Summary
Square Enix does not have a lot of fighting games under its belt compared to other Japanese companies within the same tier. Capcom, for example, hasStreet Fighteralong with a lot of crossover fighters that include theMarvel vs Capcomfranchise. Even Bandai Namco has some likeSoulcaliburandTekkenwhich are still big.
Square Enix’s bread and butter instead lies in RPGs. That’s not to say they haven’t made fighting games after the merger or before. They are just few and far between. If anything, they have more versus-type experiences like the newer shooterFoamstars, which has some fighting spirit built into the code. So, let’s take a look atwhat fighting gamesare available and if they are worth caring about now.
6Tobal 2
A Fighting Game Crossed With A Dungeon Crawler
The firstTobaltitle was one of the earliest fighting games on the PS1. It featuredart from Akira Toriyamawho many know as the creator ofDragon Ball. That’s what some fans remember most aboutTobal No. 1but there was another that helped it stand out from its limited competition. It had a dungeon crawler mode that turned it into a brawler.
Tobal 2doubled down on this mode, making it even better. The game overall was an improvement between the fighting mechanics, graphics, and character roster. Sadly, it was never released officially in the West but of the two, this one is worth importing.
5Ehrgeiz
Wrestling With Final Fantasy
Ehrgeizstarted in arcades as a basic mashup between a fighting game and a wrestling game. It was a fine enough combo but what really helped its status grow was when it was ported to the PS1. This version included a big win forFinal Fantasyfans because it had a lot of the characters fromFinal Fantasy 7in it like Cloudand Tifa.
Of those two, Tifa made the most sense since her fighting style was more like a brawler inFinal Fantasy 7. Most original characters inEhrgeizdidn’t have weapons, so it made Cloud stick out like a sore thumb comparatively. Awkward or not, it was cameos like these that stuck with players and they are just the tip of the iceberg. This was around the era when the ultimate cameo-focused fighter debuted,Super Smash Bros., on the N64.
4Rakugaki Showtime
A Dodgeball Infused Fighter
Rakugaki Showtimeis sadly another title that was exclusive for Japan on the PS1. The great thing about it though is that players don’t have to know much Japanese to get around the menus. It was a mashup between a fighting game and a dodgeball game.
Players could choose their fighters and then get warped into matches against small rival teams. The goal was to cause damage using a ball and it was a brawler through and through. What makes it cool to this day is the crayon-inspired art style. There have been manygreat cel-shaded gamesover the years but there has never been anything quite likeRakugaki Showtime.
Dissidia: Final Fantasy NTwas released as a full game but it has since transitioned into a free-to-play model. It was docked in reviews for not having enough content compared to past iterations. A story mode was missing which is why some fans got into the series on PSP.
That’s part of the reason why it received lower review scores, which is unfortunate because the core game is great. It’s different than the previous two games as players could swap between three characters in battle, similar to the aforementionedMarvel Vs Capcomgames. Every character looked great too from heroes likeSquall fromFinal Fantasy 8to villains like Kefka fromFinal Fantasy 6. If it were reviewed again based on the free-to-play model, it could have faired better.
Dissidia: 012 Final Fantasyis the second game in the series but it’s also the first game. It was kind of like a half-step into sequel territory that added new story content and characters likeLightning fromFinal Fantasy 13, as the previous game only featured heroes up toFinal Fantasy 12. New content aside, players could enjoy the original game as well, making the previous iteration unnecessary.
It may seem weird to includeDissidia: 012 Final FantasyandDissidia: Final Fantasy NTon the same list, but the two games couldn’t be any more different. To reiterate,Dissidia: Final Fantasy NTlacked a story whereasDissidia: 012 Final Fantasyhad a huge sprawling narrative and other typical RPG tropes like leveling up and equipment.Dissidia: 012 Final Fantasyis the fighting game for players that like going solo whileDissidia: Final Fantasy NTis the experience multiplayer fans should check out.
As great as theDissidiagames are forFinal Fantasyfans who lovea good crossover, the best fighting game experience Squaresoft ever made wasBushido Blade 2. It was a PS1 game wherein players could choose a variety of characters from samurai to ninja as it was set in feudal Japan. Players could equip their heroes with weapons including swords and spears and then face off in 3D environments.
The game featured one-hit kills, which made matches more pulse-pounding especially between friends sitting on the couch together. There was even a story for all of the characters albeit light ones. It was ahead of its time as there are many clones like it today includingNidhoggandDivekick. Unfortunately, Square Enix has yet to make a third game or re-release both PS1 titles on a modern system.
