With Triangle Strategy’s launch and the recent reveal of the Live A Live remaster, our eyes are on Square Enix’s “HD-2D” efforts. What do you want to see in the next HD-2D game? A remaster? An homage to a classic? The Siliconera writers made their picks.
Chrono Trigger is one of those classic games that I hear tons of great things about but I never actually experienced it myself. When I first saw my friend’s older brother playing it? I (perhaps rather blasphemously) wrote it off as “ugly” compared to Final Fantasy X. Though it has been released on more modern platforms such as Windows PC and the Nintendo DS, I think it would be a fairly good game to experience in HD-2D.
My second choice is Brave Fencer Musashi for purely sentimental reasons, but that would require completely overhauling the game’s aesthetics. Since the point of HD-2D is to keep that retro atmosphere, it probably ruins the idea. — Stephanie
Is it too soon after the release of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster line to ask for a Final Fantasy HD-2D Remaster? The standout work on That Scene from Final Fantasy VI drove home how much I’d like to see my favorite FF game in the new style. And I’ve never seen Square Enix shy away from a chance to sell me something I like again! So let’s consider this a distant promise.
In that case, I’d like a new original title. Sure, Live A Live is coming out soon, and is basically new to most people. But I’d like to see Square Enix reach further and apply the look to something a little more removed from the aesthetic we’ve seen so far. Maybe a sci-fi game in the vein of DS cult classic Infinite Space? Or a modern-age urban fantasy? — Josh
We have never seen a Hanjuku Hero game outside of Japan. These are real-time strategy games that showed up on multiple platforms in Japan. The series got its start on the Famicom, but installments appeared on the Super Famicom, Nintendo DS, and PS2 too! We’ve already seen Square Enix decide to release a former Japan-exclusive title worldwide thanks to a HD-2D remake. If it did it again with a Hanjuku Hero game? That would be pretty great! — Jenni
Speaking of localizations: there’s a well-regarded Enix RPG that never made it to America, and now would be a great time: Terranigma. There were a few hangups in the game’s subject matter that likely put some doubts in Nintendo of America’s mind in the 1990s. Now, though? That wouldn’t be an issue. Its stellar reputation, which has grown over the years, would pair well with the HD-2D aesthetic and make for a title that would sell as well as it plays. — Graham
What do you think should be the next HD-2D game? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter! And read our other handy roundtables for more thoughts from the Siliconera team.
