Square and Enix each have a lot of difficult games under their belts that are hard to go back to. The largest examples are the original Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest game on the NES, which can be seen as a bit archaic by today's standards, especially since both games have better remakes now. The two companies merged in 2003 as Square Enix, and the rest is history.
8 Best Square Enix Games You've Probably Never Heard Of
Weird doesn't even begin to describe these Square Enix oddities, many of which you may have never even heard of before.
Since the merger, there have also been some challenging releases. Perhaps none of these games are as frustrating as a Soulslike experience, but they will certainly test players' patience. The following games are all developed or co-developed by Square Enix, and the focus will be on standard difficulty mode, if there are other modes to consider.
The world ends with you
A double standard
The world ends with you was co-developed by Jupiter and Square Enix for the DS version, which is the hardest version to play. In battle, players can equip Pins to the hero Neku, which can be activated in various ways on the lower screen. For example, tapping or slashing with the pen can create fireballs or slash attacks.
On the top screen, Neku's partner can be controlled with the face buttons, and controlling two characters at the same time to simultaneously defeat enemies can be challenging. Doing two things at the same time is difficult for any state of life, and even if there are ways to automate this The world ends with youit's still worth evaluating as one of Square Enix's most difficult games.
Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Elusive Age
A classic gate
The Dragon Quest series is known for being challenging, and at the same time Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age fixes some issues, it can still be a pain. Enemies on the world map or in dungeons should not give players problems in turn-based battles.
However, whenever a boss is encountered, there is a significant difficulty bump. There are a few ways to revive characters early, making a critical hit on an ally all the more damaging to the party as a whole. Beating the game requires players to be tactful in battle and a lot of hard work for EXP. Also, it's a long game, ranging from 80 to 100 hours, so it requires patience.
Final Fantasy 10-2
A tough reformation
Final Fantasy 10 had its challenges, but overall it's considered one of the easiest games in the series thanks to the party switching system and Yuna's Summons. Final Fantasy 10-2 has a small party of three girls and a significant increase in difficulty. Players must constantly be aware of all situations, even normal battles, as enemies can attack quickly while players are busy sifting through menus.
As Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Ageboss battles are also where the main challenge lies. There's plenty of healing magic, which is a plus, and a normal set of grinding for EXP should get players through most of the game. That said, the side dungeons feature an alarming difficulty spike to the point where some players may not even care.
Octopath Traveler
Unbalanced power
Octopath Traveler was co-developed by Acquire and Square Enix, and its unique gameplay loop is also its downfall. Players can choose one of eight characters at the start and then recruit the other seven on their journey. Each character has individual episodes, which become increasingly difficult as players progress. To beat the game, all eight characters must have their entire campaigns completed.
8 Best Square Enix Shooters, Ranked
Square Enix has produced some incredible shooters over the years, leaving memorable and fun action in the hands of players.
The problem is that party members who do not participate in the turn-based battles do not get EXP. RPG fans know that leveling up three to four characters in one game can be difficult, let alone eight, which is a huge time sink. Between regular battles and boss battles, players really need to level up and get the best gear of all if they ever want to stop Octopath Traveler completely. Even then, it's not a guarantee as the bosses have ridiculously high HP levels and sneaky tricks, from doubling attacks to status ailments.
Front mission 4
Luck of the draw
Front mission 4 is a tactical RPG that revolves around players customizing their mechs, called Wanzers. Most tactical RPGs are challenging, as they are all about strategy, patience, and relying on a bit of luck. Players can move around the grid and target an enemy they want to attack with ranged attacks or melee attacks.
Players can hit one of four areas: the body, either arm or leg. Destroying an arm would disable attacks, exploding the legs would reduce movement, and exploding the body would kill the enemy instantly. The tricky part is that where players hit is mostly random, which can drag fights out if the body doesn't get hit. Accuracy is also very important, and enemies often vastly outnumber players, resulting in combat matches where retries are almost always on the table.
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13
Time is not on your side
Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 is the last part i Final Fantasy 13 trilogy, starring only Lightning and Lightning. The battle system mixed with the different Garbs, standing in for classes, makes the battles engaging and fast. For the most part, battles aren't too challenging, but what makes this game difficult is the time travel, as players have a countdown that they must follow, similar to the clock in The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask.
With only that much time, players will feel rushed and thus make more mistakes than they really would in an RPG. Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 is an example of difficulty that is more frustrating than it is hard, but players can get so overwhelmed that they quit because it can be so obnoxious despite some truly compelling elements.
Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song
A complete mystery
The Fairy tale series is not for everyone, as they rarely provide players with tutorials, beyond the in-game codex or a manual for the older boxed games. Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song is a remake of Romance SaGa on the SNES, which looks great thanks to the watercolor design. Players can choose one of eight characters to play, and some scenarios are more challenging than others.
For example, Hawke starts with a well-equipped group of pirates to even out the turn-based battles, while Sif is alone and stuck in a harsh area where enemies can easily dominate her. Characters level up through repeated actions, including stats and skills. The randomization is often what upsets players the most, while they are given almost no guidance in any of the scenarios, even beyond just the complex combat system, which is why it can be so difficult to get into.
The last remnant
Randomized tactics
The last remnant
- Released
-
November 20, 2008
- ESRB
-
M For blood, language, suggestive themes, violence
The last remnant features a hybrid combat system that is part turn-based and part RTS. Outside of battle, players will create units made up of multiple party members. When battles begin, players have little input into what these units do in battle beyond giving them a general target to attack and what type of attack to go for.
6 Square Enix Monster Catching Games
Square Enix is no stranger to including monster-catching mechanics in its games. These are the best examples from the studio.
Even in these attack groups, the skills they use are randomized, and the leveling system is similar to that Fairy tale series, as units will level up based on what they do or what is done to them. Not knowing what units will do takes control away from players, making dying all the more frustrating. The original Xbox 360 version is the hardest to get into, while the remaster could be a bit more lenient with monster AI and how quickly players level up. Also, the remaster works better because the original game took big dips in frame rate.
Tactic Ogre: Let's stick together
Ready, aim, miss
Tactic Ogre: Let's stick together is as old-fashioned as it gets, as the game was originally released on the SNES in 1995. Later versions helped tweak it a bit, like this PSP version, where players can outfit characters with weapons and classes to form a balanced party.
Besides the AI being aggressive and enemy units coming in large numbers, the precision system is what makes the battles the most challenging. More so than other tactical RPGs, characters can often miss, even if it seems like that attack should connect. A wasted swing in Tactic Ogre: Let's stick together can mean another enemy unit to survive and help dominate the player's party for another round.
Triangle strategy
A brilliant but difficult masterpiece
Triangle strategy was co-developed by Artdink and Square Enix, and it's one of their newest tactical RPGs that's pretty brilliant from every angle, from the HD-2D style to the story choices, which make a big difference. Normal tactical hiccups can challenge players, from enemy units outnumbering the heroes to their attacks being more aggressive than most. It's enough to test even the staunchest tactical RPG fan, but what characters bring into battle makes all the difference because there's a wide variety of them, and they all have specific skills.
For example, on a vertical level, Jens can come in handy for those who can build ladders and thus allow the party to advance faster. Jens doesn't have a high attack stat though, so it can almost be wasteful to add him to the party just for this strategy. Who to bring and who to leave behind can weigh on players, which is both a positive and a negative, as it can take a lot of experimentation with different groups to complete a particular map.
10 Obvious Spoilers PlayStation Fans Missed at the Beginning of RPGs
Are you a super sleuth who caught these hints early on in these classic RPG games?
