3 Biggest Surprises at Square Enix’s E3 2021 Showcase

The Square Enix portion of E3 was fairly by the numbers, with updates on some of their bigger existing properties and the announcement of some new ports for their older franchises. However, the show did have some new reveals and unveilings. Of them, these are the three biggest surprises at Square Enix’s E3 2021 Showcase.

Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy Takes Center Stage

Biggest Surprises at Square Enix’s E3 2021 Showcase

Of all the games that could have taken center stage at Square Enix’s E3 2021 showcase, few would have guessed that it’d be a new IP. And yet, that’s exactly what happened.

Roughly half the show was centered around a new Guardians of the Galaxy game, with new trailers offering cinematics and gameplay from the title. These weren’t brief snippets of a barely-functioning build either. Aspects like a dialogue system which will impact the story, tense and frantic shootouts complete with comicbook-style weaponry, and top of the line graphics were all shown in great, fully functional detail.

A release date was even revealed, giving potential players a clear picture of what type of title it is, its sound design, and when they could play it.

It was about as detailed of a reveal as one could hope for from a new IP, and was a refreshing change of pace given Square’s past conferences.

The Souls-Like Final Fantasy Embraces CHAOS!

Biggest Surprises at Square Enix’s E3 2021 Showcase

Good news for those who were excited by the rumors of a Souls-like Final Fantasy title – Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin is quite real, and we got to see it in all its edgy glory.

Through a lengthy trailer shown at the end of Square Enix’s E3 2021 Showcase, the game was revealed to be a dark and gritty spin on the series’ earliest entries. It will offer everything from a generic white dude angrily screaming “Chaos!” while attacking monsters and posing in a shirt from the Gap to said white guy pontificating on the hatred he feels for chaos; which, in a surprise twist, took something near and dear to him.

Oh, and did we mention that the game’s story will be centered around chaos?

All joking aside though, the reveal did confirm that a Final Fantasy spinoff is in development. Fans are mixed on it overall, but it’s still an interesting new take on the legendary series and its mythos no one was anticipating.

Babylon’s Fall Isn’t What People Were Expecting

Biggest Surprises at Square Enix’s E3 2021 Showcase

Babylon’s Fall finally emerged from the shadows at Square Enix’s E3 2021 showcase, and it took a few people back with what it has turned into.

As opposed to being a single-player experience, the game looks to have an integral multiplayer component. Not only that, but the scale of the enemies in the game –and the combat players can take them on through – is quite a bit smaller than its initial reveal trailer would have hade people believe.

Does this mean the game will be bad? Of course not. Still, it’ll take some time for people to adjust to how the game actually looks and plays. How long that will take to happen though, and whether or not this will impact the game’s overall reception, remains to be seen.