Going into PAX East, most of the conversation regarding the annual festival surrounded who wouldn't actually be in attendance. In the weeks leading up to the event, several companies chose to pull out amid concerns regarding the ongoing COVID-19/Coronavirus outbreak.
Despite absences from major players like Sony, Capcom and Square Enix, there were still plenty of announcements out of Boston this past weekend. Let's go through some of the biggest ones.
AAA Demos
PAX East attendees were the first to get a hands-on look at this month's Animal Crossing: New Horizons. While quite a bit is already known about this title, there was still some new information. Fans finally got a look at the new character customization menus and options, which will include various skin tones, eye shapes and colors, hairstyles and colors, mouth and nose shapes and blush options. Unlike previous Animal Crossing games, player will be able to change these after starting the game, and more options will be made available later on. Attendees also had the opportunity to try out the new couch co-op mode.
Another highly anticipated March 20 release, DOOM Eternal was playable at PAX. In a demo, players finally got to experience new mechanics like swinging, climbing and dashing for themselves. These new mobility options will be prove to be incredibly useful in the fast-paced shooter, and seems to be a strong follow up that builds upon changes made in DOOM 2016.
The booth for Magic: Legends also drew large crowds throughout the weekend. The upcoming translates the beloved card game into an MMO Action RPG that's accessible for both longtime fans and newcomers alike. While it seems like the full game won't be releasing until later this year, the franchise's leap from card game to video game appears to work better than some fans may have anticipated.
New Announcements and Teases
This weekend also saw the announcement of a new Marvel mobile game, Marvel Future Revolution. Made by Netmarble, who also developed Marvel Future Fight, this new game will be a 3D open-world RPG that combines versions of characters from various realities. The initial trailer confirms Spider-Man, Captain America, Doctor Strange and Captain Marvel will be playable (along with alternate versions like Spider-Punk), as well as villains like Green Goblin, Red Skull, Baron Mordo and M.O.D.O.K. Subsequent trailers have shown off locations like Xandearth and Sakaar.
Additionally, Gearbox teased that some kind of announcement regarding their PlayStation 5 game, Godfall, will be coming soon. Godfall was initially revealed at 2019's Game Awards, and it's the first confirmed new game coming for the PS5, likely as a launch title. While not much else has been said about the game (or the console for that matter), this tease could indicate that more information on both will finally be revealed soon.
Indie Games
PAX has long been a great place for gamers to experience smaller titles from independent studios, and this year was no exception. Just before the show, Yacht Club Games, best known for Shovel Knight, released a video teasing several upcoming releases. One of these is Shovel Knight Pocket Dungeon, a puzzle game with roguelike elements. Pocket Dungeon, alongside the previously announced Shovel Knight Dig, were playable at PAX. Both games take Shovel Knight's now iconic aesthetic and add a new twist to the original platformer.
Other notable indie titles from the show include She Dreams Elsewhere (a game by Studio Zevere which has been compared to both Undertale and Persona), Boyfriend Dungeon (a dungeon crawler that combines elements of RPGs and dating sims) and Disc Room (a recently announced bullet hell-like survival game published by Devolver Digital). All of these titles are expected to release sometime in 2020, though none currently have release dates.