2016 is already a big year for the Final Fantasy series, as the long-awaited fifteenth entry is launching this fall, updates for the online fourteenth entry continue to come out, and many await new info regarding the hotly-anticipated FFVII remake at this year’s E3.
Now, Square Enix has announced another interesting entry in the iconic role-playing franchise, as Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, a smartphone game already out in Japan, has been confirmed for a North American launch on Android and iOS devices sometime this summer.
The game will follow the adventures of Rain and Lasswell, two knights from the kingdom of Grandshelt on their journey to obtain a mythical crystal. While several cutscenes will utilize the high quality pre-rendered CG style Square Enix is known for, both the in-game art and gameplay look to hearken back to the series’ roots on the original Nintendo systems, with a detailed 2D sprite style being used for characters and environments and overhead exploration and turn-based battles.
If the above trailer is any indication, players will be able to recruit many familiar faces from the series’ past in battle, though how that will work remains unknown. Given how Square Enix has confirmed that the game will utilize a free to play model with microtransactions, my guess is that the easiest method for using existing characters like Terra and Zidane will involve shelling out some cash.
Development is primarily being handled by Gumi, best known for the hit mobile RPG Brave Frontier. Square Enix has also opened a website where those interested in the game can register via email, serving as part of a cumulative promotional effort that will unlock in-game bonuses at launch for participants.
Speaking as a Final Fantasy fan whose favorite entry isn’t VII or X, but the classic sixth entry on the Super Nintendo, I’m certainly intrigued by the idea of a new game in the series taking a back-to-basics approach. Whether it’s one that will go over well with English-speaking gamers remains unknown, but the fact that smartphone owners will be getting their own unique RPG in the series is a promising one.
