This November had a bountiful JRPG harvest

November has been kind to all us JRPG fans. There have been enough releases and add-ons in the past couple of weeks to keep even the most active RPGer busy through next November. Amongst the heaps of new releases, three stood out from the rest as games you are going to want to play.

Final Fantasy 4: The After Years
(ファイナルファンタジーIVジアフターイヤーズ)

Ok, so Final Fantasy 4: The After Years is not exactly a new game; it has been released on numerous platforms over the past 5 years. But last week, Square Enix released a revamped version for iOS and Android Systems. The new version is equipped with new 3D character models, touchscreen interface, and is just a cleaner and smoother version of the game. At $16, the new mobile version is expensive (especially compared to the $8 version on the Wii), but FF4: The After Years will be a great addition to your mobile gaming.

Dragon Quest Portal
(ドラゴンクエストポータルアプリ)

One of the biggest stories in Japan last week was that Square Enix was releasing a Dragon Quest Portal app to work as a hub for all things Dragon Quest. Along with the portal release, they are releasing an iOS and Android version of Dragon Quest for free. Yes you read that right: free. The new Dragon Quest Portal was released on November 28 and it costs 0 Yen to play. Within a few days of its release Dragon Quest Portal was downloaded over 3 million times. If you fancy yourself a Dragon Quest fan, you certainly need to pick this up.

The problem? It’s not in English. We have high hopes for a Dragon Quest Portal English release, but if you are skilled in the arts of Nihongo you may want to get yourself over to the Japanese iTunes Store and download it. Dragon Quest may be free now, but the deal is only good until December 10th, so be sure to act fast!

The Knight and the Dragon
(騎士とドラゴン)

For me, The Knight and the Dragon was the most exciting release of November. This relatively unknown game is going to be big. The graphics are classic Super Nintendo, the story is charming, and the music is by Yoko Shimomura (the woman behind the Kingdom Hearts series). You want to know the best part? There is a lot to love about The Knight and the Dragon, but the best part about it is obviously that it is free to play! Unfortunately the game is only in Japanese at the moment, but Games in Asia has heard from a reliable source that if there is enough demand for an English version, they will certainly look into making one. We’re still working to get official confirmation of those plans, but in the meantime, everyone jump to the twittersphere and demand yourself an English version!