Daily News 19

Tag: Square Enix

  • Major Kingdom Hearts 4 Leak Surfaces, Revealing New Worlds

    Major Kingdom Hearts 4 Leak Surfaces, Revealing New Worlds

    A massive Steam leak has revealed a treasure trove of achievement data for upcoming titles, and Square Enix’s Kingdom Hearts 4 is among the most significant exposures. The leak provides the first concrete evidence of several worlds and gameplay systems planned for the highly anticipated sequel.

    Star Wars Confirmed as a Playable World

    Long-standing fan speculation regarding a Star Wars crossover has been validated. The achievement list includes two explicit references to the franchise:

    • “Desert Do-Gooder: Complete all requests in the Galaxy Far, Far Away.”
    • “May the Light Be with You”

    While the debut trailer hinted at a Star Wars presence, these achievements serve as the first tangible proof that Sora will visit a galaxy far, far away.

    Quadratum and Original Worlds Detailed

    Beyond the Disney crossover, the achievements flesh out the original Kingdom Hearts lore, specifically the reality of Quadratum introduced in Melody of Memory and the Re Mind DLC. Achievements reference locations such as the “Haunted Mansion,” “Monochrome Origins,” “Savanna Central,” “Toy Box,” and the “Land of the Dead,” suggesting a diverse mix of new and returning settings.

    Full Leaked Achievement List

    The following achievements appear in the leaked data exactly as listed:

    • A Hot Tip: Get some advice from the lord of the Underworld.
    • Life in Quadratum: Masterful Storytelling: Set fate in motion.
    • May the Light Be with You
    • Room for a Thousand
    • Into the Marigolds
    • The Blank Era
    • Friends Forever
    • Homecoming
    • The Land of Beginning
    • Born from Bonds
    • Key to the City
    • A Heart’s Decision
    • Expert Artisan
    • Diamond in the Rough: Appraise and obtain a piece of maximum-rarity equipment (armor or accessory).
    • For You, Mi Amigo
    • Another Possibility
    • Behold My Collection: Collect every piece.
    • Make Your Dreams Come True
    • Yoink!: Steal an enemy’s weapon with Goofy’s Magnet Grab for the first time.
    • Elemenchanter
    • Ultima Weapon: Obtain the Ultima Weapon Keyblade.
    • A New Saga Begins: Finish the game and view the ending.
    • Bibliophile: Obtain all key volumes in Scala ad Caelum.
    • Boot Camp Graduate
    • Chains for Playing!: Defeat 10 rival players in Royal Chain.
    • Civilian Outreach: Complete all requests in Quadratum.
    • Desert Do-Gooder: Complete all requests in the Galaxy Far, Far Away.
    • Expert in the Field: Have 100 or more role points for Sora’s current role.
    • Expo Organizer: Complete all requests in Toy Box.
    • Globe-Trotter: Complete all Test Planets on the Imagineer Planet.
    • Haunted Housekeeper: Complete all requests in the Haunted Mansion.
    • Hidden Kings: Discover every lucky emblem.
    • Hotsy-Totsy Helper-Outer: Complete all requests in Monochrome Origins.
    • Hundred Acre Conductor
    • It’s Not Junk to Me: Fill up the treasure collection of the custodian for a certain Quadratum rooftop.
    • Magnanimous Mammal: Complete all requests in Savanna Central.
    • Master Crafter: Unlock all Scrap Commands and Build Finishers for any one Keyblade.
    • Planet Producer: Complete any mission on the Imagineer Planet.
    • Remember Me-nial Laborer: Complete all requests in the Land of the Dead.
    • Speed-Reader: Set a new record for every time trial in Scala ad Caelum.
    • Star Pilot: Defeat the 7 bosses of the gummi routes.
    • Summon Specialist: Use Link Pieces to activate any Special Finisher.
    • Terror of the Creek
    • That’s a Lot of Experience: Defeat 1000 enemies.
    • The Dark Avenger: Hidden achievement: Defeat someone seeking vengeance.
    • The Last Name: Hidden achievement: Defeat the final hurdle in your path.
    • The Root of Imagination: Complete the “Back to the Beginning” gummi route.
    • Well That Was Fun
    • X Marked the Spot: Discover every treasure across each world.

    Release Window and Platform

    According to the source, Kingdom Hearts 4 launches on Nintendo Switch 2 in 2027. For more on the series, check out our hands-on impressions of the Kingdom Hearts 1-3 Collection.

  • Final Fantasy Resonance Delivers Old-School Charm but Can’t Conceal Its Mobile Origins

    Final Fantasy Resonance Delivers Old-School Charm but Can’t Conceal Its Mobile Origins

    Final Fantasy Resonance Preview: Classic Turn-Based Combat Returns October 22

    For 25 years, Final Fantasy has moved away from turn-based combat, yet fan demand for the classic system remains loud and persistent. The recent success of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 proves the appetite endures. Final Fantasy Resonance, launching October 22 on all major platforms, aims to satisfy that hunger while giving the mobile title Brave Exvius a permanent console legacy.

    After roughly an hour of hands-on time at a preview event, the foundations feel structurally sound. Whether Resonance transcends its free-to-play origins remains the open question.

    A Roster Pulled From Across the Series

    Brave Exvius debuted on mobile roughly a decade ago as a gacha-style RPG where currency unlocks characters drawn from across the Final Fantasy franchise. Resonance rebuilds that framework as a traditional console RPG, reusing assets and systems while introducing an original cast led by Rain, a blonde swordsman whose name continues the series’ weather-themed protagonist tradition.

    Your active party fields four original characters, but eight legacy heroes linger in spirit form. Unlock them by locating overworld shrines and completing game-specific trivia challenges. The demo granted Noctis from Final Fantasy XV, while menus confirmed representatives from the series’ most celebrated entries.

    Overworld Exploration With Modern Wayfinding

    Outside combat, Resonance plays like a 16-bit throwback. An interconnected overworld links towns, dungeons, and random encounters. Side quests dot the map, and a persistent objective marker keeps the critical path clear. The preview dungeon was linear and straightforward, though its early-game placement suggests complexity will scale.

    Visuals adopt Square Enix’s “HD-2D” aesthetic, most recently seen in Octopath Traveler II and The Adventures of Elliot. This may be the sharpest implementation yet, but pre-rendered CG cutscenes during combat betray the mobile lineage. They lack English voice acting despite the rest of the game featuring it, creating a noticeable seam between old asset and new production.

    Combat Merges Classic Depth With Modern Mechanics

    Battles are purely turn-based with no real-time pressure. Each encounter becomes a puzzle of elemental weaknesses, solvable through trial and error or by spending a turn on the Assess command. A welcome throwback: every offensive and restorative spell targets either a single unit or the full party, trading potency for breadth — a flexibility absent from the series for decades.

    Legacy characters function as equipable Espers. Assign Cloud Strife to Rain, for example, and Cloud’s stat bonuses and unique skills transfer for as long as he remains attached. Swapping these spirits freely among the four core party members promises to be the primary strategic lever across encounters.

    Stagger mechanics add a contemporary layer. Exploiting weaknesses fills an enemy stagger meter; a full meter stuns the target for one turn and amplifies incoming damage. Staggering every foe simultaneously unleashes a screen-filling cinematic attack from the attached legacy character, triggering the aforementioned CG sequences. The system feels familiar to anyone who has played recent Square Enix RPGs, yet it integrates cleanly into the old-school framework.

    Genuine Challenge in Early Hours

    The story boss in the demo required roughly 15 minutes and multiple near-wipes. That resistance is encouraging. Resonance appears to respect the player’s intelligence and demand mastery of its systems rather than mere stat checks.

    Lingering Questions for Launch

    Narrative quality, emotional investment in the original cast, and pacing over a full runtime remain unknowns. Modern RPGs often bloat; the best 16-bit titles did not. Final Fantasy Resonance answers in October.