The best announcements from the Square Enix Showcase at Tokyo Game Show 2021

Everyone was expecting news of the new Final Fantasy XVI but the Showcase Square Enix paradoxically opened with Hiroki Yasumoto - now a veteran voice actor of masterpieces such as Naruto Shippuuden, Kuroko no Basket, One Piece and many others ... - who reiterated that there would be no news for the entire duration of the conference.

Well, no new good new, No?

In any case, the Japanese holding has monopolized global attention with noteworthy announcements and trailers for other products coming out or in development. Let's see what it's about:

New Demo and confirmed release for Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins

Square Enix e Team Ninja have announced that Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origins will be out on March 18 2022 per PlayStation 4 e 5, Xbox One e Series X|S e PC.
A second demo has already been made available which includes all the contents of the first version (condensed in less time to give the player the opportunity to try the new features added), a new explorable area and Multiplayer content.

At the same time as the announcement, pre-orders were opened for the Standard and Deluxe versions of the title with prices of € 69,99 and € 99,99 respectively.

By pre-ordering you will have access to the game 72 hours before the official release on March 18th as well as the usual series of bonuses.

Preorder Standard Edition

• 72 hour Early Access
• Lionheart Weapon and Shield of Light
• Rebel weapon
• Original Theme for PS4

Preorder Deluxe Edition

• 72 hour Early Access
• Seasonal Pass
• Artbook Digitale
• Mini Digital Soundtrack
• Lionheart Weapon and Shield of Light
• Rebel weapon
• Original Theme for PS4

Small Bonus from Square: Stranger of Paradise will be a game Cross-Buy, then the PS4 version will receive the upgrade to the Next-Gen version for PlayStation 5.

The WOW moment! of this part of the conference came with the vision of the new game trailer that showed more elements of the story, new characters and new fighting scenes more and more harsh and apprehensive, and which ended with a scene of "Chaos" and a voiceover: "My name is Jack Garland“. Hype everyone!

Dungeon Encounters, new RPG out on October 14th

Somewhat surprisingly, a new "dungeon exploration RPG" called Dungeon Encounters, out in less than 10 days - the 14 October – per PlayStation 4, Steam e Nintendo Switch.

During this special video presentation at Tokyo Game Show 2021, the producer of Square Enix Hiroaki Kato, and the director Hiroyuki Ito showed the audience a game that doesn't resemble the classic JRPG format that Square Enix helped make world famous.

Dungeon Encounters it's not an easy game to explain. There are 100 levels in the dungeon and the aim seems to be to fully map them all. How can this be done? Well marching along one narrow 2D grid, as if to explore a part of a game's map Dungeons&Dragons, with on-screen counters that indicate the coordinates of the players in the dungeon, as well as how many squares have been discovered. Fully exploring one floor unlocks the next and grants the character additional "skill points".

Movement through the dungeon is not necessarily linear, as characters can use abilities to change the default path. The trailer showed one character jumping two squares to the left through a gap, while another can move like a horse does in a game of chess, ignoring walls and jumping in an "L" shape.

Of course, dungeons aren't without their dangers. Traps can cause characters to fall on lower floors, some boxes can drain gold from heroes' saddlebags, and of course monsters are waiting to fight. The combat appears to be turn-based, but with limited animations: both the hero and the enemy are shown as simple portraits, and the attacks are rendered on-screen in the form of colored arrows and visual overlays.
Do not miss it variety of characters in game, both allies and enemies, including not quite humanoid figures, in full D&D spirit.

Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier - November is the right month!

It is no less than that Tetsuya Nomura in person to announce that the next mobile game - Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier - will be officially released in November, with pre-registrations open at the end of the current month.

The title was first announced in February, and the team used feedback from a closed beta held over the summer to make the necessary gameplay changes. Producer Shoichi Ichikawa said the compatibility with controllers was by far the most requested feature after the beta and has now been added to the game.

Many people want the ability to play on PC or Console. We haven't gotten to that point yet, but hopefully controller compatibility brings many players closer to the experience they want.

Shoichi Ichikawa – Game Producer

Ichikawa said 75% of beta participants were satisfied with the game which, in some cases, even exceeded expectations. Game controls and balance have been updated in response to feedback received - with a number of respondents pinpointing the warrior class that needs to be refined.

The piece swapping system that has proved popular with beta testers has been modified and expanded: players can collect pieces from secret boxes or by defeating monsters and exchange them for items that will change throughout each season.

There will be both standard and ranked games within the game, with a rather "classic" system of seasonal rewards and awards that will reward those who have climbed the rankings and placed at the top of one of the 7 leagues present.

Ichikawa further stated that the product it will absolutely not be a Pay-to-Win and that will reward only the skill of gamers.

The setting will be familiar to those who have played Final Fantasy VII or Final Fantasy VII: Remake. The game comes to life in a VR simulator used by Shinra to train SOLDIER candidates, and many of the battlefields mirror those found in these chapters.

The last half of the livestream was devoted to a match between a team of guest streamers facing off against a team of developers. The game provided a brief look at the ninja class, which has been added to the game and joins the warrior, sorcerer, monk and ranger classes; each with their own skills and abilities.

Triangle Strategy: FF Tactics incontra Octopath Traveler

Square Enix's next tactical RPG showed up with a new trailer that revealed other characters and the story of the game. Each character was introduced with a short gameplay scene, followed by a description of their story and faction.

Triangle strategy features a twisty storyline in which every decision you make affects how the rest of the adventure unfolds.

The title, out on March 4, 2022 exclusively on Nintendo Switch, can be described as the right union between Final Fantasy Tactics ed Octopath Traveler: games not too dissimilar to each other but with mechanical characteristics that will be intertwined in this new RPG by Square Enix.

As is customary for the Japanese Producer, Triangle Strategy also makes history a cornerstone, offering up to 50 hours of gameplay and multiple endings visible based on the choices made by the player.

Take control of a group of warriors as Serenoa, the scion of the House of Wolfhort, and immerse yourself in a story where your every choice can make a difference. The most important decisions will strengthen one of the three beliefs, pragmatism, morality and freedom, which together determine Serenoa's worldview and influence the unfolding of the story. Faced with the fundamental choices, various characters will cast their vote through the solving Libra. In these circumstances, your allies and past decisions can determine the fate of entire nations and the continent of Nortelia itself.

Satisfied with the Square Enix presentation at the Tokyo Game Show 2021? Tell us yours and let us know what you think of the new games coming!