With so many Square Enix titles being announced for iOS as of late, it’s understandable that some fans may harbor some lingering doubts about whether they’ll live up to the publisher’s well deserved reputation on their transition to mobile devices. However, the most recent announcement is one that should make even the most skeptical of cynics excited – Square Enix and Silicon Studio have announced that Bravely Default: Fairy’s Effect is coming to smartphones sometime in 2017. While there aren’t too many other details announced, the fact that this new Bravely Default game is coming from the developers of the critically acclaimed 3DS series suggests this newest Square Enix title may be significantly more substantial than some of the publisher’s recent efforts on mobile, and if it’s even half as good as the games it takes its name from, we’re certainly in for a treat here.

For anyone who isn’t familiar with the series on 3DS, the Bravely Default titles won over a lot of gamers globally for its familiar RPG elements that you’d expect from Square, with many spells, items, and even characters reminiscent of the publisher’s flagship series. However, its Brave/Default mechanic adds an exciting element of risk and reward to battles, and an attempt to streamline many of the elements makes it a really accessible entry for anyone not as experienced with RPGs, whilst also being a challenge for the hardcore fans. With only a vague description as a ‘fantasy RPG’, it’s still not clear what Bravely Default: Fairy’s Effect will look like on the iPhone, however with such strong source material and development teams around it, hopefully the mobile iteration will have as big as an impact as it had on the 3DS. Be sure to keep an eye on our forum thread for more details, as well as any more information on the ‘closed beta test’ which Square have stated will take place in the near future.

[via Gematsu]