Square Enix

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.

The next mainline title in the Dragon Quest series is in development and for the time being we have only a teaser trailer for its logo. Neither platforms nor even a tentative release date for Dragon Quest XII: The Flames of Fate were announced, but as with most other announced titles in the 35th anniversary stream, Square Enix hopes to launch this title simultaneously worldwide.

A new spinoff Dragon Quest title is on its way...eventually. Dragon Quest Treasures will star Erik, the blue-haired thief from Dragon Quest XI as well as Mia from the same game, but this time as children. Previously announced as a Dragon Quest Monsters title, the Erik and Mia project has flown the nest and is taking shape as a new spinoff title outright.

One of the most beloved and influential titles in the series (and to the JRPG genre as a whole), Dragon Quest III, is receiving an 'HD-2D' remake treatment in a visual flair very similar to Octopath Traveler and upcoming strategy-RPG game Project Triangle Strategy. While it is coming to consoles, no platforms were specifically given, though a simultaneous worldwide release is on the cards.

An offline version of the venerable Japan-exclusive MMO title in the series is in the works. Dragon Quest X Offline, as the name suggests, will allow player to experience the narrative of the base version of Dragon Quest X without the need of an internet connection.

The May Fanfest is upon us, and so is the latest major keynote for this climactic conclusion to the over decade-long saga of Hydaelyn and Zodiark. With Yoshi-P on stage in his best cosplay yet flanked by localisation head Christopher Koji-Fox, they reveal that Endwalker, the MMO's fourth expansion, will launch on 23 November 2021 for Windows PC, Mac, Steam, PS5 and PS4.

First announced and revealed at a PlayStation 5 digital event back in June of 2020, the title formerly just referred to as 'Project Athia' is now officially named 'Forspoken'. Square-Enix describes the new game as a 'thrilling story-led, action-packed adventure' for the PlayStation 5 and PC platforms sometime in 2022.

Clearly one remake project for Final Fantasy VII isn't enough, said Square Enix. How about a second one - this time for iOS and Android platforms?

Ever Crisis (because there is never a time without a crisis!) is slated to be a single-player chapter-structured narrative RPG that is technically also a remake of the beloved 1997 original but with a few twists.

You know what's missing from FFVII? What about a firefight in the garden of Aerith's scenic house in the Sector 5 slums?

One of a pair of new mobile games to do with Final Fantasy VII, The First Avenger SOLDIER will be a new action game for iOS and Android where players will scramble to take each other down with a variety of firearms, magic spells and even summons such as Ifrit.

She's here and she's ready to steal your hard-earned Materia come 10 June.

Announced at Sony's digital State of Play stream, a PlayStation 5 version of last year's Final Fantasy VII will bring to the table a myriad of visual and lighting upgrades, reduced loading times, an expanded photo mode and - of course - playable Yuffie in her own episode.

Announced at the February Nintendo Direct stream, Project Triangle Strategy (yes, really. Name is also subject to change) is a brand new "HD-2D" title from Square-Enix, sporting an aesthetic art style very similar to that of 2018's Octopath Traveler. Instead of a regular party turn-based RPG, this new title is a tactical RPG in a similar vein to Final Fantasy Tactics.

Here comes the endgame for a saga that started back in late 2010. Endwalker: Final Fantasy XIV is the MMO's fourth expansion and will be the ultimate climactic culmination of over a decade's worth of story covering the struggle between Hydaelyn and Zodiark. Also, we seem to be heading to the Moon, so get in the Lunar Whale and strap in.

Fans of the original action RPG The World Ends With You will no doubt be delighted to see that not only will an anime adaptation start airing in April 2021, but a new followup title for the PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch is due for summer 2021 worldwide, titled NEO: The World Ends With You.

Weiss, you dumbass! Start making sense, you rotten book, or you're gonna be sorry! Maybe I'll rip your pages out one-by-one! Or maybe I'll put you in the goddamn furnace!

NieR released with muted fanfare back in 2010 but proved to be an enduring cult classic. Over a decade later, it's receiving a new coat of paint and is due to come out 23 April 2021 for the PS4, Xbox One and PC.

After someone unexpectedly found a logo of the game within the files of the upcoming mobile entry chronicling the backstory of series chief antagonist Xehanort, Square Enix have all of a sudden announced Kingdom Hearts: Melody of Memory, a rhythm-based game for current consoles of a similar DNA to the Theatrhythm Final Fantasy releases on the 3DS.

During the 'PS5 - The Future of Gaming Show', Square Enix put out a short teaser for a new IP by Luminous Productions - the studio formerly headed by Hajime Tabata and known for producing Final Fantasy XV. The game has no release window but is said to be "designed exclusively" for Sony's new next-gen machine. The end of the teaser trailer does state this is a PS5 console exclusive, with a later PC version to follow.

I'm sorry, but did you honestly think FFVII Remake was the most important Final Fantasy release this year? Move aside, Cloud, and let your Clavat masters take centre stage this time, because the delayed Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered Edition is on track for a late summer release this year - the 27th August. Please note that the western release for PS4, Switch and mobile platforms will be digital only.

With an incoming new anime adaptation of the Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai manga, Square Enix are going full steam ahead with a trio of companion video games for this spinoff adventure to the wildly popular, venerable RPG series in Japan. As these games are primarily for a domestic Japanese audience, there is no guarantee - or indeed, any expectation - that they will see western releases, with perhaps one exception.