Gyromancer: An Ingenious Mix of Final Fantasy and Bejeweled Twist

Gyromancer is the collaborative effort of PopCap and Square Enix. The Xbox 360 and PC game is to be a hybrid of Bejeweled Twist and Final Fantasy, which gives Gyromancer the opportunity to be one of the most addictive games ever. Gyromancer, still in development, is expected to be released in 2010.

Gyromancer: The Idea
According to Wired.com, the idea behind Gyromancer was born from an offhand pitch by Jason Kapalka, PopCap's co-founder and CCO, to Square Enix. Kapalka proposed the RPG/puzzle hybrid and the idea gathered steam, as talent came on board. PopCap built the puzzle part of the game. Square Enix took over the majority of the design, developing the RPG aspects. The resulting name, Gyromancer, is intended to be company neutral.

Gyromancer: Game Premise
Gyromancer is the journey of Rivel, a rebel leader/hero. He explores the magical Aledemona Wood, battling mythical creatures. Rivel's goal is to capture them, so they can aid him in his journeys.

Gyromancer's battles take the form of puzzle game Bejeweled Twist, with a RPG elements mixed in. Players will rotate a block of four icons, attempting to make a match of three or more. Gyromancer players will also have the ability to summon collected creatures and use their abilities to help meet objectives.

Gyromancer: Meaning
Gyromancer seemed to be a novel name for this new game. Curious, I looked it up to see if there was a meaning behind the word. I was surprised to find this potentially apt description on UrbanDictionary.com: Gyromancer - "One that walks with and controls Gyration and Rotation within mind, body, or spirit in order to upset the balance."

It seems that the moniker Gyromancer fits this game on many levels. It could refer to the rotation and change in the Bejeweled Twist game. Gyromancer is also a fitting reference to the quest and battles of Final Fantasy. The title also lends itself well towards Gyromancer's potential addictive qualities.

Gyromancer: Predecessor
Gyromancer is not the first RPG/puzzle game hybrid. Infinite Interactive beat them there, by years, with Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords. This game offers basic puzzles to solve, with RPG-style characters and storyline.

Gyromancer is trying to differentiate itself from its predecessors by using the more strategic Bejeweled Twist as the combat format. This should make Gyromancer more challenging than a basic puzzle battle.

Gyromancer: Potential Addiction
We may all be in trouble when Gyromancer is released. Anyone who is susceptible to Final Fantasy or World of War-craft addiction, beware. That goes double for anyone who has manged to waste hours a day with the Bejeweled games. I say double because us Bejeweled addicts are able to have our fix conveniently stored in our cell phones. Gyromancer could bring people from opposite ends of the gaming spectrum together, to happily share hours of unproductive couch time.

Sources:
Square Enix, Pop Cap Team Up for Gyromancer, by Gus Mastrapa, Wired.com
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Gyromancer