• submit tip •



TGS 2009: Square Enix's 'Song Summoner' and 'Hills and Rivers Remain' Coming Soon

posted September 23rd, 2009 11:36 PM EST by arn in iPhone games, iPod touch games, Upcoming Games

At the Tokyo Game Show, Square Enix also announced a couple of new games for the iPhone and iPod Touch: Song Summoner and Hills and Rivers Remain.

542632522cede0d5268a42a4b3f9ebf2-1The first game they showed off was turn based strategy game Song Summoner: The Unsung Heroes for the iPhone and iPod Touch. The game was originally released as a click-wheel iPod game back in 2008. From the 2008 click-wheel iPod version was well reviewed:

At first glance Song Summoners bears a strong resemblance to Squeenix's other SRPG series, Final Fantasy Tactics. And in some ways, they are similar. Both features tiny sprites fighting from a fixed, isometric perspective, as well as a variety of different unit types. But Summoners is also a much more simplified experience.

The game's hook was the unique unit creation method in which you choose songs from your iPod's library and the class and skill sets depended on the song selected. These units can then be leveled up in battle.

7f35e4bd8fbadcea315f53ff789a05a6

The iPhone version of the game is labeled as an "encore" and appears to be a distinct from the click-wheel version. This gameplay video of the preview version shown was recorded by AppBank:


How units are created by choosing songs are also shown in this video.

kuniyabu01The next game that Square Enix showed at the Tokyo Game Show was a real time strategy game called Hills and Rivers Remain. The game has existed for mobile platforms in Japan and was described (mobile version) as follows:

Hills and Rivers Remain isn’t a full blown strategy RPG. It’s more like a mix of tower defense and the world map from Dragon Force where units automatically invade towns. Even though it’s just a cell phone game, Square Enix included a story mode where you lead Alan and his army to victory. Beyond story mode there is a free play mode and a downloadable maps.

A video of the game can be seen here, courtesy of AppBank:

No release dates for either title are known.

Support Our Sponsors:
«
»
  • Slapshot

    Finally...........? For Song Summoner, I guess. *Shrugs*

  • Slapshot

    Finally...........? For Song Summoner, I guess. *Shrugs*

  • arta

    Worst shit ever.

  • arta

    Worst shit ever.

  • Chrono

    I have Song Summoner in my old iPod Video. It's really a very good game (and original), with gameplay like Final Fantasy Tactics. Good to see Square finally giving some attention to our platform.

  • Chrono

    I have Song Summoner in my old iPod Video. It's really a very good game (and original), with gameplay like Final Fantasy Tactics. Good to see Square finally giving some attention to our platform.

  • Chad

    This may be Square's first attempt at providing something respectable to the platform.

  • Chad

    This may be Square's first attempt at providing something respectable to the platform.

  • Somerandomdude

    Finally they listen to what the people wanted! Or at least what I've seen. Now I don't have to ask my sister to get this for me!

  • Somerandomdude

    Finally they listen to what the people wanted! Or at least what I've seen. Now I don't have to ask my sister to get this for me!

  • radchad1

    Making Final Fantasy VII on PSOne $30 million dollars
    Bringing out many great games to many consoles $100 million dollars
    Screwing over the idevice community with cheap ports that won't sell a damn game PRICELESS.

    Squarenix on console = great
    Squarenix on idevices = sucks ass

    Thanks for the crappy ports Squre.

  • radchad1

    Making Final Fantasy VII on PSOne $30 million dollars
    Bringing out many great games to many consoles $100 million dollars
    Screwing over the idevice community with cheap ports that won't sell a damn game PRICELESS.

    Squarenix on console = great
    Squarenix on idevices = sucks ass

    Thanks for the crappy ports Squre.

  • JD

    Finally, Song Summoner!
    The other one seems totally bland though.

  • JD

    Finally, Song Summoner!
    The other one seems totally bland though.

  • Nausicaa

    Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VI are two of the most popular games of all time. Both can run on any platform out there today, iPhone included. What amazes me is that Square never seems to rerelease these games. They would sell millions if they were available on the iPhone or PSP, or as downloads on the XBLN and whatever Sony offers on the PS3. They've done updated versions of every FF up to 5 on various platforms, I think. Really strange. It's something people are always wanting.

  • Nausicaa

    Final Fantasy VII and Final Fantasy VI are two of the most popular games of all time. Both can run on any platform out there today, iPhone included. What amazes me is that Square never seems to rerelease these games. They would sell millions if they were available on the iPhone or PSP, or as downloads on the XBLN and whatever Sony offers on the PS3. They've done updated versions of every FF up to 5 on various platforms, I think. Really strange. It's something people are always wanting.

  • spiffyone

    What's with all the negativity?

    Song Summoner was a great iPod game that, honestly, would've fit right in on GBA (if GBA had MP3 capabilities built in, that is) or even PSone if overblown cutscenes were added.

    That other game looks pretty good too.

    Oh, that's right...you all want Final Fantasy. >_> I can understand porting the older ones, as Nausicaa alluded, but I doubt that an all new Final Fantasy just for the iPhone/touch, with production values as high as PSP offerings, makes much business sense. I can understand what Squeenix is doing in making these lower dev cost games with more "pick up and play" gameplay. It fits the platform better, tbqh. That they're actually very good games is indicative that Squeenix isn't slumming it at all. They're making great games for a mobile platform, that fit the platform paradigm.

    Seriously, if Squeenix somehow thinks to put multiplayer in this updated Song Summoner for iPhone/touch, it would be in the running for iPhone/touch Game of the Year, and in a year that saw great stuff all around that's saying quite a lot. Even without it, though, the game is still quality.

    That said, if they could put out stuff like this AND port their older NES and SNES titles, I think they'd make just about everyone happy. Old and new offerings are a good strategy.

  • spiffyone

    What's with all the negativity?

    Song Summoner was a great iPod game that, honestly, would've fit right in on GBA (if GBA had MP3 capabilities built in, that is) or even PSone if overblown cutscenes were added.

    That other game looks pretty good too.

    Oh, that's right...you all want Final Fantasy. >_> I can understand porting the older ones, as Nausicaa alluded, but I doubt that an all new Final Fantasy just for the iPhone/touch, with production values as high as PSP offerings, makes much business sense. I can understand what Squeenix is doing in making these lower dev cost games with more "pick up and play" gameplay. It fits the platform better, tbqh. That they're actually very good games is indicative that Squeenix isn't slumming it at all. They're making great games for a mobile platform, that fit the platform paradigm.

    Seriously, if Squeenix somehow thinks to put multiplayer in this updated Song Summoner for iPhone/touch, it would be in the running for iPhone/touch Game of the Year, and in a year that saw great stuff all around that's saying quite a lot. Even without it, though, the game is still quality.

    That said, if they could put out stuff like this AND port their older NES and SNES titles, I think they'd make just about everyone happy. Old and new offerings are a good strategy.

  • spiffyone

    FF VII is available for download on PSN, and you can play the game on either a PS3 or PSP by purchasing it on that service.

    I actually thought you meant the older SNES and NES games. Porting those would be easier, and lower cost, and would probably make a few of you happy. Porting the PSone games? Not likely due to size alone. Technically it's possible, it's just not really on their radar due to that large download size. That's what happens when a game is developed using copious amounts of FMV (even in the background, btw) to look "good". Besides, I'd rather Tactics if they're gonna port a PSone FF game to this platform. Not a lot of overblown FMV makes it a smaller size game, and it's quite frankly a better game overall than the massively overhyped and overrated FFVII.

  • spiffyone

    FF VII is available for download on PSN, and you can play the game on either a PS3 or PSP by purchasing it on that service.

    I actually thought you meant the older SNES and NES games. Porting those would be easier, and lower cost, and would probably make a few of you happy. Porting the PSone games? Not likely due to size alone. Technically it's possible, it's just not really on their radar due to that large download size. That's what happens when a game is developed using copious amounts of FMV (even in the background, btw) to look "good". Besides, I'd rather Tactics if they're gonna port a PSone FF game to this platform. Not a lot of overblown FMV makes it a smaller size game, and it's quite frankly a better game overall than the massively overhyped and overrated FFVII.

  • mike

    hmm, sell a game for $10 on iPod touch or $50 on DS. Let ... me... think....

    Remember, the people who own DSes are very very likely to be iPod/iPhone owners, these are very competitive devices. DS has a bigger install base at the moment as well.

    And lastly, for those of you who are uber-geeks. These 'releases' can be hacked.It's just a digitally distributed ROM. Square maybe paranoid about this new model, hence releasing utter shite until they get more confident (and the idevices get a bigger install base)

    Square is dragging its feet... they'll come around

  • mike

    hmm, sell a game for $10 on iPod touch or $50 on DS. Let ... me... think....

    Remember, the people who own DSes are very very likely to be iPod/iPhone owners, these are very competitive devices. DS has a bigger install base at the moment as well.

    And lastly, for those of you who are uber-geeks. These 'releases' can be hacked.It's just a digitally distributed ROM. Square maybe paranoid about this new model, hence releasing utter shite until they get more confident (and the idevices get a bigger install base)

    Square is dragging its feet... they'll come around

  • Patrick

    Personally i think doing ff7 and ff8 on the iphone would be awesome but at the same time looking at it from a technical side i dont really see how they would be able to get the controls right on those games with a touch screan. By on the plus side i think it would not be to hard for them to port ff 1 or 2 to the iphone with a little tweaking you could get the touch screen to work well with both of those.

  • Patrick

    Personally i think doing ff7 and ff8 on the iphone would be awesome but at the same time looking at it from a technical side i dont really see how they would be able to get the controls right on those games with a touch screan. By on the plus side i think it would not be to hard for them to port ff 1 or 2 to the iphone with a little tweaking you could get the touch screen to work well with both of those.

  • Obsidanse

    Seriously, Song Summoner is NOT a port, it was designed souly for the idevices.
    It's only a port in the sence that it's been made for iPhone and iPod touch after it was made for iPod click wheel.
    They did a complete re-work of the control system, in order to make it touch responsive.
    Please do your research before bad mouthing a very good game.

  • Obsidanse

    Seriously, Song Summoner is NOT a port, it was designed souly for the idevices.
    It's only a port in the sence that it's been made for iPhone and iPod touch after it was made for iPod click wheel.
    They did a complete re-work of the control system, in order to make it touch responsive.
    Please do your research before bad mouthing a very good game.


SUPPORT OUR SPONSORS