Square Enix announce new JRPG: Project Prelude Rune

Square Enix have announced a new RPG, currently known as Project Prelude Rune [official site], and a new Japanese studio to make it called Studio Istolia. The studio is being led by Hideo Baba, who previously worked at Namco Bandai on the Tales series. There are only a few details so far and a few pieces of concept art, which you can see below.

Here's the concept art, which confirms: yes, it's a JRPG.

I do like that second image, though. If the world turns out to be as vertical as that suggests and offers interesting ways to traverse a world of giant flowers, then I'd be pretty excited. Unfortunately the news release offers no further specific information, saying only that the story is set "across a vast land teeming with life" and that, "Nurtured by the earth, the many peoples of this land dare to dream, fighting for what is just—and this is their tale." To which I say: we get it, it's a JRPG.

There's no mention of platforms yet, but Square Enix have recently been bringing most of their games to PC. For example, last year they released I Am Setsuna, another JRPG created by another newly founded Tokyo-based game studio. Let's hope they repeat the pattern here.

The latest entry in the Hideo Baba's Tales series, Tales of Berseria, also came out just a few weeks ago and was released on PC. You can read our review here, in which we praise its characters and combat but lament the costume design and the hours of what feels like padding.

Of course, all I hear when I hear Hideo Baba is...

Ta to Gamer for spread this concept art.