Square Enix is one of the best and biggest game developers. There have been many games released by Square Enix over the years. The studio was actually 2 different companies, Squaresoft and Enix, both of which were engaged in the video game industry. In 2003, both companies decided to merge into Square Enix.

Some of you may only know Final Fantasy as the best game franchise from Square Enix, but actually, it boasts quite a lot of great game series. Here are some of the best game franchises/series from Square Enix. Without further ado, let's get into it.

1. Final Fantasy

This franchise is undoubtedly the most memorable and popular one from Square Enix. This game series was first introduced in 1987, and it has inspired many other RPGs. The genres that we know today, from JRPGs, turn-based combat, random encounters, as well as the party system, were all popularized by Final Fantasy. Never stop experimenting with various things from one game to another, this franchise is loved by many fans.

Pioneered by Hirono Sakaguchi, this franchise boasts innovations in terms of visuals, music, and gameplay, and presents compelling storylines that keep players engrossed. So far, Final Fantasy has 15 main games with a myriad of spin-offs based on the franchise. This franchise is also released on various platforms, from Playstation, Nintendo, Xbox, to mobile.

2. Dragon Quest 

Even though the RPG genre was popularized by Final Fantasy, the first JRPG was pioneered by Dragon Quest, which eventually became the benchmark for other games in its ilk. This game has anime-like visuals. Dragon Quest has become one of the main rivals of the Final Fantasy franchise, which are both owned by Square Enix. The character designs in Dragon Quest are quite unique as they were designed by Dragon Ball's mangaka.

Dragon Quest is highly-regarded for the innovations it introduced, starting from the system of switching between character classes, to the mechanics of capturing and training monsters. Initially, this game was released for Famicon, NES, and MSX, but now the series is available on various platforms such as Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo, to mobile.

3. Kingdom Hearts

This is quite a unique franchise from Square Enix. The game developers collaborated with Disney Interactive Studios to develop the Kingdom Hearts series. It might sound like an odd combination to have a JRPG hero accompanied by Mickey, Donald Duck, Goofy, and other Disney characters. But ultimately, this is the main attraction of Kingdom Hearts.

The first game of this series was released in 2002. The story follows Sora, who's searching for his friends Riku and Kairi. During his journey, you will meet various iconic characters from Disney and Final Fantasy. The latest installment of the franchise is Kingdom Hearts 3, was released in 2019, and the fourth entry, Kingdom Hearts 4, was just announced some time ago.

4. Star Ocean

Another successful game franchise from Square Enix is Star Ocean. The plot is heavily based on sci-fi themes, in which players have to explore outer space. This RPG adopts a real-time combat system and supports crafting and cooking features. The endings in Star Ocean games are influenced by the player's decisions when building relationships with the characters in the game.

The first game of the franchise was first developed and released in 1996. Star Ocean so far has had five main games, three spin-offs, one remake, as well as its own manga and anime. Its newest entry, Star Ocean: The Divine Force, was just released on 27 October. Maybe not the most popular franchise, but it is very well known for prioritizing the relationships between the characters in it, so that's what makes it different from the others.

5. Mana

This franchise is actually a spin-off of the Final Fantasy series, as it takes a lot of inspiration from Final Fantasy, including types of magic, summon systems, monsters, as well as other elements. Prior to coming under the name Mana, this game was previously called Final Fantasy Adventure, but then it was renamed, with its main title being released in 1991, while the newest entry, Trials of Mana Remake, was released in April 2020.

Since its inception, Mana has had a real-time combat system typical of action RPGs, so many have compared it to Nintendo's Zelda. Perhaps this game series is not as big as the games it took its inspiration from, but Mana remains a popular series.

6. Tomb Raider

Unlike other games, this franchise previously belonged to Eidos Interactive, before Square Enix officially became the publisher of the Tomb Raider series from 2010 to this day. The first game of this series was released in 1996, and received a lot of praise for its gameplay and control system, which are quite innovative. In addition to that, the use of the main female character in the series is the main appeal of Tomb Raider. This series has also spawned several game series and spin-offs. It also has been adapted into films and novels several times.

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7. Chaos Rings

This game franchise was first released in April 2010. Created by Takehiro Ando, it's a mobile game for Android, iOS, Playstation Mobile, and Windows Phone. The most recent entry of this franchise was released in October 2014, titled Chaos Ring 3. This game presents extraordinary 3D visuals with elements of a classic RPG. Although the game is quite expensive to buy, the game experience it offers and the amazing 3D graphics make this game worth-buying.

8. Valkyrie Profile

The first game of this series was released in 1999 for the PlayStation. The gameplay is quite complex compared to other JRPGs of its era. Despite its complex combat system, this game also has quite an exciting plot in which you can delve into various aspects to uncover the mystery about the main protagonist. This series consists of four games, each of which was released for different platforms, namely Valkyrie Profile on PlayStation 1, Valkyrie Profile 2: Silmeria on PlayStation 2, Valkyrie Profile: Covenant of the Plume on Nintendo DS, and Valkyrie Anatomia: The Origin on Android and iOS.

9. Chrono

This series consists of three games. The first being Chrono Trigger, a collaborative game between the creators of Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, and Dragon Ball. The collaboration of these three big creators didn't go in vain, as the game is considered one of the best games of all time. All aspects of the series, from the storylines, characters, battle system, to the music, absolutely deserve appreciation. Not long ago, a remastered version of Chrono Cross was just released with various improvements in terms of graphics, gameplay, as well as audio.

10. Front Mission

Front Mission was originally a tactical RPG released in 1995 for the SNES. The first game managed to receive a lot of praise, especially for the mecha (wanzer) customization feature it provides. Not to mention that the plot is profound and full of deep political elements, making this game one of the best games that many RPG fans enjoy.

11. Deus Ex

This game was first released in 2000 under the title Deus Ex, followed by the 2017-releases, Deus Ex: Breach and Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – VR Experience in which Square Enix collaborated with several other developers such as Eidos Montreal, Farel Interactive, and many more. This game carries the RPG genre with some elements of FPS and stealth.

12. SaGa

Similar to Mana, the SaGa franchise began as a spin-off of Final Fantasy, which was released in late 1989 for the GameBoy. It is also the first RPG on the handheld console. SaGa offers more complex and challenging gameplay than Final Fantasy's, where this game series offers open-world exploration and non-linear gameplay. The plot branches as players can develop their character based on the choices they make. Even though this franchise is no longer being developed, the old series has been re-released for several modern platforms and some have been remastered.

So, those were the best games and franchises from Square Enix, which one is your favorite? Stick around for more anime and gaming info, and make sure to follow Dunia Games on Facebook and Instagram for the latest updates. You can also buy vouchers for various games, such as Mobile Legends, Free Fire, and Call of Duty Mobile, at lower prices by making your top-ups at Dunia Games! Also, don’t forget to download Dunia Games APK!

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