Highlights
- Square Enix’s recent Final Fantasy games have received critical acclaim, but some fans are unhappy with the shift to real-time combat.
- Fortunately, fans of classic Final Fantasy can still find similar experiences through indies. One Fenix Down is one of them, as it provides a retro turn-based RPG experience reminiscent of SNES era.
- A demo for One Fenix Down will be available on Steam on July 25, with a Kickstarter campaign launching on August 1 for potential backers to support.
Square Enix has been treating many Final Fantasy fans quite well in the past few years, as recent mainline entries in the series, like Final Fantasy 16 and Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth, have largely been met with high critical acclaim. The long-running MMO Final Fantasy 14: A Realm Reborn, meanwhile, has continued to maintain an active player base to this day, thanks to consistent content updates and major expansions like Endwalker and Dawntrail. On top of that, the Japanese publisher has also released and/or remade a handful of well-received Final Fantasy spin-offs, including titles like Theatrhythm: Final Bar Line, Crisis Core: Final Fantasy 7 Reunion, and Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin.
As beloved as most of the series’ recent games have been, some long-time Final Fantasy fans haven’t been all too satisfied with what Square’s been offering lately, in large part due to the franchise’s shift to a more real-time combat approach. FF16, for instance, ruffled quite a few feathers among the Final Fantasy community when Square Enix revealed that the game would ditch mainstay features like parties and turn-based combat in favor of a streamlined, Devil May Cry-style battle system. It’s unlikely that Square will revert the direction it’s taken the franchise in, but gamers who are still hungry for the classic Final Fantasy experience found in titles like FF4 and FF6 should keep an eye on the many alternatives available out there, such as One Fenix Down.
Related
One Fenix Down is a Nod to an Old Final Fantasy Typo
One Fenix Down pays homage to classic Final Fantasy games and other ’90s RPGs in many ways, with its title only being one of them.
Fans of Retro Final Fantasy Games Should Check Out One Fenix Down
One Fenix Down is an upcoming retro-styled JRPG that takes heavy inspiration from the SNES-era Final Fantasy games, in terms of both graphics and gameplay. Not only does this title place a major emphasis on classic, turn-based combat and stunning pixel art visuals, it also touts a large cast of playable characters with varying goals and ambitions, some of which might be morally questionable in nature. Furthermore, the game boasts a vast, explorable world that the developers claim is brimming with secrets to uncover.
One Fenix Down was formally unveiled in February 2024 and is set to serve as the debut title for independent developer Regalcraft Games. Though it was announced only recently, this Final Fantasy spiritual successor began production nearly a decade ago. After many years, the game is finally planned to release in the second half of 2025 for Windows PCs via Steam, with a Nintendo Switch port currently in consideration.
Gamers Can Try One Fenix Down Out on July 25
Fortunately, gamers who are interested in this ’90s-inspired RPG don’t have to wait until next year to play it, as Regalcraft Games recently announced that a demo for One Fenix Down will be available on Steam on July 25. While half of the content in this demo won’t actually be featured in the final release, the remainder of it will provide a snippet of the prologue and the first 15 minutes of the actual game.
One Fenix Down’s Kickstarter Campaign is Launching August 1
Players who enjoy their time with the One Fenix Down demo might also want to check out the game’s Kickstarter campaign, which will launch on August 1. If Regalcraft Games is able to reach its stretch goals, the developer states that it’ll be able to finance two composers who’ll work on One Fenix Down‘s OST, alongside a special guest that’ll collaborate on the game’s main theme. Additionally, backers of the project will earn rewards for supporting the development of this isometric JRPG, but Regalcraft Games has yet to reveal what these will be.
From all the information that’s been revealed about it so far, One Fenix Down seems like it’ll be just the game classic FF fans have been looking for, especially those dissuaded by Square Enix’s recent pivot with the franchise. While players may not get to experience a new, mainline Final Fantasy game in the vein of seminal, SNES-era releases like FF6 anytime soon, Regalcraft Games’ debut project looks like the next best thing.
Final Fantasy
Final Fantasy is a sci-fi fantasy franchise created by Hironobu Sakaguchi and developed/owned by Square Enix. The series centers on role playing style games set in a science fiction and fantasy style worlds. The first game originally released in 1987 and since then, the franchise has spun off into other mediums like novels, CG films, and anime. The series has also branched into other video game genres including racing, fighting, rhythm, MMOs, and more.
- Creation Year
- 1987
- Developer(s)
- Square Enix
- Publisher(s)
- Square Enix
