If you haven’t heard already, Square Enix confirmed that Final Fantasy XV won’t be at E3 2015. Fortunately, there are plenty of other games, announced or rumored, that will help fill in the big hole left by the latest mainline Final Fantasy installment. Below you can find a list of JRPGs to expect at this year’s Electronic Entertainment Expo.
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree’s Woe and the Blight Below
Already released in Japan, Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree’s Woe and the Blight Below has been received very well by both critics and fans of the series. Square Enix already confirmed the western release for the spin-off, which will be exclusive for the PlayStation 4. So you can expect to hear more about the localized version should be at E3.
You can preorder Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree’s Woe and the Blight Below, which is coming out on the 13th of October, with this link on Amazon.
Level-5’s JRPG
Akihiro Hino, the CEO of Level-5, stated late last year that his company will be showing off a PS4 JRPG at E3 2015. For the uninformed, the company was previously responsible for Dark Cloud, Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch and Rogue Galaxy. Needless to say, JRPG fans should be excited for Level-5’s next major project, whether if its Ni no Kuni 2, a sequel to one of the company’s other franchises or even a completely new intellectual property.
Kingdom Hearts 3
While Square Enix stated that Final Fantasy XV won’t be at the Electronic Entertainment Expo, the company has kept quiet on Kingdom Hearts 3. With that said, Tetsuya Nomura did confirm that there will be news for the third mainline installment of the series at the D23 Japan Expo in November. Hopefully, Square Enix will provide a look into the project (which will now be using Unreal Engine 4) earlier at E3 2015.
You can reserve Kingdom Hearts 3 on the PlayStation 4 and Xbox One with this page.
Paper Mario
There have been several rumors surrounding the Paper Mario franchise, ranging from a port of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door to a completely new experience. Of course, fans of the series is hoping that Nintendo will be returning Paper Mario to the original roots of the first two games. With any luck, it will be a surprise announcement at the Nintendo Digital Event.
Persona 5
Aside from two trailers, Atlus has kept quiet on Persona 5 so far even though the game is still expected to come out later this year. With Sony admitting that the first-party lineup for the PlayStation 4 will be lacking this year, E3 2015 may be a good time to shine the spotlight on anticipated third-party games such as the next installment in the critically-acclaimed Persona series.
Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem
After disappearing for years, Shin Megami Tensei x Fire Emblem finally reappeared as Revelation of the Illusion ♯FE in a recent episode of Nintendo Direct. So it wouldn’t surprise us to see more about the collaboration project at E3, especially if the videogame is coming out anytime in the near future.
Sony’s JRPG
Sony is rumored to have a major JRPG in development, which could rival even the mighty Final Fantasy franchise. Hopefully, we will be able to get a first glimpse of the ambitious project at the company’s Electronic Entertainment Expo press conference.
Star Ocean 5: Integrity and Faithlessness
Star Ocean 5: Integrity and Faithlessness has already been confirmed for a Japanese release. With a recent trademark, it appears that the sequel will make its way west as well. Square Enix could use their press conference at E3 2015 to make an official localization announcement for the PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 3 role-playing game.
Tales of Zesteria
Tales of Zesteria has already been announced for the PlayStation 3. However, there are several hints that suggest that the JRPG will be ported to the PlayStation 4 as well. The Electronic Entertainment Expo looks like the perfect time to confirm a port to the current-gen console.
Tales of Zesteria is coming out later this year in North America. Preorder the PS3 version here.
Xenoblade Chronicles X
Another game that has been out in Japan but has not yet been released in North America is Xenoblade Chronicles X. The JRPG is still expected to come out later this year in the west. So we expect the localization news to appear during the Nintendo Digital Event.
You can pre-purchase Xenoblade Chronicles X for the Nintendo Wii U via this link.
As you can see above, there are more than enough JRPGs to look forward to at E3 2015 even though Final Fantasy XV won’t be at the event.