Square Enix launches a teaser website for a brand new RPG, Cosmos Rings, which will be an Apple Watch exclusive game and a spin-off of the Chaos Rings series.

As a publisher, Square Enix has its hands in many pots, but even with its extensive history in mobile games, no one would have guessed they would enter into the Apple Watch market -- at least, not this late in the game. To some, the Apple Watch is a relic, but Square Enix appears to not have given up on the accessory quite yet and is currently working on Cosmos Rings, an Apple Watch exclusive RPG that will be releasing worldwide this summer.

The game's teaser site sheds virtually no light on the game itself, but does show off a bit of the art style and cements the platform exclusivity. According to an article on Famitsu, Cosmos Rings - which is a spin-off of the Chaos Rings series - is the world's first Apple Watch dedicated full-scale RPG, which could be an indication of the work being put into the game to make it more robust than other RPGs on the platform.

cosmos rings apple watch square enix
Image: Gamer

Judging from the promotional screens and Famitsu's mention of a "time regression system" that will make use of the watch's digital crown, time appears to be an important theme, which makes sense. Cosmos Rings is also said to make use of the Apple Watch's pedometer function, but how all of these mechanics work in-game is a mystery at this point.

Given the popularity of games like Pokemon GO, it is not too surprising to see other companies trying to get into the "get up and play" gaming market that incentivizes players to be more mobile; just look what its done for Nintendo. Although, the major rub is that, unlike Pokemon GO and other mobile games, Cosmos Rings will only be available to Apple Watch owners, which diminishes the market greatly. At least they will not have to deal with repeated DDoS attacks.

cosmos rings time upgrade apple watch square enix
Image: Gamer

Being released to this small fraction of the gaming community could be its greatest weakness, as Cosmos Rings might shape up to be a pretty good game. The group developing it consists of Chaos Rings creator and producer Takehiro Andom, along with Square Enix art director and character designer Yusuke Naora, who worked on Final Fantasy X and is currently working on Final Fantasy XV, which we have listed as one of the best RPGs of E3 2016.

Cosmos Rings is nice to look at, but it is difficult to imagine a large enough amount of depth in an RPG of this size to satisfy role-playing aficionados. At this point it is hard to say if non-Apple Watch owners are missing out on anything special, but with its release looming on the horizon the answer is right around the corner.

Cosmos Rings is expected to launch Summer 2016 exclusively for the Apple Watch.

Source: Kotaku