Square-Enix have announced a brand new game for the Nintendo 3DS called Heroes of Ruin. From the official press material the game looks to be an action/RPG that is inspired by many of the Japanese style RPG experiences like Monster Hunter and Pokemon. The goal though in Heroes of Ruin is focused on item collection, rather than the collection of monsters.
The game features four player online co-op with drop-in and drop-out support through the entire campaign. Players can choose from one of four characters, most likely those fine looking ragamuffins pictured above. Heroes of Ruin will also make extensive use of SpotPass and StreetPass to add social features to the game.
Using SpotPass the developer plans on delivering daily challenges to the user. Using StreetPass the developer hopes to create an "extensive traders network" where players can buy and sell rare items that they've acquired during battle.
We've posted the first screens below, if anything, it doesn't look like your standard fantasy RPG. We plan to go hands on with the game at E3 2011 next week. Heroes of Ruin releases on the Nintendo 3DS in early 2012.