JRPGs have a reputation for being pretty on both an aesthetic and technical level. The latter is always thanks to the impressive engines Japanese developers build for their games, such as Square Enix’ Crystal Tools that powered the Final Fantasy XIII trilogy. Going into next gen, developers are going to need new tools that take advantage of all the new rendering techniques at their disposal while reducing the cost of development. Japanese developer Silicon Studio may have just what those studios need.
Silicon Studio unveiled its next gen engine – Yebis 2 – this week with a tech demo. While the tech demo itself is very pretty and shows that it can take advantage of the latest technologies, the potential there is definitely more exciting. After all, there hasn’t been a lot of JRPGs announced for next gen systems yet. Developers of this niche genre are seemingly sticking to handhelds and last gen consoles to reduce costs. If engines like Yebis 2 can keep those costs down, we may soon start seeing the colorful worlds of JRPGs in blistering hi-def detail.
As for the technical aspects of it, Yebis 2 supports all current and last gen systems. It also supports the PlayStation Vita. Wii U fans shouldn’t be dismayed as support for their console of choice is on the way. Until then, check out the awesome tech demo:
So, will we see Yebis 2 used in any future Silicon Studio games? Well, the studio currently has its hands full developing Bravely Second for the Nintendo 3DS and Square Enix has already made their intentions clear that they want it to become a franchise. If its ambitions grow, we may just see a Bravely Default on the PS4 with these visuals. It would certainly be one of the prettiest games ever made as Bravely Default is already one of the prettiest games on the 3DS.
Image via Silicon Studio/YouTube