Independent game developer Kobojo announced that Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey will officially launch as a premium mobile game on iOS platforms in the U.S. and Europe later this year. The game is in production at Kobojo’s Dundee, Scotland studio with the aid of Kazushige Nojima; who wrote Final Fantasy VII/VIII/X, and Hitoshi Sakimoto; the composer behind Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre and Final Fantasy XII).

Combining some of the best elements of classic JRPGs, this innovative new role-playing game seamlessly combines an engaging adventure and intense battle sequences with freeform exploration, item crafting and a unique storyline – all presented with gorgeous, hand-drawn 2D art and accompanied by a comprehensive soundtrack.

At launch, the game will be available as a premium app purchase from the App Store, offering multiple areas to explore, numerous dungeons, hours of quests and side-quests, and in-depth cinematic sequences and epic boss encounters. The game will be supplemented following launch with episodic updates that unfold the story of Orcanon, add new areas to explore, release additional unlockable character classes and powers to discover, and interesting new characters to meet and exciting new challenges to reveal the secrets of this new mysterious world.

“The heart and soul of Zodiac has always been to bring players a classic JRPG experience regardless of platform – the kind of experience that JRPG fans enjoy, and sadly, that no longer seem as common as they once were,” said Kobojo CEO Mario Rizzo. “Listening to the great feedback we received after showing the game at GDC and E3, we’ve made the unprecedented decision to shift gears from Kobojo’s usual free-to-play format to make Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey a premium game for Western audiences. We’re excited to announce that the launch of game will offer an original Nojima-san storyline and the thrilling gameplay that we’ve all been hoping to see from a new JRPG product in a standalone, one-time premium game purchase, with episodic content updates to continue the epic saga of Orcanon.”

Zodiac: Orcanon Odyssey will launch later this year on Android and will launch on PC and Sony platforms shortly afterwards. Pricing details will be revealed as we near the game’s launch.