Looking for the latest, most exciting announcements for E3 2021? Variable‘s got you covered.
This year’s edition of the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) was pretty sedate. The fact that it was an online-only affair—thanks to the pandemic—combined with it being between console generations meant that there really wasn’t much to show.
Despite that, there were still a few interesting announcements from companies such as Square Enix and Nintendo—enough for us at Variable to make a small list. Without further ado, here are our top five E3 2021 announcements.
Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origins is normcore Nomura
With both Final Fantasy XVI and the Final Fantasy VII: Remake sequel in the works, few expected that Square Enix would announce yet another new Final Fantasy game at E3. Even fewer were likely expecting something so “different” from the rest of the series. The game’s characters dress like real people in everyday clothing, not the over-the-top designs fans have come to expect from Tetsuya Nomura.
Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origins‘ title may hint at what’s going on here, hinting at the protagonist possibly being a stranger in that world. Could this be the isekai Final Fantasy game we didn’t know we needed?
Beyond that, the game looks to have some solid action-oriented gameplay thanks to the masters at Team NINJA of Ninja Gaiden fame. More importantly, interested gamers can actually try the game out via the (admittedly buggy) demo on PlayStation 5.
Metroid Dread lives
Here’s one no one saw coming. Metroid Dread was first hinted back in the mid-2000s as a possible Nintendo DS sequel to Metroid Fusion on the Gameboy Advance. Since then, years of silence have led fans to assume that Dread was long canceled…until now.
Metroid Dread brings video gaming’s first lady, Samus Aran, back to her 2D sidescrolling roots. The game builds upon the stealth elements found in Metroid Fusion and Metroid: Zero Mission, making them a more integral part of the mission.
Of course, the “Metroidvania” genre has become crowded as of late, with more indie developers tackling it. Will Metroid Dread be able to capture the magic of the genre it helped define? Fans will find out on October 8, 2021.
Shin Megami Tensei V release date
The success of the Persona games (especially Persona 5) has brought new attention to the Shin Megami Tensei series that spawned them. As such, there was much excitement when Atlus announced Shin Megami Tensei V for the Switch last July.
Since then, fans have been eagerly waiting to find out when they would finally get to play the game. At this year’s E3, Nintendo finally confirmed its release date: November 12, 2021.
In addition to the release date, the trailer Nintendo showed also breaks down some of SMT V‘s gameplay. The mainline SMT games have always been a more hardcore RPG experience than the Persona spinoffs. The trailer seems to confirm that this will be the case with SMT V as well.
Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy will be a single-player game
Last year’s Marvel’s Avengers was a loot-driven multiplayer affair in the vein of Destiny. With this in mind, many were surprised to learn that Square Enix’s Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy would instead be a single-player affair, focusing on Peter Quill, a.k.a. Star-Lord.
Some may speculate that this decision was made based on the mixed reaction to Avengers being a multiplayer title. But the game’s developers at Eidos Montreal are claiming that it’s for better storytelling.
According to the developers, playing solely as Star-Lord allows the player to experience being part of the team. As such, the team members’ dialogue will supposedly change depending on the player’s own actions in-game.
The Elden Ring is real, and it’s coming next year
When Elden Ring, a collaboration between Dark Souls creator Hidetaka Miyazaki and A Song of Fire and Ice author George R. R. Martin was announced, people were understandably hyped.
Since it was first announced, however, Bandai Namco and From Software have kept the game under wraps. This radio silence has done nothing but build the hype around the game even more.
Now, three years since it was first announced, the veil around the game has finally been lifted. More importantly, it has a release date: January 22, 2021.
Of course, this isn’t all that was revealed at E3. A few other announcements were made as well. This is just what we think are the most exciting ones. If you disagree, share your own thoughts on what were the best announcement at E3 2021, in the comments below.
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