Summary
Square Enixis not a company that is known for producing shooters. Both Squaresoft and Enix individually were great at making RPGs, which is one of the reasons why they combined. Why not corner the Japanese market by releasing two of the biggest RPG franchises,Dragon QuestandFinal Fantasy, under one umbrella?
Square Enixhas released some shooters within those franchises along with original shooters. They also, for a brief time, had access to more traditional shooter franchises after acquiring Eidos properties likeTomb RaiderandHitman. Of the few shooters they have helped shepherd into this world, these games are Square Enix’s best.
Dirge of Cerberus: Final Fantasy 7was a wild experiment even for the expandingFinal Fantasy 7universe. It brought theside character, Vincent Valentine, to the spotlight wherein players controlled him like he was in aDevil May Crygame.
Most of Vincent’s moves were ranged as players could swap out barrels for his gigantic guns. There were some melee attacks though to keep things lively. While the gameplay wasn’t praised at the time in reviews, most fans at least enjoyed the story and its legacy is bleeding slightly into the new remake games.
Front Missionbegan as a tactical RPG series on the SNES. That’s what most entries were, butFront Mission Evolvedinstead was an action mech game similar to theArmored Coretitles. It was not the first, however, as there was a SNES spinoff,Front Mission: Gun Hazard, that was a run-a-gun shooter likeContraexcept with mechs.
That was in Japan only though. While the gameplay style ofFront Mission Evolvedwas different, players could still install a wide variety of parts for their mech. While it didn’t light the world on fire, fans could at least appreciate the level of customization present.
Forspokenis kind of a shooter as players predominantly entered battle with magic. Some spells were melee-based, but they were few. The story featured a young woman, Frey, who got transported into a fantasy world similar to plots in theIsekai anime genre.
Here Frey was bestowed a magic bracelet that allowed her to cast magic from burning fire spells to devastating wind attacks. Unlocking more spells was the most fun part of the game along with enjoying parkour through a giant open-world with few borders.
Parasite Evewas a combination ofResident Evilbecause of the horror vibes andFinal Fantasybecause it was a turn-based RPG.Parasite Eve 2kept the RPG influences such as giving the star, Aya Brea, psychokinetic powers along with her guns and a leveling-up system.
However, combat was now in real-time, making the game even more similar to Resident Evil. It took Aya out ofNew York Cityand brought her to the dusty plains of America before she stumbled upon a secret base. It may not be as iconic as the original, but it’s still a good time.
IO’sHitmanreboot in 2016 used to be part of Square Enix’s umbrella until they let the developer and franchise go. It was a bad move on their part as this would turn into a widely renown trilogy. This first entry is a great proof of concept.Hitmandefinitely wants players to play it likea stealth gameand utilize costumes. However, shooting is an option albeit the most difficult one.
That’s what makes this game and the overall trilogy great though because all types of players can jump in and have a good time, whether that’s through action or stealth, utilizing guns or briefcases.
Tomb Raideris another Eidos/Crystal Dynamics property that used to be part of Square Enix when this 2013 reboot ofTomb Raiderwas released. Square Enix did manage to back this entire trilogy though before it was cast off to other shores.
History aside, thisTomb Raideralso put stealth in the forefront of gameplay. However, shootouts were a more common occurrence as situations called for it. What drew players in the most wasthe Metroidvania influencethat saw Lara go around this creepy island, looking for tools to open up new pathways.
Einhandercame out in the golden age of Squaresoft when it was still just a single entity. The PS1 saw the company create and publish a lot of one-off titles likeEinhanderwhich was a 2.5D horizontal shooter similar togreat shoot ‘em-upslikeR-TypeorGradius.
Like most shoot ‘em ups,Einhanderwas a brutal game because death came easy. There were little checkpoints, blasts came from all over, and bosses tested patience to the max. Trained players who managed to beat it felt the greatest sense of reward and often jumped back in for another go.
Deus Ex: Human Revolutionis yet another lost property from Square Enix but kudos to them for bringing back this, and the other two franchises from the dead.This cyberpunk thrillergives the hero, Adam, a lot of ways to progress through the story. He could talk his way past guards, crawl through vents, hack through doors, and even create pathways through hundreds of bullets.
Stealth was the more interesting approach, of course, but the variety kept things fresh. It’s a shame this reboot only got one sequel before getting shelved but at least fans can still go back to it.
