For classic RPGs, what’s old is new in 2022

digitaltrends.com:

For years, niche audiences and fan translations kept excitement around Japanese RPGs, some of which never released in North America, alive. Now, companies like Square Enix are taking notice by reviving games and franchises that mainstream American audiences might not know about.

While this trend was bubbling for a few years, it came to a head in the February 9 Nintendo Direct. Square Enix announced four remasters or remakes of retro JRPGs, two of which were never released in North America before. Going forward, it looks like the key to the genre’s continued success may be looking to the past, and Square Enix is the shining example of that philosophy in action.

The golden age of JRPGs was in the 1990s, and Square Enix (which was just Square back then) was on top. Almost every Final Fantasy game from that era is considered a classic, in addition to titles like Chrono Trigger. That said, not all JRPGs would catch on in the West, so quite a few titles underperformed or never saw the light of day in North America. 

As we entered the 2000s, Japanese publishers like Square became even more focused on Western audiences, so these titles fell even more into obscurity. Most RPG fans wouldn’t even know about games like Live A Live unless they did some serious digging.

During that time, the fans kept the passion for these series alive. Groups like Aeon Genesis made fan translations for games that never came out in the West, and a small but passionate group of people demanded the return of franchises like the Mana, Front Mission, and Chrono series.

For years, fans of these less-popular series weren’t catered to as much. Over the past few years, Square Enix has renewed its interest in classic JRPGs. This resulted in new games like