Voice Fantasy
A voice-driven action game for iOS.
Voice Fantasy is a 2010 action game for Apple iOS platforms, developed and published by Square Enix in collaboration with Koto Laboratories. It is notable for generating player-controlled characters from the user's own voice, a novel concept that was widely praised even as the game itself was critically panned. The title was delisted from the iOS App Store in May 2016.
Quick Facts
- Developer
- Square Enix; Koto Laboratories
- Platforms
- iOS
- Released
- November 1, 2010
- Genre
- Action game
- Modes
- Single-player
Facts from the source article.
Gameplay
Voice Fantasy involves fighting an enemy by sending an army of customized characters into battle. The game offers three modes: Single Match, Tag Match, and the primary Demon King mode. Once combat begins, all actions and commands are automated, and the game is single-player only, with matches against other players actually fought against computer-controlled heroes. Players create characters by speaking any word into the microphone; the pitch of the voice determines eight combat attributes, abilities, personality, and job types such as warrior or mage. Created characters repeat the sound used to create them during attacks. The game holds up to 50 characters, which can be saved or deleted after each round. Battles are presented from a side-on view, and players have no control beyond initial character creation.
Development
Square Enix trademarked Voice Fantasy in February 2010. Koto Laboratories handled the game's development and sound. A week before its November 1, 2010 iOS release, a Facebook post from Square Enix sparked speculation that the voice-based character creator was linked to Song Summoners. A February 2011 update let players control the three main characters from Secret of Mana.
Reception
Reviewers criticized the lack of player participation in combat and the inability of characters to gain experience points, making weak characters unviable. IGN called the game a tech demo and rated it 5 out of 10, citing minimal gameplay and story. TouchArcade described it as borderline between a game and an entertainment app due to brevity and low interactivity, but recommended it for showing the iPhone's unique capabilities to friends. Pocket Gamer stated it could be described as more a microphone tech demo than a serious game, questioning whether it deserved to be called a game. The Escapist praised the novelty and Square Enix's attempt to use the system's strengths. The retro, colorful graphics were praised, and The Unofficial Apple Blog named it App of the Day. Reviewers noted that spells, monsters, names, and music do not come from any established Final Fantasy game, making the title feel tacked on. Both TouchArcade and 148Apps stated the app was better for showing the concept to friends than as a game to play.
More in Square Enix Games of the 2010s
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