Going in to the Square Enix media conference, I was little worried that there wouldn’t be much left to be revealed. They gave some of their biggest reveals to Sony and Microsoft with Hitman, Tomb Raider, World of Final Fantasy and the Final Fantasy VII Remake all dumping tonnes of fuel onto the Square Enix hype train. Well this E3 has been one for huge reveals, and Square Enix saved some of the best for their own presentation.
While most of the companies have given us super pretentious pre-shows and post-shows hosted by professional hype artists, the Square Enix presentation simply delivered a string of factoids about their various games while we waited for the conference to start. For example, did you know that October 11, 2006 was declared “Final Fantasy XII day” in New York City? Or that Bahamut has appeared in some shape or form in every Final Fantasy game except for Final Fantasy II? Neither did I.
But enough tidbits, how about some information about the games on display. The following screenshots are ones that I took during the presentation, so you can probably source higher quality images from Square Enix themselves.
Square Enix Collective Initiative – A community based approached to greenlighting indie games. Square Enix are very happy with the progress this initiative has made in its first year.
Just Cause 3 – Brilliant colours, beautiful explosions, and a focus on doing as much creative destruction as possible. Why? Just Cause. Three. The game looks batshit crazy, just like its predecessor, and I can easily see myself losing hours and hours immersed in this game. Will be releasing 1st of December on PS4, Xbox One and PC.
New Nier game, subtitle TBA – Platinum Games and some very high profile and well credentialed people are on this game. One of the developers gave his talk wearing a Nier mask. Production has only just started but it already looks to have a classical fantasy feel to it. No commitment to a date but will be exclusive to the PS4.
Rise of the Tomb Raider – We didn’t see too much different from the Microsoft reveal, just a behind the scenes video detailing how they built Lara from the ground up, how they aged her, how they captured the deterioration of clothing. It was very impressive.
Lara Croft Go – A new title in the Square Enix mobile gaming Go series, a turn based strategy adventure game featuring Lara Croft. We didn’t see much but if its anything like Hitman Go, it will be a ton of fun.
Final Fantasy VII Remake – The same trailer from the Sony conference was presented here. No more infomation was offered on the Remake, but the remaster has been delayed.
Kingdom Hearts Unchained Key – Kingdom Hearts is hitting the mobile platforms with Unchained Key. The story will link into Kingdom Hearts 3. Stylish take on the series, no real indication on the gameplay but it looks like a busy fun game.
Kingdom Hearts 3 – Wow. This looks awesome. Seriously cannot wait to play this. Will also be introducing the world of Tangled. No release date yet but will be coming to Xbox One and PS4.
World of Final Fantasy – The same trailer from the Sony conference was presented here. The aim was to create a game that anyone of any age could play, with a visual system appealing to people of all ages, and with a combat system simple enough for anyone to understand, but complex enough to make it difficult to master.
Hitman – The creative director has stated that this game will be the basis for the future of the series. The ability to workshop assassinations with other players around the world sounds intriguing, and the idea that you cannot replay some missions is another good change. Other than that its just another Hitman game, one that looks beautiful, and one that now travels to all sorts of exotic locations around the world. We got a new trailer this time around that makes the game look very cool indeed. Due out on PS4, Xbox One and PC 8th of December this year.
Star Ocean: Integrity and Faithlessness – Square Enix and Tri-Ace are back in the sci-fi / fantasy / old school JRPG mash-up that looks alright, though its still very early in development. I’ve never been a huge fan of the Star Ocean games but I know a lot of people love it. Will be releasing on the PS4 in 2016.
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – Takes place two years after the events of Human Revolution, and Adam Jensen will be the main character again. The plot seems to be a little silly and convoluted, but the game looks fantastic, keeping in line with the theme of E3 that brighter colours equals better. Will be out on PS4, Xbox One and PC early 2016.
Final Fantasy Portal App – Not many details were provided but it looks like a mobile encyclopedia covering all Final Fantasy games.
RPG Project Setunya – New IP from a new studio called the Tokyo RPG Factory, aiming for a 2016 release. There was only a handful of concept art, so its hard to make any judgments.
And thats it, clocking in at just over an hour long. No real talk about Final Fantasy XIV – Heavensward, Final Fantasy XV, Dragon Quest: Heroes The World Tree’s Woe and the Blight Below, or Bravely Second, but there were many clips dispersed throughout the presentation that had these games prominently displayed. All in all it was a very solid presentation, but I feel all the biggest reveals came yesterday.
