The Square Enix Collective is still around - and still growing. The publishing giant may be trying to sever ties with its long-standing partner IO Interactive, but they're still looking to help pump out indie hit after indie hit. Children of Zodiarcs is the newest acquisition - and it's coming in just a few months.
Originally handled through Kickstarter by its developer company Cardboard Utopia, Square Enix seem to have snatched up the publishing rights after seeing it waltz through its funding goal five times over.
Said to be inspired to recapture and "build upon the spirit" of old-school tactical RPGs, eager fans may be wondering why Square would handle something like this while the larger playerbase yearns for an official successor to the Final Fantasy Tactics series. Alas, they did something similar not too long ago with I AM Setsuna - a short RPG with a heavy heart designed to pay homage to the group's JRPG legacy.
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Set to launch on July 18, 2017, Children of Zodiacs is described by Cardboard Utopia as "a tactical RPG that's larger than life'. Rather than play off Square Enix's history with the genre, this one is said to be pulling its inspiration from tactical board games. It's a story about a band of thieves who swipe the Kingdom's princess in a bit to have it change its overruling ways. Cards and dice play a major role throughout as a means to unlock new abilities while keeping brawls fast-paced and somewhat unpredictable along a grid-based system.
"We’ve put everything into delivering an experience that recaptures the joy people felt playing those tactical RPGs all those years ago" said Jason Kim, the game's Creative Director in the supplied press release.
