Square Enix wants to make more ‘HD-2D’ SNES remakes

Square Enix is reportedly considering remaking more classic SNES titles into HD-2D games.

As reported by Famitsu (translated by VGC), during a show on Square Enix’s Japanese YouTube channel, several developers working on Triangle Strategy revealed that the company’s president Yosuke Matsuda wants to remake more SNES games using the HD-2D art style.

“The president ordered us to make more use of HD-2D, so we decided to think about remakes of past titles,” said Triangle Strategy producer Tomoya Asano. “So we lined up possible titles and thought about which could be done in HD-2D, and brought them to the president.”

HD-2D refers to Square Enix’s art style for games such as Triangle Strategy and Octopath Traveller, which both feature HD pixel art and animation, making them reminiscent of the classic titles.

“[The list included] titles released by Square Enix for the Super Famicom – ones which were suitable for HD-2D, ones which were unsuitable for it, and ones which were impossible to play, like mahjong games,” Asano added. “We lined up all of them and made a presentation that Live A Live was the most suitable. The second place was ActRaiser.”

Triangle Strategy, which is set to launch on March 2 for Nintendo Switch, is a tactical role-playing game where the player is required to command a group of warriors after being entangled in a conflict between three nations.

Earlier this month, during the February Nintendo Direct broadcast, Square Enix revealed the Live A Live remake featuring the HD-2D aesthetic, which was initially released in 1994 in Japan.

Elsewhere, during the latest Letter from the Producer live stream, Naoki Yoshida, director and producer on Final Fantasy 14, revealed the in-progress graphical update for the MMO.