Square Enix Releasing 2001 PS1 Exclusive on Modern Platforms This Month

Japanese developer and publisher Square Enix and Limited Run Games are re-releasing a 2001 PS1 exclusive on modern platforms — the Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and PS5 — later this month on February 27. Right now, there is no word of a Nintendo Switch 2 nor any Xbox version. That said, when this 2001 action-adventure classic returns, it will be the first time it has ever been ported to a new platform. To this end, it has been locked to the PS1 for over two decades.

More specifically, the aforementioned pair are bringing back Kronos Digital Entertainment and Eidos Interactive’s Fear Effect 2: Retro Helix. The 25-year-old classic is returning with some new improvements and features, but not as a remaster or a remake. This is an enhanced port, but still a port of the original PS1 game. If you have deja vu, it is because the duo stealth-released the first game, Fear Effect, last year.

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A PS1 Action-Adventure Classic

The first Fear Effect game debuted in 2000 on PS1 via the same pair to an 85 on Game Rankings. While the game was not in the conversation for the best game of 2000, it was certainly among the higher-rated games of the year. Consquently, it got a sequel the following year, which earned a similar reception. After this, the series went on ice until 2018, when Fear Effect Senda was released as a direct sequel to the first game. Unfortunately, for developer Sunshee Entertainment and publisher Forever Entertainment, it was one of the worst games of its year, putting the series back on ice.

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What’s New With the Game

As noted, while this is a port, there are some improvements fans of the original will appreciate. To this end, there is new Motion FX 3D technology, eight new environments, and no more load times after deaths.

While this may seem like a random re-release at first, when you consider its predecessor returned last year, it’s less random. More than this, whether it’s via porting, remastering, or remaking, games from yesteryear are in vogue right now. This is especially true of PS1 games. To this end, another Square Enix PS1 game returned just last month.

When Fear Effect 2 re-releases later this month, it is unclear how much it will cost on the PlayStation Store, the Nintendo eShop, and Steam, but it should be in line with the re-release of the first game, which costs $9.99.

All of that said, and as always, feel free to leave a comment or two letting us know what you think, or join the conversation over on the ComicBook Forum.