Western fans of Square Enix’s most iconic role-playing franchise now have a new smartphone spinoff to try out. Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, a new free-to-play entry exclusive to iOS and Android devices, is now available for download in North America.
Developed by gumi Inc. of Brave Frontier fame, Exvius chronicles the adventures of knights Rain and Lasswell in a quest to save their world from peril. The game’s pixel art style and turn-based battle system are throwbacks to the series’ earlier days, along with the opportunity to recruit numerous iconic Final Fantasy heroes for use in battle. This is where micro-transactions will come into play, as Lapis, the primary currency used to purchase random heroes and refill energy timers, will mostly require real-life purchases.
Battles follow a template similar to Super Nintendo-era Final Fantasy games, with traditional attacks and special abilities activated via touch controls, though characters will also have Limit Breaks a la Final Fantasy VII. Outside of fighting and exploring, every character unit can be customized and levleled up to create the strongest fighters possible. Other features include daily quests, Facebook integration, and refinements based on feedback from Japanese players.
We’ll have a full review for Final Fantasy Brave Exvius up soon, but in the meantime, take a look at the game’s launch trailer above and let us know what you think.
