Square Enix and Tokyo RPG Factory have finally announced the launch timeline for Lost Sphear , a new spiritual successor to I am Setsuna -- itself billed as 2016’s spiritual successor to the SNES classic, Chrono Trigger -- that’s currently in development for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch. And we’re happy to report it won’t be the latest addition to the holiday 2017 release calendar.
It might seem strange to celebrate the fact that Lost Sphear won’t hit consoles until early 2018. But it’s important to remember just how many big games are already slated for the upcoming holiday season. There’s a whole set of new sports titles, a new platform in the Xbox One X, along with new entries in a number of major franchise, including Super Mario , Star Wars Battlefront, Pokemon, Destiny and Assassin’s Creed. And there are still millions of people struggling to get caught up on the great titles that already dropped this year, including bestsellers like The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild , Persona 5 , NieR: Automata and Horizon Zero Dawn . So a little separation is probably just the thing to ensure Lost Sphear doesn’t fall through the cracks.
According to Square Enix, Lost Sphear will be released in North America on Jan. 23, 2018, less than a week after fellow JRPG Ni No Kuni 2: Revenant Kingdom. Details on the project are still scarce; however, a summary on the PlayStation Blog suggests the tone of Lost Sphear could be just as despondent as Tokyo RPG Factory’s first release. Here's how Square Enix Associate Product Manager Sam Hsieh describes the project:
Lost Sphear is a turn-based JPRG set in a world threatened by a mysterious phenomenon known as Lost. To combat the Lost, the power of Memory awakens within a young man named Kanata, giving hope to the people. As it is too dangerous for Kanata alone, his friends accompany him from his town of Elgarthe: Lumina, Locke and a mysterious person named Van.
For an early look at Lost Sphear, take a few minutes to review the announcement trailer published earlier this year. Then head down to the comments and let us know if you’re planning to play the spiritual successor to I am Setsuna when it hits PS4 and Switch early next year.
Lost Sphear is in development for PS4 and Nintendo Switch. The game debuts Jan. 23.
Be sure to check back with Player.One and follow Scott on Twitter for more Lost Sphear news in 2017 and however long Tokyo RPG Factory supports Lost Sphear after launch.
- Spiritnite system
- fast-paced combat
- a fun late-game plot twist
- story and characters mostly uninteresting
- crazy difficulty jumps
- cash always in short supply
