other games rather than reviewing it on its own merits, though. It did accomplish what it set out to do, which was make a simpler, more approaching RPG for newcomers and younger players.
I noticed your voice sounds so much more high-pitched on your FFVI section. I'm guessing this is one of your earliest reviews?
Yes, that's true. The FF6, Chrono Trigger, and a few other videos when I had a worse mic.
Honestly with all the remakes going on, how awesome would it be if they reconstructed the Maru Island project and produced the game they originally planned for it
I have no idea what that is.
Sorry, assumed you would. Maru Island was the game Squaresoft was designing for the SNES CD add-on, when that was cancelled they massively reduced the plot etc of the game and released it as Secret of Mana, the left over bits eventually became Chronotrigger...................imagine how awesome the original game would have been given how great both of its parts became
Squaresoft days is one of the decent representation from Jrpg golden era..
PS1 era was the Golden age for Square Soft.
As a quick follow-up comment WHERE'S FF MYSTIC QUEST?????? Yes you can argue about it, but it was also the very first Final Fantasy game Europe got. You can't argue that it didn't have an impact as it helped Square actually consider bringing Secret of Mana over seas.
You missed at least one, and even mentioned it ... FFMQ, also, would radical dreamers count?
Unfortunately, I realized I missed editing it into the video right after I published this. However, I did review it here as a seperate video. Take a look and let me know if you think I was too hard on it:
ruclips.net/video/pQqpfy7YgoA/видео.html
thank you.
My pleasure!
Merry Christmas to me!
Merry Christmas!
The fact some of the most complex and best games had such small teams make them is amazing considering we have 100s of people now to make reskinned crap.