Video game director Yasumi Matsuno has taken to Twitter to tease a sequel to Vagrant Story, his cult-favorite PlayStation RPG. Released in 2000, Vagrant Story didn't have the same fanfare or brand recognition as Final Fantasy or Chrono Cross, but it nonetheless became a classic JRPG due to its unique setting and risk-taking gameplay. While the game never received a direct sequel, its legacy lived on in titles like Final Fantasy XII, which was not only from the same director but also featured some sly references to Vagrant Story, suggesting that the games existed in something of a shared universe alongside Matsuno's earlier Squaresoft (later Square Enix) title, Final Fantasy Tactics.
Rather than the typical layout of towns and dungeons connected by an overworld map which defined the JRPG genre at the time, Vagrant Story features no shops, instead relying on weapon crafting and upgrades, as well as a complete lack of NPCs in regular gameplay. This type of outside-the-box thinking has endeared the game to fans for decades, and the Vagrant Story community has long clamored for a true sequel to the game, which still feels unique among its peers even 20 years later.
One person stoking the flames of the fandom is Vagrant Story's director Yasumi Matsuno, who is still at Square Enix and is currently working on Final Fantasy XIV. He's also directing the long-delayed Unsung Story, a partially-crowdfunded RPG heavily inspired by Vagrant Story. On Twitter, he's released a couple of cryptic messages revealing that a Vagrant Story 2 had been in early development at one time, as well as an intriguing tease of a future title in the Vagrant saga. Check out his comments below:
One of Matsuno's Tweets establishes that parts of Final Fantasy XIV, particularly the theme of how mental blocks are erected to protect victims from deep trauma, were taken from his early plans for a sequel to Vagrant Story. When asked outright about the possibility of a sequel to Vagrant Story coming soon, he answered with the possibly sincere, possibly tongue-in-cheek response of, "But just you wait, just you wait!"
Square Enix has been on something of a retro kick as of late. Games like Octopath Traveler and Bravely Default 2 specifically cater to fans of old-school RPGs, and Square Enix recently ported all three original PlayStation Final Fantasy titles to the Nintendo Switch. Maybe Matsuno's tease is related to Unsung Story, or maybe he's genuinely working to get Vagrant Story 2 off the ground. Either way, Vagrant Story remains a singular work within Square Enix's sprawling pantheon of classics, and getting some sort of direct follow-up after 20 years would be an absolute treat for the game's passionate and dedicated fanbase.
Source: Yasumi Matsuno/Twitter