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Final Fantasy, perhaps the biggest and best Japanese RPG series ever as far as the Western world is concerned, is no stranger to spin-offs and dubious sub-sequels. There have been a handful of gems amongst them, but there are some that even fans of the main series would prefer to imagine never happened. Rhythm action game Theatrhythm Final Fantasy Curtain Call, however, is one of the few non-core entries in the series that we’re sure gamers would be keen to get their hands on should its makers see fit to release it outside of Japan. And if a patent recently filed in Europe is any indication, they may just get their wish.

Spanish anime, manga and gaming site Deculture reports that a trademark for the game’s subtitle, “Curtain Call”, was recently trademarked in Europe, leading fans to speculate, hope and pray that Square Enix is gearing up to release the game outside of Japan.

The game plays pretty much exactly like its precursor: “battles” take place on the 3DS’s top screen at the same time as coloured symbols fly in from left to right. The player uses the lower touch screen to tap or “hold” a note in time with the beat from any of the 200 confirmed music tracks, which of course come straight out of the long-running series’ massive and much-loved back catalogue.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRPsVpwcP9U

The game is currently pencilled in for a “spring 2014” release in Japan, but no official announcement has been made regarding a version localised for Western audiences – something that will no doubt frustrate non-Japanese gamers since Nintendo doggedly insists on region-locking its games and hardware, meaning that imported copies will probably be more useful as tiny tablet computers for your sister’s Barbie doll.

Hopefully this news is a good sign and Square Enix will do the decent thing and provide fans of Final Fantasy and rhythm action games in general with an additional taste of gaming goodness sometime this year.

Source: Deculture via Games in Asia
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