Many acclaimed developers have made a name for themselves in the video game industry, but few have the recognition that’s associated with Square Enix. The developer/publisher has been an important player for over three decades, during which they’ve remained at the forefront of the industry and helped push video games forward. Square Enix has done the most for the RPG genre and the developer’s name has practically become synonymous with revolutionary JRPG titles.
It’s fair to say that everyone is familiar with Square Enix’s Final Fantasy franchise, but they’re responsible for a whole lot more. Final Fantasy is still one of the best selling and most acclaimed video game franchises of all time but some of Square Enix’s other JRPG efforts are just as good— if not better.
10 The Trials Of Mana Is A Triumph Of 16-Bit Storytelling
Square Enix continues to revolutionize the JRPG genre, but some of their strongest and most memorable contributions come from the 16-bit era for the Super Nintendo. The Mana series, known as Seiken Densetsu in Japan, are an engaging spin on fantasy tropes and the third entry, Trials of Mana, is often viewed as the high mark.
Trials of Mana details a heroic quest to acquire the Mana Sword and prevent darkness from taking over the world. Rich characters and expansive, evolving world make Trials of Mana one of the best of its kind, especially on the Super Nintendo.
9 Chrono Trigger Crafts A Beautiful Adventure That Transcends Time & Space
Everyone celebrates Square's Final Fantasy titles for the Super Nintendo, but there's serious debate over whether Chrono Trigger actually trumps the lot. Chrono Trigger does have a PlayStation sequel, but it benefits from not being endlessly diluted with further installments.
Chrono Trigger excels with a star development team that consists of the top talent from both Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest. The culmination of their skills doesn't disappoint. Chrono Trigger boasts a tight story that spans thousands of years through time travel, as well as a strong cast of six playable characters that come from diverse time periods.
8 Square’s PSP Remake Of Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together Is A Triumph
Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is a turning point for the larger Ogre Battle franchise that embraces a turn-based tactical approach to the dark fantasy and medieval conquest that these dense games are steeped in.
The original Super Nintendo version of Let Us Cling Together is developed and published by Quest, but the upgraded remake for the PlayStation Portable is handled expertly by Square Enix alongside the original development team. The PSP remake captures the depth of the original, but improves upon the formula and makes the experience more palatable to outsiders of the franchise.
7 Square Helps Reimagine A Sci-Fi Classic With Star Ocean: First Departure R
The Star Ocean JRPG series embraces a passion for science fiction where the characters take to space to end a war and cure their planet. The original Star Ocean never left Japan and it started as developer tri-Ace's baby, but subsequent entries and the impressive remake of the original, Star Ocean: First Departure R, bring in Square Enix's expertise.
Star Ocean: First Departure R allows modern PlayStation 4 and Switch owners to experience the magic of the beginning of the series, albeit with substantial quality of life improvements, re-balanced mechanics, and a very pretty package.
6 Drakengard 3 Acts As A Fitting Conclusion To The Bloody Monster-Slaying Series
Square Enix is only a publisher of the Drakengard series, but they still play an important role in bringing these eccentric RPGs with action influences to life. The Drakengard games pair together monstrous beasts with kinetic combat and it's an incomparable experience. Drakengard 3 for the PlayStation 3 is the final entry in the core series, but it functions as a prequel that helps set the whole story in motion.
The core Drakengard series is exceptional, but the recent Nier titles are actually spin-offs from the Drakengard universe and have also resonated with audiences in a major way.
5 Romancing SaGa Is An Achievement In Non-Linear Narratives & Ditching JRPG Norms
Square's SaGa series has ten entries, but it's always been somewhat niche outside of Japan. The fourth entry, Romancing SaGa, marks an innovative Super Nintendo JRPG. There’s exceptional non-linear storytelling through eight playable characters with a focus on the decisions and actions that individuals take rather than an emphasis on experience points or different class rankings.
The original Romancing SaGa remains a classic, but Square Enix's PlayStation 2 remake, Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song adds in content that was cut from the Super Nintendo releases and slightly bridges the gap between it and other entries in the SaGa series.
4 Front Mission Is A Leading RPG Series That Looks To The Future Of Mankind
Front Mission started as a futuristic JRPG series with an emphasis on tactical elements and turn-based battle, but it's gone to to expand into a sprawling franchise that goes far beyond video games. Front Mission has transformed in many ways over the years, but at its core it's a tactical RPG set in the 21st and 22nd centuries with a focus on international wars and powerful mecha weapons.
Front Mission begins as a collaboration between developers G-Craft and Square, but Square goes on to absorb them and Front Mission remains an important fixture of Square Enix's brand.
3 The World Ends With You Is One Of Square’s Most Modern JRPG Titles
The World Ends With You is a unique Square Enix offering that demonstrates how the Nintendo DS could be a revolutionary home for RPGs. The World Ends With You is set in a surreal urban environment with an inventive pin system for its combat.
Initially released back in 2007, the quirky JRPG title would remain dormant for nearly a decade until remixes were released. However, The World Ends With You now has an anime adaptation that's been released and a full game sequel that's on the way, so it appears to have suddenly become a priority again for Square Enix.
2 Valkyrie Profile Engages In Operatic Adventures Through A Powerful Mythology
JRPGs will regularly turn to established mythology to work as the foundation for their adventures. Valkyrie Profile reinterprets Norse myths in phenomenal ways and the series, developed by tri-Ace and published by Square Enix, has always strived for excellence.
A handful of Valkyrie Profile games exist, all of which are bloody and moody meditations on life and death. However, the original PlayStation game (also available in a slightly reworked PSP port) is still often considered to be the best. It's genuinely impressive how much the original Valkyrie Profile is able to get out of the first PlayStation console and it establishes lofty expectations for the series.
1 Square Enix Protects & Pushes Dragon Quest To New Heights With Dragon Quest XI
Dragon Quest has been around since the 1980s and it's one of the few JRPG series that has a reputation and history that's as prolific as that of Final Fantasy. Dragon Quest begins as a Chunsoft-developed franchise, but it’s progressively become a property that’s controlled by Square Enix, with the only real connecting thread being that series creator Yuji Horii is the writer and lead designer on every mainline installment even as various different developers rotate in and out.
There’s a lot of passion and innovation in the earlier Dragon Quest games, but the latest entry, Dragon Quest XI, is largely viewed as the franchise’s apex. Square Enix understands how to allow Dragon Quest top properly grow, while also not just having it devolve into a clone of Final Fantasy.