Seemingly out of nowhere, Square Enix has revealed that Octopath Traveler is making its way to smartphone devices in the shape of Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent.

The game is reportedly set several years before the events seen in the Switch release and has been described as a “free-to-play single-player RPG”. Japanese fans can pre-register for the game right now, where a 2019 release date has been scheduled; we're still waiting on details for a worldwide release.

Naturally, details are rather slim at the moment, although a list of features has been shared on the game's official site (thanks, Gematsu):

HD-2D for smartphones – 3D CG screen effects added to pixelized graphics create a magical world on smartphones.
Eight-character party command-based battles – Form a party of up to eight characters to fight in evolved command-based battles. Smooth gameplay with swipe controls.
Choice of story between three reigning champions – The setting is the Orsterra continent. The protagonist is a “Chosen One” who will fight against a great evil that has achieved fortune, power, and fame.
Field commands – Take various actions towards characters on the field. Try out all sorts of things, such as “Listen” for information, “Steal” an item, “Hire” an ally, and more.

Octopathtraveler SP 01

That's not all, though, as the official Octopath Traveler Twitter account shared a message regarding the news. The tweet mentions an early trial version which is set to appear on 12th March (presumably just in Japan), and apologises to those waiting for new Octopath experiences on console, stating that "production will take a little while longer".

So what does Square Enix have in store for console players? And will this mobile experience make it to the west? Hopefully we'll find out soon.

Would you check out the mobile game if it were available in your region? Are you excited for more Octopath Traveler content? Tell us below.

[source gematsu.com]