If the current wave of new releases like Nier Reincarnation and Pokémon Unite have kept you busy, you might have missed the release of the first three games in the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series. Square Enix's attempts to right the wrongs of the past just arrived a whole day early, bringing slightly fancier visuals to the decade-old games. On iOS, at least. Android is a little late, but they should show up soon.
Curiously priced at $11.99/£11.99 for each of the first two games and an eye-watering $17.99/£17.99 for the third, it's worth noting that these Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster editions aren't the same as the original ports that have been available on mobile for years.
In the past, most mobile Final Fantasy ports used new, smoother character models that some players found jarring when superimposed on the game's low-resolution 8/16-bit graphics. The updated text boxes didn't help matters, either.
In response to this, Square Enix announced at E3 this year that the first six games in the legendary JRPG franchise would get the 'Pixel Remaster' treatment, updating virtually all of the classic games' pixel graphics to better reflect the original style of the titles on modern devices.
Though some have still found fault with the game's choice of font, the end result is one that hopes to honour the legacy of the original releases far better than their modern ports did, adding new detail when it makes sense, and leaving things as intended when it doesn't.
Though it's certainly not the first time these games have been playable on mobile devices, it is the first time an English version of the original Final Fantasy III has been officially released outside of Japan.
Back in the 90s, the Final Fantasy III that made it out of Japan was actually Final Fantasy VI on the original PlayStation. In the mid-00s, Square Enix put out a Final Fantasy III 3D remake on the Nintendo DS that finally brought the game's storyline to the rest of the world, but its original 2D version was still lost to time - until now, that is.
With the Pixel Remaster release of Final Fantasy III, players outside of Japan will finally get their time with the official English localization of the original game.
You can pick up the Final Fantasy I, Final Fantasy II, Final Fantasy III Pixel Remaster releases individually through the App Store right now. All three should show up either today or tomorrow on Google Play. They're available on Steam as well, with additional platforms being a possibility in the future.
The Final Fantasy IV, V, and VII Pixel Remaster release dates are understood to be scheduled for sometime in September.
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