Square Enix announces Anime Expo 2018 lineup and events

Square Enix has officially announced their lineup of games and activities for Anime Expo 2018, which begins this week on July 5th and lasts until July 8th, with a pre-night show on July 4th, at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Fans who visit the Square Enix booth in the Entertainment Hall (LACC West Hall A) will get the opportunity to play demos of Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, Star Ocean: Anamnesis and the long awaited and highly anticipated Kingdom Hearts III.

Fans will also have the chance to meet developers from the Dragon Quest and Star Ocean series throughout the event. These chance encounters include Yuji Horii, the creator and game designer behind Dragon Quest, and Akira Yasuda, Illustrator for the Star Ocean series.

Their autograph session times are listed below:

  • Yuji Horii (Series Creator and Game Designer) will participate in autograph sessions at the Square Enix booth, where he will be signing an exclusive 8×10 signature card and posing for photographs, on:
  • Akira Yasuda (Illustrator), also known as “akiman”, will participate in autograph sessions at the Square Enix booth, where fans will have a chance to receive a pre-drawn Star Ocean illustration in addition to an autograph, on:
    • Friday, July 6, 4:30pm to 5:30pm
    • Saturday, July 7, 4:00pm to 5:00pm

Other activities that will be available at the Square Enix booth include:

  • Final Fantasy Trading Card Game Demos and Tournament
    • Attendees interested in trying out the Final Fantasy Trading Card Game can receive free lessons on how to play.
    • Fans will also get to play the newest set, “Opus VI,” one week early in daily Pre-Release Tournaments. This set includes characters from Final Fantasy XIV: Heavensward, Final Fantasy X/X-2 and Dissidia Final Fantasy NT.
    • Tickets to participate in the tournament will be sold at the Square Enix booth.
  • Dragon Quest XI Photo Wall Contest
    • Attendees can enter to win Slime Plushies by striking their best pose with the heroes from the DQXI photo wall and uploading their pictures to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag “#DragonQuestAX.” You must also tag @DragonQuest.
  • Photobooth
    • Fans can take pictures with featured background from Final Fantasy Brave Exvius and Star Ocean: Anamnesis.
  • Photo Opportunities with Star Ocean Cosplayers
    • Yuno Mizusawa, the official Evelysse (“Eve”) cosplayer from Japan will be making special appearances at the Square Enix Booth, alongside Star Ocean series cosplayers.
    • The cosplayer schedule is available on the Official Star Ocean Facebook page.
  • Daily giveaways
    • These daily giveaways will continue while supplies last. The items include:
    • Dragon Quest XI T-shirts and posters.
    • Star Ocean: Anamnesis buttons.
    • Square Enix Members lanyards.

The Entertainment Hall hours are available on the Official Anime Expo website.

Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition will also be making an appearance at the Cooler Master gaming trucks at Petree Plaza throughout the weekend. Fans and attendees will have the chance to play Final Fantasy XV on high-end gaming PCs and receive a special themed mousepad.

The playable games and demos set to appear at Anime Expo are listed below:

  • Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age
      • Platform: Playstation 4, Steam
      • Release date: September 4th, 2018
      • “The highly anticipated latest entry to the beloved Dragon Quest video game franchise follows the adventure of a hero who must solve the mystery of his fate with the aid of a charming cast of supporting characters. Dragon Quest XI: Echoes of an Elusive Age offers a world of adventure, exploration and instances of heroism— all brought to life by the character art of famed manga artist Akira Toriyama and the memorable music of composer Koichi Sugiyama.”
  • Final Fantasy Trading Card Game
      • Release date: Available now
      • “The Final Fantasy Trading Card Game (“FFTCG”) is the result of a close collaboration between Hobby Japan and Square Enix. Designed by former trading card game champion Taro Kageyama, the game received high praise for its blend of strategy, luck and fast-paced gameplay making it very versatile and appealing to all kinds of audiences. The “Opus VI” series of cards will release July 13.”
  • Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition
      • Platform: Steam, Origin, Windows 10
      • Release date: Available now
      • “Final Fantasy XV Windows Edition brings ultimate 4K quality to the acclaimed RPG along with add-on content and new features. Join Prince Noctis and his closest friends as they fight against the empire in an effort to reclaim their fallen kingdom. Players can now enjoy the Final Fantasy XV base game, all season pass content, all-new side quests and enemies, and more.”
  • Kingdom Hearts III
      • Platform: PlayStation 4 and Xbox One
      • Release date: January 29th, 2019
      • “In the upcoming action RPG, Kingdom Hearts III, players can join forces with Donald Duck and Goofy for the adventure of a lifetime traveling across worlds based on beloved films like Disney•Pixar’s Toy Story, and Monsters, Inc., and Walt Disney Animation Studio’s Big Hero 6, Tangled, Frozen, Pirates of the Caribbean and more. Attendees will be able to experience a boss battle against the Rock Titan from Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Hercules and uncovering the Toy Box world from Toy Story alongside Woody and Buzz.”
  • Star Ocean: Anamnesis
      • Platform: Android and iOS devices
      • Release date: July 2018
      • “Star Ocean: Anamnesis puts players in the captain’s chair as they lead a squad of heroes across the galaxy. They will have the freedom to build endless strategic and iconic teams with returning all-star characters from the Star Ocean series, choosing between attackers, sharpshooters, defenders, invokers and healers to assemble a powerful crew. Enhanced mobile-specific controls will have users experience fast-paced real-time combat with gorgeous 3D graphics. For the first time in the series, players will also be able to tackle missions together in a brand-new co-op multiplayer mode.”

For further convention information, location and prices, check out the Official Anime Expo website.


About the Author

Raptorchan Raptorchan joined the Nova Crystallis team in 2017 after discovering her passion for writing and gaming journalism. She is not only an avid Square Enix fan, but also a cosplayer who loves collecting figurines, playing RPGs and making videos.

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