Square Enix has been busy revamping their past games to bring them over to the current generation platforms. While they have been heavily focusing on the "Final Fantasy" franchise, here are some reasons why "Xenogears" deserves a remake too.
With the ongoing hype around remakes like "Final Fantasy VII" and "Resident Evil 2," sometimes it's easy to forget the hidden gems from the previous eras. In line with this, the PS1 mecha game was a hit-and-miss title due to various problems in development. Nonetheless, it managed to acquire a large and supportive fanbase for its gameplay, design and characters.
Now Loading shares some reasons to why the game deserves a remake among the other famous titles that are slowly rising to fame again. The game itself is almost like an unfinished canvas as developers could fit in many new mechanics and features. If recreated properly, this title could possibly even rival against another triple A title like "Mass Effect."
Why Square Enix Needs to Remake "Xenogears"
One main reason why it deserves a remake is for Square Enix to properly portray the second half of the game. The first disc contained a detailed narrative with proper character introduction and interactions. However, the second disc was poorly crafted and obviously rushed with dungeons and battles encompassing the rest of the journey.
Square Enix could fix the flow of the entire plot and flesh out the missing pieces of character development. This would ultimately create a much more satisfying experience from the original game while making players feel more immersed in the story. Moreover, "Xenogears" does not need to rely on the entire game to explain the lore.
One example would be "Final Fantasy XV" wherein the story was spread across different platforms like anime and even a film. However, what differentiates both games apart is that the PS1 mecha title has a deeper and complex world as the plot spans throughout years of in-game history. If the remake were to contain the main meat of the plot, other mediums could be used to further expand and narrate the world.
Finally, since the game itself is very niche, there is no denying that a potential remake would not be as blown up as something like "Final Fantasy 7." Even so, the game does not need to rely on amazing graphics in order to properly portray the emotions from the original game. In fact, the remake could easily be made to resemble games like "I Am Setsuna" or even "Final Fantasy IV" on the PSP or Nintendo DS.
Possible Reference in "World of Final Fantasy"
On a different note, "World of Final Fantasy" seemed to have included a Mirage based around the game, as per Crunchyroll News. "XG" is a unit in the game that can transform into a jet, similar to Weltall from the original game. However, Square Enix had not confirmed if the mirage has any actual ties with the PS1 game.
For now, fans can only continue to hope for a "Xenogears" remake to happen soon. As of now, the gaming studio seems to be busy crafting other games to propose a related project. In spite of this, there is no doubt that the PS1 game is one of the more popular hidden gems during its times.
