Final Fantasy Heroes of Light battling to DS

An all-new Final Fantasy game is coming out this autumn, Square Enix announced today. Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light will take the series "back to the basics," according to the Japanese publisher and will arrive on the North American Nintendo DS this October 5, with a European launch window set for autumn.

Four-player co-op has been promised for the title, which will be a turn-based role playing game. It will feature a class system akin to Final Fantasy X-2, with players being able to switch their character's class by changing the hat they're wearing, Square Enix said.

"Ease of play" is a focus for the game, with Square promising that users will be able to set their own battle commands to the DS's touch screen. The 4 Heroes of Light will feature over 20 different "jobs," including traditional black and white mages, a ranger, and the like. The cooperative elements will involve up to four players locally taking on dungeons and earning points that can be traded for items to use in the single-player campaign.

Visually, the game will draw from a picture-book aesthetic, with art direction duties taken on by Akihiko Yoshida, who looked after Final Fantasy XII and the DS edition of Final Fantasy III. Development is being handled by the team that developed Final Fantasy III and Final Fantasy IV for the DS. Final Fantasy: The 4 Heroes of Light tells the story of a young hero called Brandt venturing through the land of Horne attempting to rescue the land's youngest princess after discovering her missing on his 14th birthday. The game is rated 12 by PEGI and E10+ by the ESRB.