Square Enix

A Look Inside the Brand New Square Enix Cafe

Famed Japanese game maker Square Enix recently launched a new establishment called Artnia. Inside, there are figurines on display, plush toys and accessories to buy, as well as CDs, t-shirts, pricey souvenir chocolate and cookies. This isn’t just a gift shop. There’s also a cafe that serves parfait, pancakes, sandwiches, coffee, and original non-alcoholic “potions”…

All the Final Fantasy You Can Eat

Yesterday, Kotaku showed off the special (and totally bonkers) Metal Gear bento Sony created to mark the series’ anniversary. That wasn’t the only special bento. There was a Final Fantasy bento, too. Looks good, huh? Literally. Ham was used for the characters’ skin, while eggs were used for the blond hair. And those blue pupils?…

Hey Square Enix, Where The Hell Is Bravely Default?

Dear Square Enix, This is getting ridiculous. It’s been two months since Bravely Default: Flying Fairy came out in Japan—where it flew off store shelves—and we have yet to hear a peep about a U.S. release. No hints, no promises, no nothing. Your PR representatives won’t say a word, no matter how many times I…

This Looks Like New Final Fantasy Versus XIII Character Art [Update: No, It’s Not]

Don’t get too excited just yet! It’s only one Versus character (Noctis). And it’s only one drawing. What’s more, it looks vaguely like character art we saw earlier this year. But, it is apparently new, and it does feature other FF characters. Keep the dream alive! This art comes via a Kotaku reader, who says…

Happy 25th Birthday, Final Fantasy. It’s Time To Get Your Act Together.

Happy birthday, Final Fantasy! You were first released in Japan on December 18, 1987. You’re 25. Good times. Now listen. We need to talk. There used to be a day when seeing the name “Final Fantasy” meant we were about to play something fantastic, when your “brand”—as the kids like to call it these days—was…

Square Enix’s Next-Gen Engine Sure Makes Eyeballs Look Pretty

We may know nothing official about the next generation of consoles, but we do know what Final Fantasy overseers Square Enix hope their games will look like on them, courtesy of its 2012 debut of the Luminous engine These two videos give us a closer look at the tech demo first shown at E3, zooming…

Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is Live and Pretty Disappointing

Sneaking past me onto iTunes this morning, DeNA’s Asian import Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is now available for free download. Just don’t expect much in the ways of bells or whistles. In fact, there’s no sound at all. Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade is one of those collectible card games I love so much, only instead…

And Here’s the Dragon Quest VII 3DS Trailer

Yes, right here! Watch it! Originally released in 2000 on the PlayStation, Dragon Quest VII is headed to the 3DS in Japan next February. Kotaku East is your slice of Asian internet culture, bringing you the latest talking points from Japan, Korea, China and beyond. Tune in every morning from 4am to 8am.

The Smartest & Dumbest Things Square Enix Did in 2012

Square Enix. It’s a name that evokes some powerful memories: what gamer hasn’t formed some sort of emotional connection with games like Final Fantasy or Dragon Quest over the years? If you play video games, you’ve probably played something developed or published by Square Enix. They’ve got tentacles everywhere. 2012 was an interesting year for…

This Japanese Meme Is an Eyeful

Sponsors make television possible. And in Japan, those sponsors dominate the commercial breaks. During each show, they even get one shout out right before a commercial break, with an announcer saying that the program is brought to you by whatever. Normal enough, right? The ensuing meme is anything but. Welcome to the world of “sponsor…

As previously discussed, Square Enix counted down to Star Galaxy, a browser game.

There’s a teaser site up for a Theatrhythm game. Smart money says it’s a mobile port.

Square Enix Sale Drops Mobile Final Fantasy Prices to Near Reasonable Levels

In celebration of the holidays and the impending release of the 3D Nintendo DS Final Fantasy IV remake on iOS. Square Enix has lined up a slew of iOS game sales, starting with slashed prices on those excellent-but-pricey mobile FF games. It’s hard to resist a mobile Final Fantasy game, but those that managed to…

Square Enix, You Have a Problem. You Are Addicted to Countdown Clocks and Need Help.

This is an intervention. While most of the gaming world has thankfully moved on from stupid countdown clocks designed to drum up silly publicity for forgettable games, Square Enix still clings to them. It’s time for Square Enix to stop. Enough! Now, you are overreacting, Brian Ashcraft, you say. Perhaps. But, countdown clocks are so…

Dress as Adam Jensen from Deus Ex in Hitman

Hitman: Absolution lets players don a variety of disguises. And now, one of those outfits is the Deus Ex suit. Because if you want to blend into a crowd, what better way to do that than with a futuristic body suit! The suit not only offers Hitman‘s Agent 47 better protection, and the “Zenith” gun…

Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII Makes Players Manage Time

Lighting Returns, the upcoming Final Fantasy XIII title, uses a time mechanic. In the game, the world has only 13 days left before it ends. In a recent interview with 4Gamer, game designer Motomu Toriyama went into slightly more detail about the game’s time mechanic. As mentioned above, the time limit in-game is 13 days.…

The Lightning Returns Logo Took a Very Long Time to Design

Some things can be finished quickly. Some things take time. The Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII logo, it seems, took time. A lot of time. On the game’s official Twitter, someone from the Square Enix publicity department said “it took an exceedingly amount of time to arrive at the design”. Creating it was a long…

Forget the Haters, Japan *Hearts* Call of Duty

The conventional wisdom has always been Japan loves role-playing games and dislikes first-person shooters. First-person shooters, pundits said, were popular only with Western gamers. The pundits and conventional wisdom, it seems, are wrong. In its debut week, Call of Duty: Black Ops II on the PS3 is the second best selling game in Japan, moving…

There’s a New Mobile Final Fantasy Game on the Horizon, and We Hold the Key to Sephiroth

The airships are coming! Following a highly successful launch in Japan, DeNA Co. and Square Enix are preparing to bring Final Fantasy Airborne Brigade to North American Apple and Android devices. Airborne Brigade, the first free-to-play Final Fantasy social game to be released in English, casts players as airship pilots exploring an FF-inspired land, banding…

Square Enix’s Mecha Lady Game Knocked Offline, Hacking Feared

Smartphone game Galaxy Dungeon is Square Enix’s attempt to mix card-based action with role-playing game elements. The mecha heroines caught the attention of some gamers, and there was some fanfare when it was recently released. Things seemed to be going well for Galaxy Dungeon. Then, there was a bug—a bug that now looks like it…