I won’t try to snow you, friends. Among big publishers at the Tokyo Game Show, the only one that usually has much to show of interest to English gamers is Square Enix. Last year had stations set up for a couple of Dragon Quest games, Chaos Rings 3 ($19.99), and the already-gone DiveIn streaming service. This year, Square Enix’s booth was a little thinner in terms of playable demos and more focused around big video screens showcasing the games coming from them and their partners. That means there wasn’t a single playable mobile game of note at the show, but there were plenty of interesting titles shown off.
As usual, Dragon Quest loomed large. Dragon Quest 7 released in Japan on the very same day the show started, and Square Enix sure wasn’t quiet about it. The other mobile Dragon Quest game on display was Dokodemo Dragon Quest Monster Parade, a port of a free-to-play browser game that has you marching your team of monsters across the countryside, battling enemies that get in your way. It’s been out for several months in Japan already, but the long tail on popular mobile games means Square Enix was far from the only publisher showing off long since released titles. Another browser game port, Kingdom Hearts: Unchained Key was also proudly on display, though that version is at least only a couple of weeks old.
We’ve already told you about this one, but in case you missed it, there’s a remake of Seiken Densetsu/Final Fantasy Adventure/Sword Of Mana coming to mobile and Vita. It looks like it’s using the same engine as social RPG Rise Of Mana, and the choice of platforms mirrors that game. Before you get too worried, however, it does seem like it won’t be a free-to-play game. Hopefully, we’ll see an English release following its launch in Japan this winter.
Another already-released free-to-play social RPG was on display, and true to most of Square Enix’s efforts in that area, it has also only been released in Japan. Rampage Land Rankers has added some new legendary dungeons based on Final Fantasy 5 ($14.99), Valkyrie Profile, Threads Of Fate, Secret Of Mana ($7.99), and Nier. Wow, that’s some fan service right there. No idea why this one hasn’t been released worldwide, as it’s pretty fun so long as you’re into social RPGs.
And of course, there was Final Fantasy. Final Fantasy as far as the eye could see. Some of it already released, like Final Fantasy 7 ($15.99), Final Fantasy Record Keeper (Free), Pictlogica Final Fantasy, and Mobius Final Fantasy. Others, soon to come, such as Final Fantasy Grandmasters and the amazing-looking Final Fantasy Brave Exvius, a Final Fantasy-flavored take on Brave Frontier with some gorgeous Yoshitaka Amano character art.
Overall, it was another strong showing for Square Enix’s mobile games at the Tokyo Game Show. Certainly, the line-up reflected the Japanese market’s desire for more free-to-play social games, but the presence of the premium remake of Seiken Densetsu meant there was a little something for everyone at Square Enix’s section of the floor. I just wish I could have played some of it!
