Sequel to World of Final Fantasy arrives by year's end for Android

With almost 500 thousand copies sold worldwide, it appears that, in Square Enix‘s eyes, 2016’s World of Final Fantasy more than merited a sequel. It’s just interesting that the sequel, World of Final Fantasy: Meli-Melo, would be exclusive to mobile and arrive by the end of 2017.

For those unfamiliar with the original, World of Final Fantasy let you play as twins hoping to regain their memories as they travel to various locations and get involved in different conflicts. The plot is definitely thin, but it allows for a greater focus on the unique gameplay, which allows players to capture Mirages à la Pokémon and use them in battle. You can stack these Mirages to pull off various combinations and attacks, though that limits how many moves you have at your disposal.

It also helps that World of Final Fantasy is incredibly adorable, an aesthetic that World of Final Fantasy: Meli-Melo also features. The sequel also brings over the gameplay of the original, albeit with a new story with new characters. Even so, expect to see familiar faces from previous Final Fantasy games, such as Lightning from Final Fantasy XIII.

What’s interesting about Meli-Melo is the shift to mobile, whereas the original World of Final Fantasy was available for the PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, and Windows. That’s a strange move to pull, but one that makes sense for Square Enix, seeing how the company has released numerous Final Fantasy titles on mobile.

The only thing I’m afraid of are the possible micro-transactions that Meli-Melo appears ripe for. Then again, the move to mobile exposes the World of Final Fantasy series to a new and incredibly huge market, which will help with future entries in the series.

World of Final Fantasy: Meli-Melo will launch in Japan by the end of 2017 on Android. Square Enix did not mention a US release, but we wouldn’t be surprised if we see the game make its way to other regions sometime in 2018.