What's more fun than parodying your company's biggest stars? Not much, or so Square seems to think. Director Takashi Tokita has started work on a sequel to Hanjyuku Hero ("Hard-boiled Hero"), a series that has made appearances in Japan on both the Famicom, and nine years ago on the Super Famicom.

Hanjyuku Hero is a simulation RPG where players battle for enemy territory. The main character is able to summon a monster by means of an egg, a concept that meshes well with the pervasive comedic theme of the series. Previous installments have poked fun at several of the company's franchises, including the much-lauded (and highly serious) Final Fantasy series.

Of interest to up-and-coming artists is that Square has started taken submissions from the public for designs of the summon monster. Although the previous installment featured over 100 unique monsters, this time around the monsters will be chosen from the contest entries. Entries can be sent via mail or the internet, and should contain four pictures of the design, a name and a description of the monster's two moves.

Mail entries, to be sent to Square in Japan, must be post-marked by the 24th of August, while web submissions will be accepted until August 9th at Square's Japanese PlayOnline site. Results of the competition will be announced sometime in the Fall. It's not clear whether submission will be accepted from the North American or European territories, but those of you in the Orient should get to work. After all, the chance to be immortalized in a Square game doesn't come along very often. RPGamer will be on the lookout for further info on this unique Square offering, perhaps even pertaining to a possible North American release.