E3 2018: All the highlights you need to see from Square Enix
Even though Square Enix showed some of its cards at earlier E3 conferences, it still had a show of its own and a hand overall, if not a world-beating one.
It’s finally happening. Square Enix has not only confirmed the release date of Kingdom Hearts III (it’ll be 14 years after Kingdom Hearts II), but it also has a title coming out this year in the form of Shadow of the Tomb Raider.
But when you come to E3 these days, you’re going to need more than two games. Square Enix’s keynote will lead off a Monday that includes both Ubisoft and Sony. Expect there to be at least a little overlap between Sony and Square — the two have had a pretty strong relationship — but we’ll see how much Square Enix can bring to the table all on its own, and how open it is to showing off multiple new titles.
After all, it’s dropped a ton of information about Kingdom Hearts III as of late. Who’s to say there aren’t other long-gestating titles that deal with other licenses that might finally show up?
Note: This post will update throughout the Square Enix conference. Please keep checking back for all the latest trailers and reactions.
Shadow of the Tomb Raider
Square Enix led off with another fresh look at Shadow of the Tomb Raider, showing Lara Croft handling a plane that literally splits in two. It’s the beginning of the game, and the showcase even included some gameplay set in the jungle.
That gameplay included the ability to make enemies afraid as well as crafting Molotov cocktails. A little predator-style gameplay, with stealth kills and everything, doesn’t go amiss these days, and it looked like there were different options to take enemies out — including a knife for some up-close stealth.
One last trailer showed off some of the environments of the game, including underwater gameplay as well as the tombs you expect.
Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
Who doesn’t like big JRPG trailers? Seriously, there’s a rainbow bridge in this one and everything. But beyond that, there was some gameplay to be shown, as well as a look at the characters in the cast.
Babylon’s Fall
Coming in 2019, we didn’t get much more than a teaser for Babylon’s Fall, which is developed by Platinum Games. That means that it’ll be ridiculously hard, but hey, when it looks this big and dramatic, we’re willing to wait for it. The concept seems to be humanity striking back in a fantasy-style world.
Just Cause 4
Although it started by explaining the story, the trailer for Just Cause 4 showed off the addition of tornadoes, blizzards, sandstorms, and lightning more to add a new wrinkle to the world of the game when it comes out. Indeed, much of the voiceover actually focused on the gameplay. It’ll be out Dec. 4 this year.
The Quiet Man
Only promising “more to come in August,” this one got a very brief trailer showing off just a bit of gameplay. It seems like that there might be a lot to do with sound in the game, since the player character appears to be deaf.
Kingdom Hearts III
The trailer that confirmed Frozen led off Square Enix’s coverage, but it seemed extended, as though there was additional footage included, including showing off Kairi from behind. Glad to see Sora’s pants are still as poofy as ever.
Other news and announcements:
- Final Fantasy XIV Online got a trailer of its own, showing off a new patch named Under the Moonlight. It’ll also crossover with Monster Hunter World this summer.
- The Awesome Adventures of Captain Spirit — coming out June 26 for free — got another look. It’s set in the Life is Strange universe, and will connect to season 2.
- Octopath Traveler got a quick acknowledgement, which isn’t a surprise since it’s out next month.
Next: Bethesda at E3 2018: What you need to see
All in all, this show didn’t really impress in the same way others have at this E3. Aside from the Babylon’s Fall announcement — which probably could have been squeezed into Sony’s show — much of this was just a more in-depth look at things we knew were coming rather than really new stuff.