Caves of Narshe: Square-Enix News

Three Remixes, a Webpage and Transforming RoboCars

Fri, 10 May 2013 23:49:04 GMT

First off, the official FFXIV: A Realm Reborn website has gotten a fair bit of updating lately as we continue to approach its resurrection. New sections on the city states as well as a bestiary and info on foes of a more malicious intent have gone up. There's quite a lot of info there for anyone who's interested.

Like Final Fantasy music and elaborate orchestrations but live under a rock (e.g., author)? Well luckily for you/us, Square Enix will be releasing a Blu-ray version of the 25th Anniversary Distant Worlds concert held in Tokyo last year. The 19-song concert includes a favorite from each main title (well, FFII and FFIII get to participate in a medley, while FFIV and FFVI get seconds) and the magical Blu-ray ability to switch cameras AS YOU WATCH IT.

In other musical news, an album of remixes from The World Ends With You is due out in Japan in a little over a month for the equivalent of $21. Check the second source link below to hear a couple sample tracks.

Square Enix is busy doing odd things on the 3DS again, and this time they involve made-up super-high-tech Japanese cities, cars that transform into robots, and a name involving a colon and a word I can't pronounce. Well, ok, the last part has become pretty standard fare. But the first two are still odd! The game is called Gyrozetter: Wings of the Albatross. It's due out in Japan this June; nothing yet on if/when it'll reach Western shores.

Last up: Kingdom Hearts 1.5, a 'remix' (aka package - hey, it's their word for it) including an HD remake of the original game along with KH Re: Chain of Memories as well as some scenes from KH 358/2 Days and additional content from KH Final Mix, has been confirmed for a September 10th release date. That'll be a little late for releasing something on the PS3, but we all know none of us will be buying a PS4 anytime soon anyways. Other than the release date, the new news here is that anyone who pre-orders will get a limited edition artbook.

Source: Siliconera, Siliconera

Another Nail in the 3DS Final Fantasy Coffin?

Wed, 1 May 2013 13:31:51 GMT

For all the folks still hoping for a 3D remake of Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI, in the vein of Final Fantasy IV DS, there's another bit of bad news now. Apparently, last week, a Square Enix Japan member asked Squenix' Shinji Hashimoto directly when we could expect to see those games announced, and the answer wasn't good.

To quote Siliconera's translation, Hashimoto responded: "As for FF5 and 6, there are technical problems; presently these are also undecided."

Now, of course, that doesn't mean never. In fact, as Siliconera reports, it probably means something more uplifting: in order for Squenix to know that there are technical problems, the odds are that they must have at least looked into the opportunity, and they might have even gotten so far as to try a few things in the FF4DS engine. Or, of course, it could mean that Hashimoto is blowing smoke and that answer is just a way of brushing off the question and the company has no interest in making the games. You can let your own gaming-related paranoia level be the judge.

Source: Siliconera

"Remastered" SNES Final Fantasy Soundtracks Coming

Wed, 1 May 2013 12:47:45 GMT

Slated for July 3, Square Enix are releasing in Japan a "remastered" version of the Final Fantasy IV Soundtrack. Later in the year, similar albums will be released for Final Fantasy V and Final Fantasy VI. There's not much detail beyond that so far, which naturally leaves some questions. The first question might well be the tracklist - will these albums be a full OST, which would require a few CDs, or is it a single-CD "best of" compilation as some other albums have been in the past? Second, though, and possibly more important, is "what on earth does a remaster of a SNES soundtrack entail?"

Given that these albums are explicitly called remasters, and not anything like the piano collections or orchestral arrangements that have been done in the past, it would seem that these new albums will still be chiptunes as they were originally, but perhaps that the chips used to make the tunes will be of a more modern variety than twenty years ago, creating the opportunity for more realistic synthesized sounds.

If you want to find out, you'll need to import, most likely - Squenix are not currently speaking of any Western release for any of these albums.

Source: Siliconera

Square Enix Tiddlesbits*

Mon, 29 Apr 2013 23:50:29 GMT

Due to an unfortunate miss-fire newspost, we've been a bit delayed with the news. As such, we figured we'd lessen our embarrassment by starting off with an even bigger delay: FFVII for PCs in Japan! That's right, it never got around to happening. Until "soon," Square Enix promises.

Square Enix released some Job and Class information for the still-in-testing FFXIV: A Realm Reborn. No, it's not like having a job while at university. Instead, Classes appear to be the entry-level for a Job: start as a gladiator, grow up to be a paladin, with a paycheck and a sense of missed opportunities in youth. Between the two categories, most of the 'key' jobs from previous FF job systems are represented.

There's exciting news in the Final Fantasy Tactics universe, with a new title being introduced just a few days ago. Called Tactics S, the release will be a social game. We don't know much yet as to how it will work, but the idea is certainly an interesting one - and one that has been explored by fans of the series. Tactics S is being co-developed with the group that put out Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade, meaning the character designs will look kinda cute.

People complain about Square Enix's main console offerings, mobile attention, and constant porting. But one area where the company's efforts have been met with substantial approval is handheld gaming. That, combined with its popularity in Japan and South Korea, is why Million Arthur may be worth paying attention to. The game, based on the Arthurian legend, will be free-to-play for the PS Vita and will likely be a port of the present smartphone incarnation of the game, which is also free-to-play but involves other purchases, like cards. This type of thing isn't nearly as popular in the west, but with its move to a new system and a new nation, you never know.

Finally, a bit of news regarding Final Fantasy Versus XIII. And the news is.... that news is upcoming. Bet that was anti-climactic, eh? Tetsuya Nomura, in a radio interview, apologized fully for the lack of news, saying that the company treats Versus with a lot of secrecy, but that an announcement is being presently planned - during which the cause of the delay will be made known. What could the reason be? Will Versus be bumped to the PS4 instead? Will it be re-branded as distinct from the Fabula Nova Crystalis? As distinct from the Final Fantasy brand? Or perhaps even as the next main series installment, FFXV? Discussion!

*No Tiddles were interested in the above news.

Source: Siliconera, Siliconera, Siliconera

Bravely Default: Flying Westward Fairies

Thu, 4 Apr 2013 16:29:01 GMT

For all you out there who don't feel like Square Enix ever listen to the demands of the fans, you are getting a win today. Siliconera reports that based on some off-the-record conversations from last week's Game Developers Conference, Bravely Default: Flying Fairy will be coming to the West in English. This has been the subject of much speculation for a while, as covered back in March, and while today's news is the result of some conversations on background, Siliconera is obviously a quality source of information and combined with the aforementioned tweet from the official Twitter feed, it seems like this long-lived rumor is fast approaching being a lock.

There's not much more to it than that right now. There's no release date, no screenshots in English and no further plans because as yet the news hasn't been officially confirmed. Expect all that to be coming soon!

Source: Siliconera

Square Enix President Stepping Down

Tue, 26 Mar 2013 09:59:57 GMT

In huge company news announced just earlier today, Yoichi Wada, president and CEO of Square Enix, will be stepping down.

Wada has been at the helm of Square Enix since the company's formation nearly ten years ago. The change is cited as part of "a management reorganization," but as of yet there is no news regarding Wada's future role (if any?) in the company.

This news comes in the wake of several well-publicized frustrations (FFXIV, mobile prices/quality) and continuing financial difficulties.

Wada will be replaced by Yosuke Matsuda.

Source: Kotaku

CoN Returns from PAX East

Mon, 25 Mar 2013 15:32:49 GMT

With photos! I was only able to spend about six or seven hours there yesterday, but I had a blast and met some good people and some great Final Fantasy (and other) cosplayers while I was at the exhibition hall. Being there certainly gave me some good new things to talk about in the next CoNcast (and if you have questions about what I saw, post them here! We're going to be recording a CoNcast later today and I can answer them then or any time).

While some of the interesting stuff for Squenix came out before I could go, I did manage to find some time to check out the FFX HD trailer a bit, and while I didn't come up with any photos of it, it looked solid. I would say it is definitely approaching the level of visual quality that Final Fantasy XIII managed, at least in the cutscenes they showed on the 40" HDTVs they had scattered in the booth. If you're one of the folks who enjoyed Final Fantasy X a decade ago, you should be excited for this, I do believe.

In any event, a good time was had by all. You can see the photos to learn more! Be sure to give props to the cosplayers I talked to, either here or on Facebook, so that they know their hard work is appreciated by the rest of us!

Square Enix News Tidbits: More of the Same?

Fri, 22 Mar 2013 12:44:03 GMT

Sometimes, the news coming from Squenix Tower might sound a bit like a broken record - if, indeed, that old phrase still holds any meaning to a great number of our readers. It really does seem sometimes that the company can only pump out news on a couple things at a time, and you just know that those things aren't always going to be things about which you necessarily want to know. But that's why tidbits exist!

It seems like the biggest news of the week is an intentional early leak from this weekend's PAX East; a new trailer for Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 was released early and will be shown in the Square Enix booth in Boston this weekend. (As a reminder, I'll be there on Sunday if anyone wants any particular information that doesn't come out before then.) The game includes Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, Kingdom Hearts Re:Chain of Memories, and all of the cutscenes from 358/2 Days. It's just shy of three minutes long, and looks... nicely HD, I suppose. Never gotten around to playing any of those games, so I haven't the slightest clue what's going on! The Remix release will be released for PlayStation 3, sometime this fall in North America.

We mentioned the other day that Final Fantasy V for iOS is a go, coming out next week in Japan (a simultaneous worldwide release isn't out of the question but hasn't been confirmed beyond doubt, as far as I've seen). To celebrate that, though, no matter where Final Fantasy V releases, Square Enix are discounting every other Final Fantasy game on the iOS app store worldwide. The deals are pretty solid - the first two games are dropping to $3.99, while Final Fantasy III is down to $8.99 and $9.99 for iPhone and iPad respectively. The all-devices Final Fantasy IV app will be $10.99 for the duration of the sale. If you're an Android gamer, by the way, Joystiq is saying that an Android release in Japan is coming too.

Final Fantasy XIV is thundering towards release, as well. This week's update from producer Naoki Yoshida explains that the Phase 2 beta will start up in early April, and will enable gamepad support as well as making other bugfixes and changes flagged in previous betas. Over 100,000 gamers are already in, and the new beta phase will add even more to provide more feedback and better stress testing of the XIV server farms. I've got my application in, but, of course, I can't say anything if I get accepted regardless!

We're planning to record another episode of the new CoNcast next week. Stay tuned for that!

Source: Siliconera, AppAddict, Joystiq

Final Fantasy X HD Plus X-2 HD Both Coming

Tue, 19 Mar 2013 16:08:22 GMT

A lot of people have been looking for news of the Final Fantasy X HD remake since it was first announced, and those details have been slow in coming. Now, we might know part of the reason why: it's not just X, but also Final Fantasy X-2 that will see the upgrade.

When released for PS3, both games will be on the same Blu-ray disc; for Vita, they'll be separate purchases on separate game cards. There's no pricing and no lockdown release date, though next week's Jump magazine confirms that a 2013 release in Japan is the target.

Both games will be based on the International Edition releases, which is extra grand for X-2 as that version was never released in the West before.

Source: Siliconera

Square Enix Tidbitlets

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 18:31:28 GMT

First off, news that's actually been around since earlier int he month. A twitter message from the official account for the game Bravely Default: Flying Fairy has renewed fans' hopes that the title will be brought west. The 3DS RPG, which received both critical praise and respectable sales in Japan, has been out since last October but with no announcement of plans to release outside the island. While the English text of the twitter message is about as perplexing as its title, the Japanese text amounts to "The voices from those folks aboard are definitely getting through!" Fingers crossed.

In somewhat more official news, it's been made known that Wii U beta testing for Dragon Question X is now underway, with the game set to go on sale for that console at the end of the month. The Wii U version features of graphics upgrade, but is still compatible with its original Wii incarnation.

Saving the coolest for last, it looks A Realm Reborn: Final Fantasy XIV will be getting a new mount some time in the future, and one which should be well familiar to any regulars of CoN: Magitek Armor! Check out the first source link; it's from the official FFXIV developer blog. The design is still a ways from play-worthy, but I think you'll all agree that it's pretty slick.

Source: FFXIV Blog, Siliconera, Kotaku