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During the Xbox Games Showcase at Tokyo Game Show 2024 Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster, Legend of Mana and Trails of Mana are now available digitally on Xbox Series X/S.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster
The Final Fantasy pixel remaster series comprises Final Fantasy I through Final Fantasy VI, bringing all the magic of the originals combined with quality-of-life upgrades while staying faithful to the retro design of these classic masterpieces. In the Final Fantasy pixel remaster series, features that were implemented in the PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Steam versions, will also be available for the Xbox platforms. Players will have the option to switch between the rearranged and original-based soundtrack for the game, as well as a choice of in-game fonts where players can opt to play using the game’s default font or a pixel-based font. Additional boost features to expand gameplay options, including switching off random encounters and adjusting experience gained multipliers between 0 and 4 will also be available for the Xbox players.

Legend of Mana
Legend of Mana is the remastered edition of the fourth installment in the Mana series. In Legend of Mana, players will embark on a journey to find the mystical Mana Tree seen in a dream, only to discover that the world map is empty. Throughout their adventure, players will acquire special artifacts, which can be placed on the map to bring towns and dungeons to life via the unique Land Creation system. Legend of Mana features remastered visuals and rearranged soundtrack, which can be switched with original soundtrack. The game also includes the feature to turn off enemy encounters and the ‘Ring Ring Land’ mini game, which helps to strengthen pet monsters. During their travels, players will encounter a colorful cast of characters, square off against fearsome monsters in real-time combat and explore the vast world of Fa’Diel, all while experiencing Legend of Mana’s timeless story.

Trials of Mana
Originally released in Japan as Seiken Densetsu 3 in 1995, Trials of Mana is a full, high-definition remake of the third entry in the classic Mana series. The game immerses players in an unforgettable adventure filled with exciting gameplay, memorable heroes and villains. Players will craft varying experiences by selecting a party of three from six unique characters as they embark on the adventure of a lifetime, upgrading their characters’ classes into more powerful forms, learning over 300 different abilities, and discovering a world of secrets and mysteries to explore.

Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster on Xbox Legend of Mana on Xbox Trials of Mana of Xbox

Square Enix

Sony has recently announced the PlayStation 5 Pro, an enhanced version of the PlayStation 5 with an upgraded GPU, Advanced Ray Tracing and AI-Driven Upscaling. However if you like collecting physical games like me, this version will not include a disc drive. You have to buy it separately.

Several games will be patched with free updates to take advantage of the features of the PlayStation 5 Pro. Square Enix will release a patch for Final Fantasy VII: Rebirth that was released earlier this year. During the presentation a few seconds was revealed. Square Enix shared a post on the Japanese FF7 Remake account on X (formally Twitter) showing two screenshots of the game running on the PlayStation 5 Pro.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PlayStation 5 Pro Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on PlayStation 5 Pro

The PlayStation 5 Pro will be released on 7 November 2024 with a price tag of $699.99 USD, £699.99 GBP, €799.99 EUR, and ¥119,980 JPY

Final Fantasy XVI

Square Enix has announced that the PC version of Final Fantasy XVI will be released next month, on 17 September 2024, via Steam and Epic Games Store. Also they've released a demo today.

Final Fantasy XVI introduces players to an all-new story in the Final Fantasy universe, an epic dark fantasy that takes place in the realms of Valisthea – a land blessed in the light of the Mothercrystals, and where peace falters as the spread of the Blight threatens to destroy their dominions. The fate of the land is decided by the Eikons, mighty summoned beasts and their Dominants, men and women who have been blessed with the ability to call upon and wield them. This is the tale of Clive Rosfield, a warrior granted the title “First Shield of Rosaria” and sworn to protect his younger brother Joshua, the Dominant of the Phoenix, Eikon of Fire. Before long, Clive will be caught up in a great tragedy and swear revenge on the Dark Eikon known as Ifrit, a mysterious entity that brings calamity in its wake.

Final Fantasy XVI artwork

The PC version will be available in two versions: Standard Edition (€ 49.99 EUR / $ 49.99 USD) which contains the base game and Complete Edition (€ 69.99 EUR / $ 69.99 USD) which also includes the DLC chapters "Echoes of the Fallen" and “The Rising Tide". You can download the demo from Steam or Epic Games Store.

Square Enix

Square Enix has released a playable demo of the upcoming action RPG Visions of Mana, the first mainline entry to the Mana series in more than 15 years.

In the demo, players will embark on a journey that begins partway through Chapter 1, starting at Rime Falls and continuing into different areas, including the Fallow Steppe and Rhata Harbor. Those up for the challenge can also take on the chapter’s final boss, the Kraken. Players can join up with three party members, Val, Careena and Morley, and experiment with the Wind and Moon classes to enhance their demo experience.

The Kraken from Visions of Mana

Although save data from the demo cannot be carried over to the full game, as the content has been altered for a more satisfying experience, players with save data from the demo and who purchase Visions of Mana will receive three weapons for Val, including the Gladius, Falx and Horn Lance, by starting their playthrough of the full game and proceeding as far as Chapter 1.

Visions of Mana will be released on 29 August 2024 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S and PC via Steam. You can watch the demo announce trailer here.

Final Fantasy XIV

Square Enix has announced that Final Fantasy XIV will be available for Xbox Series X/S on 21 March 2024. The Final Fantasy XIV Starter Edition (which includes A Realm Reborn, Heavensward, and Stormblood) will be available for free as an Xbox Game Pass Ultimate perk for a limited time.

Currently an open beta is in progress which is only available for new players who will be playing Final Fantasy XIV for the first time.

Final Fantasy XIV is an MMORPG and was released back in 2010. However the original version was badly received and resulted in a change of development team. In 2013 Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn (first known as Final Fantasy XIV: Version 2.0) was released. Later four major expansion packs have been released: Heavensward (2015), Stormblood (2017), Shadowbringers (2019), and Endwalker (2021). A fifth expansion pack, Dawntrail, is to be released in Summer 2024.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

Almost 4 years after part one of the Final Fantasy VII remake trilogy was released, Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is now available worldwide for the PlayStation 5.

In Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, players take on the role of mercenary Cloud Strife and his comrades as they pursue legendary swordsman Sephiroth, a haunting figure from Cloud’s past bent on ruling the planet, across a vast and vibrant world rife with danger, adventure, joy and uncertainty. These unlikely heroes, including beloved, iconic characters Tifa, Barret, Aerith and Red XIII, join forces with new companions like the spirited ninja operative Yuffie and the wisecracking, feline-shaped robot Cait Sith. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth delivers an unforgettable experience to players filled with unexpected twists, memorable characters and jaw-dropping set pieces that longtime fans and newcomers can both enjoy.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth keyart

“As the director of the original Final Fantasy VII, I feel very proud that we were able to introduce a whole new generation to role-playing games and show so many newcomers a wider world of storytelling. Today, I’m filled with the same sense of pride when I look at what our development team has accomplished with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth. This adventure offers rich rewards to longtime fans while welcoming in newcomers to begin their Final Fantasy adventure here and experience a similar sense of wonder as they would have felt in 1997. I hope that both fans and those who have never played Final Fantasy before will enjoy this game.”

-Yoshinori Kitase, Producer

“Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is a labor of love and our tribute to adventure – a massive world of compelling stories and our most ambitious game to date. Like those who first brought us the original Final Fantasy VII, we’ve reached for something that was never possible before today’s technology: a deeper portrayal of our main cast of friends, comrades and people of the Planet. By combining their powers in battle and strengthening their bonds through your choices, we hope you feel a powerful, connection with these characters and the world they inhabit.”

-Naoki Hamaguchi, Director

“For many years, I wondered what a remake of Final Fantasy VII could look like. Above all else, I felt we would need to do justice to the characters and story that had become so beloved by fans around the world. Final Fantasy VII Rebirth delivers on this vision and vastly expands upon the original title not only in the size of its world, but in the quiet moments shared by party members, where warmth, joy, sorrow and tenderness can be found. As they press on and forge deeper bonds en route to their ultimate fate, I hope you will open your heart to feel these feelings alongside them. As the second title in a trilogy, we’ve enjoyed hearing our fans’ feedback from the previous title and incorporating elements into Final Fantasy VII Rebirth for a truly breathtaking follow-up. Thank you for playing our vision for a remake, in which the past is honored by the possibilities of the present to reimagine a story for future generations.”

-Tetsuya Nomura, Creative Director

You can watch the release trailer below.

Final Fantasy VII Remake

At the end of the special State of Play, dedicated to Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, Square Enix has announced that the demo is now available to play.

The demo is split in two parts. Part one, "Fall of a Hero in Nibelheim", which is now available to play, features an extended flashback section of the Nibelheim incident that takes place five years ago prior to the setting of the game.

After players complete "Fall of a Hero in Nibelheim", part two, “Dawn of a New Era in Junon.”, will be released on 21 February. This part let you explore a small area around Junon.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will be released on 29 February 2024 on PlayStation 5 as a timed exclusive.

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth demo

Square Enix

Square Enix has revealed a new trailer of Final Fantasy VII Rebirth entitled Destined for Rebirth. In addition to the video several new screenshots and renders for in-game characters and locale were also revealed.

The trailer, which is only one minute long, shows footage from the area's you visit and new gameplay.

Also new key art was released of Cait Sith and Yuffie that are new versions from the original that was released with Final Fantasy VII in 1997.

Yuffie - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Cait Sith - Final Fantasy VII Rebirth

Final Fantasy VII Rebirth will be released on 29 February 2024 exclusively on PlayStation 5 as a timed exclusive.

Final Fantasy XVI

During The Game Awards 2023 Square Enix has announced Final Fantasy XVI downloadable content Echoes of the Fallen and The Rising Tide. Echoes of the Fallen is now available for purchase on the PlayStation Store. The Rising Tide will be released in Spring 2024.

Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen

Echoes of the Fallen unlocks new story, battles, weapons, accessories, level cap and more. The adventure begins before the base game’s final battle, as strange, dark crystals begin to circulate on the black market. Players will follow Clive and company during their investigations as they encounter a group of suspicious traders, leading them to a long-abandoned Fallen tower known as the Sagespire and the terrible secrets that await within.

Final Fantasy XVI: The Rising Tide

The Rising Tide will bring new challenges and more, including the confrontation between Clive and the legendary Eikon, Leviathan.

You can watch the announcement trailer on YouTube. Due to the age restriction the video can't be included in this article.

With the announcement of the downloadable content a update, version 1.21, was released which makes a number of changes and improvements to the game.

Version 1.21 patch notes

Additional Features

  • Adds a new Inner Voice option to the Grand Cast menu, which can be viewed upon inquiring with Vivian about the State of the Realm.
    Hover the cursor over a character and press the touchpad to view their inner feelings toward their allies and enemies. See how each character's feelings change as the story progresses.

  • Adds several new orchestrion rolls.
    These can be obtained from in-game vendors after progressing a certain way through the story.

Changes to Arcade Mode

  • Adds a technical bonus feature that increases battle performance scores.
    Attacking enemies and performing a variety of battle techniques fills the technical bonus gauge, which increases your score multiplier each time it crosses a certain threshold. The gauge depletes over time or upon taking damage.

  • Adds new accolades.
    These can be earned by clearing stages within a certain time limit or with a final battle performance score above a certain threshold.

  • Adjusts ranking thresholds over individual legs and stages.
    The changes described above allow players to earn higher battle performance scores than they could previously. The ranking thresholds are adjusted to account for this.

  • Introduces a new leaderboard.
    All scores earned after the update is installed will be recorded to this new leaderboard.

  • Allows you to view leaderboards and rankings from previous versions.

  • Adjusts the difficulty level of Ultimaniac stages.

  • Adds and adjusts explanations of various features.

Changes to Training Mode

  • Adds an Immediate Takedown option.
    With this option turned on, attacks will reduce an enemy's will gauge by 50%, allowing you to partially stagger enemies with a single attack, then fully stagger them with a second attack.

  • Adds a Megaflare Level option.
    This option allows you to fix your Megaflare level to any value.

  • Adds a Zantetsuken Level option.
    This option allows you to fix your Zantetsuken level to any value.

System-related Changes

  • Adds a Photo Mode shortcut option.
    This option, accessible from the Game Settings tab of the System menu, allows you to launch Photo Mode by pressing the touchpad with two fingers.

  • Adds the ability to enter Photo Mode from the pause screen.
    This allows photos to be taken during cutscenes, with certain exceptions.

  • Adds the option to retry from the Game Over screen when Clive is defeated by a notorious mark.
    Retrying will return Clive to the point immediately before the battle with the notorious mark began.

  • Allows you to examine the details of the rewards available from the Patron's Whisper in the hideaway.

  • Adds the option to filter save data in the Load Game tab of the System menu.
    Press □ to cycle between the following filtering options: Show All Saves, Show Auto-saves, and Show Manual Saves.

  • Adds a Credits option to the title menu.
    This option, which allows you to view the credits sequence, becomes available after completing the game.

  • Adds and adjusts various UI elements.

Bug Fixes

Corrects the following issues:

  • Several issues wherein graphical elements did not display correctly during cutscenes.
  • Several issues wherein certain NPC animations were incorrect during certain quests.
  • Several issues wherein certain NPCs became positioned incorrectly under specific conditions during certain quests.
  • Several issues wherein progress became impossible in certain quests under specific conditions.
  • Several issues wherein quest objectives and destination markers did not display correctly in certain quests.
  • Several issues wherein NPC dialogue was incorrect in certain quests.
  • Several issues wherein the reward of ability points was incorrect in certain quests.
  • An issue wherein the demontamer's armguards were impossible to obtain.
  • Several issues wherein enemies did not behave correctly under specific conditions during battle.
  • Several issues wherein collision detection did not behave correctly under specific conditions during battle.
  • Several issues wherein the camera did not behave correctly under specific conditions during battle.
  • Several issues wherein the frame rate dropped significantly during battle.
  • Several issues wherein abilities or limit breaks did not trigger correctly under specific conditions during battle.
  • Several issues wherein accessory effects did not trigger correctly under specific conditions.
  • Several issues wherein the menu did not display or update correctly in Chronolith trials.
  • An issue wherein the conditions to achieve the Mark of the Jongleur accolades were incorrect in Chronolith trials.
  • Several issues wherein the menu did not display or update correctly in Arcade Mode.
  • An issue wherein Clive's clothing did not display correctly under specific conditions in Training Mode.
  • Several issues wherein menu navigation did not behave correctly under specific conditions in Training Mode.
  • Several issues wherein the AI of companion NPCs did not behave correctly.
  • Several issues wherein parkour animations did not trigger correctly under specific conditions.
  • Several issues wherein graphical elements and collision surfaces were set incorrectly in explorable areas and replayable stages.
  • Several issues wherein location names displayed at incorrect points in explorable areas and replayable stages.
  • An issue wherein certain menu screens flickered when the Graphics Settings option was set to Frame Rate.
  • Several issues wherein character animations did not trigger correctly under specific conditions.
  • Several issues wherein Active Time Lore elements did not update at the correct timing.
  • Several issues wherein menu elements did not display or update correctly in Vivian's State of the Realm.
  • Several issues wherein menu elements did not display or update correctly in Harpocrates's Thousand Tomes.
  • Several issues wherein entries in the Thousand Tomes did not update at the correct timing.
  • Several issues wherein Torgal's Animal Instinct did not function correctly under specific conditions.
  • An issue wherein graphical elements did not display correctly in Photo Mode under specific conditions.
  • Several issues wherein areas failed to unlock on the world map under specific conditions.
  • Several issues wherein text and icons did not display correctly on the world map under specific conditions.
  • Several issues wherein the camera did not behave correctly under specific conditions.
  • Several issues wherein the wireless controller vibration and adaptive triggers did not function correctly under specific conditions.
  • An issue wherein progress towards the trophy Here Be Rosfields did not display correctly under specific conditions.
  • Several issues wherein incorrect images and videos appeared in tutorial slides.
  • Several issues wherein important notifications did not display correctly under specific conditions.
  • Several issues wherein audio elements did not trigger under specific conditions.
  • Several issues wherein the game would freeze under specific conditions.
  • Several minor text issues.

Final Fantasy XVI is available for PlayStation 5. A demo is available where you can play the beginning of the game and a later dungeon. The PC version is currently in development.

Square Enix

Star Ocean: The Second Story R, the remake of the 1998 classic RPG, is now available worldwide both physically and digitally on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch and PC via Steam.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R artwork

In Star Ocean: The Second Story, the story begins with Claude, a Federation officer, who finds himself transported to an undeveloped planet. While searching for a way home, an encounter with a girl named Rena draws them into a quest to save her people, just as an ancient prophecy foretold. Players will begin their adventure with either Claude or Rena, and depending on their choice, the perspectives and the allies' players recruit will change. Players will get to know party members through the unique ‘Private Actions System’, which will allow them to grow relationships and unlock a variety of different endings.

Star Ocean: The Second Story R is a 2.5 remake developed by Gemdrops featuring a rearranged soundtrack, new difficulty settings, numerous quality-of-life improvements and more.

If you never heard of this game, you can try the demo where you can play the first three hours of the game. You can import your save to the full game. Below you can watch the launch trailer.

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