A lot of people assumed with Sony skipping E3 this year that we may get a more subdued Square Enix show. But boy were they wrong. Square came in full fantasy force, with all the updates from Final Fantasy as well as a Marvel’s Avengers game. Let’s recap all the highlights from this from their press conference.
Marvel’s Avengers
Square Enix’s Avengers game was first announced back in 2017 and if you’re expecting the movie adaptation of the game… well don’t. It’s not a complete Sonic the Hedgehog debacle but Tony Stark is definitely not modelled after RDJ and neither is the familiar face of Chris Evans as Captain America. They’re their own characters and the plot is an original one, differing from that of the MCU. In the game, the Avengers are blamed for an attack and question the responsibility and accountability of superheroes in modern society.
You’ll be able to play Marvel’s Avengers as Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, Black Widow, and Thor. In four-player, online co-op, with more content being added on in the future. Marvel’s Avengers will be coming out on May 15th 2020 on the PS4, Xbox One, PC, and Google Stadia.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Final Fantasy VII / 7 is synonymous with the best of JRPG and it’s a game that I’ve personally played over and over again. This remake that Square is doing, however, won’t be a reiteration of the last one but instead will feature completely new gameplay and of course graphics where we can actually see some facial features.
The remake will include a battle system that’s a hybrid of real-time action and strategy-based combat, similar in seems to Kingdom Hearts and the most recent Final Fantasy entry. In tactical mode, time slows to a crawl so players can choose commands like limit breaks or magic attacks in the spirit of the turn-based original. As players build their focus gage, they can also stagger enemies and deal extra damage. Although we’ve yet to see gameplay beyond Midgar, where the original game’s opening is set, Final Fantasy VII Remake’s take on the city will apparently be robust enough to act as a “standalone game.”
The Final Fantasy VII Remake will launch on March 3rd 2020 on the PS4 and it’s already up for pre-orders on the Square Enix website.
Outriders
Outriders is a first-person, co-op shooter set in a dark and desperate sci-fi universe. Made by Polish studio People Can Fly, they’re famous for the development of Bulletstorm and Gears of War: Judgement. “We describe Outriders as a dark modern shooter with traditional qualities,” creative director Bartosz Kmita said in a video presentation at Square Enix’s stage show. “We are creating an experience with a strong story that you can enjoy with your friends or on your own.” The studio is also promising “powerful gunplay” and a variety of weapons with lots of different monsters to shoot and kill.
Outriders will be released on the PS4, Xbox One, and PC in the summer of 2020 and you’ll be able to play with up to three players.
Oninaki
Tokyo RPG Factory, the studio responsible for I Am Setsuna and Lost Sphear are releasing a brand new action RPG game called Oninaki. With Takashi Tokita (of Chrono Trigger and Parasite Eve) as creative producer, players will traverse the lands of the living and the dead in a world of reincarnation. The protagonist is a “Watcher” who manages the divide between the two realms. As a Watcher, the main character will leverage “daemons” to battle alongside them, conferring specific weapons and skills.
Oninaki will release on August 22nd on the PS4, Switch and PC.
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
Final Fantasy XIV / 14 is one of the best MMOs to date and its next expansion Shadowbringers looks and sounds excellent. Shadowbringers will continue the game’s Main Scenario Quest with a story that sends players on a journey to become Warriors of Darkness. Considering that we’ve spent the entirety of Final Fantasy XIV so far as Warriors of Light fighting off forces of darkness, it must mean some serious stuff is about to go down in order for us to maintain the balance in the world. There will also be a few new jobs changes, the two new races, and what we can expect from the new areas in terms of beast tribes, monsters, and aesthetic.
Shadowbringers releases on June 28th for players who preordered the expansion and July 2nd for everyone else on Mac, PlayStation 4, and Windows PC.
Final Fantasy 8 Remastered
Probably one of the most exciting announcements at Square’s press conference – Final Fantasy VIII / 8 is getting a remaster. Originally released in 1999, a remastered version of Final Fantasy VIII will be heading to Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Steam. The announcement for the release date has yet to be announced, but we assume we’ll hear something by or at Tokyo Game Show.
