When video game developer Square Enix gave the largest preview to date of its upcoming role-playing game Final Fantasy XV, it rubbed some fans the wrong way. Just about every installment since the series switched to having set characters has featured female adventurers, but the company announced that the playable cast of Final Fantasy XV is entirely male.

While details are still scarce about the separate but concurrently in-development game Mevius Final Fantasy, newly released screenshots of the smartphone title also feature only a male character. With a Y-chromosome suddenly seeming like a necessary bit of adventuring equipment, does this mean Final Fantasy has consciously decided to turn its back on the many female fans who’ve helped it achieve the success it enjoys today?

Probably not, since while it’s not certain whether or not Mevius Final Fantasy will allow female gamers to create a character in their own likenesses, it’s absolutely certain that the game is planning to provide a generous serving of extra-lean beefcake.

As a bit of background, here’s one of the most commonly seen images of the Final Fantasy XV party.

Yep, that sure is a lot of testosterone, in the sense that they’re all dudes. But with their slender builds, preppy threads, and smooth, model-quality faces, it seems pretty obvious that letting future fangirls drool over them is at least as big a priority for the designers as letting males imagine themselves in the heroes’ designer shoes. Putting just the boys in the spotlight isn’t by any means a new tactic for games and anime targeting female fans in Japan, either, as proven by the predominantly male casts of shows with mainly female fanbases such as Free! and Prince of Tennis.

▼ Female characters get about as much screen time as shirts do in Free!

Some might hold that, in the case of interactive entertainment like games, attractive bodies of the opposite sex are a less-than-attractive substitute for self-insertion potential . One could also make the argument that since the last major Final Fantasy release, Lightning Returns: Final Fantasy XIII, had a woman as its only playable character (plus put in extra effort to largely eliminate possible upskirt camera angles), Square Enix has already proven its commitment to equal time for guys and gals on ceter stage.

For that matter, it’s entirely possible that playable female characters will be included in the final version of Mevius Final Fantasy, as the game is still in the very early stages and lacks a firm release date.

What it does have, though, is firm abs…

… and taut buttocks.

The still unnamed character for the iOS/Android game is a swordsman with bronzed skin, J-pop boy band-style hair, and pouting lips.

▼ The skeletons make it look like we’re on a battlefield, but the hero’s pose says we’re in Vanity Fair’s photo studio.

Unlike previous mobile games in the Final Fantasy franchise, Mevius isn’t being handed off to a secondary group at Square Enix. Instead, it’s being helmed by core development team members who work on the main, numbered installments of the series. The company has made numerous comments promising an extremely high level of polish in the finished product. As such, a 3-D world map doesn’t seem at all out of the question, which would translate into hours of watching the character’s sinuously muscled back flex and sway as he runs along.

The developers haven’t just been working on making their Adonis look his best, though. Concept art for the game’s scenery also seems to be coming along nicely.

▼ Is there a side quest where you get to save Bambi’s mom?

As for the game’s combat system, producer Yoshinori Kitase says his team is aiming for “experiences that can only be had on a smartphone.” More concrete details about the play mechanics, though, like whether or not the hero ever wears anything more modest than the “naked except for an apron” look he’s rocking here, are yet to be released.

Still, given the involvement of Square’s top talent and seeming commitment to making Mevius a complete Final Fantasy title, it’s a good bet the final version will include series mainstays such as airships, chocobos, and a job system.

▼ Judging from Blondie’s apparent lack of underpants, we’re guessing his class is “commando.”

Related: Mevius Final Fantasy official website

Sources: Inside Games via Jin

Top image: Square Enix

Insert images: Wikia, Anime Wallpaper Stock, Square Enix