Square Reveals New Final Fantasy Game for DS

[Keane Ng]

Square Reveals New Final Fantasy Game for DS

The mystery behind Square-Enix's recent teaser campaign has ended as the company announced Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden, an all-new DS title that looks like a throwback to Final Fantasy games of yore.

Square-Enix's teaser campaign for its article [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/92731-Square-Enix-Teases-New-Game] revealing the game that hit newsstands before the teaser countdown finished. Famitsu was the magazine in question this time, and the game isn't a new Romancing SaGa or Secret of Mana, but a new Final Fantasy for the DS.

This isn't another remake, however. Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden (that'll change in localization) uses the same 3D engine as the Final Fantasy remakes on DS have, but it's a new game built from the ground up. You play as a 14-year-old lad who has to rescue a princess, and then eventually has to rescue the world. Haven't heard that one before.

Battles are classic turn-based style, but seem to ditch the typical Final Fantasy "Magic" menu option for a "Charge" command that you apparently use to build Action Points to spend on any of your abilities - attacks, items, etc.

"Magic" isn't the only thing Four Warriors is ditching, however. The game breaks the long-held Final Fantasy tradition of not showing a character's equipment on that character - you can see your weapons and gear in this game, which would suggest to me there's some loot-oriented focus to it.

The other thing that's notable about Four Warriors so far is the visuals. It's pretty clear it's the same 3D engine Square's been using on the DS, but the graphics don't look nearly as technically impressive. This could just be the scans, or an aesthetic choice: shadows and colors are more watercolor-y and character models stylistically simple. Akihiko Yoshida, who worked as art director on FFXII, Tactics and Vagrant Story, will be in charge of the art here, so rest assured it's in good hands (if you like his work, that is).

[Via Game|Life [http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2009/07/final-fantasy-gaiden/]]

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[SharedProphet]

Interesting.

FFCC: Ring of Fates for the DS showed equipment on characters. I'm pretty sure that new FFCC one does, too.

 

[Keane Ng]

Interesting.

FFCC: Ring of Fates for the DS showed equipment on characters. I'm pretty sure that new FFCC one does, too.

Yeah, but those were like action-RPG side-games, this seems kinda like more of a traditional FF with the turn-based battles.

 

[Baldry]

I've always been a fan and this new story sounds exci...wait were have i heard that before...ohh nevermind, it looks ok, and im guessing it will be....HOPEfully.

 

[tendo82]

I wonder if this is a Mystic Quest-like attempt to bring in some younger players to the Final Fantasy franchise.

 

[nova18]

It looks adequate.
I dont know what else to say until I see some gameplay trailers but sadly Ill play anything with the Final Fantasy logo stamped on it.

 

[randommaster]

I might end up being better if they tome down the graphics a bit because you get more stylized characters.

FF games are okay, but I'm not too excited about this one.

 

[Charlie_Brown]

The game breaks the long-held Final Fantasy tradition of not showing a character's equipment on that character - you can see your weapons and gear in this game, which would suggest to me there's some loot-oriented focus to it.

I'm sorry, but what? Feels a bit like your stretching here.

 

[Keane Ng]

The game breaks the long-held Final Fantasy tradition of not showing a character's equipment on that character - you can see your weapons and gear in this game, which would suggest to me there's some loot-oriented focus to it.

I'm sorry, but what? Feels a bit like your stretching here.

Oh, yeah it's a stretch.

But, as an above poster pointed out, the only FF games where you can see your gear have been the Crystal Chronicles games on DS, which are very loot-oriented games where you farm mats to mark new gear and such, so by that standard it could mean that this game will do the same.

My point is why suddenly have characters have visible gear without making that gear important or desirable to look at for some reason.

 

[Tahmoh]

so its called final fantasy side story then outside japan since gaiden roughly translates to side story(or near enough) cant se it keeping that part i bet it ends up as something like Final Fantasy: Warriors of The Light' instead.

 

[the_tramp]

FFVIII and X spring to mind where you could see their different weapons (possibly armour?). I've still got FFXII Reverant Wings to start so I'm not exactly counting down the days for this release.

 

[Erana]

Give it a number or series, please.
We don't need more Final Fantasy games floating around without a box to put it in so the fanboys can compare and contrast it.

 

[yeah_so_no]

The game breaks the long-held Final Fantasy tradition of not showing a character's equipment on that character - you can see your weapons and gear in this game, which would suggest to me there's some loot-oriented focus to it.

I'm sorry, but what? Feels a bit like your stretching here.

Oh, yeah it's a stretch.

But, as an above poster pointed out, the only FF games where you can see your gear have been the Crystal Chronicles games on DS, which are very loot-oriented games where you farm mats to mark new gear and such, so by that standard it could mean that this game will do the same.

My point is why suddenly have characters have visible gear without making that gear important or desirable to look at for some reason.

'Cause it's Japan and they're insane for details like that? I can totally see a "We just thought it would look cool" reasoning, especially since on the scans, they're saying that is "imafuu"--"modern" or "up-to-date."

In FF3 for the DS, their costumes changed depending on what job class you made them (important), and each job class costume was different for each individual character (not important at all, but damned cute, especially since the changes in each costume were based on their original outfits). They like the little touches a lot.

--

It looks a lot like FF3 for the DS, which makes sense, given who is doing the character designs. They're also, on the scans, making a big deal out of how it's pretty much a throwback to the old FF games, just with updated technology (even down to the story, like you said. A princess kidnapped by a witch who needs saving? And the "Can you save the world in the end?" at the bottom. Oh, yeah, that's new). The magazine article really is skimping a lot of on the details. You can see the character's names and the basic story, but that's about it, aside from the surface selling points. (And I'm definitely getting it; I really liked the DS FF3 and FF4.)

The colors looking kind of washed out looks to me like it's the scans--ALL the colors, including the ones that are supposed to be the big eye-catching headline, are washed out (Japanese magazines tend to go really heavy on the bright colors when they used them, and those seemed really flat, noticeably so, to me.) So I think the game will be brighter than it looks. That Famitsu's not coming out for another week or two, I can check when it does.

 

[Fraught]

Interesting.

FFCC: Ring of Fates for the DS showed equipment on characters. I'm pretty sure that new FFCC one does, too.

Yeah, but those were like action-RPG side-games, this seems kinda like more of a traditional FF with the turn-based battles.

I would actually prefer if it was an action-RPG. Or atleast without random encounters.
God, I hate those.

 

[Nostalgia]

The graphics might be toned down because of the game's length. Who knows?

 

[Yoshi_egg80]

The game breaks the long-held Final Fantasy tradition of not showing a character's equipment on that character - you can see your weapons and gear in this game, which would suggest to me there's some loot-oriented focus to it.

I'm sorry, but what? Feels a bit like your stretching here.

Oh, yeah it's a stretch.

But, as an above poster pointed out, the only FF games where you can see your gear have been the Crystal Chronicles games on DS, which are very loot-oriented games where you farm mats to mark new gear and such, so by that standard it could mean that this game will do the same.

My point is why suddenly have characters have visible gear without making that gear important or desirable to look at for some reason.

In crystal chronicles on the cube they actually showed the players Weapon and if they could wear a shield that appeared as well. So they've been mulling over this concept for a long while.

 

[Nerotharis]

Seems an interesting idea. Can't wait to see it when it's released.

 

[Pendragon9]

I think Square is running out of ideas. They're pumping out too many Final Fantasies at once. Someone please tell them to consider quality over quantity.

 

[Woe Is You]

I think Square is running out of ideas. They're pumping out too many Final Fantasies at once. Someone please tell them to consider quality over quantity.

My guess is that if it were called something else but were the exact same game, you wouldn't be complaining. It's not like the name "Final Fantasy" means anything else these days than the fact that it might have RPG elements, since we've seen all sorts of games with that name: fantasy, scifi, turn-based, real-time, RTS... you name it.