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From its humble beginnings as Squaresoft, dozens of franchises have risen from the powerhouse known as Square Enix, and some of them are the most iconic ever created. The Japanese developers have gifted the world with lots of incredible tales of heroism, sacrifice, friendship, love, and loss, and they’re world-renowned for being the creators of some of the best stories in the history of the RPG genre.
This is a ranked list of the best Square Enix franchises, with information on their producers, when they debuted, the most iconic games, and all the juicy details about which parts of these brands make them the best.
5 Kingdom Hearts
A Mash-Up Of Fantastical Beings
According to legend, this franchise was thought up by Shinji Hashimoto, who met with a Disney producer in an elevator at their headquarters and pitched it on the spot. Afterward, it gained traction and became one of the most interesting mash-ups in the history of gaming. In Kingdom Hearts, dozens of Disney characters join a fantasy universe alongside Sora, the Keyblade holder, who is able to travel across the multiverse, visiting many wondrous worlds.
The series has become one of the biggest fan-favorites of all time and is one of the top three sellers of Square Enix (Alongside Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy). But, perhaps one of the most important feats of this franchise is that it has earned the acceptance of some of the most exigent fans of the RPG genre as one of the best (though weirdest) titles Square Enix has ever made.
4 Bravely
A Fantastical Tale Where Nothing Is What It Seems
Bravely Default has a particular setting that narrates a story of friendship, betrayal, and the rage of a band of misfits against a world controlled by superstition. It could be said that the Bravely games make up one of the darkest franchises created by Square Enix alongside Silicon Studio, and despite its “cute art,” the story is quite mature and heavy for what fans are used to seeing in the JRPG genre.
Nevertheless, eve though it is one of the youngest in the Square Enix repertoire, this franchise has gained millions of fans worldwide. The overall quality of the game is masterful, with an unforgettable orchestral soundtrack (developed by Sound Horizon) that delivers quite an impact on the players as they follow the misadventures of Agnès, Tiz, Ringabel, and Edea. The sequels of the original game delivered similar dark tones in their settings, and their soundtracks were also praised, though nothing compares to the first and most iconic title of the series.
3 Octopath Traveler
Walking The Path Of Life Is Better With Friends
The premise of Octopath Traveler is that players can pick one of eight starter characters, and roam the world however they choose to, meeting all other characters in their path and banding together against a great evil that threatens the world of Osterra. It might be the youngest franchise that belongs to the Square family, but it manages to deliver something both unique and nostalgic.
No other Square Enix franchise offers such an opportunity to roam freely around its world, though it can result in quite a lot of challenging experiences, like encountering certain enemies that players cannot beat, so they need to run. It’s all part of the journey experience, and it fits perfectly well with the premise of the game. If there’s anything that is bad about these games, is that the interactions between the characters feel a little bit limited. But, that is something that saw stark improvement between the first game and the second, and it will no doubt continue improving in the future. The Octopath Traveler franchise still has a long way to go, but it has already become one of the brightest in Square Enix’s repertoire.
2 Dragon Quest
One Of The Most Iconic Franchises Ever
Second only in popularity (and revenue) to Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest has always been Square Enix’s flagship — and their favorite child, too. While Square Enix has been wildly experimental with the Final Fantasy IP over the years, they have been quite careful not to deviate too much from the original Dragon Quest product in their many iterations.
The essence of the game is as Yukinobu Chida and Akira Toriyama first envisioned it. It, of course, has grown in subtle ways with every game release due to the natural evolution of the video game industry, but few franchises can say they’ve kept their core essence as they’ve evolved over the years. That is what makes Dragon Quest such a great franchise — the faithfulness to the (silent) Hero’s Journey and the colorful fantasy world that gave birth to its legend.
1 Final Fantasy
The Cradle Of Masterpieces And The Most Iconic Franchise
Since its debut in 1987, no other franchises of the Square family’s brands have mutated as much as Final Fantasy. With hundreds of characters and dozens of titles published, it has come to a point where keeping the balance between storytelling and modern gameplay has taken a toll on it. With titles like Final Fantasy Origins kicking the board and trying to prove something to the new edgy audiences, while other titles like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth try to appease the raging hardcore fans who are hungering for high-quality remakes of classic titles, it’s easy to see how widely the franchise has stretched.
The good thing about Final Fantasy, though, is that no matter which title players pick, they will always find something good and memorable to play. With masterful storytelling, incredibly deep characters, and absolutely beautiful soundtracks, each of these titles deserves a place of honor in the history of video games. Despite all the criticism that some of the more experimental titles have had, every player has at least one or two things they remember with fondness about each of the FF games they played. Final Fantasy delivers Square Enix’s most enduring legacy, one that is unafraid to deliver everything from nostalgic turn-based masterpieces to real-time action adventures that will leave players breathless in their epic scope. There’s an earnestness to every enduring Square Enix franchise, but Final Fantasy is perhaps the most earnest of them all.
