A few weeks ago Hironobu Sakaguchi, famous for his hand in creating Square’s Final Fantasy in 1987, remarked that his new company, Mistwalker, was working on a “project for iPhone.” I’m not sure re-releasing Final Fantasy I and II on the iPhone and iPod Touch was what he meant.
But that’s exactly what Square Enix is doing, as quietly announced today on their Facebook page. It hasn’t even popped up on Square Enix’ official iPod Web site.
That is literally all of the information I have; mum’s the word on pricing and release date. If you’re interested, I can only pass on a message from Square: “Stay tuned!”
But, hey, if you’re feeling frustrated by the lack of tangible info, take comfort in the fact that the iPhone versions of Final Fantasy I and II feature some absolutely gorgeous sprites. For my tastes, they look remarkably better than the Dawn of Souls versions, and almost as good as the PSP re-releases from a few years ago. Look at some screenshots here.
Discerning fans will notice that the user interface has been tweaked to account for the iPhone and iPod Touch’s screens, which is a nice touch. Most complaints about the iPhone have to do with the often-janky controls, but I don’t think it’ll be a problem for old-school turn-based affairs. All you have to do is select options from a menu.
I don’t have an iPhone, but I have to admit that I’m kind of miffed that I just started a Final Fantasy II game on the PlayStation’s Final Fantasy: Origins. Serves me right for being a late adopter, I guess.
