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!

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.

Unfortunately, the release date is still under wraps by the marketing team, but we will certainly know soon enough. Until then, enjoy the new screens!


Continue reading Final Fantasy Coming Soon… Real Soon »

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.”