Square Enix and PlatinumGames showed a brand new trailer for Babylon’s Fall at Square Enix Presents during E3 2021. It’s the first time we’ve seen the game in two years but the game won’t be staying quiet for much longer. Closed beta tests will be held all the way through until the game’s launch.
First announced at E3 2018, very little has been revealed about Babylon’s Fall. Now we know the co-op multiplayer online RPG can be played with teams of up to four players, who are warriors otherwise known as sentinels. The game begins as the sentinels are being held prisoner by a nation at war with a gigantic empire and they fight for their freedom. Eventually they enter the Tower of Babylon to overcome the sleeping great legacy.
Combat will be a hack and slash style with the type of action seen in the NieR franchise. Each sentinel has weapons that can be dual-wielded, but they can use special equipment called Gideon Coffins that they carry on their backs to equip two more weapons and string together combos that include all four of them.
The game will also have a distinct art style that Square Enix is describing as a “brushwork style”. It is meant “to create a unique fantasy setting with a medieval oil painting aesthetic” and is inspired by classic sword and sorcery fantasy works. The latest trailer shows off both the art style and the game’s combat quite well.
Players can venture through the game solo if they wish, but each dungeon is made to be completed by teams of four players. Teams start at the bottom of the tower and work their way upwards to the more difficult floors. Each floor takes place at a different location and ends in a powerful boss fight. As players progress, they can earn new equipment for defeating enemies or by picking up materials to craft items.
The live-service game will get additional game modes and new areas for free after the game has launched. Post-launch updates will also add more action moves that can be equipped as skills. Initially there will be five classes of weapons: swords, hammers, bows, staffs, and shields but Platinum hints that more may be added in the future. Time-limited seasonal events will also take place. The game will come with a Battle Pass that will include cosmetics and “items that can help with game progression”, and there will be microtransactions.
Those interested in learning more about the game should check out the 11 minute developer interview where the team goes into far more detail about what players can expect.
Babylon’s Fall will get three phases of closed beta tests leading up to the game’s launch. Each phase will include different tests and more platforms will be added as testing progresses. The first test is likely to take place on PC if the leaked beta client is anything to go by, but those interested in taking part can sign up on the game’s website.The release window for the game is currently unknown, so how long it will be before the tests take place remains to be seen, but we do know the game will eventually be available on PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5.