Rumor: Former GRIN/Square Enix title 'Fortress' tech demo leaked

It's been awhile since we've heard anything about GRIN's "unreleased masterpiece" -- a collaboration with Square Enix (and assumed Final Fantasy off-shoot) titled Fortress. An anonymous report released last September claimed the title was currently in the hands of another, unnamed developer. Yesterday, some tech demo footage purportedly displaying the fruits of said studio's labor landed on YouTube. We've posted said video after the jump.

Without any inclination of who is responsible for developing Fortress -- if anyone is developing Fortress -- it's impossible for us to test the credibility of this video. The original poster, YouTube user DiipuSurotu, doesn't mention where the video came from, only stating that it's a tech demo for an "official, but currently unannounced sequel to Final Fantasy XII." We've contacted Square Enix to see what they think of the footage.

It doesn't really look like your traditional Squeenix fare, but the character models certainly resemble those featured in the leaked concept art that surfaced last year. Oh, also? There's totally a Chocobo at the 1:15 mark. That's Final Fantasy-y enough for us.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]

Reader Comments (83)

I thought Vaan was a good character. It's almost like you were a side character for once and viewing the story through a different view. That being said, his clothes were ridiculous.

It got shut down because the studio's bankrupt. Definitely one of their more promising projects, it seemed. Too bad they were doomed with Bionic Commando

Now that FF XIII has gotten a lot of praise is it cool to hate it now? Seems to happen with all big titles, MW2, Halo, GTA IV, etc.

Oh well, once EVERYONE starts hating on Final Fantasy XIII, the "hardcore" gamers will start liking it again. 'Cause it's cool to go against the crowd, ya know?

I think there's basis for disliking (not hating) GTA IV and halo, gta 4 was just less fun than it's predecessors and halo 3 was a tad dull.

But yeah people tend to just take this whole alternative stance to successful stuff because they think they are some kind of visionary and everyone else is an idiot.

I actually haven't really been seeing much praise for FFXIII at all, at least among the Japanese gaming crowd. Obviously I'm getting my information second-hand through websites that, but I'm seeing a lot of chatter saying that its linearity and a dull storyline have a lot of fans saying its the worst FF in the series.

Now whether or not this is a lot of people saying it or just a vocal minority I don't know.. but it definitely has taken my enthusiasm down a few notches.

What praise has FF13 got outside of Japan? Gonna have to wait a couple months for the slurping to begin, and then another couple months before all the reviewers backtrack from the high scores they gave it and start complaining about how stale FF is again.

That's how the cycle goes here.

Got banned again eh Trollmac?

I guess so, think it was yesterday cause I couldn't post on the other account anymore. It'd be fucking great if they would at least let you know either on the comments or by email if that's the case.

Their ban system is fucking beyond terrible and inconsistent anyway. It's a huge joke.

Tmac, banning isn't supposed to be convenient.

While everyone is commenting on the footage, I will note that the username "DiipuSurotu" honestly seems like a romanization of a katakana rendering of the English phrase "Deep Throat." Now, the second word doesn't entirely fit "throat," more like "slot/slots" instead, and I didn't check into this user, but it seems pretty likely.

As for the footage, I think it's too little to go on to judge anything about the intended game and gameplay. It's just a tech demo; who knows what specific portions of tech it was intended to demo and which parts are placeholders. But, taken at face value, it doesn't look like my kind of game.

I'd rather have Final Fantasy XII and Versus - than this. ANY DAY.

@Traceur_Ryuk

It is cool to hate on whatever is popular, but it is also cool to like whatever is popular. So either everyone is cool, or everyone is an idiot...

I doubt they will backtrack on what try will probably say about FF XIII. You may (rightfully) argue that Japanese RPGs have grown stale, but you can't deny that nearly every main FF game has been great.

But truthfully isn't saying RPGs in Japan has grown stale the same thing as saying FPS's in the US has grown stale? Not that all are bad, just most.

I hate when a comment gets deleted, fucks everything up.

Also, in my comment the word "try" should be "they". iPhone auto-correct sucks.

That does look an awful lot like GRIN's engine - the way it handles the shadows cast by trees is identical to the way it works in Bionic Commando.

[banned]

Well, one account down! Hopefully, Joystiq did an IP ban this time...

If I ever get to make a game one day, I wanna put stuff like "This game is gay and dumb" - Bobby BALLIN, Age 9 on it

looks like someone is really defensive about dumb final fantasy games

and no they're too stupid to ip ban or block certain email domains or several other easy-to-do things.

Finally! I've been waiting for that for a few days now.

@ tmac

I meant turn-based combat since, yes, that's what you said. Sadly, I noticed too late and couldn't edit. The point is this: just because something (in this case, combat) is done one way you like, (in real time), does not make irrelevant other perspectives. It's like saying

"Hey man, why are you eating vanilla ice cream!? Haven't you heard of CHOCOLATE?! Back in the day, ice-cream makers could only make one kind, but now, we have the technology to make so much more...every other flavor has grown and changed since then, but not vanilla. It's pathetic."

The fact is that turn-based combat is DIFFERENT GAMEPLAY than real-time. It involves different facets of strategy, (hence, my 'typo') and allows for--here's that word again--a different way to play!

I fully respect your preference for one thing over another, but there's room enough for both.

Reply in the wrong place. Sorry!

Seriously this looks more fun than XIII which seems bland, generic, and has horrible storytelling and combat elements. I guess the author of this article is a huge FF fanboy because I can't think of any other reason why people would keep getting banned on this page for saying stuff like this.

vOv

"people would keep getting banned on this page"

I do believe you're the only one who got banned.

Why continue to come back to a community that has constantly rejected you?

You're not trying to imply that Samurai Champloo and/or Death Note is bad, are you?

We might have a problem, if true.

Anyone who doesn't like Samurai Champloo has no SOUL.

uhh.... maybe the fact that there is a CHOCOBO.

It's a tech demo for a reason, it's about as bare in detail as a playable test could be.

Just because you put Chocobo in a game doesn't mean it should automatically be called Final Fantasy. Although, it seems like Square is doing that a lot these days

A game in FFXII's Star War-esque universe? Awesome!

Well the video has been removed by Square Enix. But you can still find it on various file hosts:

http://www.multiupload.com/1VPAXS2LHP

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Rumor: Former GRIN/Square Enix title 'Fortress' tech demo leaked

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