Square Enix has had its ups and downs, but it’s undeniably one of the most legendary gaming publishers of all time. Before a history-making merger, Square was behind iconic RPGs like Final Fantasy, while Enix was responsible for the Dragon Quest series. These days, anything that was ever published by either company qualifies as a Square Enix game, building up a stacked library of heavy hitters.
Most of Square Enix’s greatest games belong to the RPG genre, but there’s still an interesting variety to be found among the lineup of the best. For the sake of variety, this list will avoid simply running through half of the Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest games, so just imagine that your favorites would have otherwise made the cut.
The World Ends With You Stands Out On DS
The Nintendo DS was home to some interesting experiments, and few are more creative than The World Ends with You. This action RPG makes heavy use of the stylus for a unique combat system, but the Shibuya setting and bold art style are what really set it apart from anything else on the market.
There’s actually no shortage of Square Enix RPGs on the DS, with Dragon Quest 9 serving as another particular standout. If anything best encapsulates what the DS has to offer, though, it’s The World Ends With You.
Octopath Traveler 2 Is The Newest Great
Among Square Enix’s recent releases, Octopath Traveler 2 stands out. Following the success of Octopath Traveler, which juggled eight distinct character stories, its sequel refines the formula nearly to perfection. Octopath Traveler 2‘s character narratives boast more depth, and they ultimately come together with a greater degree of interconnection.
Octopath Traveler 2‘s gameplay backs up this evolution, occasionally breaking away from the basic dungeon and boss formula that didn’t always mesh with the first game’s stories. Add in a variety of mechanical and quality-of-life tweaks, and you’ve got a perfect example of how to make a great sequel.
Final Fantasy Tactics Tells A Grounded Story
The world of Final Fantasy offers a lot more than just the mainline series, but there’s only one spin-off that manages to compete with the best of the best. Rather than the “Active Time Battle” combat the franchise is known for, Final Fantasy Tactics brings isometric battle grids to life with strategic depth.
Final Fantasy Tactics features a more grounded story than most fantastical RPGs, tackling political issues like classism and corruption that mirror real-world problems. Its setting of Ivalice made a big splash, reappearing in games like Vagrant Story, Final Fantasy 12, and a Final Fantasy 14 expansion. The game was recently resurrected as Final Fantasy Tactics: The Ivalice Chronicles, which has once more managed to garner acclaim.
Xenogears Spawned Iconic Successors
Originating from a pitch for the seventh Final Fantasy game, Xenogears didn’t make quite the splash that FF7 did. It’s the most obviously compromised game on this list, with a second disc that cuts a lot of the adventure in favor of listing out the narrative events. Even so, Xenogears remains one of Square Enix’s most fascinating RPG accomplishments.
While Final Fantasy games have flirted with concepts like religion and psychology, the thematically loaded story of Xenogears goes the distance. It also features a distinctly innovative combat system that you’ll grow to appreciate once you manage to figure out what’s going on. Xenogears never received a direct sequel, but it led to the Xenosaga and Xenoblade Chronicles franchises, which revisit and re-examine many of the same concepts.
Trials Of Mana Made A Great Series Even Better
The Mana series might have started as a Final Fantasy spin-off, but by the time Trials of Mana released, it was so much more than that. Secret of Mana set a new bar for action RPGs in the SNES era, and Trials of Mana doubled down on its strengths. The world is lusher than ever, the story takes a step up, and the gameplay experience undergoes major refinements.
Decades later, both the original Trials of Mana (available in the Collection of Mana) and the 3D remake provide great experiences. Legend of Mana gives both versions a run for their money, and the most recent entry, Visions of Mana, can also be a fun one to explore.
Kingdom Hearts Is Still Special
Kingdom Hearts is one of the most unlikely masterpieces. A crossover between Final Fantasy and Disney certainly sounds charming, but it doesn’t sound like something that would be up for any Game of the Year awards. Kingdom Hearts, however, shattered expectations. An endlessly creative romp through cartoon worlds effectively captures the strength of both IPs while forging a strong identity of its own.
Conventional wisdom places Kingdom Hearts 2 as the pinnacle of the series, and there are plenty of reasons to praise the sequel. All the same, the first Kingdom Hearts has something special. Even if the combat’s a little clunkier, the simpler story of the original game carried a mystique and atmosphere that the more convoluted sequels struggled to match.
NieR: Automata Is An Existential Masterpiece
NieR: Automata might technically be a Square Enix RPG, but it’s nothing like most of them. Developed by PlatinumGames, Yoko Taro’s masterpiece blends elegant action with a heavily philosophical story. It’s far from the first game to deal with existential themes, but it’s certainly one of the most successful.
NieR: Automata‘s greatest strength lies in the mood of its post-apocalyptic world, which is just as gentle and beautiful as it is deadly. No matter how many robots you slice through with catlike grace, an incredible score, impeccable sound design, and a ruined world brimming with quiet beauty will almost certainly keep you engaged. NieR Replicant is also a fantastic game, but if you only play one, play Automata.
Dragon Quest 11 Reaches New Series Heights
Most long-running RPG franchises reached their peak decades ago, and most fans would agree that Final Fantasy hasn’t been at its best in a while. Dragon Quest, on the other hand, waited until the late 2010s to deliver its magnum opus.
Dragon Quest 11 is a triumphant celebration of everything that makes the series special, and its classic appeal never stops it from feeling fresh. The Definitive Edition, first released for Nintendo Switch before making its way back to other platforms, makes it even better by adding more of, well, virtually everything.
Final Fantasy 7 Deserves Its Legacy
Fans can debate all day about the greatest Final Fantasy game, and there’s a valid argument for any popular choice. Final Fantasy 7, however, might claim the strongest case. The first 3D game in the series took the world by storm, spawning a long line of spin-offs and successors that continues to this day.
FF7 makes full use of its technical upgrade, delivering gorgeous pre-rendered backgrounds and shaking up its gameplay loop with frequent boundary-pushing minigames. The story and world, however, are what really set it apart.
FF7 remixes JRPG tropes with a party of eco-terrorist heroes fighting for liberation in a grungy, industrial world. Within that fantastic scope, a compelling narrative forges a bold path into brutal emotional territory, securing Final Fantasy 7‘s status as the peak of the series.
Chrono Trigger Is Square Enix’s Magnum Opus
Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy are great in two different ways. Chrono Trigger is great in both, and then some. Created by a “dream team” of the legendary forces behind both franchises, this 1996 RPG set a high-water mark for the genre that may never be surpassed.
With beautiful pixel art, a bespoke arrangement of combat encounters, and an endlessly creative time-travel story, Chrono Trigger squeezes an incredibly complete package into a roughly 25-hour runtime. If a single game could ever encapsulate everything that makes Square Enix great, Chrono Trigger is the one to do it.
