E3 2018 Switch RPG Wishlist

People are freaking out right now with E3 2018 literally right around the corner, and for good reason. The amount of leaks thus far has been a bit exhausting, and I’m sure there is plenty that haven’t been tipped off just yet. With the massive and surprising success of the Switch in its launch year alone, many are hopeful that this year will be no different, and perhaps surpass the success that was claimed last year.

There are tons and news publications out there with detailed predictions and leaks thus far already, so I don’t want to rehash the same information. What I would like to do, however, is speculate on the possibility of a few titles that could theoretically be announced at E3. This list will differ from other speculation pieces because they will not be based on things that are either essentially a given or that evidence suggests is a strong possibility. I’m really doing this for fun, and to potentially stir up some interesting discussion. So, if you have some unpopular predictions as well, please feel free to share!

Without further ado, I present to you my list of possible E3 2018 Switch RPG announcements. A wishlist, if you will, of things entirely plausible, but not necessarily a given at this year’s E3 event.

Final Fantasy (Tactics 2?)

Okay, so I feel pretty confident in thinking that something Final Fantasy related will be announced for the Switch. Their conference has a chance to be one of the biggest, seeing as titles like Tomb Raider, Kingdom Hearts 3, Final Fantasy VII Remake, and additional Final Fantasy XV content are almost guaranteed to be presented in some capacity.

But what about for the Switch specifically? There were rumors suggesting that the royal edition of FFXV was in the works back in March, but I’m pretty sure that isn’t happening. Still, I don’t think it would be impossible for the game to come to Switch, and there’s always the pocket edition to consider.

Kingdom Hearts 3? Eh, maybe. But that game has been in development for so long that I imagine that they are dead set on just releasing the dang thing on the already promised consoles. With games like Dark Souls Remastered and Dragon Quest XI being delayed for Switch but holding their dates on other consoles, I find it very unlikely to think that KH3 would be coming to the Switch any time soon.

That said, Square Enix could most definitely make an easy buck by porting one of their older Final Fantasy games to the Switch, and that will happen for sure. However, my hope is that something is brewing at ole’ Square Enix that they are keeping tightly under wraps, and will be built with the Switch in mind.

Apparently, there was a livestream a couple weeks ago that featured Yasumi Matsuno, director of the original Final Fantasy Tactics. It was to promote the Return to Ivalice campaign, which is a throwback of sorts to the land of Ivalice, and features both enemies and locations from that world within a raid setting in Final Fantasy XIV. During that stream, he revealed information about a cancelled sequel to the original Final Fantasy Tactics, along with some very early / concept screenshots of the game. You can check out the Nova Crystallis article for more information on it.

Now you might be wondering, why would I think that a game cancelled almost 20 years ago would now be a possibility? For starters, I don’t think that the original design concept would come to fruition now, but perhaps parts of it would come through to form something new. Second, the Return to Ivalice content within FFXIV is most certainly stirring the nostalgic pot to revisit that world.

Third, people are eating up TRPGs on the Switch already, with titles like Mercenaries Saga Chronicles, Disgaea 5, Regalia, and Banner Saga each catering to a specific price point and audience. Not to mention that the hype train is real for the next Fire Emblem game. In short, there is an obvious market for these types of games on the Switch.

Lastly, it’s about freaking time we had a true sequel to Final Fantasy Tactics. The spinoff games for GBA and DS were fine, but didn’t have the same level of polish and immersion factor as the original one did. So, I say, why not? There’s no better time than now, Square Enix, and my wallet is ready.

Fallout 3 or Fallout 4

Fallout is probably the most believable entry on this list. There have been various rumors of this being a definite thing coming to the Switch, but no concrete evidence exists to fully support the claim. But really, it is a no brainer for a Fallout game to be on the way, seeing as both Skyrim: Special Edition and Doom have already experienced enough success on the platform for Bethesda to reconfirm their commitment with Nintendo on various occasions. I’m sure that Wolfenstein 2 will prove to be a success as well.

So, will it be Fallout 3, 4, or both? There have been rumbles of a remaster of Fallout 3, and I could see something like that being no problem to adapt to the Switch. Fallout 4 would work as well, even if they had to downsize it a bit graphically to hit a modest performance benchmark. Either way you slice it, I will eat any piece of Fallout cake that comes to the Switch. Heck, I’d even take Fallout Shelter at this point, or whatever the crap that Fallout 76 becomes.

Seiken Densetsu Collection

Ah, the Mana series. I would say that this section would excite my professional gaming journalist friend and colleague, but apparently he doesn’t subscribe to rumors and speculation. The Seiken Densetsu Collection features the first three games in the Mana Series; Final Fantasy Adventure from the Gameboy, Secret of Mana from the SNES and Seiken Densetsu 3 from the Super Famicom.

Now, it is no secret that this trio pack has been available on the Japanese eShop for quite some time now (and you can purchase it too if you make a separate eShop account). And with the mediocre at best reception from the Secret of Mana remake, I imagine that Square Enix is more than aware of what fans really want.

No, it isn’t the Secret of Mana Remake for Switch we want, it is easier than that. Localize the Seiken Densetsu Collection and bring it to the west. You already have the complete game in Japanese. Translate it, and I guarantee it will be a massive hit overseas. Why do I think this is possible? Again, it is pretty likely that the SoM Remake bombed, but they received tons of feedback mentioning the original game on SNES. They absolutely have to know that the demand exists for it, or I at least would hope that they do. Admittedly, I would find this to be an incredibly odd thing to mention at E3. But this is my wishlist, you lose, good day, sir!

Mother 3

I’ve mentioned Mother 3 several times in various articles, so I will keep this short. Nintendo, don’t let satirical games like Undertale and West of Loathing invade your kingdom and dominate a subgenre that we all know you can compete in. While I wouldn’t have even brought this game up for E3, the recent news of the game’s director and artist helping work on another Switch RPG made my mind go crazy at the possibility of an officially localized version of Mother 3. Even so, I find this game a pretty unlikely candidate for an E3 announcement, but a nerd can dream, right?

How excited are you for what is to come from E3 for us Switch RPG fans? Do you have any unspoken predictions of your own? Enjoy your weekend!