Great companies rise and fall. It’s the norm of the cycle and with so much competition from large and small firms, it’s hard for any company to stay unique to its original vision and quality, be it a tech company or a video game maker. Nowhere is this trend more apparent than in Square-Enix, formally known as the beloved SquareSoft. The once famous RPG maker in the era of the PlayStation One could do no wrong and released Final Fantasy 7, 8, and 9 to critical acclaim. If three smash hits were not enough, SquareSoft would also release a bevy of titles like Brave Fencer Musashi, Chrono Cross, Secret of Mana, Parasite Eve, Romance Saga, and a personal treasure, Xenogears. Though not as vibrant during the time of the PS2, Square would still release solid titles, like Final Fantasy X and Kingdom Hearts. Enter the current generation cycle and Square Enix seems to have forgotten entirely what RPG stands for. Final Fantasy 13 was met poorly with gamers and its sequel with even lower sales. How does Square Enix fix this? One would assume by going back to what made them king and releasing a proper RPG. Sadly, that’s not what the once-great RPG makers have done. After the jump is a trailer for Lightning Returns – Final Fantasy 13 which is the third FF13 game released this generation which no longer resembles anything that might be considered an RPG.

Discuss:

Does Lightning Returns – Final Fantasy 13 interest you at all?