Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

Square Enix goes wearable with the first RPG designed for Apple Watch

cosmos rings
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Square Enix has announced a game that’s set to break for its genre. This summer, Cosmos Rings will be the first RPG released exclusively for the Apple Watch.

Cosmos Rings will be based on an unusual gameplay mechanic known as the “Time Upstream System.” While details are scarce, it seems that the device’s Digital Crown will be used prominently.

However, progression will be tied to the player’s step count, which the Apple Watch is obviously more than capable of tracking. Given the success of Pokémon Go in recent weeks, it’s easy to see why Square Enix has chosen to announce a new game based on physical movement.

Takehiro Ando has been called upon to act as the game’s producer, according to a report from Siliconera. Ando previously created Chaos Rings, a series of four RPGs that were released across iOS and Android hardware between 2010 and 2014.

Given Ando’s involvement and the similar naming convention, it wouldn’t be surprising if Cosmos Rings turned out to be something of a spiritual follow-up to Chaos Rings. However, the brief plot synopsis that has already been revealed suggests that the game’s storyline will be unrelated.

Cosmos Rings takes place in the Interval of Time, where human emotions are said to swirl around in the ether. These emotions seem to be the enemies that players will be battling over the course of the game, as they attempt to bring back the mysterious Goddess of Time.

Besides the brief glimpse of gameplay present on the official Cosmos Rings website, that’s all we know about this intriguing new RPG for the time being. The game is expected to launch this summer, so we could perhaps see a surprise release sooner rather than later.

Editors' Recommendations

Brad Jones
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Brad is an English-born writer currently splitting his time between Edinburgh and Pennsylvania. You can find him on Twitter…
Follow up Final Fantasy XVI with these 6 Square Enix game deals this Prime Day
Cloud, Zack, and Sephiroth stand back to back in Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII Reunion.

Square Enix is a very busy company. The publisher has spent the last few years churning out everything from Final Fantasy games to completely new franchises. That was especially true in 2022 and it’s already carried over into 2023 thanks to releases like Final Fantasy XVI, Forspoken, and Octopath Traveler 2. Even diehard fans of the publisher’s output may not have gotten around to everything it released in the last 12 months.

If you’re in that boat, I’ve got some good news. A major chunk of Square Enix’s recent game catalog is currently on sale for Prime Day. That includes a wide selection of titles from The Diofield Chronicle to Star Ocean: The Divine Force. Not only that, but the sale even includes discounts on most of the company’s 2023 games, including the best RPG of the year.

Read more
Foamstars is Square Enix’s spin on Splatoon
Foamstars girl character holding her weapon towards the camera.

Square Enix is joining the competitive multiplayer scene with a new game that somehow gives vibes of Splatoon, Persona, and Overwatch all at the same time. The fresh face is called Foamstars, and from what we've been shown so far, it's an original take on third-person shooters with a whole lot of colorful foam and poppy style.

Foamstars - Reveal Trailer | PlayStation Showcase 2023

Read more
Square Enix’s free AI game isn’t selling me on the tech’s power
A crime scene appears in The Portopia Serial Murder Case.

At this year’s Game Developers Conference, AI made headlines. Several talks revolved around the evolving tech, with developers discussing how it could be integrated into games. That was a controversial topic during the show, but one presentation seemed to wow attendees. Square Enix hosted a 30-minute live demo of an AI mystery game that showed how the tech could be a force for good, giving players more control over what they say and having NPCs that respond to prompts accordingly.

SQUARE ENIX AI Tech Preview: THE PORTOPIA SERIAL MURDER CASE【English】

Read more