Update: This is an April Fools Joke for 2013.
In the wake of Yoichi Wada’s resignation and an astounding loss of ¥1 billion at Square Enix, the company has announced that they are taking a new direction and will make games they call “epic and famous.” Little did we, the consumers, know that their first titles since the loss are new installments in the new Theatrhythm franchise.
After the success of Theatrhythm Final Fantasy, which sold through 90% of its shipment in Japan, the game’s producer, Ichiro Hazama, said in July that he hoped Theatrhythm could become a series. Well, he certainly got his wish, as did fans of Square’s game music. However, the three upcoming titles in the fledgling Theatrhythm series will definitely surprise Square Enix fans. See, not only is Square trying to keep to their new “epic and famous” image, they’re also attempting to make more inroads into the lucrative market of gamers who enjoy first- and third-person shooters. Check out the upcoming titles in the Theatrhythm series below.
Theatrhythm Deus Ex, coming this summer, uses the ambient music from the critically acclaimed action-RPG series. Eidos Montreal, which assisted indieszero in developing the title, describes the gameplay as a complex retrospective of the series’ music. Theatrhythm Deus Ex will be available for the Wii U as a pre-order bonus for Deus Ex: Human Revolution Director’s Cut at all GameStop and EB Games locations this summer. 3DS, PS3, Xbox 360, Windows, Android/OUYA and iOS versions will all follow suit later in the year.
Although feelplus/AQ’s third-person shooter Mindjack was critically panned by reviewers and gamers alike, the bigwigs at Square thought that its “mind-hacking” gameplay mechanic will no doubt translate well to a rhythm-action game. And thus, Theatrhythm Mindjack was born. Not unlike D3’s inclusion of White Knight Chronicles with its sequel, Square is planning to include an enhanced version of the original Mindjack that fixes the numerous bugs found throughout the game and makes the AI smarter. Theatrhythm Mindjack is slated to come out this fall for the PS3 and Xbox 360, with an Origin-exclusive Windows version in the works.
But the biggest surprise of all just might be Theatrhythm Daikatana, a rhythm game based on one of gaming’s most infamous failures. John Romero and Square Enix do have a point in releasing it, however: the pounding electronic music throughout the game is part of what makes it an immersive FPS. With Theatrhythm Daikatana, the team is hoping to bring Romero’s misunderstood shooter to a new audience. It’s slated to come to Windows, the Wii U eShop, and the 3DS eShop, along with a simultaneous release of the original Daikatana on Steam, the Wii U Virtual Console (N64), and the 3DS Virtual Console (GBC).
Is this a boneheaded move on Square Enix’s part? Give us your thoughts in the comments below.
