Special Feature: ‘Tis the Season for Remasters of Last-Generation Japanese RPGs

Video game publishers realized during the last console generation that releasing remasters of their older games from prior generations is a profitable venture. But they really dug into that during this generation. Pin that on how development costs and development periods have continued to climb as gaming platforms increase in power, which has led to longer gaps between individual video game releases. That’s where remasters come in, as several players either want to experience games they missed or reexperience games they enjoyed in more polished forms. It’s why we’ve seen so many remasters throughout this console generation.

It’s also worth noting that remasters rarely take development time away from new games, since they’re usually handled by external studios. If a game you’re looking forward to is taking longer than expected, that’s either due to the realities of game development, or other drama occurring behind the scenes.

Japanese RPGs released during the last console generation were conspicuously ignored for remasters for a while. Their publishers were bound to get to them eventually, but funnily enough, several of them are now coming within months of each other. You’d almost think they planned this.

The announcement teased by tri-Ace last week was indeed for a remaster of Resonance of Fate, a surprise spoiled after its German rating was discovered. It’s formally known as Resonance of Fate 4K HD, implying how it’s, you know, remastered for a 4K HD resolution.

tri-Ace was known for making experimental games in addition to their comparatively rudimentary RPGs, and this game was among the former. It contained a unique premise for an RPG, which took place in a steampunk-suffused near-future setting where humanity was dying out due to atmospheric pollution. The battle system was similarly unique, which relied on strategically taking long-ranged shots at enemies, with characters who performed The Matrix-style techniques in the process. But it was tough to master due to the need to determine the several types of attacks the game has, and which types are more effective on which enemies.

The original game didn’t sell that well, likely due to how close it released to the behemoth that was Final Fantasy XIII. This remaster offers another chance for expanding its audience. It’s due for release for PlayStation 4 via PlayStation Network and Steam on October 18th worldwide for $34.99. The price is a little high for a digital-only remaster, and it’s coming during a busy month for releases, so good luck.

The announcement of The Last Remnant Remastered for PS4 was significant one, beyond providing the option for console players to experience the game again. The original game was planned for a release on PS3, but the port was delayed and eventually silently cancelled. The game had performance issues on Xbox 360, but it was still playable. But given how games that ran on Unreal Engine 3 had more problems on PS3, it’s likely Square Enix couldn’t get its performance to an optimal level. For years, there were still several people who wanted the PS3 version, especially in Japan. They mostly own PS4s now, and Square Enix is finally fulfilling their wish with a remastered PS4 version a decade after the 360 release.

The remastered version has been ported to Unreal Engine 4, and has received graphical enhancements and color adjustments in the process, as seen through the comparison video Square Enix released. Unfortunately, they might have sacrificed this for a lower framerate, seen through footage 45 seconds in. Hopefully that’s fixed by the time it releases.

The remaster will release for PS4 via PSN worldwide on December 6th for $19.99, or an equivalent in other regions. The Steam version was noticeably delisted just before this was announced, yet it’s not coming to that platform. This is kind of scummy, but hopefully they give existing owners a good deal when it comes to Steam. There’s no way they won’t port it, right?

The remaster for Tales of Vesperia — Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition was announced at E3, a game heralded as one of the best games in the Tales series — if not the best. It released on Xbox 360 worldwide a hair over a decade ago, but received an updated port only on PS3 in Japan, which included new quests and a new and very moe character. The franchise’s most ardent fans have been begging Bandai Namco for the port for years, to the point where they clearly got sick of it. Now, that’s the version being remastered, and everyone is at peace. You know, assuming the remaster is being handled with care, but it certainly looks good.

Bandai Namco is going out of their way to satisfy everyone here. The port is due for a digital and physical release on all current platforms — PS4, XB1, Switch, and Steam — on January 11th.

In addition to these, tri-Ace’s Star Ocean: The Last Hope released for PS4 and Steam in November last year. While Microsoft hasn’t remastered Mistwalker 360 games Blue Dragon and Lost Odyssey, they’re available as backwards-compatible titles on Xbox One. Six JRPGs being ported or remastered to current-gen consoles doesn’t seem like much, but keep in mind how scarce games in the genre were during the last console gen. This console generation hasn’t been much better, meaning this is likely the new normal.

There are still several games missing, though perhaps for good reason. Vesperia aside, the other Tales games released during the last generation were divisive, which is why there aren’t that many people clamoring for Tales of Graces f and the Tales of Xillia titles. The Final Fantasy XIII trilogy is also stuck on last-gen systems, though they’re readily available on Steam; it wouldn’t be a surprise if Square Enix remastered them eventually.

The first game tri-Ace released during the last console generation was Infinite Undiscovery, though it isn’t one of their most well received games. At the very least, they could add this one to the Xbox Marketplace for backwards compatibility. There are also Bandai Namco’s Eternal Sonata and FromSoftware’s Enchanted Arms, but… well, there might be at least one person who wants those. Maybe.

There’s nothing surprising about a series of remasters coming, but it’s a fun coincidence that this trio is coming at around the same time. We’ll see if the other titles above follow suit, especially the FFXIII titles. You know Square Enix will bring them eventually.