What do you get when the puzzle game masters at PopCap team up with RPG kings Square Enix for a Puzzle-RPG for Xbox Live Arcade and Steam? Sounds like countless productive hours lost to me.
Puzzle Quest showed us that the puzzle game and the RPG could be successfully married into an entertaining and highly-addictive product. Now it's the big guys' turn. Combining the unique puzzle gameplay from PopCap's Bejeweled Twist and Square Enix's mastery of things involving experience points gives us Gyromancer, a game about a guy who really loves Greek Food.
No! It isn't about Greek food at all. Gyromancer sees players assuming the role of the deadly mage Rivel on a quest to rid Aldemona Wood of "a brooding darkness." Through 10 stages he will capture and collect powerful monsters to aid him in Bejeweled Twist battles against the forces of evil; search for hidden treasures; and strive for the highest score in the online ranking system.
"We've always enjoyed a strong partnership with PopCap Games and Gyromancer represents our goal of developing unique gaming experiences, " said John Yamamoto, president and chief executive officer of Square Enix, Inc. "We believe that Gyromancer will appeal not only to core gamers, but will further introduce the RPG genre to casual gamers as well."
While I can't see the casual audience easily making the leap to the 40-hour RPG, I welcome any game that tries.
Check out the TGS trailer for Gyromancer below.