"Final Fantasy X" and "X-2" will be the latest games in the long-running "Final Fantasy" series to head to the PC, as the Steam store has confirmed that the remastered HD versions of both games will be available for purchase starting Friday, May 13.
The HD PC ports are based on the international version of "Final Fantasy X" and "X-2," which was exclusive to Japan until a remaster of both games arrived on the PS3 and PS Vita in 2013. The page doesn't tell us much about a price, but it offers quite a bit of information about everything else.
"Characters, monsters, and environments have been fine-tuned to HD detail, providing a richer, deeper Final Fantasy visual experience," the page states.
Those familiar with the existing remasters of the bundle on the PS3, PS4 and PS Vita will know what to expect from the PC ports of the game once it arrives later this weel, and those who aren't will be delighted to know that the international version of both games offers quite a bit of new content when compared to the standard U.S. version.
For example, the international version of "Final Fantasy X" has an adjusted sphere grid that not only adjusts the stat spread for the cast throughout the main portion of the game but also offers more customization options by having everyone start in the middle and more connecting routes to specific sections of the grid. The game also features new post-game bosses like the Dark Aeons (one of which is particularly good for farming sphere levels) and Penance, the game's super-boss.
On the other hand, the international version of "Final Fantasy X-2" reveals the roots of the capturable monsters available in "Final Fantasy XIII-2." Players can capture monsters, customize them and even have them battle in a new battle arena for special rewards. There is also the Last Mission which has the Gullwings explore a massive 80-floor dungeon.
The international version of the games also include a remastered and rearranged soundtrack of the games' background music.
The PC version of "Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster" has new features that set it apart from other iterations of the remaster as well. Notably, they will include an auto save feature and five boosters, including Safe Travel and High Speed Mode. As seen in the remake of "Final Fantasy IX," Safe Travel, or "no encounters mode," disables random battles which effectively makes armor (or weapon from a hidden boss) with the "no encounters" ability useless.
While the game will have enhanced graphics, it is quite lenient in terms of recommended specs, only needing a couple gigs of RAM, a quad-core processor, a Geforce GTX 450 and Windows Vista or later. It will, however, need a fair amount of free hard drive space, demanding at least 37 GB.
Lastly, the HD remasters will support Steam Cloud saves, achievements and trading cards, as well as partial support for game pads.
The PC port of "Final Fantasy X/X-2 HD Remaster" is the latest in a long line of remasters that Square Enix has in store for fans. Just last month the developer and publisher launched an HD remaster of "Final Fantasy IX" for the PC, which is currently being offered for $16.
The return to Spira will hopefully keep fans busy as they wait to dive into Eos on Sept. 30.
