Before Square Enix became a unified entity, the former half was known as SquareSoft and had one of the greatest video games of all time. The company was founded in 1986 and managed to bring us all-time great franchises like Final Fantasy and Kingdom Heartsand decades of memories. After nearly two decades in operation, it combined with Dragon Quest steward Enix in 2003.
SquareSoft was not only “Final Fantasy Factory,” however. Its output varied a lot and gave us gems like Brave swordsman Musashi, as well as big-ticket AAA RPGs like Final Fantasy 8often in tandem.
It’s one of the most famous game companies in history, up there with Nintendo and Capcom for a reason, and there’s one particularly incredible game on the PS1 that has been forgotten over time.
Back in 1997, SquareSoft released One handed by director Tatsuo Fujii, and it captured the imagination of shoot ’em up (shmup) fans everywhere. I remember picking it up because of that classic Final Fantasy/Saga-adjacent box art, and love it on its own merits. Often described as a forgotten gem, One handed is extremely eye-catching aesthetically. It has a distinct style, a unique narrative (a parallel to Greek myths) and a great sound direction, including an electronic-heavy score.
Although it had several difficulty levels in tow, the game was not a cakewalk, causing many players to jump off at the intro level, which did not hold back newcomers. Many people got their first taste of the game on a PlayStation Underground disc, back then physical demo discs were common.
As the first game in this genre by SquareSoft, the company asked to get Fujii, who had been working on it Degree series. It also benefited from the development of Final Fantasy VIIas Square better understood the architecture of the system, which allowed it to create more impressive visuals for it One handed.
Unfortunately, One handed is mostly lost to time. It’s stuck on the original PlayStation outside of Japan (where it was also on PSN), with no credible rumors or leaks of a remaster or remake anytime soon. For those who played it, it remains in the hearts of shmup and Square fans everywhere, even influencing some Gummi Ship elements in Kingdom Hearts 3 with the same developers involved in both.
The late 90s was an extremely experimental period for SquareSoft as a whole. With the help of developer DreamFactory, the publisher collaborated leading up to the release Ehrgeizan odd 3D fighter that featured several Final Fantasy VII sign. It was a really wild time for SquareSoft fans as you would get a completely off-the-wall release alongside these AAA RPG masterpieces that became playground legends.
It does not include iconic franchises made during the PlayStation era, such as Parasite Eve and Xenogearswho have fans who hold them in high esteem to this day. For many publishers, even having just one of these hits in their portfolio would be considered a success, but SquareSoft was ahead of the curve.
As the industry has become much more tumultuous and risk-averse, many major publishers have shied away from projects that made their pedigrees so prolific. But Square Enix have consistently delivered those kinds of experiences, whether they’re financial hits or not.
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