Square Enix Montréal announced yesterday that they have released the ‘Mirror of Spirits’ story chapter for their Lara Croft GO title on iOS, Android, and Windows stores. Developed in collaboration with Montréal indie studio, KO_OP, ‘Mirror of Spirits’ includes a whole new set of puzzles and mechanics in a setting strongly inspired by Croft Manor.
In Lara Croft GO, Lara uses her wits and weapons to delve into dangerous chasms filled with mystery, artifacts, and peril. Experience an ambient, mesmerizing soundtrack, stunning art style, and didactic turn-based puzzle-solving that made the game a critical and commercial success on mobile, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and PC platforms.
Square Enix’s Final Fantasy VII remake for current generation consoles might seem like vaporware given the fact that it has almost been two years since the initial reveal trailers’ debut but two brand new screenshots have surfaced showing the game’s first boss, Guard Scorpion.
These screenshots come our way from the twitter of French gaming outlet The Share Players. Not only does one screenshot showcase the Guard Scorpion but another shows Cloud taking cover behind some crates. Cue the 30 minutes long YouTube analysis about the grainy screenshot’s HUD and other minor details.
These two screens were taken by folks attending the Magic Monaco 2017 convention.
Last month at the Final Fantasy 30th anniversary celebration Square did release a piece of Key Art for FF7 which you can check out below:
Square Enix announced today during the Final Fantasy 30th Anniversary Opening Ceremony event in Tokyo that Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age will be released on July 11th. The game will be released for PlayStation 4.
Accompanied with the announcement was a brand-new piece of key art from famed character designer and artist Akihiko Yoshida.
Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age features the world of Ivalice like never before with enhanced high-definition graphics and for the first time ever, western audiences will be able to experience the Zodiac Job System, a 12-job character progression system first introduced in the Japan-only release, Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age International Zodiac System.
The title will also feature a remastered soundtrack, 7.1-surround sound, an auto-save feature, faster loading times, a new Trial Mode and more.
Check out the trailer for the game from the Tokyo Game Show
Square Enix confirmed today that Nintendo Switch players will soon enjoy the unforgettable and heartfelt story of I AM SETSUNA, the debut title from Tokyo RPG Factory, Square Enix’s newest studio. The game will be available as a digital day one launch title, and will include exclusive new features such as the “Temporal Battle Arena,” where players can enjoy thrilling battles against other players’ parties.
The game was originally released for PlayStation 4 and PC in July 2016.
I AM SETSUNA follows the story of Setsuna, a young woman of incredible power and inner strength, and the sacrifice she must undertake to save the people of her land as she leaves her hometown. Featuring simple turn-based controls and unique gameplay mechanics inspired by the golden age of JRPGs, I AM SETSUNA merges nostalgic elements with modern current-gen technology.
Colosseum Mode is planned to be available as a future DLC where players can take on the parties which other players have developed.
I AM SETSUNA will be released on the Nintendo Switch on March 3rd.
Fans who had expected to play the Final Fantasy VII remake this year for the game’s 20th anniversary might be a little disappointed with the news that the game has yet to enter full production at Square Enix.
Speaking with Japanese gaming publication Famitsu director and long time Final Fantasy character director Tetsuya Nomura stated that while progress is being made on the title (and Kingdom Hearts III) the development of the FF7 remake is different from other titles the company has worked on in the past.
Square Enix has never directly provided a release date for the Final Fantasy VII remake which will be released episodically. Many fans simply assumed that when the game was announced back at E3 2015 that we would see at least episode one by the games 20th anniversary. The most recent Final Fantasy title, Final Fantasy XV began life as a pet project of Nomura’s Final Fantasy Versus XIII where it languished in development for over a decade before finally seeing release under the direction of Hajime Tabata from September 2014 forward.
Here is a translated quote from the recent interview:
“We’re making steady progress on its production. While we are indeed working on it, I think we’ll have you guys wait a little longer for both Kingdom Hearts III and Final Fantasy VII Remake.”
Fans of Square Enix’s decade in the making Final Fantasy XV get to enjoy a holiday treat with a pair of DLC add-ons the company announced. A free Holiday Pack will be available for everyone and includes a special Warrior’s Fanfare, a band which stops the party from earning experience, admission to a special holiday carnival and a special Chocobo themed t-shirt. Owners of the Final Fantasy XV Season Pass are able to snag their own unique fanfare, an item which grants Noctis unlimited sprint, another accessory which increased the rate of loot dropped by enemies among other goodies.
Here is how Square described each item in the free Holiday Pack:
Warrior’s Fanfare – A scroll of sheet music containing a song of jubilation that provides additional AP for earning an A+ in Offense outside of training. Nixperience Band – A device that stops experience points from being tallied, preventing the party from leveling up for an added challenge. Carnival Passport – Adorably adorned ticket that whisks the bearer away to a fun-filled carnival for a limited time. Choco-Mog Tee (available late January) – An exclusive T-shirt featuring everyone’s favorite fluffy and feathery friends. Colorful, comfy and appropriate for any carnival-goer.
Those with the season’s pass will be receiving all of this:
Ring of Resistance – A protective piece of jewelry that renders the entire party to be resistant to magical friendly fire. Tech Turbocharger – A device for Noctis that accelerates the tech bar replenishment rate, but freezes the Armiger bar. Armiger Accelerator – A device for Noctis that accelerates the Armiger bar replenishment rate, but freezes the tech bar. Blitzer’s Fanfare – A scroll of sheet music containing a song of jubilation that provides additional AP for earning an A+ in Time outside of training. Tactician’s Fanfare – A scroll of sheet music containing a song of jubilation that provides additional AP for earning an A+ in Finesse outside of training. Key of Prosperity – A lucky charm that increases the rate at which fallen foes leave behind items of value. Stamina Badge – A device that enables Noctis to sprint and hang without expending stamina. Carnival Passport – An adorably adorned ticket that whisks the bearer away to a fun-filled carnival for a limited time. Festive Ensemble (available late January) – A fancy and fun outfit perfectly suited for enjoying the festivities. The darling design puts all who see it in high spirits. Holiday Pack + Exclusive Photo Frames (available late January) – Additional themes the player can add to Prompto’s photos when sharing over social media.
This latest update to Final Fantasy XV also adds the addition of New Game Plus which allows players to restart their journey over but with all of their other gameplay data intact!
Lara Croft GO has been released today for PlayStation 4, PS Vita, and Steam.
Originally released as a mobile title last summer, Lara Croft GO is a turn based puzzle-adventure set in a long-forgotten world. You’ll explore the ruins of an ancient civilization, discover well-kept secrets and face deadly challenges as you uncover the myth of the Queen of Venom.
Following the award-winning Hitman GO, the game was devloped by Square Enix Montréal in collaboration with Montréal indie studio, KO_OP.
Square Enix’s decade-in-development RPG Final Fantasy XV is now playable for those who have pre-loaded the titled on PlayStation 4 through the PlayStation Store. Like many other Final Fantasy fans I decided to go all digital with this latest title due to the fact that it would unlock at 10 PM EST and allow me to play several hours ahead of the release locally – plus I wouldn’t have to leave the house, which is a huge plus.
During the download of FFXV the PlayStation download manager will tell users that approximately 8GB of the game are required before the game is “ready to start”. I naively assumed that this “ready to start” download would allow me to play at least the first chapter of the game but just like last year’s Star Wars: Battlefront FFXV’s partial download is nothing more than an endless gauntlet against waves of enemies. If you have slower internet like I do you could be facing the prospect of fighting an endless horde of goblins for hours with little variation in content to keep you entertained.
So what’s the big issue? Well, when Sony announced the PlayStation 4 they positioned the “Ready To Start” as enabling the player to begin their gaming experience while waiting for the complete game to finish installing. Unfortunately in practise in many cases this mean’s the players either face endless hordes of enemies or other smaller slices of game-play that do not add to the overall experience with the completed game. Earlier in the system’s life-span launch games like Need For Speed: Rivals allowed players to start the campaign, as did Assassin’s Creed IV: Black Flag. It is inexcusable that FFXV’s mandatory partial download does not contain any substantial content. If Sony is going to mandate that developers put in small slices of playable content while downloads finish they should take steps to ensure that they are entertaining.
I think Jim Sterling did a lot better in his lengthy video on the particular issues with the “Ready To Start” feature than I can in one news article:
Final Fantasy XV is now available for digital pre-load on PlayStation 4 and will be available at retail locations tomorrow for both PS4 and Xbox One.
Square Enix announced today that they are shutting down their mobile game Guardian Cross. Square stated the shut down was due to the difficulty in offering satisfactory to all the players.
Guardian Cross, which was released on September 13th, 2012 will end services as of January 10th, 2017. Square dropped Android support from the game back in March.
The announcement comes on the heels of the release of Square Enix’s latest mobile game Guardian Codex, a brand-new title appears from the creators of Guardian Cross.
Sales within the game will cease on December 4th, 2016 at 10:00 p.m. (EST) with end end of the game slated for January 10th, 2017 10:00 p.m. (EST).
Square Enix will be bringing the previously PlayStation 3 exclusive Kingdom Hearts 1.5Remix and Kingdom Hearts 2.5 Remix as a single disc collection to the PlayStation 4 next Spring. These upscaled versions of KH will run at a higher consistent frame-rate at full HD 1080p – so if you missed out on the PS3 versions than this would be the definitive version of the Kingdom Hearts experience.
Here is everything that will be included in the new collection that will release on March 28th 2017:
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 1.5 ReMIX
KINGDOM HEARTS FINAL MIX
KINGDOM HEARTS Re:Chain of Memories
KINGDOM HEARTS 358/2 Days (HD remastered cinematics)
KINGDOM HEARTS HD 2.5 ReMIX
KINGDOM HEARTS II FINAL MIX
KINGDOM HEARTS Birth by Sleep FINAL MIX
KINGDOM HEARTS Re:coded
Square Enix also released a series of screenshots showcasing what Kingdom Hearts 1.5 + 2.5 HD looks like on PlayStation 4:
This post contains materials provided by Square Enix USA PR.
Square Enix has released a limited demo version of their upcoming fan service filled spin-off World of Final Fantasy across all major PlayStation Store regions. Unfortunately for handheld owners in North America the PS Vita demo version is not a random encounter on the PlayStation Store despite an English localization of the handheld demo being available in European countries.
World of Final Fantasy is the latest spin-off for Square’s long running RPG franchise and could be considered a “best of” collection, as the game features allusions to prior entries as well as chibi versions of characters from previous titles. In World of Final Fantasy the player guides a pair of siblings as they explore a fairy tale world where “giants” are able to transform from the chibi-style of character to full sized human beings at will. Featuring the classic Active Time Battle system combined with an intriguing “Mirage catching mechanic” not unlike the monster collecting in Nintendo’s Pokemon titles, World of Final Fantasy includes a heavy dose of nostalgia for the well informed and some new toys to play with that may intrigue newcomers.
The demo version is said to be light on plot, as it features the same combat tutorials and single explorable dungeons to the version that we sampled at the September Penny Arcade Expo.
World of Final Fantasy releases next Tuesday October 25th with the “day one” edition including extra DLC – the Japanese voice add-on pack probably being the most noteworthy. It is a bit of bummer that Square Enix chose to forgo releasing the PS Vita demo version in North America considering that the handheld version will be launching here in just a week’s time. Perhaps the best move for players who want a taste now is to create a separate European PSN account in-order to play the localized demo.
The 2016 Tokyo Games Show (TGS) is in full swing and Square Enix has released 4 brand new screens from the upcoming HD remaster of Final Fantasy XII. This small collection of screenshots give us a good representation of some of the improvements that the devs at Square have made to the ten year old PlayStation 2 title. Improved textures, increased geometry, new lighting systems and other improvements seem to await players – of course Vaan’s abs still look they’ve been painted on!
Final Fantasy XII was originally released on March 16th 2006 for the PlayStation 2 in Japan and October 31st 2006 in North America. The PS4 re-master, titled Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age not only includes a number of technical improvements but also a re-recorded soundtrack and the “Zodiac Job System” originally introduced in Final Fantasy XII: International which oddly enough was never released in North America.
Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age will be released sometime in 2017. Click the images below for higher resolutions.
Want to see the rough difference between the original Final Fantasy XII enhanced on a PlayStation 2 emulator and The Zodiac Age? Twitter user Andrea Ritsu thankfully posted some comparison screenshots from the most recent trailer:
Square Enix has announced a new free-to-play RPG for mobile devices. Fans of multiplayer mobile RPGs will soon be able to experience a new and futuristic twist to the genre with Guardian Codex.
Guardian Codex is a new free-to-play RPG for iOS and Android devices featuring a deep story, console-quality 3D graphics, and an engaging multiplayer battle system. The game has been created by the team behind the popular card battle games Guardian Cross and Deadman’s Cross, which have surpassed eight million combined worldwide downloads. Guardian Codex brings players into an exciting new world featuring the familiar “Guardians.”
It’s almost time. Square Enix’s completely remade classic role-playing game Dragon Quest VII: Fragments of the Forgotten Past will be released for the Nintendo 3DS on Sepember 16th.
This renewed classic has been completely remade with many hours of new content. Here’s the plot of the game.
It’s always cool when an in-game minigame makes the leap to full fledged game, and the pinball game within Final Fantasy XV has now debuted for mobile devices.
Justice Monsters Five, the pinball minigame in Final Fantasy XV, is now a full-fledged mobile app. This brand-new style of pinball game combines role-playing elements with some of the franchise’s most iconic monsters.
Players join the Justice Monsters – Bomb Bro, Casanova Coeurl, Fab Flan and Lamiana – in the struggle to save the Nova Galaxy from the diabolical Lord Vexxos. Using simple touch and flick controls, engage in exhilarating battles, unleash special attacks, and recruit and train new monsters to fight for justice and defeat the forces of evil.
