'Final Fantasy' maker is developing a role-playing game just for Apple Watch

The Apple Watch is many things -- a fitness tracker, a smart home controller, a notifications device, etc. -- to many people. And soon it could become a more robust platform for games.

Let that sink in for a second. Fully-featured games. On. Apple Watch. Square Enix, the game publisher behind iconic franchises like Final Fantasy and Dragon Quest, has announced that it's working on a role-playing game (RPG) exclusively for Apple Watch.

Square Enix has launched a website with a teaser for the Apple Watch game. The company didn't provide details beyond the name of the game (Cosmos Rings) and a tiny screenshot showing what the game might look like.

Enlarging the screenshot, we can glean a few details. There is a counter for "Day" suggesting it could be a real-time based game that will change based on daily events, a possible timer and what looks like a power stat (there's a lightning icon next to it, but it's too small to clearly tell what the symbol to the right of "990" is. It looks like a Japanese yen "¥" symbol).

Original image has been replaced. Credit: Mashable

We can also see three dots on the bottom of the screen suggesting there will be multiple screens to swipe through within the game.

Whether you think putting a game on a smartwatch is an amazing or stupid idea, it's still too early to judge.

Creating games for a smartwatch is no easy task. Beyond power limitations, the Apple Watch's screen is also quite small, which would make controls difficult.

However, with the upcoming watchOS 3, that could all change. Along with Force Touch, developers will get access to the Digital Crown, further enabling input.

The small screen also poses a challenge for graphics. How much information will Square Enix be able to show?

If I were to guess, I'd say Cosmos Rings will be a lightweight RPG game that won't be graphic intensive -- don't expect anything like Final Fantasy shrunk down for the Apple Watch. Instead, perhaps, the game will focus on battle mechanics that will pit users (maybe monsters? there has to be monsters...) against other players in a passive way. Think Nintendo StreetPass, the wireless tech in the Nintendo 3DS that lets players interact with others they pass by on the street without needing to have the device open.

Of course, I'm merely speculating. But still, the prospect of a deeper game in the RPG genre intrigues me. If Square Enix does have a solid idea, it could pave the way for gaming on smartwatches.

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