Summer Games Fest has pretty much wrapped up for the time being. This faux E3 time of the year is one of the most exciting because it can get fans excited for surprise announcements. Now, on that note, there is nothing more disappointing than to see a cool reveal trailer for a mobile game. Why isn’t that game on consoles too? That could be what fans are thinking.
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For example,Final Fantasy 7: Ever Crisisis an upcoming mobile-only game that is supposed to retell the entire story within this one universe. Story aspects from the main game along with spinoffs likeBefore Crisis: Final Fantasy 7are going to be in it. Will the game ever come to consoles? It’s hard to say, butSquare Enixhas more examples like that from their biggest series including otherFinal Fantasygames and more. So, let’s get to the best ones fans hope one day come to consoles.
8Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldier
Final Fantasy 7: The First Soldierwas a prequel set way before the original story. Players wouldtake the role of a nameless gruntin Shinra’s army to rise and become the first member of SOLDIER as the title suggests.
It was a Battle Royale game that was released in 2021 for mobile devices only and it just shut down in 2023. Battle Royale games are not as hot as they once were, but the brand ofFinal Fantasy 7still is thanks to the remake. It’s wild this didn’t come to consoles first but maybe it can get rebooted and retooled into a much bigger experience.
7Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omnia
Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omniais a spinoff of a spinoff that started on the PSP. That’s where the firstDissidia Final Fantasygame was released, which was a fighting game. It crossed heroes and villains from across the series into one big brawl.
Dissidia Final Fantasy: Opera Omniainstead was crafted into a more traditional turn-based game with the same crossover gimmick. It’s a solid RPG that has been going strong since it launched in 2017 in Japan and it could do just as well on a console like the Switch.
6War Of The Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius
War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exviusis another spinoff of a spinoff asFinal Fantasy Brave Exviusis a traditional turned-based mobile RPG. This other game, however, is a tactical RPG. Fans have been begging Square Enix for another tactics game in this series sinceFinal Fantasy Tactics A2: Grimoire of the Riftpremiered in 2008 in North America.
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In 2022, Switch players gotTriangle Strategy, which was like a spiritual successor but not quite the same.War of the Visions: Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, with some revisions, is probably more in line with what fans want to see in a tactical RPG.
5Kingdom Hearts Unchained X
Kingdom Hearts Unchained Xlaunched as a Japanese browser game in 2013. It then got converted into a phone app and Square Enix has supported it ever since. It is a turn-based game with actions being dictated by the equivalent of collectible cards. It is wild that this game is only on phones because the story reveals a lot about the series.
Another game in this series,Kingdom Hearts: Coded, also began on Japanese phones before it got remade for the DS. Maybe that can happen withKingdom Hearts Unchained X, although fans may want to see the next mobile spinoff,Kingdom Hearts Missing-Link, launch alongside consoles instead.
4Echoes OF Mana
Echoes of Manais the latest game intheManafranchise. It is an action RPG like the others although it is scaled back graphically and mechanically for phones. It was released in 2022 and just shut down as of this past May 2023. It was barely a year old before the plug got pulled, showing Square Enix does not seem to believe in this franchise.
This happened with another mobile game,Rise of Mana, which was released in Japan only in 2014. It did get a port to the PS Vita in 2015 too, so at least it had more of a life thanEchoes of Mana. A mobileManacollection including both of these games would be unique to see.
3Nier Reincarnation
Nierdid not set the world on fire when it launched as it had a lot of problems.NieR: Automatachanged the seriesforever as it was a smash hit. While fans wait for a new, dedicated sequel on consoles, they can always check outNier Reincarnationon mobile devices.
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The game was released in 2021 and it takes place in a crumbling set of ruins. Players will discover echoes that take them into turn-based battles accompanied by the memories of heroes. For a mobile spinoff, it has quite an in-depth story, and assuredly fans would like to see it reimagined on consoles.
2Octopath Traveler: Champions Of The Continent
Octopath Travelerwas the first game to use the HD-2D aesthetic. Since it was received well in 2018, Square Enix launched an initiative to create more games in this style, including the aforementionedTriangle StrategyandOctopath Traveler 2.
In between the proper sequel,Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continentwas released on mobile devices in Japan in 2020. It took a while for it to come over, but it finally did in 2022. The controls were simplified but it is more or less another entry in this franchise. It conceivably wouldn’t take that much effort to add in more staples from the main games to make it work properly on consoles.
1Star Ocean: Blue Sphere
Star Ocean: Blue Sphereis a spinoff that started on the Game Boy Color in 2001. Like the mainStar Oceanseries, it was an action RPG. It was never released outside of Japan but despite that, fans patched it into English online.
It is a cult hit among fans that dabble with English translations, but not even they may know it was remade for phones in 2009. The graphics are still simple, but they are better than that of the GBC. Instead of bringing the original over, Square Enix should consider this remake.
