5. I Am Setsuna
Here’s a pretty low-key JRPG we saw at E3 this year. I Am Setsuna features classic turn-based RPG combat, and your character gets to equip various magic items to enhance his attacks and hit enemies in a wide arc. It essentially combines the Active Time Battle system from older Final Fantasy games with modern updated graphics which look really slick on the PS4.
I only got to play through the prologue in the demo I checked out, and players will take control of a bounty hunter who kills monsters for a quick buck. He soon meets an old man on his way, and assists him in rescuing a young girl from a deadly monster. After the job is done, the man gives him one more job: find a young girl named Setsuna, and kill her.
4. Trails of Cold Steel II
Trails of Cold Steel II is the follow-up to the massively entertaining JRPG from last year, Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel. All your favorite cadets from the academy are back, and this time you get to visit Rean’s hometown, which was never featured in the first game. While there really isn’t anything new here in terms of gameplay, the combat system and the Orb and Quartz mechanics remain just as solid as ever. It’s still incredibly fun to place your party members around the field while strategizing and deciding between using a Craft or a regular attack.
Bonding events are back, of course, and they look like they’re just as well-written as ever. An XSEED rep at E3 also informed me that some of your Cold Steel data will carry over if you’ve completed the game. You’ll gain level boosts, as well as some exclusive references to the choices you made in the previous game’s ending. Trails of Cold Steel II might not bring anything new to the series, but it’s looking like a good successor to an already solid story.
3. Nioh
It’s often referred to as Koei Tecmo and Team Ninja’s attempt to make a Souls-like game, but Nioh most definitely has its own unique identity. While the challenging gameplay may be the main appeal of the game, it also happens to have a rather engaging, albeit tragic, story. The game’s story is loosely based on the life of William Adams, a sailor who found himself in Japan, and trained to become the first westerner samurai. You’ll encounter lots of yokai (Japanese spirits) in the world, and fight challenging bosses as you slowly learn the art of the katana and the way of the samurai.
Nioh hasn’t been released yet, but its demos have been plagued with a few gameplay issues such as stiff and clunky controls, as well as awkward camera movement. It has the potential to be something really special, but it’ll have to clear up its poor controls first.
2. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is an exciting one because it’s going to be the first game in the Zelda series to go fully open world. Link will be able to chop down trees, gather materials and craft items, cook food, and he can even go vegan. From what we saw of the demo at E3, Breath of the Wild features an incredibly large environment, filled with sprawling maps and prowling beasts for you to discover and encounter. We didn’t get to explore any dungeons or temples in the demo, but we did get a taste of Link’s new traversal abilities. He can scale walls and cliffs, making it a breeze to reach hilltop treasures. Breath of the Wild is vastly different from all the other entries in the Zelda series, and it’s exciting to see how it unfolds.
Of course, it must be noted that all of the new additions in Breath of the Wild aren’t exactly groundbreaking in the gaming world. Open world RPGs, crafting, and side quests are all things we’ve already seen in countless other games, and it’s obvious that Nintendo is pretty late to the party here. It might be a refreshing change for the Zelda series, but only time will tell how well Breath of the Wild implements these new mechanics.
1. Persona 5
It’s been two years since its reveal, and Persona 5 is still one of the most highly anticipated games we saw at E3. We saw some gameplay footage and it’s quite simply one of the most gorgeous titles we checked out at the event. The art style, aesthetic, and red hues mesh together well, and Persona 5 has no shame in blowing all of that up in your face. The dungeons are a great step up from the TV world and Tartarus we got in Persona 4 and 3, and there’s just so much detail in its levels. Not to mention, Morgana gets to join you in battle and uses a slingshot to fend off enemies. It’s really cool stuff.
While we didn’t get to see any social link action, it looks like Persona 5 will actually allow you to run around town with your friends to get to story events or even hang out at the hot springs. The city of Tokyo is well-populated, which is something we didn’t really see in the past two games, but that just adds to the overall lively tone of the game. Persona 5 is the best JRPG we saw at E3 because of its impressive showing, and we can’t wait for our official date with it on Valentine’s Day.
Published: Jun 17, 2016 03:23 pm