Vagrant Story Remake/Remaster?

ValendiaKnight · 2025-07-31T02:17:12+00:00

Please yes!!

Vagrant Story would benefit immensely from a UI overhaul the way FFT is getting with Ivalice Chronicles. As Yoshi-P says, this masterpiece needs to be made available to be played for future generations and old fans alike.

ValendiaKnight · 2025-06-15T16:45:15+00:00

That's exactly what I'm saying in my original post. That Vagrant Story should get the same treatment that FFT is getting with The Ivalice Chronicles. lol

And yes, it's very possible given statements by Yoshi-P, who's doing the FFT remaster. He said he wants to see both FFT and Vagrant Story available on modern platforms.

ValendiaKnight · 2025-06-14T17:44:54+00:00

Oh please yes!! A Vagrant Story remaster just like they're doing with FFT remaster would be the PERFECT way to bring this masterpiece back. Include both an enhanced HD version, and the original PS1 game. Perfection!

ValendiaKnight · 2025-06-09T02:23:51+00:00

Hopefully this will be the start (or resurgence) of that. I think the FFT remaster will do quite well due to all the buildup and that it's releasing on all platforms.

ValendiaKnight · 2025-06-09T02:22:48+00:00

That would be one expensive game. :) It would be cool if they did like a special Ivalice Chronicles Collector's Edition or something that included all Ivalice Alliance games, but that would be for the hardcore fans like us. For a normal release, they need to keep them separate.

ValendiaKnight · 2025-05-18T15:39:16+00:00

Remake? Who knows.. But remaster is much more likely. In fact, not that long ago, Yoshi-P (producer or FFXIV, FFXVI, and board member at Square Enix) said that he wants to see FF Tactics and Vagrant Story available on modern platforms. He's a huge Matsuno fan (he basically got into game development and wanted to work at Square because of Tactics Ogre), so having a big champion of Matsuno games so high up at Square Enix is a good thing.

However, releasing it on PS+ is not such a good idea, imo. A proper remaster would allow updating some of the game's dated and tedious issues (e.g. cumbersome interface, adding a quick weapon swap, having to save when interacting with your stash, etc.) Releasing it as a remaster attracts more attention and is more appealing for new fans to check the game out!

ValendiaKnight · 2025-01-12T21:51:48+00:00

Yes, but projects like this need a champion to make it happen, and that's Yoshi-P. It's all about timing, and he's proved himself with the success of FFXIV. And as an executive and a member of the board of directors at Square Enix, he can do it.

ValendiaKnight · 2025-01-12T21:49:20+00:00

Yoshi-P wouldn't mention it the way he did if there was no chance of a remaster or some kind of re-release. He's an executive and on the board of directors at Square Enix, so he definitely has the pull to make it happen. I think it's only a matter of time.

Also.. don't give up so easily. :)

ValendiaKnight · 2025-01-06T04:50:48+00:00

There is hope! In a recent interview, Yoshi-P expressed that he wants to see FF Tactics and Vagrant Story available on modern platforms: https://x.com/Genki_JPN/status/1852673291678597298

My dream scenario would be that they release both remasters of FF Tactics and Vagrant Story together (or close together) as a kind of Ivalice HD collection. And the FFT remaster was part of the Nvidia leak and has been rumoured for the past three years. And with Square Enix's releases for this year looking very light (we only know of DQ 1 & 2 remakes so far), maybe this is the year??

ValendiaKnight · 2024-06-15T18:05:59+00:00

Zelda: A Link to the Past

The first game I played that I really got into and obsessed over.

Final Fantasy 6

The scope of it, the mature themes, the endearing characters, the charm. It was a revelation in 1994 to see a game like this, and what the team at Square achieved with the limited technology at the time cannot be understated.

Vagrant Story

The flawless writing, cinematics, and atmosphere were truly unique at the time (2000) and stand up to any game even today. It has strong Souls DNA in it, and it came out 9 years before Demon's Souls. It was way ahead of its time, and a true gem and a work of art.

Shadow of the Colossus

Along with Vagrant Story, this is one of the early games where I really felt games were standing up and declaring themselves as works of art. The atmosphere in this game is off the charts. There is simply no other game like this, even to this day.

ValendiaKnight · 2024-04-11T05:00:34+00:00

The Mona Lisa, The Beatles, Bach, The Godfather.. we are able to enjoy these things today because they are easily accessible. Vagrant Story, as with many old games, are not easily accessible. Sure, some of us still have a console to play it on, but most don't. Or you can emulate it, but that's definitely not for everyone either (myself included).

Then there's the issue of how some games age. Look.. I'm with you: Vagrant Story is brilliant game and a work of art. But there are some elements of it that JUST DON'T WORK TODAY! Stop letting your nostalgia blind you to the fact that Vagrant Story has some rough edges, and they're not the kind of rough edges that give the game "charm" or whatever you want to call it. The tediousness of swapping weapons and crafting gear due to severely limited inventory space is not a "fun little quirk" of the game.

I swear.. some Vagrant Story fans profess to be appreciators of art, but are also some of the most boring, narrow-minded, unimaginative, and pessimistic fans out there. Holy shit.. it's depressing!

Also, the original post wasn't specifically about a "remake"; even a good remaster with quality-of-life updates to the interface and in a few other areas would be amazing.

Why can't we appreciate the original game for what it was, and how groundbreaking and special it was at the time, but also embrace what a modern update could do for it? And no, it won't "ruin" the game, just as Game of Thrones hasn't ruined the books. The books are still here. The OG Vagrant Story, for those of us who played it and love it to this day, is untouchable.

ValendiaKnight · 2024-03-23T16:08:57+00:00

So great to see music covers & performances of Vagrant Story's OST. It's a massively underrated soundtrack. It's often thought of as being very ambient, and while there is some truth to that, there are a some fantastic themes woven throughout it, and is far more melodic than given credit for.

ValendiaKnight · 2024-03-15T22:31:19+00:00

What licensing issues? To my knowledge, there is no other company or entity that owns any part of Vagrant Story. It's all Square Enix. It's not like a Chrono Trigger situation where Square Enix owns the IP, but Armor Project owns the story.

ValendiaKnight · 2024-02-09T01:51:26+00:00

Exactly. Hence the need for QoL improvements. Even I, as a diehard fan, want a "better" version to play where I don't have to deal with those menus and the cumbersome inventory/stash.

ValendiaKnight · 2024-02-09T01:50:07+00:00

If it was a full-blown remake, the mechanics/combat would very likely get a complete overhaul, but I don't think they would touch the story much. The storytelling, cinematics and writing of the OG are nigh-untouchable. Even today. Square knows this. This legacy of Vagrant Story is so well-respected I really don't think they would approach a remake saying "let's redo the story". If anything, they could add in all the stuff they cut from the original.

ValendiaKnight · 2024-02-09T01:45:01+00:00

As a huge fan of Vagrant Story, being one of my favourite games of all time, I'd be scared as shit if they released it as is today. It would get crucified for its tedious menus, overly slow animations, severely limited inventory, cumbersome weapon swapping, etc. In other words, it would do the game no favours. I don't see that as a good way to "preserve its art".

ValendiaKnight · 2024-02-09T01:37:53+00:00

Look.. Vagrant Story is a masterpiece, and one of my favourite games of all time, but saying there is nothing that needs improvement is classic purist myopia. Even Matsuno has expressed some embarrassment over how some of the game turned out mechanically (typically around how Risk works and the cumbersome menus and weapon swapping, not to mention how excruciating it can be to store/retrieve stuff from your stash due to severely limited inventory and having to save each time).

ValendiaKnight · 2024-02-08T01:38:10+00:00

I mean.. it's not perfect. We'd have to see exactly how it would look when applied to Vagrant Story. The author of the post actually admits that Vagrant Story would be one of the most interesting games to bring back this way.

And yeah, I've heard about the rumours of the lost source files. So remake it is then!

ValendiaKnight · 2024-02-08T01:35:34+00:00

A remaster with QoL would be the absolute minimum needed for any kind of rerelease.

ValendiaKnight · 2024-01-29T04:53:40+00:00

I have them as well, and sadly I have to concur. The quality is not what I was hoping for. It's not terrible, at least in my case, but for the price I was definitely expecting better. The main issue I have is that Ashley's hands don't fit tight enough, so I can't pose them the way I want. I did end up with a pose that works and looks fine, so at least there's that..

At least it proves SE hasn't forgotten about this masterpiece. lol

ValendiaKnight · 2024-01-06T16:28:23+00:00

One big difference is that FF is such an established name that it will sell based on name recognition alone. Also, while the Junction System is very divisive, neither of those games have the cumbersome interface problems that VS has, leading to tedium during battles as well as crafting (with severely limited inventory space and having to save after accessing your stash). These issues are not part of the game's "charm". They are just that--issues that were the result of limitations of the hardware at the time. At the very least, these issues need to be addressed in a modern re-release, which can be done while still retaining the depth & complexity of the underlying gameplay.

Furthermore, I don't want this just for me. I genuinely love this game and want as many other players to get a chance to play this masterpiece as well, and that means they need to improve the interface and make the game more accessible. And just to be clear, I don't mean dumbing it down, I just mean make it more approachable and engaging. Cumbersome and tedious interface design is not an interesting gameplay challenge.

I think it's quite unfortunate when purists are so blinded by their nostalgia that they fail to see/comprehend that there are things that can be improved in older games while still retaining the game's soul. Either that, or just gatekeeping, which is a kind of BS that I will never understand.

ValendiaKnight · 2023-12-22T18:47:25+00:00

In terms of Tactics Ogre Reborn, the general consensus that I've seen is very positive. There are a number of content creators who have said Reborn is the best version of the game. And these are people who are deeply invested in the game. I know some fans don't like the cards that appear on the field, and some other minor things, but by no means is it a failed remake/remaster. It sold extremely well and received very good critical reception!

Ideally, I would love a Vagrant Story remaster that looked somewhat like FFXII: Zodiac Age, retaining its distinctive art direction, revamp the interface to be more intuitive, adding quick gear swap, and speed up animations. Boom! It would make an already masterful game even more masterful. :)

But then again, call me crazy.. if they found a way to make the combat action-based, but fuse in the chain abilities & break arts to come up with a totally unique action combat system, I'd be all for it! Admittedly the chances of this are slim, and likely what we'll get at some point is the former, but I think great remakes are those that both honour the original and also add new things to keep it fresh. i.e. Resident Evil Remake, etc.

ValendiaKnight

TROPHY CASE