During the 8-bit era, Square Soft and Enix were both known for pushing narrative and technical boundaries in the realm of console gaming. Square's Final Fantasy series is one of the most celebrated RPG franchises and has influenced many games of different genres. Enix's Dragon Quest games were so popular that their release days would often see a large number of absences in both schools and workplaces, eventually forcing the company to release them on Saturdays.
However, both companies made mistakes that hurt them financially and convinced them to merge as one in 2003. Post-merger, Square Enix has still made their fair share of notorious blunders over the years.
10 Final Fantasy XIV's Initial Release Was An Absolute Mess
Final Fantasy XIV A Realm Reborn may sport a user base of over 35 million, but it had to go through a rough journey to get to that point. Many features and mechanics that are commonplace in MMOs were just conspicuously absent from FFXIV's initial release such as a tutorial or an auction house. Even more mind-boggling were the arbitrary limits placed on players' ability to level up, take on quests, or even fast travel. While there have been previous Final Fantasy titles that reviewed terribly, this was the first numerical mainline installment to be blighted with such a reception.
9 Square's Avengers Failed To Save The Day
Avengers Endgame was still fresh on people's minds, so when Square unveiled screenshots of how the characters would look in the game, fans and critics joked that they looked like stunt doubles. It's understandable that they'd rather devote the title's budget to the actual gameplay rather than the actors' likenesses and performances, but a little more could have been done to distinguish themselves from the MCU. However, that was just one chink in the Hulkbuster armor compared to the games-as-service elements which ruined what would have been a perfectly fine action-adventure title.
8 Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within Was a Critical And Financial Flop
Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi was ready to take the series into uncharted territory with Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. Featuring a screenplay by Apollo 13 writer Al Reinert and directed by Sakaguchi himself, it aimed to be the first in a line of releases from Square Soft's newly formed film division. Despite getting a somewhat favorable review from Roger Ebert, The Spirits Within was a critical and box office flop that shuttered Square's cinematic enterprise and compelled them to merge with rival company Enix. Disillusioned by the film's failure, Sakaguchi would leave the company shortly after.
7 A New Legacy Of Kain Was Cancelled For An Online Multiplayer Action Title
British developer Climax Studios was working on a reboot of the Legacy of Kain series with a new title called Dead Sun. Motion capture and casting had begun when Square Enix Europe made the decision to cancel the game, stating that it "just wasn't the right game, at the right time." Apparently, what Square Enix deemed the right game was an online multiplayer shooter entry in a franchise known for its storytelling and dialogue. Both Dead Sun's cancellation and Nosgoth were met with a negative response.
6 The 3rd Birthday Spat In The Face Of Parasite Eve Fans
Gamers who loved the Parasite Eve games were clamoring for a new installment for about a decade, but The 3rd Birthday is a party they're better off skipping. The game deviates heavily from the series' RPG roots to provide an extremely linear third-person shooter. Fans will be dismayed to see the once tough and capable Aya Braya turned into a whiny and helpless emotional wreck while the uninitiated will be turned off by the game's incoherent plot and unlikable cast. The borderline-misogynistic clothing degradation system and embarrassing objectification of Aya serve as reminders that the Square that made this game was not the same Square that made Parasite Eve.
5 Yuji Naka Blew His Last Chance With Balan Wonderworld
In 2018, Sonic the Hedgehog co-creator Yuji Naka made the announcement that he had been enlisted by Square Enix to develop a new game. This title would mark the first time in over two decades that he sat in the director's chair and worked with Sonic's character designer Naoto Ohshima.
Balan Wonderworld sought to evoke the same charm of the Sega Saturn cult classic Nights into Dreams with elements of Sonic Adventure thrown in for good measure. Balan certainly felt like a game from the past, but for all the wrong reasons.
4 Final Fantasy Mystic Quest Insulted Western Gamers' Intelligence
While turn-based RPGs were a phenomenon in Japan, they struggled to move units in western territories during the late '80s and early '90s. In an attempt to court the U.S. market, Square developed a dumbed-down JRPG specifically catered to American gamers called Final Fantasy Mystic Quest. Numbers indicating HP were replaced with healthbars, some action platforming mechanics were shoehorned in, customization was completely absent, spells and weapons were just acquired in chests, random battles were nonexistent, and the story was just a simple tale of goodies vs. baddies. Not only did Mystic Quest fail to sell, but critics panned it for being insultingly simple.
3 MindJack Was Terrible In Almost Every Conceivable Way
While it may look like some long-lost Dreamcast title from 1999, MindJack was a third-person shooter released on the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 in 2011. The game's unique mechanic of possessing enemies and civilians is wasted on a dull campaign with terminally stupid enemy AI and an underwhelming story. The production values and visuals fall well short of what one would expect from a Square Enix published title with blurry textures, a dull color palette, and woefully awful vocal performances. MindJack was easily outclassed by shooters such as Uncharted 3 and Crysis 2.
2 Final Fantasy All The Bravest Is A Pay-To-Win Piece Of Trash
Final Fantasy All the Bravest is yet another mobile pay-to-win game plagued with microtransactions used to revive fallen party members and purchase premium characters such as Terra from FFVI and Tifa from FFVII. The game attempts to tug at the nostalgic heartstrings of players by using familiar 8-bit and 16-bit sprites from the franchise's history as well as new retro versions of areas from more modern locations such as Midgar. However, none of this can disguise the fact that this is just a cynical attempt to trick players out of all their hard-earned cash.
1 NFTs Betray Everything Square's Most Acclaimed Titles Stood For
Square Enix decided to kick off 2022 with news that it would get into NFTs to the chagrin of fans and critics alike. In response to the backlash, President Yosuke Matsuda made the hilarious admission that he knew NFTs to be unpopular with those who "play to have fun," but still felt that they were an instrumental part of the company's future. Not only is Square Enix's embrace of NFTs awful for all the obvious reasons, but it's also a complete betrayal to the ecological themes that permeate classic titles such as Final Fantasy VI, VII, Chrono Trigger, and countless more.