gyromancer posts

It's Thursday which means it's time for yet another entry in this week's Square Enix sale on Steam. Today the sale takes on two lesser known games in the publisher's library; one is the cute action game Mini-Ninjas from developer Io Interactive. The other is the downloadable only puzzle-RPG game Gyromancer which was developed with the help of PopCap Games.

From now until 11 am Eastern time Friday you can download and purchase either game for 50 percent off their normal Steam prices. If you want to go all out and get both you can grab the bundle package for 66 percent off its normal price. The final games in the Square Enix sale on Steam will be posted on Friday.

With the success Puzzle Quest saw in fusing the casual puzzle game Bejeweled with role-playing elements and a story, one could reasonably guess that it was only be a matter of time before PopCap would to capitalize on its popularity by developing its own version. What few saw coming is the partnership with Square Enix in developing Gyromancer. What we have here are two giants in their respective fields coming together to create the ultimate puzzle RPG hybrid. The contributions from each party are clear: PopCap adapts Bejeweled Twist to act as the combat system while Square Enix is responsible for the plot and characters. Yet somehow, these two innovators end up looking like second rate imitators when combining their expertise.

This week we get a second Lego game version of a famous adventurer, the first expansion pack to one of the biggest PC games of the year, and a weird merge between a Japanese RPG maker and a casual games developer. Oh, and Left 4 Dead 2.

Left 4 Dead 2: Valve's 2008 zombie co-op shooter gets a quick sequel as we follow a new set of four characters as they try to avoid being part of the undead apocalypse in the New Orleans area. New weapons, new melee items, new zombie bosses and new gameplay modes are all a part of the sequel.

Last September during the Tokyo Game Show, publisher Square Enix announced a collaboration with casual game developer PopCap Games with their upcoming puzzle-RPG Gyromancer. Today it was revealed via a new trailer that the downloadable game would be released for the PC on November 18 for $15.

The game itself has that Square Enix art style for the RPG portion of the game mixed with a Bejeweled Twist puzzle gameplay experience. You can expect to have access to over 50 monsters that can be used in your puzzle-RPG battles across 12 different stages. An online leaderboard will also be made available to compare your scores with others.

Download HD Gyromancer Trailer (73 MB)

The Tokyo Game Show is the place for some of the more unusual announcements in games and this year is no exception. Square Enix has announced plans to team up with casual PC game king Popcap Games to create Gyromancer, a downloadable PC title that will be released via Steam.

A la Puzzle Quest, this is a fantasy puzzle-RPG combo that has a distinct Square Enix art style mixed in with some Bejeweled gameplay options. Your character of Rivel has to naturally fight off creatures and you can even use the beasts to your advantage to join the fight. Pricing and a release date for the game have not yet been announced.