Ten Interesting Games From E3 2016 That You May Have Missed - Article
by Taneli Palola , posted on 19 June 2016 / 6,416 Views
E3 2016 is officially over, and we're left to digest all of the announcements, reveals, and trailers for future titles. As is often the case with these kinds of events, most of the attention is taken up by the big press conferences and the games that are featured in them, like the new God of War, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, or Gears of War 4.
However, among them are countless other games that often run the risk of getting lost in the shuffle when they don't get the big spotlight put on them. Whether they turn out to be any good is another issue altogether, but at the very least you should keep an eye on these following ten games.
Cosmic Star Heroine
Cosmic Star Heroine is a traditional JRPG being developed by a small independent studio called Zeboyd Games, who are best known for creating Cthulhu Saves the World and the third and fourth installments in the Penny Arcade Adventures series. Cosmic Star Heroine looks to be the developer's most ambitious game by far, with much greater production values thanks to it being successfully funded through Kickstarter. As someone who has enjoyed some of the developer's past games, most notably Cthulhu Saves the World, I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do with this brand new title.
ABZÛ
ABZÛ might seem very much like Journey, just underwater, and there's a good reason for that. The game's developer, Giant Squid, was founded by the art director of both Flower and Journey - Matt Nava. The game's main focus is going to be on exploration and interaction with various oceanic creatures, with various other elements thrown in as well. These types of games tend to be somewhat hit and miss, depending on how the different aspects are handled, but if nothing else ABZÛ looks absolutely gorgeous. Let's hope the rest of the game lives up to the visuals.
Nier: Automata
As a sequel to the 2010's cult classic Nier, Automata looks to improve upon its flawed but memorable predecessor. The one aspect of the first game that was often singled out for criticism was the gameplay, while the story, music, and characters were often praised. Now, with a bigger budget, Platinum Games handling the development, and the return of the first game's director (Taro Yoko), the unlikely sequel to Nier looks to be in good hands.
Ever Oasis
While Nintendo's E3 stream focused on Pokèmon and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the company did feature some other games at E3 as well. One of the more interesting ones was Ever Oasis, a Zelda-style action-adventure title from the developer behind the 3DS remakes of Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask. I think Ever Oasis has the potential to become a successful new IP if Nintendo gives it sufficient backing. At the very least you should keep the game in mind, especially if you're a Zelda fan.
Absolver
Absolver looks to be a very unique type of action-adventure game that is based on martial arts. Those in attendance at E3 2016 have compared the title's gameplay to a mix of Dark Souls and Street Fighter. I'm very curious to see how they'll be able to make the combination work when the game releases sometime in 2017.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II
The PlayStation 3 has become more or less an afterthought in the midst of the newer consoles, but there are still some notable games coming to the system. One of those games is part of The Legend of Heroes series. The most well-known entries in the series in the west are probably the Trails in the Sky titles, but Trails of Cold Steel has also carved out a decent following for itself. The first game was very well received, and now the second is coming out in the west in late-2016.
I Am Setsuna
Fans of Chrono Trigger and classic Final Fantasy games should keep I Am Setsuna in their sights as the game's battle system was largely inspired by those titles. It's also coming out in the very near future - the western release is set for July 19th on both the PS4 and PC. I Am Setsuna is trying to follow in some pretty huge footsteps, so it'll be interesting to see if it can live up to its inspirations.
Syberia III
This is a game I never thought would see the light of day. The first two Syberia titles were highly enjoyable adventure games that mixed steampunk and supernatural elements into an otherwise realistic story set across Europe and Russia. The second game was released all the way back in 2004, and any hope of continuation seemed to have died a long time ago. However, it seems that the series has finally resurfaced under a new publisher. I am definitely looking forward to playing it when it eventually comes out later this year.
Death's Gambit
You may have noticed that the Souls series has become quite influential over the last five years or so, with numerous imitators emerging to take advantage of the series' popularity. Some of them are good, most not so much. However, Death's Gambit looks promising enough to have a shot at falling in with the former group. Not only does it look absolutely beautiful but the gameplay seems very fluid and very much like a 2D Dark Souls. It's not the first game to attempt this, but it is definitely one of the most promising ones yet.
Rain World
Finally, I'll mention Rain World, a 2D survival and exploration game set in a very unique looking world. Outside of the visual style, the game gives off a very old-school Metroid feel, which is very welcome considering how little focus the series has received from Nintendo in recent years. Rain World looks like it could very well be an excellent game if the gameplay side is of equally high quality as the visuals appear to be.
So those are some of the less well publicised games present at this year's E3 that I will be following over the coming 12 months. Were there any games at E3 2016 that you feel should be remembered and given some more attention? If so, let myself and others know in the comments. As always, thanks for reading.
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Nice article, some of those look cool and did indeed slip under my radar. Syberia 3 is a big surprise!
Nier Automata and ABZÛ are awesome !!!
I hear Abzû compared to Journey fairly often, but there's another game that's very under the radar with that same kind of feel. The game is called Bound. I highly recommend checking it out: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aE37l6RvF-c
Nier Automata is going to be a day one, game looks absolutely amazing.
you forgot gravity rush 2
I was really hoping they were going to show more about the new Hot Shots Golf. :(
New Hot Shots O.O
Overall this E3 was fascinating. I've already gotten a game discussed in e3( rhythm heaven), and I can't wait for many more games to come. Syberia 3 will probably be a must buy for me as well
Really glad to see Death's Gambit again. Immediately caught my eye when it was revealed last year but had been quiet since.
Kinda sad to see Nier and I Am Setsuna in this list, since they deserve so much more attention.
Cosmic Star Heroine and Ever Oasis look fantastic, I was actually a little shocked to see the standard Nintendo 3DS logo at the end of the trailer was expecting it to be "New" 3ds with those graphics.
Good article though! had indeed missed a few of these titles during E3.
