Square Enix is the first Press Conference for Day 3 of E3 and its more of a retread rather than a Press Conference. It is currently the shortest showcase as Square Enix released a slew of game trailers without anyone appearing on the floor. Still, they delivered with their game trailers with some known titles throughout E3 alongside some (very few) new ones. Without further ado, let’s get to it.
1. Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Shadow of the Tomb Raider finally gets some game play footage with their new trailer. The game emphasizes heavily on stealth mechanics, reminiscent of games like Splinter Cell as Lara Croft stalks through the trees to take down her enemies with different types of arrows and other weapons. The jungle is your playground as you use whatever means you have to kill and go through the story.
The game looks promising as the environment changes from jungle to underwater adventures to tombs filled with death traps. The graphics on display is stunning with water drops, shadows, and explosions looking as real as it can be.
2. Final Fantasy XIV: Storm Blood x Monster Hunter
Final Fantasy XIV is a great Massive Multi-Player Online Role Playing Game that has been running since December 2013. Their latest expansion Storm Blood will have the latest 4.3 patch named Into the Moonlight as players explore more of the Ivalice that they know from FFXII. They also announced that FFXIV will be having a crossover event with Monster Hunter World as the trailer shows Rathalos showing up in front of a bunch of characters drinking potions.
This is a great crossover event that I can’t wait to dive into and see what it has to offer. Monster Hunter has been delivering and I hope they deliver as well in the FFXIV crossover.
3. The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit
Another trailer for the Captain Spirit novel game was released showing the character upgrading his “armor”. The developers announced that the game is set before Life is Strange Season 2 and may contain characters or environments from Life is Strange. Expect more than you can bargain for from this free game set to be released on 26th June 2018
4. Dragon Quest 11 – The Legend of the Luminary
The game trailer for Dragon Quest 11 was showcased showing some of the game play and storyline of the heroes. The hero has forged what seems to be a Hyrule sword and is on an adventure to collect what seems to be Dragonballs. Jokes aside, Dragon Quest games have always delivered in the Japanese Role Playing Game genre and this hopefully will be no different.
5. Babylon’s Fall
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao2YYpYQeyo
Square Enix released a trailer of PlatinumGames’ new title named Babylon’s Fall. The studio that made Bayonetta and Nier: Automata seems set on bringing another great, original game but not much news is currently known for this one.
6. Octopath Traveler
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aj78BUAtLdc
A game developed by Square Enix, Octopath Traveler will be released on 13th July 2018 and will be on the Nintendo Switch. The game had its demo released in September 2017 and looks promising with a unique take on pixelated graphics that has a 3D look but a retro feel. The game will feature stories from the perspective of various characters in its world and the game play is akin to old-school Japanese Role Playing Games such as Final Fantasy VI.
7. Just Cause 4
Just Cause 4 was announced during the Microsoft Press Conference a day before in the form of only a teaser trailer. This time, they released a full length trailer showcasing the destruction, the enemies, a little bit of the story line and what Rico Rodriguez can do in the game.
It was magnificent as the game will feature not only the open world like the previous titles of Just Cause but also even better AI for the enemies bringing even more engaging fights. The game also shows even more things that can be done by Rico’s rocket boosters and grappling hook.
8. The Quiet Man
The next game showcased, the Quiet Man, is both intriguing and exciting as it features a deaf man as the main character. The game seems to embrace silence and hopefully tells a story from the perspective of this deaf man. Not much news on the game as of yet but hopefully we will hear more from Square Enix.
9. Kingdom Hearts III
The showcase ended with another trailer for Square Enix’s baby, Kingdom Hearts III. No new information was added to the trailer except for a little excerpt of what seems to be Axel sitting with Kairi at the end of the trailer. The game is set to be released, hopefully, on 29th January 2019.
Conclusion
To be honest I was a little disappointed with Square Enix’s press conference as it only lasted for half an hour, the shortest conference so far. Even the games showcased were previously known titles with only a few new ones under their belt. Still, they did deliver content wise as game play for Tomb Raider and Just Cause 4 were showcased thoroughly. There’s not a lot of titles here, but the potential shown is significant, we can only hope they don’t disappoint.
