Another year, another Tokyo Game Show come and gone. I was, once again, in attendance, and I got the chance to try many of the new major titles set to release in the coming months. I also got some hands-on time with a few indie titles as well. I wasn’t wowed as much this year as at past shows, but there were still a few standouts that captured my interest and inspired my anticipation. Of those, here are my top three!
Final Fantasy VII Revelation
While I can’t exactly call myself a Final Fantasy fan in the same those truly dedicated to the IP can, I did and do enjoy the series whenever it aligns with my gaming interests. Final Fantasy VII was my introduction to the series all the way back in 1998, and it holds a special place in my heart even to this day. So, I suppose it goes without saying that it was a treat to try out Final Fantasy VII Revelation for myself.
I, sadly, didn’t get to try many of the new things shown in the trailers, but I did get a brief glimpse at the new F.I.T.S. system, which grants additional abilities and roles to our team of freedom fighters depending on the roles/outfits you assign to them. I got to see a bit of the summoner role, and it really did seem to add another layer to the combat, so look forward to that, yeah? Otherwise, the game is just as beautiful and detailed as the previous two, so I’ve no doubt that it’ll send the trilogy off in the right way.
Crazy Taxi: World Tour
This one was arguably the most pure fun I had at TGS this year. Crazy Taxi: World Tour is so utterly and unabashedly video game-y that I just couldn’t help smiling all throughout my demo time. The game runs beautifully, its soundtrack by the Offspring hits the early 00s vibes just right and the mission variety was genuinely entertaining!
In my brief 20ish minutes with it, I transported a passenger just like old times, I delivered towering stacks of hot ‘n’ fresh pizzas, showed an alien visitor what it means to drive, and I sent a wingsuited daredevil flying off the side of a mountain! It all really was, er, crazy!
Even better, I got to play the game in its Arcade Mode with a steering wheel setup, and it responded like a dream! In short, Crazy Taxi: World Tour is everything I hoped it would be, and I usually don’t even like driving games! Seriously, this is one you’ll want to experience for yourself!
Children’s Garden
On the complete opposite end of the spectrum was Children’s Garden, a very artistic puzzle game being developed by a solo dev and being published under the Kodansha Game Lab umbrella. The best word to describe the feeling of this one is “esoteric,” but not in a negative way. Certainly, I had no idea what was going on at the outset, but the game had that certain kind of magnetism to it that just kept pulling me further in.
Perhaps it was the slow uncovering of the boy’s (depicted above) life and circumstances via old 90’s era webpages and click-by-click unredaction. Maybe it was the crazy UI reminiscent of old, early 00s desktop skins and early application UI (if you know, you know). Or, maybe it was both those things combined with the far out music and the puzzle-stacking gameplay. Whatever the case, it has my attention now.
The game’s creator has stated that the game is inspired by their day job working at a company that arranges and carries out funerals, and the game’s Steam page outright says that it takes place in Buddhist purgatory, so I suspect there are quite a few layers to peel back here. At any rate, it’s definitely a unique game that you should definitely try if have some time. There’s even a demo available right now, so why not give it a shot?
I tried some stuff from Capcom and Bandai Namco as well, but it either didn’t have as much of an impact or I can’t talk about it just yet. I might share more later, so stay tuned!
Image is a publicly available screenshot from Square Enix