Square Enix has announced PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch versions of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series, all titles of which will be available to play later this month.
Initially released as piecemeal titles for smartphones (iOS and Android) and PC (via Steam), the Pixel Remaster series comprises touched-up versions of the first six Final Fantasy games. On PS4 and Switch, they’ll be available digitally both as standalone titles and in a bundle; physical editions will only exist for the bundle, with pre-orders for a standard version available here.
Also being sold is a deluxe box-set of the bundle – the ‘FF35th Anniversary Edition’ – which includes a series of eight pixel figurines, a 128-page hardcover book of pixel art, a two-disc picture vinyl pressing of the games’ cumulative soundtrack, a lenticular O-sleeve for the game case, and a collectible box to house it all in. Pre-orders for the box set have sold out, but fans can sign up to a waiting list here.
As for the games themselves, the PS4 and Switch editions of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series will come with several upgrades. For starters, players will be able to toggle between the games’ original soundtracks and new orchestral arrangements of them. They’ll also have the option to switch freely from the (controversial) default font to “a new pixel-based font that recreates the feel of the original games”.
More substantially, players will be given the option to adjust the way they earn experience in each game, allowing for playthroughs up to four times easier. There will also be an option to turn off random encounters, giving players the freedom to “roam the world without being harassed by monsters”. That, however, will limit players’ ability to gain strength.
Have a look at a trailer for the PS4 and Switch editions of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series:
Meanwhile, Final Fantasy 16 is set to be released on June 22, exclusively for the PlayStation 5. It comes after a series of lengthy delays, but seems to be shaping up well as it nears release: reviewing a preview of the title, NME’s Tom Regan wrote that “despite its flaws, for the first time in years Final Fantasy feels exciting again”.
Elsewhere, February saw Yoshinori Kitase – the producer of Final Fantasy 7 Remake – tease further changes to the title being made across its upcoming instalments.