Platinum Games reveals new Babylon's Fall gameplay and details

Platinum Games announced Babylon's Fall at E3 2018, saying it would be out sometime in 2019. That obviously didn't happen, and the game largely fell off the radar until July 2020, when Platinum reassured us all that it's still coming—although it didn't have much more to say than that. Today we got a fresh (and fuller) look at it during the Square Enix E3 livestream, with a new gameplay trailer and details from the developers.

Babylon's Fall is "a hack-and-slash style MORPG" (yes, just one M, it's not massive) that can be played solo or in groups of up to four, with highly customizable characters and a "brushwork" visual style that Platinum said will give it "a medieval oil painting aesthetic." It's being developed as a live-service game, although it will also "feature a range of post-launch game modes at no additional cost."

"From version 1.0 on the day of release, you can enjoy Platinum Games' awesome action gameplay right away," producer Junichi Ehara said. "But one of the big features of this game is how regular updates will add even more action moves that you can equip as skills, to experience the game in different ways."

"Players can continue to pursue action as they push forward to a never-ending goal. That is what we see as the core concept of the game," director Kenji Saito explained. "Each floor takes place in a different location, with a powerful boss lying in wait at the end of each. You obtain new equipment by defeating enemies, or by gathering materials for crafting. You then combine these together to enhance and customize your characters."

Unfortunately, there's still no sign of a release date, although Saito acknowledged that fans are eager to get one. "It has been awhile, it's true. They are all asking, 'When's it coming? When's it coming?'," he said. "Even Yoko Taro has been asking me if Babylon's Fall is dead!"

"We are overjoyed to be able to finally re-introduce the game to you all. We plan to put in our utmost efforts as we head to the peak of development."

So, there you have it. Progress is indeed being made, and it may be closer than we think: A Babylon's Fall Closed Beta Test recently appeared in SteamDB. There's also a series of closed beta tests coming that you can sign up for at babylonsfall.com.

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Andy has been gaming on PCs from the very beginning, starting as a youngster with text adventures and primitive action games on a cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longstanding love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He began writing videogame news in 2007 for The Escapist and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until 2014, when he joined the storied ranks of PC Gamer. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports, and Henry Cavill. Lots of Henry Cavill.