I love a good platformer as much as I love a good RPG. I recently played through Rayman Origins and I was hooked. It finds a good balance between the precision platforming of the older Mario games and the speed and adrenaline of the classic Sonic titles. The other thing that really grabbed my attention was the fantastic art direction, including extremely detailed hand-drawn 2D character sprites and backgrounds. The game in motion looks unbelievable.
Soon my mind wondered to the times when epic RPGs of the past such as Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy VI and Secret of Mana where all 2D based. You don’t see many games made these days like that on consoles, but after seeing the success of Rayman Origins, wouldn’t it be great to see an original RPG with the same amount of detail and beauty in 2D. It could show off massive environments such as lush jungles, eerie caves, towering mountains or futuristic cities all in glorious high definition 2D art. Character models could be charming, without the need to make them too realistic.
Not only that, but instead of remaking older RPGs with 3D character models, imagine a beautiful remake of Final Fantasy VI featuring the same level of detail as found in Rayman Origins. It could keep the same feel and atmosphere as the Super Nintendo classic while showing off Terra and Kefka in a new light. I could only dream…
The RPG Square 