Square Enix, popular game publisher best known for game franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, has stated they’d be making a huge push into mobile games in the future, and they just announced this morning one of their current projects, a partnership with Nexon( a popular mobile games publisher)to bring Final Fantasy XI Online to mobile devices in the future, which includes Android. For those who are unaware, Final Fantasy XI Online was a popular MMORPG for PC, PS2 and the Xbox 360 nearly 13 years ago. It came out about two years before World of Warcraft officially launched in 2004, and was quite well received and is still played by many gamers even now, although it is slated for a shutdown in 2016.
According to Pocket Gamer, the mobile revamp of FF XI Online will have controls and a battle system slightly redesigned for touch screen devices, which is absolutely imperative for an MMO as you typically play those with gamepads or a mouse and keyboard combination. The battle system is also reportedly supposed to be more quick-paced to better suit for playing in a mobile environment. The good news is that, if any gamers who originally used to play this game on PC and consoles were to pick it up on mobile devices, the game is supposed to be nearly unchanged, so a lot of the familiar elements like Linkshells (the game’s communication system between players) and guilds will be present.
There was no mention if Square Enix and Nexon are looking to enhance the graphics at all for today’s mobile devices, but with a 13-year-old game current top tier Android smartphones and tablets should be able to handle what the game offers visually, although it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the graphics toned down just a tad either. Those who are familiar with the original game will also be happy to know that the mobile version of Final Fantasy XI Online will include elements like job commands and skillchains as well as other features that were present in the original. As far as new elements goes, players will be able to expect a new co-op based system to allow for simpler party building, which will will make it easier to get groups together for tougher tasks like dungeons. In addition Square Enix and Nexon will also be introducing “new dynamic events” so the game feels somewhat fresh. So far, there has been no mention of pricing or exact timing for the launch, but it will be coming to the west after beginning in the Japanese and South Korean markets.
