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The 1 trailer of Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light
Square Enix released its E3 trailer for the new DS RPG Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light, the back-to-basics Final Fantasy game developed by Matrix Software. Even with all the gameplay footage sequestered inside a tiny window in the middle of the video, the game's cute character designs and striking color scheme come through. 4 Heroes of Light replaces the traditional magic points -- and even attacks -- with a strategy RPG-style "Action Point system" in which every gameplay action subtracts from a gradually replenishing stock of action points. No longer are spells and other special attacks nested within menus: each character has a limited set of actions that can be assigned to the touch screen. You'll be able to try the streamlined Final Fantasy on October 5. %Gallery-93782%
Square Enix trademarks 'The 4 Heroes of Light'
Square Enix's original, classic-style Final Fantasy for DS appears to be heading westward. Square Enix trademarked "The 4 Heroes of Light" in the US, which matches pretty closely with the translation of Hikari no 4 Senshi: Final Fantasy Gaiden ("4 Warriors of Light"), the streamlined DS Final Fantasy released in Japan in October. To see the trademark filing, it's number 85006964, searchable in the USPTO database. It might just be the next game you pay the Square Enix tax (by which we mean the customary $40 price for Square's DS games) on! Square Enix's subsidiary Taito also trademarked "Dariusburst," (serial number 85008406) which, unless some bizarre trick is involved, refers to last year's PSP shooter, which updates the company's classic robo-fish-shooting Darius series. %Gallery-73955%[Via Siliconera]
Bayonetta launch continues Platinum's winning streak
Bayonetta had a strong debut in Japan this week -- on PS3. The PS3 version of Platinum Games' action title sold 135,242 copies in its first week, topping the Media Create sales chart. The Xbox version had a good launch for an Xbox 360 game in Japan, at 64,325 copies. It wasn't a Resident Evil 5-size launch on either console, though the Xbox 360 version came close, and it wasn't a Wii Sports Resort-level sensation, but it should be enough to be considered a successful launch. This is Platinum Games's second launch in Japan, and it's the second to debut at the top of the charts. Infinite Space on DS took the winning position back in June, with a comparatively modest 38,394 copies. MadWorld, Platinum's other game, has yet to be released in Japan. The number two and three spots on Media Create's chart are also occupied by new games: Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden, the new Final Fantasy for DS made by Matrix Software, and Tekken 6.
TGS 2009: Hands-on: Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden
Somehow, despite not really being all about RPGs, I've been unofficially appointed "The RPG Guy" at TGS. Almost everything I've played has involved selecting "fight" out of a menu. And, in general, I've been okay with that, because all the RPGs I've been dropped into have been both easy to understand and charming in their own ways. Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden is very easy to understand and very charming. It might be patterned after past Final Fantasy games on the NES, but the effect is basically Dragon Quest: Final Fantasy Edition.%Gallery-73955%
Final Fantasy Gaiden's simplified commands, wonderful monsters
Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden is the turn-based Final Fantasy game that has captured our hearts. The idea of a stripped-down, natively multiplayer classic Final Fantasy game is appealing to those of us weary of cutscenes and "deep" storylines. Besides that, this game will actually be released somewhere in the world this year. The latest set of screens from the DS RPG highlight the customization of the battle menu. Players can assign six abilities and/or magic spells to spaces on the menu, each of which bears a cost in action points. The screens also feature the new "gem" system, in which monsters occasionally drop gems that can either be sold or placed into a crown shape, which, when filled, grants a new ability. Finally, Square Enix released some monster art, which is fantastic. Seen here: "Jack Lantern,"
Final Fantasy Gaiden out in Japan this October
Today, Square Enix announced the release date for its original multiplayer DS Final Fantasy title, Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden. The Matrix Software-developed RPG will be out October 29, at a Square Enix Tax-laden price of ¥5,980 ($62) -- the same price at which Dragon Quest IX launched.Speaking of Dragon Quest IX, this new game seems pretty well targeted at the Dragon Quest audience. We doubt it's a coincidence that Square Enix is releasing a streamlined, multiplayer version of its other major RPG franchise on DS three months after the release of DQIX. Check out some lovely new screens at GAME Watch.
Final Fantasy Gaiden is classic role-playing for four
Square Enix's totally mysterious teaser site has revealed -- surprise! -- Four Warriors of Light: Final Fantasy Gaiden, only a few days after Jump revealed it. The site offers a bit more detail about the game than we knew -- most importantly, it confirms that the Four Warriors of Light, described as a "newly retold classic," is designed for play by up to four people.Like the last couple of Final Fantasy remakes on DS, Four Warriors of Light is being developed by Matrix Software. It features a new implementation of the standard Final Fantasy "job system," called the Crown System, which lets players switch jobs whenever desired. That sounds like the Dress Sphere system from the maligned Final Fantasy X-2.A statement from producer Tomoya Asano on the site, as translated by Andriasang, indicates the team's hope to deliver a game with "the charms of the classic RPG era before RPGs became JRPGs."
Latest Square Enix teaser game revealed as Final Fantasy Gaiden: The Four Warriors of Light
For once, a Japanese publisher has managed to create a teaser site without having the identity of the new game revealed by Famitsu scans before the official unveiling. Because Jump scans revealed it first. The Jump scan shows the same dragon-riding artwork found on the teaser site, with two more characters than the site currently shows, revealing a party of four. Final Fantasy Gaiden: The Four Warriors of Light (not related to the Game Boy Final Fantasy Adventure, known in Japan as Seiken Densetsu: Final Fantasy Gaiden) is an original turn-based Final Fantasy RPG for DS, in the same style as the recent Final Fantasy DS remakes. The scan refers to a "four-person party adventure," but we can't tell if that means multiplayer or if it's just a reference to parties controlled by a single player. According to IGN, the main character is a boy who must rescue a princess from a witch. The battle system is a familiar turn-based, menu-driven system, with what appears to be the addition of a sort of action points: each character's status includes a certain number of yellow dots, and each action seems to have a dot next to it, indicating a cost. Final Fantasy Gaiden will be out this fall in Japan, and we wouldn't be too surprised to see it in North America the following summer for $40.
