Two years after release, the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters on Steam finally achieve feature-parity with the console versions
And they're on sale.
You know how Steam is famously strict about certifying new updates? No? I've just been handed a note, apparently Steam doesn't give a hoot and the only explanation for Square Enix being so tardy with updates for the PC version of the Final Fantasy Pixel Remasters (and the mobile versions too) is that they forgot the rest of us exist.
Well, not any more. A light lit up on a board somewhere in Square Enix headquarters that said "maybe it's time to fix the fonts on PC" and here we are in 2024, finally seeing the first six Final Fantasy games update to version 1.10.
The option to select the original "classic" font rather than the "modern" font is an important upgrade, but so are the assistance features added to the config menu. As the patch notes put it, "They offer options such as applying a x0 to x4 modifier to the amount of EXP, gil or Magic AP obtained or turning enemy encounters off." Movement speed can also be adjusted on the same menu, which "allows you to switch the default movement speed from walking to running."
Other menu options let you choose monsters from the bestiary to fight against, and listen to the original background music rather than the modern arrangements. You can also skip the opening and ending cutscenes, and Final Fantasy 6 has finally restored the credits to that intro cutscene with the walking mechs. Miscellaneous bugs have been fixed, and graphics and sound effects updated.
Of course, this update has also broken all the mods for these games, whether you need the classic text box framework or to restore the tiny pixel buttocks on FF6's sirens. On the Discord server for Final Fantasy modding, Moogles & Mods, a modder has noted that "you'll have to have a little patience before all of your favorite mods work again. Or you can always get your hands dirty and help us update the mods".
For the next couple of weeks the Pixel Remasters are on sale on Steam, with the individual versions discounted by 20% while the bundle of all six is currently 38% off.