 Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles Remastered brings a beloved, if underappreciated, multiplayer classic to the Nintendo Switch. It is a shame, then, that the implementation leaves so much to be desired. Complaints about the game's awkward multiplayer setup and lack of local co-op are already beginning to circulate. According to Square Enix, for development reasons, it is necessary to select either offline or online, so we selected online multiplayer so that more people can play. Development reasons is a very nebulous explanation, especially for such a core feature of the original game. This is far from an isolated incident. When Final Fantasy IX was re-released on modern consoles last year, it contained bugs that Square Enix had known about for three years, but failed to address before launch. Similarly, when Final Fantasy X and XII were re-released in 2015, bugs were so prevalent that Square Enix had to offer an apology, stating, and rest assured that we are in the process of creating a patch to fix them. Details on timing will come soon. We're sorry about the bugs, but this is your story, and we want you to be happy with it. They can't have been that sorry, because three years later, Square Enix re-released Chrono Trigger in such a shocking state of disrepair that it became something of a joke online. I particularly enjoy indie developer Fred Wood's summary. This looks like someone's first attempt at making an RPG maker game. Time and time again, Square Enix releases ports and remasters of classic games, and seemingly every time something goes horribly wrong. So why can't Square Enix get a Final Fantasy re-release right? Obviously, nobody at Square Enix has ever come out publicly and explained why the company always delivers such lackluster re-releases. As such, it would be wild speculation to try and narrow down exactly what is causing these problems. That said, representatives of the company have spoken candidly about the culture of game preservation within Square Enix, as well as the studio's philosophy for pushing forward to new projects at all costs. For example, it probably hasn't helped the Final Fantasy re-releases that Square Enix has lost the original game assets from earlier titles in the series. Speaking to Game Informer, Square Enix president Josuke Matsuda explained that archiving games is not the company's strong suit. I'm embarrassed to admit it, but in some cases we don't know where the code is anymore. It's very hard to find them sometimes, because back in the day you just made them and put them out there and you were done. You didn't think of how you were going to sell them down the road. Sometimes customers ask, why haven't you released that game yet? And the truth of the matter is it's because we don't know where it has gone. Josuke is not exaggerating. In 1997 Square and Eidos worked together to develop a PC port of Final Fantasy VII. Somehow, when providing Eidos with the source code for the game, Square failed to give them the finished product instead handing over a development build that was filled with bugs that had later been fixed. It then took a lot of effort to get the game properly running on PC, all because Square hadn't properly archived their finished code. Then things actually got worse. According to Keith Boski, who was the CEO of Eidos at the time of the PC port, the funny thing is I got a call a couple years ago from Square because they wanted to re-release the PC version and they asked me if I knew where the Gold Master was. Yeah, they lost it. Now, in fairness to Square Enix, the company is often good at responding to criticism when a game re-release falls flat. The Chrono Trigger PC remaster was heavily reworked after fans complained about its flaws and Square Enix often works to provide bug support for legacy issues. None of this though really explains the issue at hand, why the implementation of Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles re-release is so ill thought out. To that we have no solid explanation. We will note however that in his every public statement on the Square Enix website, Yosuke Matsuda is quick to highlight new emerging technology and less interested in looking at the company's legacy. In one such statement he said, the environment surrounding the entertainment industry is transforming at an incredible pace. Amidst this surge of technological innovation, we endeavor to continuously evolve, working each and every day to create entertainment experiences for a changing world. That is what we strive to continue to do at the Square Enix Group. This is all well and good, but it does sound as if Square Enix is so focused on the future that the company struggles to pay proper attention to preserving its past. That then is the moral of this story. By all means, chase your dreams and continue to move forward. Just try not to lose sight of where you came from along the way.