Konami's 16-bit JRPG Ash is released for Android

After witnessing the success of its retro, turn-based RPG Ash and sequel Ash II on iOS, Konami has announced Ash is now available for Android.

Priced $1.99/£1.25 (or local equivalent), Ash II will follow shortly at the same price point.

The arrival of the game will no doubt delight JRPG fans who have avoided iPhones and iPads for reasons either ideological or financial.

Still, as beautiful as the games' retro aesthetic are - and it is beautiful when combined with its orchestral score - players should note that Ash is decidedly retro in an intentional, 16-bit sort of way.

There are no eye-popping visuals or animations like those seen in Chaos Rings and other games developed to push the graphic capabilities of phones to their fullest - but that's all part of series' appeal.

The fact that such humble trappings keep the size of the app down (64.5MB for Ash vs 698MB for Chaos Rings) is an added bonus.

So in place of dazzling graphics and animation, Ash offers a solid story with well-written and natural dialog. And while the turn-based combat system is easy to pick up and rarely provides a challenge, it is always fun.

You can find Ash on the Android Market here.