by mento
Here we are with the final batch of trailers from E3 2021. It has been a long, long road through a forest of expensively produced promotional materials but we're close to the end and, with it, a chance to enjoy a normal life once again. Well, at least until E3 2022. Just a few more Indies and then everything from Nintendo's most recent Direct, which despite low expectations actually had quite a few happy surprises in store. Looking forward to seeing as much of them as I'm ever going to see because none of them will ever drop in price, ever.
If you're sad that you've run out of E3 trailer reviews to read (who even are you?) there's always more to revisit with the below table:
Showing 1-10 of 37 items
The Game: An open-world RPG from Whalenought Studios (Serpent in the Staglands). The Trailer(s): Hey, it's our old friend 2D sprites in a 3D environment - we need a more specific name for this style though, since it's definitely more Octopath than Doom; "Octopathy"? That might get us in trouble with the James Bond people though - this time used for an intriguing RPG about getting stuck on a nightmarish colony planet. From what I've read of Serpent, it's a dense retro RPG with a few flaws so maybe Mechajammer will see those devs iron out the latter while improving their skill creating the former. The Response: Maybe. It's a real grimy looking game and I should probably try Serpent in the Staglands first even if it's unrelated, but ambitious Indie RPGs are definitely my jam.
The Game: An empire strategy RPG from Lavapotion (new studio). The Trailer(s): I've not been following Heroes of Might and Magic too closely - my preference will always be with the mainline M&M series - but I don't think people were too happy about Ubisoft's last one and no more seem to be forthcoming. Ample opportunity for a talented Indie dev team to take a crack at that formula while it's in absentia, and that appears to be what's happening with the familiar-looking Songs of Conquest. Its main distinction from HoMM is that it uses 2D pixel sprites in a 3D polygonal environment; it's pretty novel if you think about it. The Response: Nah. Not an HoMM guy. Glad they're getting a spiritual successor of sorts, though, they could use a W.
The Game: An RPG adventure game from Jump Over The Age (In Other Waters). The Trailer(s): In Other Waters was a fascinating underwater discovery game with a somewhat abstract interface that I've been meaning to get around to, and the studio's next game Citizen Sleeper looks to be something similar - a vaguely open RPG with an odd dice-based way of interacting with the world and a whole lot of tough decisions to make. I don't mean this as a knock against it, but it sorta reminded of Unlimited Saga: similar art style to the character portraits and a similar amount of confusion trying to parse its mechanics from the trailer snippets alone. Here's hoping it's all a little more intuitive in-game. The Response: Sure. This seems like an "Austin Walker Game" so maybe I'll hear his take on it first.
The Game: A retro FPS from Buckshot Software (Project Warlock). The Trailer(s): I love that these devs stuck with the name "Project Warlock" and now their sequel is "Project Warlock II." Sometimes it's hard to shake a working title if it rolls off the tongue that well. The art style's grunchy but you kinda want that murky dank in a throwback FPS; I think the pre-rendered sprites might be more of a divisive issue, depending where you fall on Doom 64 at least. The Response: Maybe. With a lot of those faster, older style FPS games it's like playing a retro brawler: fun for a while, if just to revisit a time when you used to play a lot more of them on the regular, but a little ends up going a long way.
The Game: An adventure game from Lithic Entertainment (Dwarrows). The Trailer(s): This trailer gives the impression of a lighthearted fun time with birdfriends followed everywhere by a tickled studio audience, but checking on Steam the anxiety thing is not only a running theme but an actual mechanic where you are sometimes unable to do anything because the anxiety meter is too high. That... that doesn't sound too wholesome at all. The Response: Nah. As someone who suffers anxiety, which likes to show up in my life unannounced to "mix things up" much like Kramer in Seinfeld, I'd rather not countenance it in games if I can help it. I know in the abstract that it's extremely funny that the little bird can't do everyday things because of his "wacky" mental health issues, but it's a strain of humor that doesn't usually land for me.
The Game: An investigative adventure game (two of them!) from Capcom (Zack & Wiki: Quest for Barbaros' Treasure). The Trailer(s): Real Professor Layton vibes from this 90 second trailer on the site, which makes sense because the last localized Ace Attorney game was a crossover with Level-5's mannerly puzzle-punisher. The shorter trailer introduces the characters while the longer one gives you a sense of how it plays, highlighting differences from the previous Ace Attorney games. The game is afoot! Or will be in a month! The Response: Heck Yeah. Love this series and had almost given up hope of seeing these historical ones localized until the reveal earlier this year. I just feel a little bad for Frogwares that they got pipped to the post by a better Herlock Sholmes game.
The Game: An action-adventure game from Ember Lab (mostly commercials). The Trailer(s): I keep forgetting this exists, and then I see more footage and I think "why do I keep forgetting this exists? This looks amazing". Maybe it's the title? Either way, I'm getting some strong Kameo, Beyond Good and Evil, and Majin and the Forsaken Kingdom vibes with what gameplay they're showing here, and the trailer itself is super informative of the development process: it's evident this pair of absurdly hunky animator brothers care deeply about the medium, even if this is their first serious foray into it. I also liked how one of the traditional Balinese musicians had an Avenged Sevenfold t-shirt; mostly because of trying to imagine what a Gamelan A7x cover would sound like. The Response: Sure. Feels like these high-budget action-adventures games went away for a while and besides Zelda hasn't really had a champion to usher them back into vogue (apparently that Ary and the Secret of Seasons game wasn't too hot). Hope it turns out well.
The Game: An RTS from Stutter Fox (new studio). The Trailer(s): I wasn't sure how to cover this and the next two games - all of which appeared in the same trailer, in a nice touch of frugality by their shared publisher - so I guess we're just covering each one's segment individually. Falling Frontier looks to be your typical real-time Master of Orion space empire management type, though a bit more details-oriented than most RTS games I've seen. The micromanagement of your ship's turrets, or all those nodes surrounding planets, makes it seem relatively sedate. Sharp graphics, though. The Response: Maybe. RTS isn't my thing, but I like spacefaring games with a heavy exploration element. I keep meaning to get into a few already out - especially Stellaris, since I picked it up for free at some point - but I always get daunted by the level of commitment these games demand.
The Game: A 4X strategy sim from KatHawk Studios (new studio). The Trailer(s): This one also looks pretty dense with the space empire management business. I appreciate that each star cluster is represented by a constellation, though I'm wondering where you'd have to be standing to see them all. Wouldn't they appear different if you looking at them from a different part of the galaxy? Am I thinking too much about this? The infinite majesty of space, man. Just gets the cogs turning, you know? The Response: Maybe. I'm sure I'll start getting into these methodical, leisurely strategy games any day now. I'll be turning 40 any day now too, and I half suspect these two events will coincidentally line up.
The Game: A grand strategy sim from Pavonis Interactive (XCOM: Long War, a free mod). The Trailer(s): I'll say this much - I think fellow mod and strategy fan Fisk0 is going to be happy seeing these three games on the horizon. This one looks a little less fantastical, focusing as it does on our Solar system, though I'm wondering what kind of factions you'll be competing against if it's all in our backyard. Other Earth factions, probably. I could see that leading to some tense scenarios: beating Jeff Bezos to Europa first before he uses drone lasers to turn it into a massive monument of his own head. Imagine living just above Jupiter and seeing that mug looming overhead every evening. The Response: Nah. I think I just spooked myself out of a purchase.
