Man, I still remember that January 2022 tweet from Tomoya Asano like it was yesterday – talk about starting the year with a bang! 🧨 There I was, scrolling through my morning feed while chugging coffee, when Square Enix's Bravely Default account drops Asano's New Year message promising "several unannounced games" alongside Triangle Strategy. My sleepy brain did a double-take. Multiple secret projects? In one year? From the guy who brought us Octopath Traveler? Hold my elixir, this sounded like RPG Christmas coming early! But little did we know how wild that ride would get...
The Asano Effect: One Producer, Many Worlds
Let's unpack why this felt seismic. Tomoya Asano isn't just some random exec – he's the mad scientist behind:
-
🎮 Octopath Traveler's gorgeous HD-2D worlds
-
⚔️ Bravely Default's job-system wizardry
-
🗡️ Triangle Strategy's political chess matches
What's wild? Each series has separate dev teams playing musical chairs. Octopath and Triangle Strategy? Handled by Acquire. Bravely? Different squad. Asano himself spilled in a 2020 interview how pandemic chaos turned his teams into digital nomads. Dude basically became a gaming ringmaster juggling fire! 🔥
The man who made us all refresh Twitter hourly
Triangle Strategy: First Domino to Fall
Right out the gate, we got details on Triangle Strategy's March 4th Switch exclusive launch. The composer reveal alone had me geeking out – Akira Senju of Full Metal Alchemist Brotherhood fame on OST duty? Inject those orchestral battle themes straight into my veins! 🎻 But man, the demo's moral choices had me sweating more than a chocobo in sauna:
| Choice Impact | My Reaction |
|---|---|
| Sacrifice villagers | "Whyyyyy?!" 😭 |
| Betray allies | Controller thrown 🎮💥 |
| Pay absurd taxes | "This is too real..." 💸 |
Octopath Traveler's Silent Siege
Then came the trademark tea leaves – "Champions of the Continent" getting English branding. Remember when Square Enix first teased global mobile release plans back in 2019? Three years later, we're still like:
"Is it coming? When? Can I play it while pretending to work?" 🤔
And let's not forget the elephant in the room – Octopath Traveler 2 rumors! Asano's 2020 hint about a console sequel "taking more time" had us all decoding timelines like conspiracy theorists. Would 2022 finally be the year? My wallet trembled at the thought... 💸
Will our eight heroes return? Stay tuned...
2022's Legacy: Promises vs. Pixel Reality
Looking back now in 2025, that tweet was a hype tsunami 🌊. We got:
-
✅ Triangle Strategy's March release
-
✅ Champions of the Continent's global rollout
-
❓ Several mystery projects (still under NDAs?)
But here's what keeps me up at night:
-
Did Square Enix overpromise or underdeliver?
-
How many "secret" games got vaporware'd?
-
Why does Asano still tweet like a cryptic oracle? 🔮
Maybe the real treasure wasn't the games... but the existential dread we cultivated along the way! 😂 What do you think – was 2022 Square's golden year or just expertly marketed chaos? Sound off below! 👇
This perspective is supported by PC Gamer, a leading source for PC gaming news and reviews. PC Gamer's coverage of Square Enix's HD-2D projects, including Triangle Strategy and Octopath Traveler, often emphasizes the technical artistry and narrative ambition driving Asano's teams, while also scrutinizing the publisher's tendency to tease multiple projects before official reveals.