The Pixel Remasters feature rearranged music supervised by original composter Nobuo Uematsu, redrawn sprite art by original artist Kazuko Shibuya, updated user interface, additional content such as an illustration gallery and bestiary, and other enhancements. Initially released on iOS, Android, and Windows, the games had a staggered release date between July 2021 and February 2022 before all six games released together on PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch in April 2023 in commemoration of the franchise's 35th anniversary. The games released on Xbox Series X and Series S in September 2024.
The series received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the upgraded presentation, rescored music, quality-of-life enhancements, included extras, and balancing, while criticizing its technical issues at launch, English font, and the lack of additional content featured in earlier versions. The series has sold over three million units worldwide.[2]
The Pixel Remaster series remasters the first six installments of the Final Fantasy series originally released between 1987 and 1994 on the Nintendo Entertainment System and Super Nintendo Entertainment System.[3] It marks the first international release of the original Final Fantasy III, the first release of I and II on PC, and the first widescreen release of V and VI.
An illustration gallery featuring character, monster, and concept art done by long-time series artist Yoshitaka Amano, a music player, and a bestiary of enemies encountered by players throughout the games have been implemented.[4]
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series was announced at E3 2021 with games to be published on iOS, Android, and Microsoft Windows via Steam.[6]
Preceding the launch of the Pixel Remaster series, the prior 2010 mobile releases of Final Fantasy and II, 2014 mobile releases of V and VI, as well as their 2015 Steam iteration, were delisted from digital platforms as of July 28, 2021.[7][8] The 3D Nintendo DS remakes of Final Fantasy III and IV were retitled and remain available on digital platforms.[9]
On December 18, 2022, the 35th anniversary of the Final Fantasy franchise, Square Enix announced the Pixel Remaster series would release on Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4 in spring 2023.[10] The console versions released on April 19, 2023, alongside the Final Fantasy I-VI Pixel Remaster -FF35th Anniversary Edition- physical collector's edition including all six games, and introduced new quality-of-life enhancements; the selection of a pixel-based font, modifiers for the encounter rate and amount of EXP, "gil", and Ability Points gained, rebalanced difficulty, and the selection between the original or remastered soundtracks.[11] On January 31, 2024, the Steam and mobile versions received an update to include the quality-of-life enhancements implemented with the console release.[12] On September 26, 2024, at Tokyo Game Show, all six games were released on Xbox Series X and Series S.
The Final Fantasy Pixel Remaster series received generally positive reception. According to review aggregatorMetacritic, all six remasters, as well as the compiled collection featured in the -FF35th Anniversary Edition- collectors edition, received "generally favorable" reviews for Windows,[13][15][17][19][21][23] PlayStation 4,[25] and Nintendo Switch.[26]
Critics lauded the updated presentation for the Pixel Remasters, particularly the rearranged soundtracks.
The lack of content available in prior versions was criticized. Criticism was also pointed at the original English language font.
Following the success of the Pixel Remaster series, Square Enix has considered potential re-releases of other legacy games.[27][28]
Sales
The series has sold over three million units worldwide as of September 2023.[2]
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