Square Enix recently revealed the upcoming gameDungeon Encounters, a brand new dungeon crawler title led by Hiroyuki Ito ofFinal Fantasyfame. Ito has directed threeFinal Fantasygames and is the creator of the franchise’s iconic Active Time Battle system, and now it appears that he’s going off in a new direction with a minimalist title that brings dungeon crawling back to basics.
The announcement trailer forDungeon Encountersmay remind players of bothold and newFinal Fantasytitleswith its combination of beautiful art, solid character models, and almost completely blank maps. Instead of rich settings and vibrant environments,Dungeon Encounterspresents players with layer upon layer of winding, board game-like labyrinth to explore.
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Squares that the player has already walked on are colored white, while untouched squares are transparent. Judging by the trailer, the game itself will be as much a puzzle as it is a dungeon crawler, especially since the player will be rewarded for completely exploring each level. This isn’t the onlyupcoming Square Enix RPGto attract attention for interesting design choices, butDungeon Encounters' choice of stark, minimalist aesthetic and intricate puzzle mechanics may put it in a separate category from other titles Final Fantasy veterans have worked on.
Ito isn’t the only Final Fantasy name involved withDungeon Encounters.Hiroaki Kato, who was the producer ofFinal Fantasy 12: The Zodiac Ageand worked onTactics Ogre: Let Us Cling Togetherand twoFinal Fantasy Tacticsgames, will also be working on the new title. They will be joined by musical director Nobuo Uematsu, who is reportedly overseeing the soundtrack, and designer Ryoma Ito, who is contributing character art. All of these franchise giants working together ona newFinal Fantasy-inspired gamemay be a dream come true for some fans.
The game appears to contain a number of playable characters, many of whom fillexistingFinal Fantasycharacterarchetypes. However, several individuals – for example, the large, round cat dubbed Sir Cat and Jufren, a dachshund that wields a sword in its mouth similar to Sif fromDark Souls –appear to be more experimental. The trailer doesn’t go into a lot of detail on the different mechanics each character will use, but it does appear that some will have unique move sets. Square Enix has stated that the game will offer 100 levels of thought-provoking challenges, which may imply that the title will be more puzzle game than anything else.
