The Square Enix Presents E3 2021 showcase has been and gone. It felt like a relatively quick affair, especially coming on the back of the Xbox + Bethesda Games Showcase which featured over 30 titles.
As they say, it’s quality, not quantity that matters in the end, and Square Enix delivered some nice deep dives into upcoming games. It was also nice to see that the Final Fantasy back catalogue is still being treated well and that Black Panther is coming to Marvel’s Avengers. It was also good to finally see what Eidos-Montreal has been up to and, as it turns out, it’s even more Marvel.
Read more: Top nine announcements at Ubisoft Forward E3 2021
The show also featured PlatinumGames, and a generous look at what’s happening with Life Is Strange. Though we were surprised that we didn’t get a longer look at Forspoken or Final Fantasy XVI - both featured only in a closing sizzle reel of Square Enix games.
Here were our best six moments:
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy
The biggest and most in-depth reveal of the Square Enix E3 2021 event was Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy. Separate from its Marvel Avengers franchise, developed by Crystal Dynamics, this offering is from Eidos-Montreal. Players control Peter “Star-Lord” Quill as he and the Guardians face down a growing galactic threat.
A reveal trailer, dev chat and lengthy gameplay trailer gave us a good look at the upcoming title. There are choices to be made, in-combat commands and more than a few quips. Note: the characters are separate from both the movie and comic book characters, this isn’t a tie-in. Read more here.
Black Panther: War For Wakanda Expansion
Over on the Crystal Dynamics side of Square Enix’s Marvel roster was Black Panther: War For Wakanda. This is an expansion pack for the Marvel’s Avengers live-service game and has the player face Ulysses Klaue. It’s arriving in August.
Final Fantasy Remasters and Legend of Mana
Good news for old-school JRPG fans - the original six Final Fantasy games are getting remastered for mobile and Steam. We also got another look at the remastered Legend Of Mana, which is coming to PS4, Switch and Steam on July 22, 2021.
Babylon’s Fall
Babylon’s Fall, the next title from the hack-and-slash RPG experts at PlatinumGames, has received a new trailer featuring gameplay. It’s also entering closed beta and is recruiting testers.
Life Is Strange: True Colours
Another lengthy timeslot was handed over to Life Is Strange: True Colours, the next instalment of the beloved series. The slot was filled with a look at the gameplay, and how the mechanics of protagonist Alex’s empathetic powers can impact the storyline. Life Is Strange: True Colours is available September 10, 2021, and is up for pre-order. Pre-order the Ultimate Edition and get the remastered Life Is Strange collection.
Final Fantasy Origin: Stranger of Paradise
Yes, it’s real. Developed by Team Ninja, whose previous work includes Nioh, the game is a Souls-like that sees a trio hunting down Chaos. In doing so, the trailer shows them stumbling across Garland, the villain of the first Final Fantasy game. It’s all a tad cheesy, but you can sure bet that we’ll be there on day one.