Squaring Off — A Recap of Square Enix’s E3 2019 Press Conference

If you’re an adamant RPG fan, chances are you’ve been full of anticipation for Square Enix’s press conference at E3 2019.  Whether it was remasters, games based on licensed properties, or DLC, the Shinjuku-based publisher hit a lot of home runs at this year’s edition of North America’s biggest gaming trade show.  Ready for a discussion about it? If you keep scrolling, that means you are.

It would be an unpardonable sin if Square Enix didn’t talk about the highly-anticipated remake of Final Fantasy VII, and they made sure to give us some good info about it.  Something that really stuck out was the news that the game would be on two Blu-Ray discs instead of just one, which is a small reminder of the fact that the original PS1 version was on three discs.  We also learned that the battle system will be either a hybrid or Kingdom Hearts system, depending on your preference.  We have been waiting for this remake for an ultra-long time, and the wait ends on March 3.  But this isn’t the only news from the Final Fantasy universe — We are also getting the Shadowbringers pack for Final Fantasy XIV Online, a mobile game called War of the Visions, and remakes of Final Fantasy VIII and Crystal Chronicles.  Things are really looking up for Square Enix’s flagship franchise.

The team at Crystal Dynamics has been working diligently on a new Avengers game, and although it ain’t releasing until May 15 next year, we got some good updates about it.  Along with four-player co-op and always-free DLC, the game will have a star-studded voice cast that includes Nolan North and Troy Baker.  I’ve always liked Marvel Comics games, so I’m hoping this one delivers the goods.

You don’t hear much about driving games from Square Enix, but they are indeed publishing one called Circuit Superstars.  The top-down racing may remind you of the Micro Machines games.  I’ve got confidence this charming racer will provide hours of driving-game hilarity.

OK OK, stop shouting in my face, I’ll talk about Kingdom Hearts now! This winter, Kingdom Hearts 3 is  getting an expansion called Re:Mind.  With this pack, you get to play as Riku, Roxas, and Aqua, and you even get to unlock Sora’s Oathkeeper form.  Not much more to be said, but it should be an awesome piece of DLC for this extremely popular series.

The other pieces of Square Enix’s presentation included…

• Outriders, a co-op shooter from the makers of Bulletstorm
• Oninaki, an action-RPG from Tokyo RPG Factory
• Dragon Quest Builders 2
• The Last Remnant Remastered now on Switch
• A pair of SaGa games — Romancing SaGa and SaGa Scarlet Grace: Ambitions

It’s important to come to E3 with a bang, and Square Enix brought plenty of bang this year.  Even if you’re not a fan of RPG’s like this company mainly dabbles in, I do recommend you pay attention to their 2019/20 roster of releases.