Square Enix’s mission to remake or remaster classic RPGs from its back catalog has now turned its attention back toFinal Fantasy 6. In a recently published interview with Inverse, Masaaki Hayasaka (producer of the recently releasedDragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake) spoke candidly about wantingFinal Fantasy 6to be the next game the company tackles in its continued interest toward remaking classic titles, which runs counter to statements recently made by Yoshinori Kitase concerning how extensive of an undertaking such a project would be. And even though Kitase’s estimate of it taking “20 years” to remakeFinal Fantasy 6is referencing a full 3D reimagining, a potential HD-2D remake is still a double-edged sword.
The last game in the franchise to use traditional 2D sprite-based graphics before the series' switch to 3D on the Sony PlayStation,Final Fantasy 6is arguably one of the most important games ever released, RPG or otherwise. With 2024 marking the 30th anniversary ofFinal Fantasy 6, as well as the game’s pixel art serving as one of the major inspirations for the HD-2D art style first used inOctopath Traveler, it makes sense for the release andsuccess ofDragon Quest 3 HD-2Dto bring the last 2DFinal Fantasyto mind as an obvious remake candidate. But the title’s continued relevance, as well as other rumored remake projects existing prior, call to question whether such a remake is necessary.
Final Fantasy 6’s Pixel Remaster Could Make an HD-2D Remake Feel Redundant
One of the more obvious roadblocks standing in the way of a potentialFinal Fantasy 6HD-2D remake is the recent release ofthePixel Remastersseries. Intended by Square Enix to be the definitive versions of the first 6 games in theFinal Fantasyseries, thePixel Remastersonly just arrived on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 last year following a short period of PC and mobile exclusivity. It would be surprising to see the company move forward with remakes of those earlyFinal Fantasygames given the investment made in remastering them for modern consoles and PC.
But beyond the resources used to develop, market, and release theFinal Fantasy Pixel Remasters, the version ofFinal Fantasy 6contained as part of that series is arguably the best-looking and sounding version ofFinal Fantasy 6, even if it doesn’t feature any of the additional content from theFinal Fantasy Anthologyrelease on PS1 orFinal Fantasy 6 Advanceon the GBA. The coreFinal Fantasy 6experience still holds up as one of the all-time greats in the RPG genre, begging the question of whether it even needs a remake.
Square Enix Needs to Make Good On Previously Leaked Final Fantasy Remakes First
In addition to theFinal Fantasy Pixel Remasters' existence making an HD-2Dremake ofFinal Fantasy 6not make financial sense, there’s also the previously leaked existence of other remakes in the series to consider as being more viable candidates for the remake/remaster treatment. Prior to both Kitase and Hiyasaka’s contrasting comments onFinal Fantasy 6regarding it receiving a remake, Square Enix already hinted at the possibility of bothFinal Fantasy 8andFinal Fantasy 9receiving remakes in some capacity. TheFinal Fantasy 9remake even dates back to the infamous GeForce Now leaks.
EachFinal Fantasygame has its die-hard fans and detractors, but few games in the franchise are as universally appreciated asFinal Fantasy 9. As the final game in the series to feature any involvement from series creator Hironobu Sakaguchi, the title has always felt like a fitting swansong for a distinct era of the series. Similarly,Final Fantasy 8is a polarizing gamethat continues to maintain a cult following despite its flaws. WithFinal Fantasy 6already having a recent “definitive” version, these later entries in the series are arguably more deserving of being reimagined for modern audiences.
