Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles Remastered
brings a beloved if underappreciated multiplayer
classic to the Nintendo Switch.
It’s a shame, then, that the implementation
leaves so much to be desired.
Complaints about the game’s awkward multiplayer
set-up and lack of local co-op are already
beginning to circulate.
According to Square-Enix, “For development
reasons, it is necessary to select either
offline or online, so we selected online multiplayer
so that more people can play.”
“Development reasons” is a very nebulous
explanation, especially for such a core feature
of the original game.
This is far from an isolated incident.
When Final Fantasy 9 was re-released on modern
consoles last year, it contained bugs that
Square Enix had known about for three years,
but failed to address before launch.
Similarly, when Final Fantasy X and X2 were
re-released in 2015, bugs were so prevalent
that Square Enix had to offer an apology,
stating:
“We are aware of the audio and RNG bugs
in Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster on PS4
and rest assured that we are in the process
of creating a patch to fix them.
Details on timing will come soon.
We’re sorry about the bugs but this is your
story and we want you to be happy with it.”
They can’t have been that sorry, because
three years later, Square Enix re-released
Chrono Trigger in such a shocking state of
disrepair that it became something of a joke
online.
I particularly enjoy indie developer Fred
Woods’ summary: “This looks like someone’s
first attempt at an RPG Maker game.”
Time and time again, Square Enix releases
ports and remasters of classic games, and
seemingly every time, something goes horribly
wrong.
So why can’t Square Enix get a Final Fantasy
re-release right?
Obviously nobody at Square Enix has never
come out and publicly explained why the company
always delivers such lacklustre re-releases.
As such, it would be wild speculation to try
and narrow down exactly what is causing these
problems.
That said, representatives of the company
have spoken candidly about the culture of
game preservation within Square-Enix, as well
as the studio’s philosophy for pushing forward
to new projects at all costs.
For example, it probably hasn’t helped the
Final Fantasy re-releases that Square Enix
has lost the original game assets from earlier
titles in the series.
Speaking to Game Informer, Square-Enix president
Yosuke Matsuda explained that archiving games
is not the company’s strong suit:
“I'm embarrassed to admit it, but in some
cases, we don't know where the code is anymore.
It's very hard to find them sometimes, because
back in the day you just made them and put
them out there and you were done – you didn't
think of how you were going to sell them down
the road.
Sometimes customers ask, 'Why haven't you
released that [game] yet?'
And the truth of the matter is it's because
we don't know where it has gone.”
Yosuke is not exaggerating.
In 1997, Square and Eidos worked together
to develop a PC port of Final Fantasy VII.
Somehow, when providing Eidos with the source
code for the game, Square failed to give them
the finished product, instead handing over
a development build that was filled with bugs
that had later been fixed.
It took a lot of effort to get the game running
properly on PC, all because Square hadn’t
properly archived their finished code.
Then, things got worse.
According to Keith Boesky, who was CEO of
Eidos at the time of the PC port:
“The funny thing is, I got a call [a couple
years ago] from Square, because they wanted
to rerelease the PC version, and they asked
me if I knew where the gold master was.
Yeah, they lost it.”
Now, in fairness to Square-Enix, the company
is often good at responding to criticism when
a game re-release falls flat.
The Chrono Trigger PC remastered was heavily
reworked after fans complained about its flaws,
and Square-Enix often works to provide bug
support for legacy issues.
None of this, though, really explains the
issue at hand: why the implementation of Final
Fantasy: Crystal Chronicle’s Switch and
PS4 re-release is so ill thought out.
To that, we have no solid explanation.
We will note, however, that in his every public
statement on the Square-Enix website, Yosuke
Matsuda is quick to highlight new emerging
technology, and less interested in looking
at the company’s legacy.
In one such statement he said:
“The environment surrounding the entertainment
industry is transforming at an incredible
pace…
…Amidst this surge of technological innovation,
we endeavor to continuously evolve, working
each and every day to create entertainment
experiences for a changing world….
…That is what we will strive to continue
to do at the Square Enix Group.”
This is all well and good, but it does sound
as if Square Enix is so focused on the future,
that the company struggles to pay proper attention
to preserving its past.
That, then, is the moral of this story.
By all means, chase your dreams and continue
to move forward.
Just try not to lose sight of where you came
from along the way.
