info:

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Chaos Rings (iPhone)

Background
- Brand new Square Enix RPG
- Polygonal characters overlaid on hand drawn backgrounds, fully polygonal in battles
- Developed by Media.Vision (Wild ARMS, RIZ-ZOAWD)
- Story by Yukinori Kitajima - scenario writer of 428 (sound novel) and Okamiden (Okami 2)
- Character designs by Yusuke Naora (art director of FFVII, VIII, X)

Premise
- The story of Chaos Rings revolves around a battle tournament to the death
- Five two-person teams from around the world have been entered into the tournament
- Some have been enticed to the tournament, others against their will
- Shadowy spokesman for the tournament promises eternal life and youth for the winner
- The game is made up of five scenarios (playthroughs) in all
- Each playthrough revolves around one of the five two-person teams
- The pairs you are not in control of face against you as rivals
- To uncover the full story all five playthroughs must be completed

Progression
- The main progression is in the tournament arena called "Arka Arena"
- The Chaos Rings title refers to this multiple zoned arena
- Outside of this arena, special doors lead you to different dungeons around the world
- In each dungeon you open treasure chests and combat enemies to gain experience
- At the heart of each dungeon lies a final boss

Gameplay
- Battles are turn-based
- You control both partners within the team
- Attacks divided between "solo" and "pair" commands
- Pair attacks execute special combo skills and greater damage, but opens up both partners to damage
- Strategic play is promised as HP is only replenished after a battle
- Fights can be against multiple enemies at once
- Once enemies are defeated, you can acquire their genetic information
- These genes can then be equipped to grant skills
- Genes can evolve after use in battle and produce new skills

Other
It looks like Famitsu was given the chance to play Chaos Rings in advance.

"I was surprised at how smooth the 3D graphics were," Famitsu magazine wrote in a preview published in this week's issue. "I honestly didn't think that the iPhone was capable of such pretty 3D visuals. The controls are also innovative -- you can touch and drag your finger anywhere on the screen to move your characters around. It doesn't rely on using one hand over the other, so it's really easy to play."

"The strategic battle system is the most interesting part of the game," Famitsu wrote. "Your HP is refilled after each battle, but each individual fight is pretty intense. If you're short on HP, you have to agonize over whether to attack solo or in pairs. It's a lot of fun!"

The game looks like it will have a western release. Recently the title "Chaos Rings" was trademarked by SquareEnix for Europe: http://www.siliconera.com/2009/12/03...e-chaos-rings/

Sources:

http://toucharcade.com/2010/03/18/chaos-ring-trailer-released-looks-unbelievable/

http://www.andriasang.com/e/blog/2010/03/17/square_enix_iphone_rpg/
http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3178392

YES IT'S FOR THE IPHONE!! AND I LIKE IT AND BUYING IT DAY ONE! ITS FREKING AWESOME!:)

Damned I almost fall in love. Now this is good JRPG music for me atleast ^_^

i'll add it to my pandora list :p

damn just watched the vid and it looks sweet.

any idea of the playtime estimate on this?

This actually looks pretty enjoyable.

Game looks kool but i hope SE releases it on PSP as well...... not a fan of iphone.

^^ well to be honest its strange that SE is making a brand new iPhone game in Japanese.. in 2008 the iPhone wasn't selling that well in Japan as in the rest of the world but in feb 2010 apple said the sales grew with 400% in Japan.. and it doesn't look like its a cheap game.. SE has made some crzay decissions in the past but I'm happy with this one..

Moving characters with fingers suck. Therefore, most Iphone games suck.

Whats the difference then poking it with a stylus?

i'm sorry but the Iphone gameplay ergonomics are just about as good as the DS... heck they are even better as you can also use tilting. (and I believe they are both better than PSP due to the versality of touch)

In japan, I believe the Iphone barely released in 2008 and that sales since the GS version are very good.
Moreover, they are also making this game for export. there are quite a few SE RPGs already on the appstore and since there is no voiceover, the costs of porting are much smaller (you'll likely only have english too so even less cost).