Final Fantasy Portal app includes Triple Triad

Buried within news of yesterday's release of Final Fantasy 7 for iOS was the launch of the Final Fantasy Portal app - a one-stop shop for all things Final Fantasy. It's out now on the App Store and Google Play.

This isn't particularly interesting in of itself; the Portal app links to news items and information Square Enix has recently released about the role-playing series. But it's worth a download, because it also includes access to Triple Triad and a free download of Final Fantasy 1.

Triple Triad is the card game featured in Final Fantasy 8. The smartphone version is free-to-download with in-app purchases. I've been through the tutorial and played a few games. There are typical free-to-play mechanics, including a timer on Crystal refil, and an in-game currency, gil, which you can buy with real-world money. Here's the breakdown:

Gil:

• 120 gil - 79p
• 680 gil - £3.99
• 1460 gil - £7.99
• 3400 gil - £14.99

Crystals:

• 1 - 100 gil
• 6 - 500 gil
• 17 - 1200 gil
• 50 - 3000 gil

For a limited time you can use the Portal app to download Final Fantasy 1 for free, which is a nice bonus. But it's worth noting you have to play the game through the Portal app, which is a bit of a pain. This offer ends 6:59am UK time on 1st September.

You'll need an iPhone 4 or later/iPad/iPod touch (4th gen or later) to use the Portal app.