Capcom E3 2021 Showcase
June 14, 2021, 2:30 PM PT

Resident Evil: Village
Capcom had to start its presentation with its current bestseller, Resident Evil: Village, and a short trailer summarizing some of its story content and the great reception it received. Producer Tsuyoshi Kanda expressed his thanks for the overwhelming response to the title and announced that its free multiplayer counterpart, Re:Verse, will be available in July as a free update on all platforms for RE: Village, just in time for the franchise's 25th anniversary. While it showed some additional gameplay glimpses, not much new was shared on that end.

What was a noteworthy announcement is the fact that RE: Village will receive DLC in the future due to popular demand, with more information to follow.

Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin
Next is Monster Hunter Stories 2: Wings of Ruin, with a rather lengthy trailer that focuses on the story. You are playing the descendant of a legendary rider, Red, and receive his red kinship stone as well as a monster egg to start your adventure.

Across the land, pits are opening up, emitting strange lights and threatening the population, which will likely be the main part of the mystery you have to unravel. The trailer further delves deeper into kinships with monsters the player can control and its turn-based RPG combat. It looks very similar to the first Monster Hunter Stories both in presentation and gameplay; that's good news, given the quality of the first entry. If you want a deeper look into the lore and story, check out the newly released trailer.

Announcements for Monster Hunter did not end here. Before the game releases on the Nintendo Switch on July 9, 2021, you'll be able to play a trial version of the game releasing on June 25, 2021. Your progress in that trial carries over to the full game on release, which will further be supported by free content updates. The first update drops on July 15 with an additional canine companion, Palamute, to tame. Of course, there are also pre-order bonuses, Amiibo, special loot if you own a MH: Rise save file, and a deluxe edition if that's your jam.

Monster Hunter: Rise
Monster Hunter: Rise also got a little update beyond the fact that it exceeded Capcom's sales expectations. The obvious one is clearly gear and skins that are shared between Rise and Stories 2, which will become available over the next two months starting with a new event quest reward on June 18, 2021, with a special armor set up for grabs. Another special armor set is available for those with a MH: Stories 2 save file on their Switch system.

Capcom also released a full roadmap of updates for MH: Rise, including new downloadable event quests and rewards in addition to paid cosmetic DLC, which arrives in the wake of its version 3.1 update on June 24, 2021. Updates version 3.2 and 3.3 have also been teased with release windows of July and August, respectively.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles
The last announcement of the day is The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles, which combines two Ace Attorney spin-off titles that have never been released in the West: The Great Ace Attorney Adventures and The Great Ace Attorney Resolve. Both titles have only been released in Japan, making this the first localized opportunity to play them.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles takes place in late 19th century Japan and London, where you'll play one of Phoenix Wright's ancestors, who is naturally also a defense attorney with his sidekicks: a female novice Ace Attorney, Ryunosuke Naruhodo, and a well-versed detective Herlock Sholmes (not a typo). While the general gameplay loop is the same, the way you go about it is slightly different, as shown in the reveal trailer and gameplay walkthrough.

You'll investigate crimes with Herlock, who will be quick to provide his deductions on the matter at hand — inherently incorrect deductions. You'll have to uncover clues to challenge Herlock's deductions until you eventually arrive at the resolution. These investigations will build your case, which you'll then present in court. Capcom calls this the Dance of Deduction.

Usually, you'll only face off against the prosecutor and judge in Ace Attorney games, but The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles is a bit different in that you'll face a jury of six, each with their own version and view of the crime. Again, your task is to find inaccuracies and to pit jurors with conflicting arguments against each other in court to clear your defendant. This "Summation Examination" is always indicated by a scale of justice behind the judge that tips to either side as you convince jurors of your defendant's innocence.

The Great Ace Attorney Chronicles looks promising for fans of the franchise, myself included. I have long wanted to play these games, and being able to do so on the Switch, PlayStation 4 and PC on July 27, 2021, is good news in my book.