Square Enix and Matrix Software's Final Fantasy Gaiden for DS will launched in October in Japan and more details have now been revealed. The new exclusive DS RPG is being worked on by the same staff that brought the 3D remake of NES game Final Fantasy III to reality, as well as the massively upgraded version of Final Fantasy IV from the SNES. Many presumed Matrix, which has also recently completed Avalon Code for Marvelous Entertainment and Nostalgia for Tecmo, would be hard at work on a 3D DS remake of Final Fantasy V, but considering the proximity between the release of Final Fantasy IV Advance and Final Fantasy IV DS meant sales of the latter reached nowhere near the dizzy heights of FFIII DS, thankfully it appears Square Enix has decided to hold off and instead get the talented group to work on an old-school style FF adventure that mixes traditional NES role-playing features and aesthetics with the feel of newer RPGs. Final Fantasy Gaiden: Four Warriors of Light will hit Japan on 29th October.
The game revolves around four main characters, the Four Warriors of Light, with a young hero from the village of Horn being tasked with attempting to find a Princess who has been kidnapped by the North Witch. Fortunately, the protagonist joins forces with three others (making a team that consists of Jusqua, Unita, Aire and Brand) to make his adventure somewhat easier. This new adventure comes with art work from Final Fantasy XII's Yoshida Akihiko who has tried to capture the imagination of gamers with the visuals. A sample of the game's music can be obtained here, the official website is here, and two video clips can be seen below:
Additionally, the latest issue of Japanese magazine Jump has confirmed that there will be no Magic Points in the game, with focus being on Ability Points instead, with each member of your team accruing one AP per round of battle (a maximum of five can be had at any one time). During fights, the lower screen will show character panels with varying numbers of dots in the top left of each respective person's box, which represents the number of AP required to use various spells, special moves and even standard attacks (one AP point is used for a normal attack, for instance). As well as ditching the idea of using MP, Gold is not dropped by enemies either, with a variety of gems being up for collection instead. They can then later be sold on for cash or, alternatively, placed on players' Crowns, with only specific gems fitting in certain Crowns (these Crowns level-up to a maximum of four and provide new abilities as the game goes on).
There is no word on a Western release just yet, but being a Final Fantasy-themed title, there is absolutely no doubt about it eventually heading to the West, and with any luck will arrive around the Christmas period. Until further news is obtained, be sure to check out the latest screenshots and art in the media folder below.