Well, well, well. It seems like Nintendo's Directs are truly trendsetting - and although Ninty certainly isn't the first to invent "company makes video of upcoming releases", it really seems like they made it popular, because now Square Enix is getting in on it, too.
Square Enix Presents is a 40-minute "digital-direct" lineup of new and already-announced games from the company behind Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Tomb Raider, beginning on the 18th of March at 10pm PDT/5pm GMT.
Their announcement, which gives us music festival vibes, promises news on Outriders, Marvel's Avengers, Tomb Raider's 25th anniversary, Balan Wonderworld, and something new from Square Enix Montreal, who were last seen working on Deus Ex Go, part of the mostly-on-mobile series that also spawned Hitman Go and Lara Croft Go. The biggest news, though, is a World Premiere of "all new" Life is Strange.
Now, the fact that most of the links above take you to Push Square or Pure Xbox should let you in on a little secret: Square Enix is not exactly known for bringing things to Nintendo consoles. Even though they worked with the House of Mario way back when on Super Mario RPG, and their Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts series have much-beloved releases on Nintendo consoles, Square has most traditionally been tied to Sony. It would be wise not to invest too much hope in the Square Enix Presents line-up if you've got your fingers crossed for Switch news.
Nevertheless, we hype. Life is Strange has long been a strange omission from the Switch catalogue, where it would fit right in alongside Night in the Woods and Oxenfree in the "narrative game about youths living through dramatic, occasionally supernatural events" category. Surely it's time?
But there is one game we can hype about responsibly: Balan Wonderworld, the game from Sonic the Hedgehog developers Yuji Naka and Naoto Ohshima, which has already been confirmed for Switch, and even has a free demo. Sadly, Alex and Jon didn't really love it... or like it... or, erm, have much to say about it in a positive way, but perhaps Square Enix Presents will change that. Perhaps.
Go on, then: give us your hypest hope for the Squenix showcase. Final Fantasy VII Remake on Switch? Dragon Quest XII? A new Theatrhythm game? If we're going to be disappointed anyway, might as well go all the way!
[source square-enix-games.com]
Comments 57
They need to delay Balan but even then fixing it means fundamentally changing how the game plays and feels if they don’t do that the game is almost certainly going to bomb.
1. We're obviously getting a Tomb Raider collection
2. Life is Strange 3
3. Balan better be good
I assume they will do something for Dragon Quest 35, More SaGa/Mana remakes for the Switch. Final Fantasy 7 Remake? Ha.
They should re-release Super Mario RPG this year- 25 years old!
Hope this includes a delay for Balan Wonderworld. I want that game to be good, I really do, but it needs more time in the oven.
I'm waiting for Dragon Quest Builders 3 (THREE).
Let’s hope they announce that after poor reception of balan they are going back to the drawing board.
Just finished Tomb Raider trilogy on my PS4.
I really enjoyed them.
It would be good if more people get to enjoy them though.
Dragon quest port would be nice....9 or 10
Why need FF7 remake? We have the original which is fine.
I fully expect nothing for Nintendo Switch other than Balan Wonderland.
Tomb Raider 25th Anniversary? Might happen
Other games, NOPE
Please announce the old Tomb Raider games for Switch.
I won't bother giving my hopes for this, it seems the things listed in the tweet is what we're getting. Not much use to expect anything else. Also has Just Cause been demoted to mobile after 4? Damn.
"Square Enix is not exactly known for bringing things to Nintendo consoles."
In all fairness they've been doing a decent job with bringing things to Switch, maybe not on the Eidos side of things, but the Square and Enix back catalogue is getting some love.
@Orpheus79V ok that quote is like a long time ago.
Square and Nintendo are on good terms which each other now. We are getting Saga Frontier remastered, Balan Wonderland, A world Ends with you sequel (I hope spelled that right), A mana game?, and that project triangle demo thing.
But I get what you are saying
I'd kill for a new Theatrhythm on Switch, or even a port of Curtain Call with some new dlc. That concept is too great to stay confined to the 3DS, and there's so many more soundtracks they could include.
Tomb Raider collection someday? I will take it.
https://www.nintendoenthusiast.com/tomb-raider-collection-trademark-true-tomb-raider-ultimate-experience/
After all this happened in 2020.
OG Tomb Raider remake????? some day
@Orpheus79V It's still confirmed to be coming out on it's original release date.. sadly.
@VoidofLight for now yes. We will wait and see
How about giving us switch owners Tomb Raider 2013. I would like that and it can run on switch easily
The switch may not be able to run ff7 remake, but how awesome would FF Tactic remake be as a switch exclusive?
@Rhaoulos hmm not bad.
As for FF7 remake, we dk what platforms it will be on.
If it comes to switch, it will be a cloud version
@anoyonmus I mean, they literally said in the breakdown for what they're showing that Balan is still slated to release on the date they original gave it.
@VoidofLight u right but they could change at the showcase or something still
Square is starting to concern me. While they still publish a lot of very solid titles, Avengers was awful and their increasing focus on free mobile games is a bit nervous.
The Switch might see something with Tomb Raider, as that has been rumored for some time now, but other than that (and more on Balan), I don't think it's going to be many Switch announcements. Likely mostly PS5 stuff.
@anoyonmus I don't think they would, since it was published in an official statement of what to expect for the showcase.
I'd love to see an offline, English-language version of Dragon Quest X. I've never been interested in playing videogames online with complete strangers.
"Square Enix is not exactly known for bringing things to Nintendo consoles"
After being one of the most consistent big third parties on Switch since launch - TRPGF games, Octopath and Triangle Tactics, a truckload of Final Fantasy games including most of the previously missing flagships, TWEWY, The Last Remnant and Star Ocean First Departure, impressive amounts of Mana and SaGa entries, Dragon Quests from the OG trio to a definitive XI, indie gems like Goetia and Forgotton Anne... we're even getting a TWEWY sequel, for chrissake!
As for the wishful thinking, you all know the top item (or rather, three items) I'll always want from Square Enix on Switch. But the list doesn't end there. More Star Ocean games (potentially including a localized port of Blue Sphere and maybe even Anamnesis whose mobile version bailed out of the west anyway), both Valkyrie Profile ones, more FFs including Type-0 and the Tactics franchise, some Tomb Raiders from Legend and Anniversary to the new trilogy, some Just Cause (3 and 4 might be tricky, but how about 2, or even an enhanced remake of 1?), more Kingdom Hearts, the first Romancing SaGa, a new Dissidia or just a definitive edition of 012 (Switch deserves to have the best fighting game ever made), more Theatrythm indeed... heck, Squeenix and Monolith might even come to negotiate a Xenogears port while we're at it and while the former is on a roll for PS1 reincarnations anyway.
Oooh, and speaking of PS1 reincarnations... let's go nuts at the end indeed. A remake of Racing Lagoon, anyone? Maybe even a free-roam one? I'm not drooling, you're drooling...
While it's true that Square (along with its part-time partners Electronic Arts and Enix) has worked primarily with Sony since the late 1990s, the company currently known as Square-Enix has involved done quite a bit with Nintendo after the dry spell ended in the early 2000s. Aside from ports, there's been remakes of Final Fantasy Adventure (Seiken Densetsu in Japan), Final Fantasy III, and Final Fantasy IV on Nintendo's handhelds as well as some somewhat obscure Final Fantasy games on Wii and DS and the no-longer-GameCube-exclusive Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles. I'm not expecting much from Square for Nintendo, but I'll be only mildly surprised if some of the Tomb Raider and/or overhead Lara Croft games show up on Switch in the near future.
Hmmm...
Normally, I wouldn't watch most third party presentations, but SE has been supportive of the Switch. This looks rather Western orientated so I dare say there'll be slim pickings. Would be disappointed if there wasn't something, but will certainly learn my lesson if there isn't.
Hoping for an FF7 Remake PC port.
Square Enix you need to delay Balan Wonder World, you can release the game in that state and can we expect the release date of the World End with You Neo?
I don't think FFVII:R will arrive on Switch, but I'd love it if they announced Ever Crisis is coming for consoles. Actually, it's probably inevitable, just would be too soon to reveal this now.
with the exception of Balan's world (which looks terrible), I don't expect anything for Switch. It will be the typical feet-kissing for PS and XBX...maybe PC.
While I have been happy with a lot of Square's retro releases on Switch, it is still a crime that three of the best RPGs of all time in Chrono Trigger, FF V and VI have not been released.
Correct the article @nintendolife . Square Enix has been very supportive of the NS so far. Not the Wii, Wii U or any other nintendo consoles but SE is supporting the NS.
Correct article plz
Keep your expectations in check, but I just want to remind you:
Square Enix owns Gex.
Pfft you all know there's no such thing as a Tom B. Raider to a Nintendo fan.
@Noid And the Quiet Man.
Here's hoping for a The Quiet Man 2!
@anoyonmus That was a clear fake. As I said in that comments section it's not the right font that the TR brand often uses.
@backup368 hmm u right.
But there should be a collection some kind tho right?
Terranigma remaster/remake/release.
Just give me Terranigma!!
Aside from Balan, it's seem the rest of those lineup won't probably be coming for Switch anyways thus not important enough for me to tune in. I feel Square Enix alredy gave some of their heavy hitter for Switch on the Nintendo Direct already, all that's left that I want from them are some Super NES NSO stuff and maybe give physical treatment to the Collection of SaGa, Legend of Mana, and Star Ocean: First Departure R. Also I'm blindly playing through Lost Sphear (Oninaki and Bravely Default II next once I'm done with this one) now and is enjoying that at the moment so yeah keep it up Square Enix.
Please....PLEASE delay Balan Wonderworld...!
@SalvorHardin
Its flashy, but the demo was very disappointing
I want to like it, but is very underwhelming in every way
I am down for:
FF 4 or/and 6
DQ 4-9
Chrono Trigger
KH The Story so Far
@HotGoomba no TR I think on switch
As someone who has never played Chrono Trigger or FFI-VI, all of those, please.
I'd like to see Dragon Quest IV through VIII and Final Fantasy I through VI on Switch! And Chrono Trigger.
Ports of the ps1 tomb raider games 🤞🏻
@Chrysologus
Is there even a chance of any of these announced? The presentation doesn’t list any Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest.
@anoyonmus there was a remake of the original Tomb Raider, it came out in 1997 and fit in with the other 2 that crystal dynamics did. I'm hoping for a collection with those 3.
I went back last summer and tried the original 5 games for the first time in over a decade and the controls have aged even worse than I expected. I don't think I have the patience to go through them now. Maybe if they had save states and a rewind feature I would but otherwise probably not for me.
@Chrysologus I have been hoping for all these myself since the port of 9 came across. Would also add the 3 Final Fantasy Tactics onto that. They could even do a collection I'd happily pay £50 for if it had them all in instead of scoffing at the price and waiting for a sale like I did with the mana collection.
@Glassneedles ah I see
Balan demo was pretty awful, would love Tomb Raider originals on switch though
Does anyone else wish we could get a Chrono Trigger Remaster? I'm not asking for a full remake, just clean it up for modern graphics. PLEASE!!!
SMRPG, FF, CT ...if nothing else please SE atleast put them up on SNES NSO!
I really want Tomb Raider on switch. The older ones or the 2013 reboot would be really nice.
But, it probably wouldn't happen anyway.
Even if there is no switch news other than Balan, we still have plenty more Square Enix games coming to NS
yeah, there is practically nothing for NS
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