5 Forgotten Square Enix RPGs That Deserve a Comeback
Square Enix is best known for Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest and Kingdom Hearts, but its catalogue also contains ambitious role-playing games that never became enduring franchises. Some are difficult to access today, while others received only limited follow-up support.
These five RPGs would benefit from anything from a modern port to a careful remaster or a ground-up remake. They also show how widely the company has experimented across horror, fantasy, science fiction and school drama.
1. Parasite Eve
Set in Manhattan in December 1997, Parasite Eve follows police detective Aya Brea as she investigates Eve, a mutant entity capable of awakening the mitochondria inside human cells and causing people to spontaneously combust. Its story moves through recognisable locations including the Natural History Museum, Central Park, Chinatown, the Chrysler Building and Carnegie Hall.
The 1998 game adapted Hideaki Sena’s novel and arrived during the late-1990s boom in Japanese horror. Built with a modified version of the Final Fantasy VII engine, it combined role-playing progression with action and survival-horror ideas. Parasite Eve 2 followed in 1999, while The Third Birthday reached PlayStation Portable in 2010, but the original remains the most compelling candidate for a return.
A modern reimagining could preserve its unusual urban horror setting while updating the action-focused combat. Using technology comparable to the Final Fantasy VII Remake projects would also make the series easier for a new audience to discover.
2. Bloodmasque
Bloodmasque imagined an alternate 19th-century Paris overrun by vampires. The stylish RPG launched in 2013 exclusively for touchscreen Apple devices, including iPhone and iPad, which helps explain why it remains unfamiliar to many players.
Scenario designer Kazutoyo Maehiro later recalled creating roughly 3,000 years of history for the game’s vampires. His planned timeline extended across different periods and ultimately reached outer space. That scale of backstory suggests a setting with room for sequels, expansions or an entirely new interpretation.
A console, PC or mobile revival could give Bloodmasque its best chance to show what its premise was capable of beyond its original touchscreen release.
3. Xenogears
Originally conceived as an early pitch for Final Fantasy VII, Xenogears became one of the boldest and most uneven RPGs of the late 1990s. Its combination of philosophical science fiction, giant mechs and influences reminiscent of Neon Genesis Evangelion gave it a distinctive identity.
The 1998 game was commercially successful and widely praised, despite clear signs that its ambitious production had run short of time or resources. Its second half relies heavily on visual-novel-style presentation, with comparatively few dungeons and battles. Square once considered a sequel, but those plans were abandoned as the company turned its attention to the CGI film Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within.
Creator Tetsuya Takahashi later led the Xenosaga and Xenoblade Chronicles projects at Monolith Soft, keeping the wider Xeno lineage alive. Even so, Xenogears deserves a 3D remaster that preserves its story while addressing the unfinished feel of its latter chapters. Such a remake would be a major undertaking, but the game’s unusual ideas remain worth revisiting.
4. Final Fantasy Type-0
Final Fantasy Type-0 explored a striking question for its 2011 release: could the series move towards the character relationships, school setting and calendar structure associated with Persona? It follows 14 students at an elite academy as everyday school responsibilities collide with escalating supernatural threats.
The cast-based narrative is closer to Final Fantasy VI than to a story centred on one hero. Classmate bonds and scheduled activities sit alongside real-time combat, while the “Regional Dominance” sequences add a real-time strategy layer that did not work equally well for everyone.
An HD remaster arrived in 2015, but the concept still has room for a new entry. A recurring Square Enix series set in a magical school could build on the strongest parts of Type-0 while refining its strategy systems and ensemble storytelling.
5. Chrono Trigger
Chrono Trigger is hardly obscure among RPG fans, yet its absence from most current consoles makes it one of the clearest candidates for a proper comeback. The 1995 Super Nintendo classic was developed by the creators of Dragon Quest and Final Fantasy: Yuji Horii and Hironobu Sakaguchi. Akira Toriyama provided the art, while Nobuo Uematsu contributed music alongside the game’s other composers.
Promoted by Square as a “Dream Team” project, it delivered an unforgettable cast, 13 endings, the introduction of New Game+ and an exceptionally effective time-travel system. Its structure still demonstrates how character choices, historical eras and alternate outcomes can work together in an RPG.
The 2022 release of Chrono Cross: The Radical Dreamers Edition encouraged speculation about a remaster of the original for its 30th anniversary in 2025, but that opportunity passed without one. The game is currently available on Steam and mobile devices, rather than modern consoles. An HD-2D remake inspired by Octopath Traveler would be a particularly fitting way to bring this landmark back.
Why these RPGs still matter
These games do not all need the same treatment. Bloodmasque needs a new platform and a chance to expand its premise; Parasite Eve would suit a modern horror remake; and Xenogears would benefit from both preservation and structural repair. Type-0 has the foundations of a recurring spin-off, while Chrono Trigger mainly needs an accessible modern release that respects its original design.
For players interested in how classic games can be preserved, updated or enjoyed in a dedicated home setup, RETROCADE’s arcade blog covers the wider arcade and retro-gaming scene. Our arcade machine buying guide can also help when comparing a full cabinet with a compact bartop arcade.
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