Tales of Arise
The long-running Tales series looks to be making a huge leap forward with Tales of Arise, announced at E3 2019 with a stunning trailer. Unlike most of the games in the series, which use an in-house engine, Arise is actually built using Unreal Engine 4.
It turns out that change may have been a good idea, as Arise’s world looks utterly gorgeous, like an anime in motion. The game takes place in a setting divided between two different worlds, the Medieval-like Dahna and the futuristic world of Rena.
The two main characters of Arise are unlikely heroes who end up stuck together. Alphen is a man held prisoner who can’t feel pain anymore, while Shionne is a woman who causes pain to all who touch her. Pretty great setup for a tragic story, yeah?
Tales has been on a hot streak the last few years with Tales of Berseria and Tales of Vesperia: Definitive Edition, and hopefully, Tales of Arise continues that trend.
Elden Ring
At this point all you need to do to get people excited is put the name FromSoftware on a trailer. Fans literally don’t need to see anything else, and that’s basically what happened with Elden Ring.
Rumors did indeed turn out to be true, and Elden Ring is the ambitious new RPG developed by FromSoftware in collaboration with George R.R. Martin.
The short teaser trailer didn’t show much but it was filled with From’s usual cryptic imagery, like a man’s back cracking and splitting apart as he hits a forge.
Just that short teaser trailer is enough to get nearly any RPG fan excited, and the prospect of two masters of their craft working together is incredibly promising.
Both Hidetaka Miyazaki and George R.R. Martin know how to tell fascinating stories, and now everyone’s waiting on pins and needles to see more of Elden Ring.
Trials of Mana
There are countless RPGs that have never made their way out of Japan, even from popular and well-known series like Mana. Finally after so many years, the third title in the Mana series is coming West, in two different ways.
The Collection of Mana is immediately available, with a fully-translated version of Trials of Mana, the English name of Seiken Densetsu 3. Even more exciting, however, is the absolutely gorgeous looking remake of Trails of Mana.
This remake instantly looks better than the poor remake of Secret of Mana, with gorgeous graphics and an interesting new third-person camera for combat. The Trials of Remake seems to be doing exactly what a good remake should: keep the spirit of the original intact while layering in new elements and features.
It’s great to see this overlooked gem finally get the due it deserves in the West.
Baldur’s Gate III
Speaking of overlooked gems, you can get any closer to that definition than the Baldur’s Gate games, two of the most influential computer-RPGs of all time.
After nearly decades of waiting, fans will finally be able to return to the world of Baldur’s Gate, this time with an experience crafted by Larian Studios, the makers of Divinity: Original Sin.
Again we didn’t see any actual gameplay of Baldur’s Gate III, but the reveal trailer had some terrifying body horror of a mind flayer bursting out of a man’s body. Terrifying stuff to be sure, and it hints that Larian is taking a decidedly dark turn with the story.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is easily one of the greatest CRPGs ever created, and it’s clear that Baldur’s Gate III is a passion project for the studio. That combination alone makes Baldur’s Gate III one of the most exciting games announced at E3 2019.
Final Fantasy VIII Remastered
E3 2019 really is the year of Square Enix bringing back fan favorites, as Final Fantasy VIII is finally getting the long-requested remake fans have been begging for.
While nearly every other Final Fantasy game got updated and re-released, poor Final Fantasy VIII had to sit in the darkness of the PS1 and watch.
Now, however, the game is getting a fresh coat of paint with updated character models that do away with the blurry mosaics of the original.
Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait until 2019 to get our hands on Final Fantasy VIII Remastered, but with it coming to PS4, Xbox One, Switch, and PC, fans both new and old will get the chance to experience this classic.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
There have been countless Dragon Ball Z games over the years, but seldom do they really do much ambitious or different. Luckily, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is one that really seems to be trying to be different and unique.
Kakarot is an ambitious action-RPG that puts players right in the shoes of Goku, letting you roam around and explore the world of Dragon Ball. Although it isn’t an open world game, there are different kind of “zones” that you’re able to explore.
Based on our interview with the game’s director and our hands-on time at E3, it’s clear there’s a ton to do in Kakarot.
You can explore and hunt down dinosaurs, go fishing, take on sidequests that involve classic DBZ characters, or play through the epic battles of the main story, like the battle with Raditz.
We’ve only seen the Saiyan Saga and Frieza Saga in the game so far, but if Kakarot manages to go even farther it could be something really special for DBZ fans.
Gods & Monsters
Gods & Monsters had an interesting reveal trailer at E3, with a gorgeous green world that definitely takes inspiration from The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
Made by the team behind Assassin’s Creed Odyssey, God & Monsters fully deviates from history and jumps right into Greek Mythology.
Gods & Monsters casts you as an unlikely hero fighting to take back the Isle of the Blessed, which has been taken over by countless mythological beasts.
Like with many games at this E3, we only saw a CG trailer for Gods & Monsters, but the art style and idea are both fantastic.
Assassin’s Creed Odyssey did a great job with Greek myth, and if the team is allowed to let their imaginations run free, who knows what’s possible with this RPG.
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