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For those not in the know, the Japanese clothing company Uniqlo has been collaborating with Square Enix on a Final Fantasy 35th anniversary clothing line. The latest issue of the in-store UT magazine includes a short interview excerpt by Final Fantasy XVI producer, Naoki Yoshida. There, he states that development of the game is currently in "the final stretch".

If you look up a list of the worst released games of the year 2021, chances are the name Balan Wonderworld will make a substantial number of appearances. The troubled action platformer game published by Square Enix and developed by Arzest has, after all, achieved dismal Metacritic scores across multiple platforms and ecosystems. This is in spite of the close involvement of Sonic the Hedgehog creator, Yuji Naka, who had helmed the project and made himself the public face of the game prior to its release.

In an unexpected turn of events, a teaser reveal for Kingdom Hearts IV was shown off at a Japan-only 20th anniversary event for the Kingdom Hearts series. Following the conclusion of the Xehanort Dark Seeker saga with Kingdom Hearts III, this new numbered sequel will signal the start of a new chapter known as the 'Lost Master Arc'. Fan favourites Sora, Donald and Goofy will return, along with Strelitzia, a major character in Kingdom Hearts Union χ.

It shall be engraved upon your soul!

The Valkyrie franchise is being resurrected like a fallen warrior Einherjar. Following the now-defunct Valkyrie Anatomia on mobile platforms, Valkyrie Elysium ushers in the series's return to home consoles and to Steam with a brand new (presumably rebooted) entry made by Soleil Ltd. The game was announced at Sony's March 2022 State of Play digital event and due for release sometime in 2022 for PlayStation consoles and PC via Steam.

You thought it was Final Fantasy Tactics but it was me, DioField!

Is Triangle Strategy on the Switch not enough Square Enix strategy RPG for you this year? Do you yearn for more medieval carnage on the battlefield? Then your bloodlust shall be more than sated with the announcement of The DioField Chronicle, a strategy RPG that unlike its contemporaries brings a real-time battle system to the table.

Silly name aside, Live A Live is a bit of a forgotten classic from the SNES era. Though a member of Square's old stable of classic RPGs, this 1994 game has never seen any official release or localisation outside of Japan until now. Announced in the February 2022 Nintendo Direct, this forgotten game is being dusted down and given a fresh coat of HD-2D paint as a visually upgraded remake for the Switch. It is set to release on 22 July of this year.

Square Enix is currently determined to remaster and re-release practically every single one of its classic titles in its portfolio. The next one on the list is the oft-rumoured remaster of Chrono Cross, now titled Chrono Cross The Radical Dreamers Edition. It's out on 7 April this year for PS4, Xbox One, Switch and PC via Steam.

Hey, who Wanzer of this?

As revealed in the February 2022 Nintendo Direct, a remake of the original Front Mission title is in the works by TA Publishing, a subsidiary of Forever Entertainment for Nintendo Switch, tentatively scheduled for sometime this year. A remake of a sequel game, Front Mission 2, is also in development with no release window at this present time.

We've a couple of months to go before we're graced with the undoubtedly timeless masterpiece that is Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin. So to whet our appetite, the final trailer for the game is already out and...wait, why is a Frank Sinatra song in this trailer? Did they just show off a whole arc for the Dark Elf king Astos in a single trailer? And why is everyone concerned about Jack possibly being forgotten when he is already one of the most memorable protagonists in the franchise?

A memorable aspect of Final Fantasy XIV’s Shadowbringers expansion is the surprisingly prominent role played by the Talos. In the world of The First (a planet devastated by an endless barrage of Light), the Talos are a class of strong golem-like automaton that were once used for an assortment of strenuous labour. Over the course of the game, the protagonists convince the native inhabitants of the First to reactivate their Talos and, with such aid, restore the night sky.

In Greek mythology, Talos is a roving, bronze sentinel who runs the circuit around Crete’s coastline to defend it from outsiders. Let’s gear up as we explore the fascinating ways in which the Talos of Final Fantasy XIV relate to their mythical namesake.

You've seen the memes. You've bashed your head against some fairly tough enemies in both demos. You've seen Jack cut off a party member's speech to march out of a castle while listening to Limp Bizkit through his Apple Earpods. But what, you no doubt must be asking right now, is the story of Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin all about? Who are the inhabitants of this bleak world whom we fight for?

Over half a decade after the fairly lacklustre Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness, Tri-Ace and Square Enix are back together again to create a new followup sixth title for PlayStations 4 and 5. The surprise announcement of Star Ocean: The Divine Force came at a recent 20-minute long Sony State of Play online stream.

Not content with coming to Super Smash Bros Ultimate as a fighter, Sora is also about to drop in on the Nintendo Switch. The entire series of Kingdom Hearts titles, which spans from the very original to Kingdom Hearts III (which is already available on PS4, Xbox One and PC on the Epic Games Store platform), has been announced for the Switch, albeit as cloud-based versions.

Jack is back and he's still here to kill Chaos. I think. He doesn't utter the name once in this new Tokyo Game Show trailer, so how am I supposed to know what his motivation is? Nevertheless, this collaboration between Square Enix and Tecmo Koei's Team Ninja comes out on the 18th March 2022 for all major platforms except the Switch.

Forspoken, the brand new IP by Luminous Productions (and formerly of Final Fantasy XV fame) is set to launch in spring of 2022. Formerly known as Project Athia, this new title debuting only on PlayStation 5 will see your protagonist, a young woman from our modern world named Frey, be isekai'd off to a dangerous fantasy land replete with dragons and demonic entities arguably as terrifying as anything you'd find at a New York City back alley.

The entity labelled as ‘Titan’ is one of the founding members of the Final Fantasy franchise’s repertoire of summonable beings. Representing the Earth element, this muscular male figure is often presented as a prehistoric entity, much like the race of ancient gods in Greek mythology after whom he is named. In modern usage the adjective ‘titanic’ describes anything enormous in scale or strength, and the Final Fantasy figure’s bulk and raw power serve this association fully.

Let’s crack on with an investigation into the Final Fantasy franchise’s reception of the ‘Titan’ concept.

If you like Final Fantasy VI and have even a passing appreciation for its music, this book should beckon to you like a Siren. But there is no risk of being led astray here, for a competent writer instead offers to guide you through the melodic sea that forms one of the most beloved games in the franchise.

Written by Sebastian Deken, Boss Fight Books’ latest publication is devoted to Final Fantasy VI, specifically Nobuo Uematsu’s soundtrack and how it contributes to telling the story we adore, but also the history of its appreciation.

Square Enix and Team Ninja of Dissidia Final Fantasy NT and Nioh fame have teamed up to let us re-experience what video games were tonally like back in the late-2000s. Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin, evidently named by someone who doesn't comprehend the concept of a total mouthful, is said to be a new kind of Final Fantasy title. Instead of a whimsical fantasy adventure, you can reminisce your edgy teenage days with some grim dark action.

Good news! Fans of classic Final Fantasy games can soon look forward to remastered versions of the original six mainline installments in all their wonderful pixel glory. Titled Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, this will be a series of individually sold upscaled versions of Final Fantasies I through VI, including Final Fantasy III, whose 2D version has never received an official western release.