As the preparation for Final Fantasy XIV's final save maintenance begins, Square Enix have revealed a fun little easter egg. That 'moon' you see up in the sky, casting an ominous shadow over Eorzea, is Dalamud. And it's set for a collision.


The final save maintenance is scheduled between 2pm and 10pm on October 31 PDT, so nothing after that will count towards your characters in A Realm Reborn. But the game will be playable up until November 11, at which point Dalamud is expected to crash into Eorzea and - presumably - wipe everything out!

Make sure you're a part of this memorable moment! Robert Peeler, community manager at Square Enix NA has invited everyone to join him and fellow Square Enix employees in these final moments. It certainly will be a climax to remember!

Following the end of Final Fantasy XIV 1.x, producer/director Naoki Yoshida will be hosting a Letter from the Producer LIVE Part IV, so keep tuned here ...

Ever wanted the classic Chrono Trigger at your fingertips wherever you went? Well your prayers have been heard, because Square Enix has just announced the game's debut on the Google Play store.


Help Crono defend the world from the greatest threat by travelling through time itself. Time travel is literally the coolest thing ever. For those of you who've never given this gem a go, here's your chance to experience the wonder that is Chrono Trigger.

It's going to cost you a cool $9.99, but with the number of top gaming lists Chrono Trigger has topped, you'd be a fool not to give it a shot! ...

Naoki Yoshida, producer for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn, just released a short Letter from the Producer with some quick updates. Most significantly, he announced that the alpha testing of A Realm Reborn will officially begin on October 29, 2012!

Yoshi-P also snuck in some nifty screenshots from the developer’s stress testing of ARR. Here they are, with Yoshi-P’s commentary:

...

This oddly named title has been getting all of praise in Japan. While we still haven't heard wind of it heading to Western shores, our Japanese brothers and sisters are getting ready to enjoy even more of Bravely Default: Flying Fairy with a free PC companion being released.

Square Enix says there'll be a way to link up the two games, with the PC version no doubt being used to unlock things in the main game. This is building off the city building elements (pun intended) that we reported last month. Bravely Default: Flying Fairy is shaping up to be an awesome game, so Square Enix: why haven't you let us play it yet?


[Source: siliconera] ...

Epic Games have been hard at work creating its Unreal Engine 4 and Square Enix are the first ones to publicly license it. With the latest technology at its back, Square Enix will be able to realise all of its gaming goals. Or at least, that's what I'm hoping! Perhaps now with the Unreal Engine 4, SE might put Final Fantasy Versus XIII together and release it for us. I'm expecting sexy, sexy characters graphics like we saw in the Agni's Philosophy tech demo. Wait, that was from the Luminous Engine, not Unreal 4. Who owns the Luminous Engine again? ...Oh.


[Source: Joystiq] ...

Remember how there was a sequel teased at the end of the iOS port of The World Ends With You? We might very well have it on the way, in a sense. Continuing with Square Enix's complete and utter focus on social and mobile gaming, The World Ends With You: Live Remix is set to be released for smartphones too.


There's still no news on exactly what TWEWY: Live Remix is all about - it could very well be a spin off and not a true sequel - but Kotaku are predicting a release "in Winter." That's Summer for you Southern hemisphere folks. Only way to find out if this is the sequel we're all waiting for is to pick it up, I suppose!

[Source: Kotaku] ...

The battle systems in Final Fantasy form the crux of the gameplay; without battles, there would be very little else to pass the time between story events. With such an important role to play, it's a wonder that Hiroyuki Ito is an uncommon name. Ito created the turn-based battle system that Final Fantasy began with, and has played a major role in shaping each subsequent version, even pioneering the ATB system.

In an interview with 1UP, Ito revealed the inspiration behind Final Fantasy's turn-based battle system: American Football. He cited the concept of two teams lining up on opposite sides, each with pre-set plays, ready to execute. Ito had another interesting influence when it came down to creating the Active Time Battle system too; he tried to create "action-like game with no action elements" by using techniques from racing games.

"At the time, there was a shift going on in Formula One racing, where they introduced semi-automatic transmissions," ...

Square-Enix has just released screenshots from the new character creation interface that has been built for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn. Check them out below!


The first thing that leaps out at me from the screenshots is the much greater degree of customization that is allowed from the new interface. Lip color? Highlights? You could spend all day just going through the options if you wanted.

And of course, female characters have a “Bust Size” option.


It looks like the development team has done a lot of work to revamp the character creator. The options for “facial features” still seem fairly limited, though they vary substantially between the sexes/races, and I’m sure more options will be added as the game develops.

What do you think about the new interface? Are you eager to ...

Some assorted updates for Final Fantasy XIV: A Realm Reborn:


The Lodestone has announced that notification emails have been sent out to accepted alpha testers in Japan, where the alpha testing will begin. It looks like the alpha is on track to commence at the end of this month, as promised, but only in Japan. For those players outside of Japan, there is no word yet on precisely when the alpha testing will start in your regions, but you can still apply to be an alpha tester by visiting the application site.

In response to player questions, a developer announced on the official forums that faction credits and guild leve allowance will be reset for A Realm Reborn (the link goes to an unofficial translation). If you currently have any faction credits, you should be sure to use them before the service shutdown next week! (I know, thanks for the heads up, SE, right?)

Speaking of the big shutdown, we’re just over one week away. It has been previously reported that the date of the full shutdown ...

Ah, Final Fantasy II. With the arguable exception of the third installment in the series, it is probably the least played and well known Final Fantasy game. Before I got around to playing it, I can recall it being treated with derision as the weakest installment by many in the community here on EoFF. After I did so, I was only left wondering why.

Number seven in our top themes hails from that game, and it wouldn't surprise me if many of you will be hearing it for the first time. It is the theme of Princess Hilda and the Wild Rose Rebellion, which, incidentally, would make a fine name for a band. You can also call it the Rebel Army theme, which is not quite as exciting. Let's listen.


This is the original NES version. I imagine you're not overly impressed, although this is the first version of the song I personally heard and it was the one that stuck in my mind. It's really simple, but really what I want to do is show you what that song has become.

As you may know, there have been numerous re-releases of FFII, and as such, the soundtrack has also received a facelift. Let's take a listen to a more modern version that ...

Do you play Final Fantasy XIV? Do you like scary stories? Then you should check out the FFXIV official forums for a special Halloween event. Five winners will each be awarded a special in-game item: a Scarf of Wondrous Wit.

The entry period is open now, and only lasts until October 25th, so get your entries in quickly. Or just enjoy the spooky stories of your fellow players!

Unfortunately, this contest is limited to NA players, because we’re the only ones who truly appreciate Halloween. Sorry, EU and Japan players, but it’s not our fault that your culture is inferior. ...

There aren't many people as well known in Final Fantasy as Yoshitaka Amano. The legendary artist has created some very iconic pieces, and his art is highly collectible; just ask our very own Amano-enthusiast, espritduo! Not only that, but it is Amano's art featured on the limited edition posters we're giving away!


He was recently interviewed by Kotaku and revealed his two favourite characters: Kain and Terra. For him, they were the closest to real actors, come to life through his artwork. They're also two of my personal favourite characters and were given powerful parts to play in their respective games.

The interview also revealed some other interesting facts, like Amano has never played a Final Fantasy game; his children would always snatch them up before he could.

For the full interview, click the link at ...

Last month we brought you news of the Square Enix hacking that took their Official Online Goods Store offline. Though there was apparently no financial threat to customers with credit card details not being stored online, other information such as names and mailing addresses might have been compromised.

A month after the breach was discovered, Square Enix has announced the permanent retirement of the site.


The products previously vendored through the Official Online Goods Store - which was primarily focused on collectibles and character goods - aren't gone forever though. Square Enix will shift it all over to their official e-store, which has previously been only for games and music.

Consolidating their products into a single online store after a successful breach seems like a risky idea to me though. What do ...

Do you love Final Fantasy? Do you love it a lot?

Square Enix is searching for the ultimate Final Fantasy fan. The competition requires fans to submit a 30-60 second video showcasing why they deserve to be crowned the series' No. 1 Fan. And if that isn't enough, the winner will score themselves two tickets to the Distant Worlds concert in Paris (ooh la la!) as well as a copy of Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII. Not bad for a minute of effort, right? ...