Song Summoner: Unsung Heroes - Square releases FFT-like iPod game - out now!

Delzhand

http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=19313

Song Summoner is apparently an SRPG where the contents of your iPod are used to generate soldiers for use in a Final Fantasy Tactics style battle. Artwork and graphics look gorgeous, and it's already out. There's a preview video available through the iTunes store.

Apparently it only works on the new gen iPods, though, so those of us poor schmucks with 2nd gen Nanos are stuck thinking about how awesome it looks.

Antihippy

Ah yes. This is awesome.

Unfortunately I'm never going to fit it into my 1.7 GB (you lied Steve!) nano.

Samphis

Screenshots for you all.

Fellhand

I don't know if I'm comfortable with attacks like 'snowballin'

:shock:

Samphis

I'm just sad that my first-gen Nano and Zune can't play it.

Lunker

I was just going to make a thread on Samphis' post. Holy awesome shitballs. Here are PR details from Kotaku:

SQUARE ENIX ANNOUNCES SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes, a Full-Scale Role-Playing Game for iPod, Now Available on iTunes

LOS ANGELES (July 7, 2008) – Square Enix, Inc., the publisher of Square Enix™ interactive entertainment products in North America, announced the release of SONG SUMMONER™:

The Unsung Heroes, on sale at the iTunes® Store worldwide (www.itunes.com) and available for play in English and Japanese on the iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod.

SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes is a Role-Playing Game that transforms your iPod® songs into powerful "Tune Troopers" that you can control in battle! As the protagonist Ziggy, you will embark on an epic journey to rescue your brother from the clutches of the Mechanical Militia! Intriguing characters, an epic story and a tactics-based battle system combine for a rich RPG experience previously only available on home and handheld game consoles.

SONG SUMMONER: The Unsung Heroes
Publisher: Square Enix, Inc.
Platform: iPod nano with video, iPod classic and fifth generation iPod
Genre: Role-Playing
Launch Date: July 8, 2008
Price: 4.99 USD (iTunes Store download)

Story
From the days of old, Melodica was a land of music, a land of freedom. The people sang, played and danced to the music they so cherished. Until one day, they came — the Mechanoids, who enhanced their bodies with machinery. Those who were tempted by greed and power willingly gave away their souls for bodies of steel, forsaking their humanity to become cold, emotionless automatons. Now, they seek to destroy all that do not embrace their way of life.

But there is hope on the horizon. There are those who are fated to stand against the tyranny of the machines — the Superstars, who can turn sound into lethal weapons, and the Conductor, also known as the Song Summoner, who can summon powerful warriors born of music.

In their most desperate hour, Melodica awaits the arrival of their new Song Summoner...

Game Features
- Transform your iPod songs into "Tune Troopers" to combat the evil Mechanical Militia.
- Tune Trooper types and abilities are determined by the songs used to create them.
- Your Tune Troopers can be powered up even outside of the game—just by listening to the songs you used to create them!
- Control Ziggy, a "Conductor" that creates warriors out of music, and guide him through his journey to save his brother Zero from the Mechanical Militia.
- Experience a turn-based tactics battle system, divided into player and enemy phases where each side takes turns maneuvering their forces.
- Deploy the right troopers at the right time, and use contraptions found on the map effectively to achieve victory in battle!
- iPod Click Wheel allows players to play the game as easily as selecting music.

We are through the looking glass, bitches. This sounds awesome, it's only $5 and it's apparently available right the fuck now on the iTunes Store. Go buy it and tell me how it is. I'm going to buy it as soon as I get home.

Antihippy

I'm pretty sure that it works with first gen. :o_0:

MrFancyPants

Oh curses, and I was trying to avoid getting a newfangled iPod. FFT is one of my faves ever

Please say they will release this as a Mac game? Mac games need love! I would pounce on this at $20-30 even. (Heck I just threw down $40 on FFTA2 for my DS, and I'd still get this. I'm such a consumer. A consumer of TACTICAL GOODNESS!)

Mojo_Jojo

This sounds amazing. Maybe my next MP3 player should be an iPod.

kildy

I'm getting the impression that my Touch can't play this >< ><

Antihippy

Antihippy wrote: »

I'm pretty sure that it works with first gen. :o_0:

edit: beat'd

Fellhand

kildy wrote: »

I'm getting the impression that my Touch can't play this >< ><

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I would have gladly dropped $5 on this too.

Cameron_Talley

kildy wrote: »

I'm getting the impression that my Touch can't play this >< ><

Yes, unfortunately it is for iPod Classic only. (Maybe Nano, too, I'm not sure).

However, this is a good sign. Perhaps Square will release another version from the App store.

I really like the level-up-your-characters by listening to music thing...

Lunker

Fellhand wrote: »

kildy wrote: »

I'm getting the impression that my Touch can't play this >< ><

Yeah, I'm in the same boat. I would have gladly dropped $5 on this too.

I have no problems admitting that Peggle and Phase, two $5 games, were part of my decision to go with an iPod Classic instead of the iPod Touch. Size was another matter, and inevitably there are going to be very awesome iPod Touch–specific games in the future, but still.

NH03

I'll be damned if I buy a new ipod just for this game.

kildy

Cameron_Talley wrote: »

kildy wrote: »

I'm getting the impression that my Touch can't play this >< ><

Yes, unfortunately it is for iPod Classic only. (Maybe Nano, too, I'm not sure).

However, this is a good sign. Perhaps Square will release another version from the App store.

I really like the level-up-your-characters by listening to music thing...

Nano with Video is in the list for compat.

The problem is it uses the click wheel, so the touch is out in the cold.

I wonder how trivial it would be to make an overlayed clickwheel for the touch in an update.

Airan

Heh, Square making a game for the iPod, never expected that!

Almost makes me want an 5thG iPod...

Fawst

I have no idea what Gen my iPod is. I have a 20gig iPod Color. Blah.

Samphis

The first-gen Nano DOES NOT HAVE VIDEO support, so no, it's not going to work.

major_tom

I wonder if I can play this on my nano shuffle.

I'll just jam a 3.5mm-3.5mm line-out cable directly into my ear so the game can render itself straight onto my frontal lobe.

It's cool.

Mr Pink

Fellhand wrote: »

I don't know if I'm comfortable with attacks like 'snowballin'

:shock:

Next up: The Alaskan Pipeline

wunderbar

it's really too bad that I have my iPod, yet no access to my iTunes account until thursday. consider this game bought'd as soon as I get back home.

Sheep

Fellhand wrote: »

I don't know if I'm comfortable with attacks like 'snowballin'

I would totally be down with "* Casts '21st Century Schizoid Man including Mirrors'".

Idx86

Anyone get this yet?

Samphis

So how many people are going to whip together 1-2 second long MP3s so that they can level up really fast?

Fawst

Heh, casting "Hungover on a Tuesday" sounds pretty good to me.

Mai-Kero

Is Her Majesty in the screenshot created by the Decemberists album? Because it should have been.

Noray

Holy shit I just bought this, will let you all know what it's like later.

urahonky

I don't own an iPod, but now I'm interested. Noray, don't let us down sir.

Sheep

Mai-Kero wrote: »

Is Her Majesty in the screenshot created by the Decemberists album? Because it should have been.

Maybe a Stones reference.

Fellhand

Sheep wrote: »

Mai-Kero wrote: »

Is Her Majesty in the screenshot created by the Decemberists album? Because it should have been.

Maybe a Stones reference.

Beatles

cytorak

I wonder how it uses the songs to create your troops. I suspect a "Mr. Jones" trooper would be pretty different from a "My Balls, Your Chin" trooper. :P

I'm also surprised that I heard that they were coming out with this on the day it got released, and not months before like most SE stuff.

AbsoluteZero

It looks a little silly but if the gameplay is good...

Gyral

Bought. Now I just need to get some free time to load it on my iPod and play it.

Edit: Okay loaded it and played through the opening part. Character design/art is kinda nice (better than I would have thought) and the music is pretty good (even if a little repetitive). Pretty much the standard SRPG gameplay except that you use the click wheel to make selections for attacks and who to control. Combat is broken into ally and enemy phases.

The trooper creation is kinda neat in that you select a song on your iPod and the game generates a trooper based on that song, even giving it a class and some stat bonuses (I assume based on the song). I picked a techno industrial song and the game gave me a Monk. Apparently, there are only five classes and you can only deploy your troopers so many times, though you can use Rewind items to increase their re-usage.

There are already a good number of musical references (duh) like calling someone who can summon these troopers "Conductors" and I think I even saw a "dark side of the moon" name drop.

For $5, having what seems like a standard SRPG with a character generated angle on my iPod seems like a good purchase. I am glad that the text is pretty readable on the small screen.

Delzhand

The possibilities are endless! Upload some norweigan death metal for a demon viking class! Upload the FFVII OST to unlock Cloud & Co! Upload Linkin Park to get access to a class that only attacks itself!

Noray

Yeah there are a lot of musical references and themes, but it doesn't seem to use your own music in a meaningful way. I have no idea how my song relates to the character it creates, it could seriously be random for all I know, because there is nothing in the characters you create that establishes a clear link between the song and their stats/class/anything.

Also the first few battles you can kill everything with 1 hit. I don't know if this is just the beginning, but so far, tactics don't come into play. Keep in mind I've done all of 2 battles.

In any case, no reason to freak out and go buy an Ipod for this. If you must get your portable tactics fix, just get a DS for FFTA2 or a PSP for FFT.

Sheep

Gyral wrote: »

Bought. Now I just need to get some free time to load it on my iPod and play it.

Edit: Okay loaded it and played through the opening part. Character design/art is kinda nice (better than I would have thought) and the music is pretty good (even if a little repetitive). Pretty much the standard SRPG gameplay except that you use the click wheel to make selections for attacks and who to control. Combat is broken into ally and enemy phases.

The trooper creation is kinda neat in that you select a song on your iPod and the game generates a trooper based on that song, even giving it a class and some stat bonuses (I assume based on the song). I picked a techno industrial song and the game gave me a Monk. Apparently, there are only five classes and you can only deploy your troopers so many times, though you can use Rewind items to increase their re-usage.

There are already a good number of musical references (duh) like calling someone who can summon these troopers "Conductors" and I think I even saw a "dark side of the moon" name drop.

For $5, having what seems like a standard SRPG with a character generated angle on my iPod seems like a good purchase. I am glad that the text is pretty readable on the small screen.

How do you move the cursor about the battle field?

Please tell me you don't have to scroll through each individual space.

Noray

You do, but the cursor starts at the farthest square.

Gyral

Yeah you have to scroll through each square. Like Noray said, it starts at the far end, so it's not as bad. And it only scrolls through squares the you can move to. Selecting enemies to attack is pretty simple (you can only select the ones in range of the attack you have chosen).

Delzhand

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/35910.html

Gameplay videos.

cytorak

I don't know if it's random, but Alien Ant Farm's "Movies" made a pretty hoss soldier in my game.