Hardest Square Enix RPGs – Investment Policy

Okay, so I’ve been thinking about how Square and Enix both used to make some seriously challenging games. I’m talking about the original Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest on the NES – they’re tough to replay now, honestly. They feel pretty old-school, especially when the newer remakes are so much better! Thankfully, they finally came together as Square Enix back in 2003, and that’s when things really took off.

The merger has brought some difficult game releases, and few are as challenging as “Soulslike” titles – games known for being very demanding. We’ll be looking at games made or co-made by Square Enix, and we’ll focus on how hard they are when played on the standard difficulty setting, if multiple difficulty options are available.

The World Ends With You

A Double Standard

Both Jupiter and Square Enix worked together to create The World Ends With You, and the original version for the DS is known as the most challenging to play. During battles, players customize the main character, Neku, with collectible Pins. These Pins have different abilities that players activate using the DS touchscreen – for instance, tapping or swiping could launch fireballs or perform slashing attacks.

In the game, you control one character with the buttons, and another simultaneously. Managing both at once can be tough – it’s tricky to juggle two things at any time! While The World Ends With You offers some automation features, it remains one of Square Enix’s most challenging titles.

Dragon Quest 11: Echoes Of An Elusive Age

A Classic Grind

The Dragon Quest games are famous for being difficult, and while Dragon Quest 11: Echoes of an Elusive Age improves on some things, it can still require a lot of repetitive effort. Players generally shouldn’t have trouble defeating enemies in battles, whether they’re exploring the world or inside dungeons.

The game gets noticeably harder when you face bosses. While you can revive fallen characters relatively easily at the beginning, taking damage as a team is risky. Success depends on smart strategy and spending time leveling up. Be prepared for a long adventure – completing the game takes between 80 and 100 hours, so patience is key.

Final Fantasy 10-2

A Tough Reformation

While Final Fantasy X wasn’t without its hurdles, it’s generally considered one of the more accessible games in the series, largely due to its party-switching mechanic and Yuna’s powerful Summons. Final Fantasy X-2, however, is noticeably harder. With a small, three-character party, players need to pay close attention to every battle – even seemingly easy ones – because enemies can attack rapidly, especially while you’re navigating menus.

Okay, so like Dragon Quest 11, the real challenge in this game comes down to the boss fights. Thankfully, there’s a good amount of healing magic, and if you do a little bit of leveling up, you can get through most of the game pretty easily. But heads up – the optional dungeons are way harder than everything else. Seriously, some of them are so tough I can see players just skipping them altogether.

Octopath Traveler

Unbalanced Power

Octopath Traveler, created by Acquire and Square Enix, has a distinctive way of playing that unfortunately also creates a problem. The game lets you begin with one of eight characters and then collect the others as you progress. Each character has their own story, which becomes more challenging the further you get. To finish the game, you need to complete the full story for every one of the eight characters.

A key issue in Octopath Traveler is that characters who don’t actively participate in battles don’t earn experience points. For RPG players, leveling up even three or four characters can be a significant task, and trying to level eight is incredibly time-consuming. To complete the game, players really need to level up all their characters and equip them with the best gear. However, even with a well-leveled team, victory isn’t assured, as the bosses have a lot of health and use unfair tactics, like attacking multiple times or inflicting negative status effects.

Front Mission 4

The Luck Of The Draw

Front Mission 4 is a strategy role-playing game where you build and customize giant robots called Wanzers. Like many games of this type, it requires careful planning, patience, and a bit of luck to succeed. You’ll move your units across a grid-based battlefield and attack enemies from a distance or up close.

Players can target an enemy’s body, arms, or legs. Damaging an arm stops them from attacking, hitting the legs slows them down, and destroying the body eliminates them immediately. However, where your shots land is largely based on chance, which can make battles longer if you don’t hit the body. Because enemies often appear in large numbers, precise aiming is crucial, and you’ll likely need to try fights multiple times to succeed.

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13

Time Is Not On Your Side

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII concludes the Final Fantasy XIII story, focusing solely on the character Lightning. Its combat system is exciting and quick-paced, with customizable outfits acting like different character classes. While most fights aren’t overly difficult, the game’s biggest challenge comes from a strict time limit – players must complete objectives before time runs out, similar to the time-based gameplay in The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask.

As a big RPG fan, one of my biggest pet peeves is when a game feels artificially hard just because it’s constantly rushing you. I remember playing Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy 13 and feeling incredibly stressed, not because the battles were skillfully designed, but because the clock was always ticking. It was more frustrating than challenging, and honestly, it almost made me give up on the game, even though it had some really cool ideas going for it. It’s a shame when that happens!

Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song

A Complete Mystery

The SaGa games aren’t always easy to pick up, as they don’t usually include detailed tutorials – you’ll mostly learn through in-game information or the game manual. Romancing SaGa: Minstrel Song is a beautiful remake of the classic SNES game Romancing SaGa, featuring a lovely watercolor art style. Players can choose from eight different characters, and some characters have a tougher time than others.

Games like Hawke and Sif start differently – Hawke begins with a strong pirate crew, making combat easier, while Sif starts solo in a difficult environment where enemies can quickly overwhelm her. Characters improve by repeatedly performing actions, increasing their stats and learning new skills. Players often struggle with the game’s randomness and lack of clear instructions, even beyond the complicated combat, which makes it challenging to learn and enjoy.

The Last Remnant

Randomized Tactics

The Last Remnant features a unique battle system that blends turn-based strategy with real-time tactics. Players build groups of characters outside of combat, but during battles, they have limited control over what those groups actually do, mostly just choosing a target and attack type.

Within enemy groups, characters behave unpredictably, and they improve based on their actions – or what happens to them, much like the SaGa series. This randomness can make it hard to control your team, and losing feels especially unfair. The original Xbox 360 version is notoriously difficult, while the updated version is a little easier, with smarter enemy behavior and faster leveling. Plus, the updated version runs much more smoothly, as the original game had noticeable slowdowns.

Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together

Ready, Aim, Miss

Originally released for the SNES in 1995, Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together is a classic RPG. This PSP version, like later updates, allows players to customize their team by equipping characters with different weapons and classes, letting them build a well-rounded party.

Battles in Tactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Together are especially challenging not just because enemies are numerous and tough, but because of the game’s accuracy system. Unlike many similar RPGs, even attacks that should hit often miss. This can be a big problem, as a single missed turn can give enemies the advantage and let them overwhelm your team.

Triangle Strategy

A Brilliant, But Difficult Masterpiece

I’ve been playing Triangle Strategy, and honestly, it’s a fantastic tactical RPG! Artdink and Square Enix really knocked it out of the park with this one. Everything, from the beautiful HD-2D graphics to the impactful story choices, just works. It’s definitely challenging – sometimes you’re seriously outnumbered or enemies are super aggressive – but that’s where smart team building comes in. There’s a great variety of characters, each with unique skills, and figuring out who to bring into battle is key to overcoming those tough spots. It’s a real test for even hardcore tactical RPG fans like me!

Jens can be helpful on maps with verticality if your team has members who can build ladders, letting you move around faster. However, he’s not very strong in combat, so building a team just around his ladder-building ability might not be worthwhile. Figuring out the best team composition is something players will need to consider, and while this offers flexibility, it also means a lot of trial and error to find a group that can successfully complete each map.

2026-01-23 11:37