LOS ANGELES - From Final Fantasy to The Avengers, Square Enix has some powerful properties under its belt. On top of that, it's got plenty of indies, remasters and inventive mid-budget fare.
Tom's Guide attended Square Enix's press conference this year and has all the latest news.
How to watch the Square Enix E3 press conference
Square Enix will hosted its press conference digitally on a variety of social media platforms. For simplicity's sake, I'll recommend the company's YouTube stream, although you can also search it out on Twitch, Facebook or Twitter, if you prefer. The conference began at 6 PM PT on June 10, 2019.
Final Fantasy VII Remake
Square Enix kicked things off with a look at the Final Fantasy VII Remake. This time around, battles take place in a hybrid real-time/turn-based system. You can employ standard attacks as often as you like, but an active time battle (ATB) bar dictates how often you can use items, spells and special skills. To demonstrate how the system worked, the development team showed off the very first boss fight in Final Fantasy VII: the scorpion robot that guards the Mako reactor. Players will be able to switch characters on-the-fly, moving from Cloud to Barrett and back again, taking advantage of each one’s special skills.
Tetsuya Nomura, director of the original Final Fantasy VII, showed up as well in order to share a few thoughts on the game. He revealed that the Final Fantasy VII Remake demo will be playable at the Square Enix booth at E3. Anyone currently attending the convention should take note.
Life Is Strange 2
Square Enix's emotional adventure game is still going on, and new episodes will continue coming out periodically. Stay tuned for more adventures in a slightly fantastical version of our own world.
Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles
The Gamecube hit will soon receive a smartphone port, including all of its beloved multiplayer capacities. Stay tuned for more info on iOS and Android.
Octopath Traveler
Octopath Traveler, Square Enix's well-received throwback to classic SNES RPGs, was a big hit on the Nintendo Switch. Now, it's making its way to PCs, more or less unchanged from its previous form. A whole new audience will soon be able to enjoy all eight offbeat stories, and the moving culmination that involves all of the memorable characters.
The Last Remnant Remastered
The Last Remnant was a popular JRPG from the last console generation, but it's finally coming back - tonight, in fact. Square Enix didn't give much more info on The Last Remnant Remastered, but check out the digital downloads page of your favorite platform,m and you should find more information there.
Circuit Superstars
Circuit Superstars is an indie take on the classic top-down racing genre. Coming from a small, enthusiastic development team from Mexico, Circuit Superstars combines a huge variety of racecars with a simple-to-learn racing style and a charming, old-school graphics style. The game will be out "soon," and will hopefully introduce a whole new generation of racing fans to the top-down arcade genre.
Battalion 1944: Eastern Front
Battalion 1944 is an old-school competitive multiplayer WWII shooter, and it's available right now on Steam. If you dig fast-paced retro action, it should be an easy recommendation.
Square Enix Music
Square Enix's impressive array of gaming soundtracks is now available on streaming platforms - including Spotify. If you need something to listen to, it's an easy recommendation.
Kingdom Hearts III: ReMind
Kingdom Hearts III will receive a long-awaited DLC pack this winter. A trailer suggests that this expansion will focus on the enigmatic members of Organization XIII, fleshing out some of their backstories and puzzling out exactly how they fit into the complicated story of Kingdom Hearts.
Final Fantasy XIV: Shadowbringers
Final Fantasy XIV has enjoyed enormous success, ever since it received a complete redesign following negative initial reviews. Shadowbringers, the game's second major expansion, will introduce enough new content to count as a brand-new game - at least according to the game's development team. There are two new jobs - Gunbreaker and Dancer - as well as two new playable races, including the popular Viera from Final Fantasy XII. The FFXIV team, however, acknowledges that fan interest might take a temporary dip in March, 2020, when the Final Fantasy XIV remake comes out. Shadowbringers will launch on July 2.
Dying Light 2
Square Enix's saga of survival during the zombie apocalypse will continue in Dying Light 2. A new trailer showed off some platforming abilities, as well as a huge world to explore. Fans of the first know what they're in for, and should feel right at home.
SaGa Games
Two classic SaGa games will soon make their way West. Romancing SaGa 3 and SaGa Scarlet Gate will both come to Western PS4s. In each game, you'll take control of a variety of characters, each of whom must make difficult choices about the future of the kingdoms in which they live. Each playthrough will be at least subtly different, and there are plenty of old-school RPG battle mechanics to enjoy either way. Fans who can't speak Japanese will likely be glad to finally see these two titles in English.
Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius: War of the Visions
Final Fantasy: Brave Exvius has been a huge hit on iOS and Android, but soon the world will expand in War of the Visions. This game will take the Brave Exvius framework, and expand it with a whole new story, set on the continent of Adora. This one is still early in development, and more info should be forthcoming soon.
Outriders
The team behind Gears of War: Judgment and Bulletstorm are hard at work on Outriders, which will debut in summer 2020. Like the studio's previous efforts, Outriders will be a story-driven shooter. You can play by yourself, or team up with other players online. A team of futuristic warriors will take on a variety of grotesque monsters. Devs describe the world as "dark and unforgiving," with plenty of blasted landscapes and characters who definitely do not look thrilled about whatever the current situation is.
Oninaki
Oninaki is a brand-new RPG, set in a colorful fantasy world of "Watchers," who ensure that a never-ending cycle of reincarnation continues unimpeded. The game will feature real-time combat, as well as attacks where party members team up to deal out damage with devastating combinations.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
Final Fantasy VIII sometimes feels like the black sheep of the series, but its devoted fans have been clamoring for a re-release for years now. Soon, a graphically revamped version of FFVIII will hit all the major consoles and PCs, sporting better resolution and higher framerates. The classic story and characters will return sometime later this year, and it's worth checking out, if you haven't before.
Marvel's The Avengers
From Crystal Dynamics, the studio that rebooted Tomb Raider, comes Marvel's The Avengers. This brand-new adventure will tell an original story, starring one of Marvel's most beloved super-teams. Iron Man, Captain America, the Incredible Hulk, Black Widow and other heroes respond to a distress call in San Francisco, only to find that they've been set up. The Avengers must now reclaim their good name, while doing battle with a number of iconic villains.
The game will also feature ongoing new episodes, delivered periodically, all for free. The game will not have any lootboxes or pay-to-win mechanics. New heroes may be introduced over time, and players will be able to team up online, in groups of up to four. The game is available for hands-on demos at E3 2019, which should interest any Marvel fans who's in town for the event. The game will be out for PS4, Xbox One, PC and Stadia, although there will be some exclusive content on the PS4 version. The game will be out on May 15, 2020.
You'll play as five different Avengers: Captain America, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Iron Man.
Be sure to follow our E3 2019 news hub all week long for the biggest reveals and impressions out of Los Angeles.
