Square Enix would like you to take a cue from Drake and forget about their Final Fantasy releases from 2015 on Steam and please look forward to the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series coming later this year. Pages for both Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI on Steam now carry the disclaimer “This game will no longer be available for purchase after July 27, 2021. Instead, please purchase the pixelated remaster version, coming soon”.
The current Steam versions are ports of the 2014 Android releases (which also came to iOS), featuring the sprite treatment seen above-left as well as reworked controls, originally adapted for mobile screens and then back to controllers again. All of the existing versions have their detractors and as the years have worn on their compatibility with newer hardware has apparently caused more issues.
I hate to say “good riddance” or endorse Square’s push towards an updated release, but I don’t think too many people are going to miss these particular versions. If you do want to stack up an extra set of Steam achievements or trading cards, you’ve got just about a month to pull the trigger. There’s been no confirmation yet if the existing iOS and Android versions will also be delisted but with the Pixel Remaster series coming to mobile as well as Steam, it seems likely that they’ll also be removed soon.
Announced during E3 on June 13th, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series will see the first six titles in the franchise remastered… in pixels. Unlike Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake which sports a dazzling combo of 2D sprites and 3D perspectives a la Octopath Traveller, Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster is shaping up to be another redraw of the original games with more control and display tweaks. At least all six games will be in the same style and available side by side?
Thanks to everyone who pointed out this news. I’ve added the date to the Watch List calendar and will have pages up on the site soon.