The Pixel Remasters of the first six Final Fantasy games have garnered attention with their staggered release from summer 2021 to early 2022 across different platforms. Initially released on PC and mobile devices, the games later reached Switch and PlayStation 4 in 2023, featuring quality-of-life improvements like the ability to switch between the remixed and original soundtrack, turn off random encounters for an uninterrupted experience, and adjust the rate of gold and experience gain. Despite these, early adopters on Steam felt overlooked, though it was announced that these improvements will eventually come to the Steam versions, which is now true as stated in the store’s patch notes.
The Pixel Remasters have elicited diverse reactions from gamers, with many demanding aspects of remake versions akin to Final Fantasy VII or HD-2D resemblant of Star Ocean The Second Story R. However, the intention behind the Pixel Remasters was to present an authentic recreation of the originals that could function on modern hardware, resembling how the first three would appear if released on the SNES instead of the NES. Despite meeting these objectives and providing an enjoyable play-through experience, an often cited criticism is the absence of bonus content from later ports, a significant letdown for fans first introduced to the series via GBA or PSP.
Regarded to have merit, this complaint underscores the fact that the Pixel Remasters are based on the original versions, so the lack of additional content seems reasonable but outdated. While this missing content makes the remasters feel incomplete and challenges the notion of them as definitive versions of their games, the titles remain appealing for players who prioritize the original gaming experience.
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