Final Fantasy VI

When Octopath Traveler was revealed this game was the most common comparison I saw, and it was very clear that some inspiration has been taken from this beloved entry in the Final Fantasy series, so why not bite the bullet and remake it using the framework that Square and Acquire have already laid out?





There are many reasons why this goes top of the list. Firstly, it just makes sense. The game has never seen a proper remake (excluding the iOS/Android remake where they butchered the visuals) whereas other games, both earlier and later in the series have been remade. I know of many fans of the series that hold this game above all others and to play this again, updated visually and brought into the modern day would fulfil some dreams.





Secondly, though I am well aware that Square Enix have made their fair share of poor business decisions in the past, but to not strike while the iron is hot by green lighting a remake would be up there with the worst. It would sell in line with Octopath at the least, and probably blow its sale success out of the water. Those sales could even go some way towards recouping some of the money that Square are sinking into the somewhat ill fated Final Fantasy VII remake.





Secret of Mana

Unlike the other games on this list, this one has seen a full remake released in the last year. The only problem here is that it wasn't particularly well received. Far from it actually-the whole game seemed lacklustre, from its bland visuals to its strange gameplay choices, it wasn't exactly what fans of the series had been hoping for. However, a remake now could put that right.





A remake wouldn't have to be developed internally by Square either. There's a good record of them working with outside developers on games like Bravely Default and The World Ends With You that show that, with the right producers in place, the games can turn out brilliantly despite minimal involvement from Square themselves. If Square wanted to really win fan favour then a remake in the "HD-2D" style developed by Grezzo would do the trick. For anybody who doesn't know, Grezzo is the studio responsible for the remakes of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask for 3DS, and are headed by Koichi Ishii who was an influential figure in the development of the Mana series during his time at Square. They would then be the perfect team to develop such a remake, having clout both within the series as well as with remaking games to the highest standard.





Revelations: Persona

The first title on this list to not be a Square Enix game is certainly a personal pick for me. This title would need the most adaptation from the art style seen in Octopath if it were to be made but I do believe that a remake that takes some elements of the visual framework set out by the recent RPG could be amazing. This game spawned a series home to some of the best RPGs ever made but the original is now dated, to say the least, and such a remake would do wonders. The game could be modernised in ways to fix some of the things that have made it age poorly, such as changing the divisive battle system to one more akin to the more recent Persona games. While this may be divisive it would offer a great excuse for newer fans of the series to experience the series' roots while staying true to them.





One stumbling block here could be the fact that the game utilises an isometric view, something which may have to be changed if the style would be to work properly, albeit personally I think it would be interesting to see a "HD-2D" incarnation of the world of Persona. The other problem one could bring up here is that we haven't seen how such a style would look with a modern day setting, but personally, I think the heavy bloom seen in a game such as Octopath would look striking in a contemporary Tokyo and it would highlight the magnitude of any major Demon you faced.





Golden Sun

Camelot seem to be back in their stride following the release of Mario Tennis Aces but it still seems that they aren't allowed to roam far beyond the boundaries of Mario sports titles. Unfortunately because of this it seems hopes of a new Golden Sun title will remain unfulfilled for a while yet. However, if Nintendo wanted to gauge interest I think the original game being brought to Switch could be a fantastic way to do so. The game would be fitting for the art style and would provide yet another great RPG experience for Nintendo's latest console, which is fast becoming an RPG haven.





Also, if they wanted to hype up a potential remake's launch, they might want to think about releasing Isaac as a playable character for Smash. Just saying.





The Legend of Zelda II: The Adventure of Link

Maybe a bit of a strange choice here, seen as this one isn't an RPG, strictly speaking. Despite this, it does have RPG elements, possibly the most in the Zelda series. It's certainly the odd one out of the series, much like most sequels on the NES were, and because of this, it doesn't get much love from the gaming community.





Inti Creates have been in the news of late with their desire to recreate this game and a team with that much clout would do the game justice. They have experience with big IP through their creation of the Megaman ZX games, they've co-developed one of my favourite games in Shantae and the Pirate's Curse and they're comfortable with Nintendo hardware seen as all their original property (ie. the Gunvolt series) are exclusive to Nintendo hardware.





With the good relationship, the clout of the team which means they could refine the game to be a polished, modern product and "HD-2D" graphics being entirely possible on the Switch I think a remake of the second Zelda game would be a great addition to the Switch's library.









So that's my list, thank you for reading, and if you have any ideas please comment them down below, I would love to hear them!

Octopath Traveler is selling out across Japan and doing impressive numbers for Square Enix, Nintendo and Acquire outside of its home country too. With the zeitgeist that surrounds the game right now, it got me thinking- just what it is that sets the game apart from its counterparts? Why has it been so successful compared to another Square RPG such as Lost Sphear? Well, these questions can't be answered simply, but I would hasten to guess that a large reason is its distinct and unique art style, dubbed "HD-2D" by its developers.From the moment the game was revealed it looked visually stunning, and presumably at a small fraction of the price it takes to develop larger RPG titles with full 3D worlds such as Final Fantasy XV and Dragon Quest XI. This style then becomes a very viable option for any developer wanting to create a mid-range game, in terms of development costs, that remains visually striking. There are many titles that would benefit from a re-release with real care, particularly using this style; here are 5 games that would look amazing remade in the style of Octopath Traveler.