It’s been about a year since we last heard from Tokyo RPG Factory, the new Square Enix studio tasked with developing a new slate of JRPGs inspired by classic SNES and Super Famicom RPGs. The first project to emerge was I Am Setsuna, a game that inherited most of its structural elements from Chrono Trigger . But the studio has finally returned with a new project, Lost Sphear, which Square Enix expects to release sometime early next year.
Like many critics, we were big fans of I Am Setsuna when the game debuted last summer. But not everyone is interested in revisiting the role-playing games of yesteryear. And I Am Setsuna didn’t set any sales records, despite releasing on four platforms (PC/PS4/Switch globally, as well as Vita in Japan). To make matters worse, the studio posted a $2.4 million loss shortly after I Am Setsuna debuted. But Square Enix must still believe there’s money to be made repackaging the era of Active-Time Battles and 16-bit spell animations. Less than a month after the company decided Hitman wasn’t valuable enough to keep, Square Enix announced Tokyo RPG Factory’s next game, Lost Sphear .
Details on the new project remain scarce for the moment. Tokyo RPG Factory says fans can look forward to a “an enhanced gameplay system with a revamped ATB battle system” that allows for placement changes in the middle of battle. The game will still rely on the traditional exploration mechanics. You’ll find most quest NPCs and equipment vendors in easy-to-spot cities and towns while most of the combat is randomly generated while the party explores the overworld. But we still don’t know very much about the world we’ll be exploring or the characters who will take center stage when Lost Sphear heads to PC, PS4 and Nintendo Switch in early 2018.
Here’s what Square Enix is saying right now:
The adventure of Lost Sphear begins in a remote town where a young boy, Kanata, awakens from a devastating dream to find his hometown disappearing. To stop the world from being lost forever, Kanata and his comrades set out to rebuild the world around them with the power of Memory by manifesting thoughts into matter.
For an early look at Lost Sphear , take a few minutes to watch the announcement trailer from Square Enix and Tokyo RPG Factory. Then head down to the comments section and let us know what you’re hoping to see in the studio’s next project. And if you aren’t sure you want another game with this structure, let us know what you’d like to see Tokyo RPG Factory working on when development of Lost Sphear is complete.
Lost Sphear is in development for PC, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. The game is expected to debut in early 2018.
- Spiritnite system
- fast-paced combat
- a fun late-game plot twist
- story and characters mostly uninteresting
- crazy difficulty jumps
- cash always in short supply
