Square Enix, or Squaresoft in the early years, used to be joined to the hip with Nintendo. All of their major titles were exclusives including most of theDragon QuestandFinal Fantasygames. Their bond was so tight that Nintendo even gave them the keys to the castle i.e. their biggest icon, Mario.
Super Mario RPG: Legend of the Seven Starswas a miracle but shortly after that, Squaresoft left Nintendo’s good graces to form a new partnership with Sony and the PlayStation brand. Bad blood aside, Square Enix and Nintendo are now good which led to this remake. So, it begs the question of what their collaboration will lead to next. Will it beSuper Mario RPG 2, or can Square Enix turn another beloved Nintendo franchise into an RPG?
Animal Crossingmaysound bizarre but it could play to a lot of Square Enix’s strengths. Adding fighting to the series couldn’t hurt as a spinoff and it could even add more players to get involved more so thanAnimal Crossing: New Horizons. For example, what if objects were anthropomorphized?
Cutting down trees or smashing rocks could turn into battles against these sentient beings either action-based or turn-based. Defeating enemies would net players with materials they could then use for building a new town. Then, on the journey, players could recruit villagers and assign them tasks around town. It could be a bit likeSuikodenmeetsEarthBound.
Of the many franchises under Nintendo’s belt, it seems like someone at Square Enix in the 90s likedMetroid.Samus, in her full Varia Suit, appeared twice inSuper Mario RPG. She was a toy in Booster’s Tower and she could be found sleeping in the Mushroom Kingdom’s castle.
Now,Super MetroidandCastlevania: Symphony of the Nightcan be thanked for creating the Metroidvania genre. As much as that is true, there has never been aMetroidgame with leveling up mechanics. Could Square Enix be the one to create the first Metroid-based RPG in the style ofCastlevania: Symphony of the Night? Who then would create the shooter version for theCastlevaniaseries? Once these games are made, the prophecy will come true.
Punch-Outhasalways just been a fighting game crossed with a puzzle game. They are fun to play through but relatively short and a bit of the same which is why maybe the series burger itself out. What if a sequel turned things around by aging Little Mac up?
He could be an older boxer going on hard times who can’t box anymore. Players could try to train him back up to snuff by engaging in street brawls sort of like Square Enix’s game,The Bouncer. Even without the age and hardship idea, the brawler angle is a solid one forPunch-Outto try.
Star Foxis in a weird place right now as a franchise with Nintendo, so it would behoove them to take any pitches. Square Enix has some space RPGs under their belt such asStar Ocean. A newStar Foxgame from them could be a cross betweenMass EffectandStar Ocean.
Plus, this series has gone into the action-adventure mode before viaStar Fox Adventures. That was on the GameCube decades ago, so it’s about time Star Fox and his crew got onto their robot legs for some good old-fashioned on-the-ground butt-kicking again. A Pikmin spinoff would also work as a space exploration action RPG although Nintendo fans would presumably be more on board for aStar FoxRPG given the franchise’s past.
Super Smash Bros.has always existed as a fighting game, just like Punch-Out. It is an amazing one at that, which helps promote both first-party and third-party franchises. It could be so much more though and there was a glimpse of that inSuper Smash Bros. Brawl’sstory mode.
What if Square Enix took things to the next level and gave fans what they have wanted for decades? A crossover RPG to end all crossover RPGs and that includesKingdom Hearts. Imagine the hype fans would generate if the Switch 2 launched with an RPG spinoff ofSuper Smash Bros.wherein Geno, Waluigi, Sora, Cloud, and so many others fought alongside each other. The Internet would explode.
Besides Metroid, the team behindSuper Mario RPGon SNES seemingly also likedThe Legend of Zelda. There was one Easter Egg in the game wherein players could wake up next to Link in Rose Town’s Inn. Now,The Legend of Zeldahas skirted the RPG territory line for years. Technically all of the main games are action-adventures but there are RPG elements such as gaining upgrades like with health via Heart Containers.
Back in the 90s, there weren’t many characters for Squaresoft to pull from to make a zany RPG based on Link’s adventures. That has changed and of all these game ideas, this is the one that Square Enix should stylize exactly likeSuper Mario RPG. Have Link meet up with classic characters in Hyrule to go on a turn-based quest to save the day. If theythrew in Zeldaand Ganondorf as playable characters then they could almost guarantee a Game of the Year nomination or two.
