The award-winning KooZac game, which has racked up 15 million plays online and picked up a Channel 4 “Best International Interactive Viral” award, is coming to iOS and Android according to a recent statement from Square Enix. A cross between Tetris and Sudoku, KooZac is a puzzle game that has players position falling blocks on top of each other to hit the target number and complete the set amount of combinations to finish each level.
The mobile version will include new ways to play, including Puzzle, which brings the player through 60 levels of destroying silver blocks and cleaning the board by completing the targets, Endless for no level and no stage parameters and the ability to compete against the world as well as Blitz for completing targets and using boosts to achieve even higher scores within one minute. The game’s creator Ben Cusack was hired by Square Enix to head up its expanding mobile division.
Square Enix sure knows how to keep iOS device owning RPG fans happy. Whether it’s by releasing new games like Chaos Rings or resurrecting old classics like Final Fantasy 1, 2 and 3, JRPG fans are guaranteed a good time.
Why am I explaining all this? Because Square Enix has just announced that one of the greatest RPGs of all time, Chrono Trigger, is heading to the iPhone and iPod Touch sometime before the end of the year!
For the uninformed, Chrono Trigger was a fantastic collaborative effort by the creator of Final Fantasy, Hironobu Sakaguchi, and creator of Dragon Quest, Yuji Horii. Originally released on the SNES, it’s a lengthy tale of time travel to all sorts of places from the Middle Ages to a post-apocalyptic future and boasts 15 different endings.
No price details or exact release date have been announced just yet but we have got some pretty screenshots to stare at in preparation.
For now, be very excited by the forthcoming release of Chrono Trigger. It’s a true classic of the genre.
Posted July 29th, 2011 by Rob Rich Our Rating: :: TOTALLY RAD
Groove Coaster may follow a formula of progression similar to Space Invaders-Infinity Gene, but it's a completely different beast. This time, it's all about the music.
A new hybrid form of game and comic is set to be released by Square Enix for iOS devices.
Known as Imaginary Range, the app sets out to allow players to flick through comic pages while also playing through a variety of different game sequences. Games look to be mostly mini-game in nature within a full-color comic book and similarly detailed plot.
The project has been overseen by Motomu Toriyama, director of Final Fantasy XIII, with novelist Souki Tsukishima handling the storyline, and Final Fantasy Crystal Chronicles series artist Toshiyuki Itahana in charge of the artwork. With pedigree that strong Imaginary Range is looking rather interesting indeed.
The comic/game is set in France during an attack by an evil creature known only as Omega and it’s down to Cid (yes, Final Fantasy fans, another character called Cid) and Ciela to stop this menance.
Once you complete the story, you can then unlock further comic commentary as well as the ability to play the game separately from the comicbook. If gameplay is anything like the visuals then Imaginary Range could well be something special.
Even better, it’s free to download and an universal app so iPad and iPhone/iPod Touch fans alike can enjoy it.
Square Enix certainly cannot be accused of ignoring the mobile gaming market. Even since the early days of the App Store, they’ve released titles from other mobile phone ports like Crystal Defenders, to ports of their classic titles like Final Fantasy and Secret of Mana, to even original games like Chaos Rings and Sliding Heroes. We may start to see more of the latter type of game coming soon, as Square Enix has formed a studio built around smartphone development. Entitled Hippos Lab (a name I love, considering I use the nickname wondroushippo around the internet), the studio began operations back on March 7th. While no specific projects or even platforms of development have been announced, as Square Enix has released Crystal Defenders on Android as well, although in all fairness – I don’t think a platform exists that doesn’t have a version of Crystal Defenders on it at this point. But still, Hippos Lab could be an exciting venture if it brings more original content from Square Enix to the App Store or even other platforms.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted December 21st, 2010 by Chris Hall Our Rating: :: ACTION PACKED
It's not a sexed up Tomb Raider game from the 90's, but Lara Croft and the Guardian of Light is a fantastic dual stick shooter that will make any fan happy.
Posted August 16th, 2010 by Brian Hudson Our Rating: :: GRAND ADVENTURE
Chaos Rings is an excellent balance of RPG elements and the pocket device sensibilities. It is a spectacular effort by a major developer to bring console-quality RPG play to the iOS. However, this upscaled effort is not without its blemishes.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted April 20th, 2010 by Ryan Wood Our Rating: :: GAMING GLORY
I do not hesitate to claim that Chaos Rings has the potential to change iDevice gaming as we know it, and for the better. If and when people commit to paying for quality, this game will be that new standard to meet.
Previously, Square Enix has simply ported old games (Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II) or given us smaller, unambitious titles. But back in March, a new iPhone-exclusive game was announced on their Facebook page: Chaos Rings. We’re very interested in this title, because it’ll be Square’s first full-blown attempt at a complete RPG designed exclusively for the iPhone platform. Some details have already been released, but we’ve got some new info, too.
So what do we know so far? Chaos Rings’ plot will revolve around a battle tournament in which five teams of two fight to the death for the ultimate prize: eternal life. Each group features a separate storyline, with all five tying together at the end. As for the technical quality of the game, it’s actually pretty impressive—don’t judge this by the screenshots, look at the trailer! The 3D graphics are shockingly good. Not console-quality good, but definitely a step up from most iPhone games.
As for the battle system, it relies on strategically balancing your partners. There are “Solo” and “Pair” attack options; attacking in a pair might do more damage, but it also places both of your characters at risk. Following the tournament-based premise, teamwork is crucial. You’ll also have access to “Genes,” which provide special skills and magical powers. One weird detail posted with the new information is the differences between male and female characters. Each team is a man/woman pair, with the male characters being stronger and the female characters being fast but more fragile. Was sexism really necessary?
That caveat aside, Chaos Rings looks very interesting. It’ll be the first “real” JRPG for the iPhone, after all, complete with turn-based battles and 3D graphics. We expect only the best from Square Enix. Chaos Rings’ release date is unknown, but the developer claims that things are moving ahead of schedule. In the meantime, check out the new screenshots!
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted March 12th, 2010 by Bonnie Eisenman Our Rating: :: HARDCORE RTS
Hills and Rivers Remain is a strangely named real-time strategy game with a high price tag and relative brevity. Despite this, it delivers a solid RTS experience that should provide hardcore genre fans with a much-appreciated challenge.
iPhone App - Designed for the iPhone, compatible with the iPad
Posted February 25th, 2010 by Bonnie Eisenman Our Rating: :: BLAST FROM THE PAST...PART II
The second Final Fantasy game brings more old-school goodness with it. While I recommend starting with the first title, this one is still a solid port of a classic game.
A few weeks/months back, Square-Enix announced that Final Fantasy 1 & 2 would be coming to the iPhone. Being a Final Fantasy fan, I got all excited, but knew that I would explode unless I pushed such news out of my head. After checking out Square’s Facebook page this morning though, my excitement was renewed because of two new screenshots.
The hype machine started churning back in January when Square Enix announced iPhone ports of Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II. The announcement was an exciting one, certainly; it’s hard to get more classic than the original FF titles! Back then, we only had a few screenshots to salivate over, but now we have quite a few additional screenshots, a trailer…and a promise that they’re “coming soon.” Now you can feast your eyes on the live gameplay shown in the trailer while we wait anxiously for the actual games to hit the App Store. (Chocobos anyone?) Rest assured, we’ll be following these two titles closely.
There are few games that can match the Final Fantasy series for sheer longevity. The original Final Fantasy was released back in 1987, and more than twenty years later, it’s impossible to ignore the series’ impact upon role-playing games. While the series has moved far beyond the scope of the original release, spawning countless spinoffs and sequels, the first two games are where it all began—and these are the ones that Square Enix has announced for an iPhone release. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen some old games ported to the App Store, but it’s definitely an exciting announcement.
We don’t yet know when the titles will be released to the App Store. An announcement along with some screenshots was posted to the Square Enix Facebook page last night, leaving the release date a tantalizing “TBA.” The games appear to be similar to the PSP ports.
Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II promise some classic goodness for old-school gamers, and we’re already itching to get our hands on them. Hopefully, “TBA” means “sometime really, really soon.”
The award-winning KooZac game, which has racked up 15 million plays online and picked up a Channel 4 “Best International Interactive Viral” award, is coming to iOS and Android according to a recent statement from Square Enix. A cross between Tetris and Sudoku, KooZac is a puzzle game that has players position falling blocks on top of each other to hit the target number and complete the set amount of combinations to finish each level.
Square Enix sure knows how to keep iOS device owning RPG fans happy. Whether it’s by releasing new games like 
Known as Imaginary Range, the app sets out to allow players to flick through comic pages while also playing through a variety of different game sequences. Games look to be mostly mini-game in nature within a full-color comic book and similarly detailed plot.
Previously, Square Enix has simply ported old games (Final Fantasy and Final Fantasy II) or given us smaller, unambitious titles. But back in March, a new iPhone-exclusive game was announced on their Facebook page: Chaos Rings. We’re very interested in this title, because it’ll be Square’s first full-blown attempt at a complete RPG designed exclusively for the iPhone platform. Some details have already been released, but we’ve got some new info, too.
There are few games that can match the Final Fantasy series for sheer longevity. The original Final Fantasy was released back in 1987, and more than twenty years later, it’s impossible to ignore the series’ impact upon role-playing games. While the series has moved far beyond the scope of the original release, spawning countless spinoffs and sequels, the first two games are where it all began—and these are the ones that Square Enix has announced for an iPhone release. This isn’t the first time we’ve seen some old games ported to the App Store, but it’s definitely an exciting announcement.
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