Tokyo Game Show 2021: The 10 Best Gameplay Reveal Trailers

For gamers, the annual lineup of gaming expos gives them a lot to look forward to. 

The Electronic Entertainment Expo, Gamescom, and The Game Awards have a tendency to bring the hype via major game reveals and deeper looks at some of the most anticipated releases of the year. Another major gaming event that showcases the future and present of gaming is the Tokyo Game Show, which is the Japanese equivalent of E3. This year’s TGS had its fair share of extended gameplay sessions for highly anticipated games and some debut trailers for brand new IPs worth checking out. 

Now that the Japanese gaming expo has come to an end, let’s recap the 10 best gameplay reveal trailers you need to rewatch or witness for the very first time.

GigaBash first caught our attention back at this year’s Gamescom. It made its return to the public eye at large during this year’s TGS by showcasing its Story Mode, which looks way better than we anticipated. The game’s awesome amalgamation of King of the Monsters, War of the Monsters, and Power Stone already looks like it’ll be a great time - the addition of a story mode that features fully animated cutscenes and art panels makes GigaBash look like even more of a must-play. We can’t wait to take control of that Power Rangers Megazord-looking mecha to wreak some havoc!

SNK had a coming-out party for the next entry in the long-running The King of Fighters series. We got treated to a livestream that focused completely on the 2022 fighter by showing off its newest roster members and some gameplay between some pro players. Our first official look at the brand new fighter known as Isla was inspiring, to say the least - not only does she look way cooler than Shun'ei, but she also comes with the sort of moveset we can’t wait to master. K’ finally got some time to shine via his character trailer, which also presents him as a worthy addition to our custom KOF teams. KOF 15 looks great and, judging by the demos we’ve seen, should play just as well.

The last Nintendo Direct already gave a sneak peek at the 2022 expansion for Monster Hunter Rise, which has been christened Sunbreak. At TGS, Capcom showed up to deliver even more info about their biggest game of the year. We finally got to see Monster Hunter Rise in action on PC devices and learned it’s launching via Steam on January 12, 2022. Then we learned about the game’s upcoming collaborations with Capcom’s classic action platformer Ghosts 'n Goblins. Players will get the chance to don Arthur’s iconic armor and go ham with a spear in hand against Monster Hunter Rise’s intimidating behemoths.

Does anybody remember Gungrave? If that name escapes your memory, just know that it’s a cult classic among PS2 loyalists. Its sequel Gungrave: Overdose was even better for those who gave it a chance. South-Korean Studio IGGYMOB has revived the IP for a brand new installment that’s looking to get even more gamers to acknowledge its gun-toting madness.  Gungrave G.O.R.E’s cinematic trailer left our jaws on the floor due to its healthy serving of violence and gore. The gameplay footage that followed after that cutscene got us pretty excited - the furious gunplay put on display sticks close to the DNA of the series and looks even more impressive thanks to its crispy HD visual sheen.

Thank god we didn’t get bombarded with the mere mention of “CHAOS!” during this new trailer for the latest Final Fantasy spinoff. Judging by the responses to this latest piece of gameplay footage, curious onlookers seem to be a lot more receptive to what Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin has to offer. The characters still look a bit odd within the confines of Final Fantasy’s mystical realm, but the moment-to-moment gameplay looks a lot better than its initial reveal. The combat looks amazing (you can decide if that’s true for yourself thanks to the new demo, by the way) and the story implications for the rest of the series take center stage here due to the major reveal at the end of this trailer.

Fans of Capcom’s Dragon’s Dogma have been clamoring for a new entry for god knows how long. Deep Down looked as if it would fulfill those fans’ desires, but it sadly ended up being a lost project that we may never get to play. Enter Arise of Awakener, an action/RPG that looks like a spiritual successor to Dragon’s Dogma. The extended gameplay trailer for development studio Taner Game’s new project has us super excited to engage in epic battles with a host of fantastical beings. The combat put on display for this new IP looks amazing and comes as close to everything we loved about Dragon’s Dogma as possible. And you can fly atop dragons, too? LET’S GOOOOOOOOO!

The first River City Girls provided gamers with a pretty hype beat ‘em up that modernized the beloved River City Ransom series. Now we’re due for a 2022 sequel that looks like it’ll build on the already strong foundation put in place by its predecessor. Misako and Kyoko are back to beat the breaks off of all sorts of baddies. And now we’ll get to play as boyfriends (Kunio and Riki, respectively), which is a new aspect of this sequel that looks awesome. The pixel art still looks super clean and the sick combos we’ve seen from the game thus far have us fully prepared to experiment with each character’s extensive moveset.

One of the biggest surprise reveals of the TGS show was this brand new action-packed, Kill Bill-esque experience from Publisher 110 Industries and development studio Soleil. When we learned that that studio is filled with Team Ninja veterans who worked on both the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises, we totally understood why Wanted: Dead looks the way it does. The badass lady cop at the heart of this game is a complete menace - her skills with a katana, pistol, and assault rifle are vicious, fam! And the fact that you can hack off the limbs of your foes and change up their offense makes this new game even more of a must-play once it finally drops.

The Atelier series has been going strong since 1997, which may be a surprise for some. The latest entry in the JRPG series, Atelier Ryza 2: Lost Legends & the Secret Fairy, came out to a hugely positive reception and garnered even more attention from gamers who never gave the franchise a chance. This newfound popularity will probably do a whole lot for another direct sequel entry in the series, which is Atelier Sophie 2: The Alchemist of the Mysterious Dream. We finally got to see the game in action and it retains the bright and bubbly feel of the franchise as a whole. Sophie and Plachta are back to do a whole lot of item synthesizing, exploring, and battling. Count us in for all that!

Did you guys know that a battle royale game based in the Final Fantasy VII universe is coming to mobile devices? Don’t automatically pass on it since you just learned that it’s exclusive to your iOS or Android-powered phone or tablet - it looks way better than it has any right to be. Final Fantasy VII: The First Soldier lets players hop into battle as the first line of Shinra SOLDIERs, who fall into the categories of Warrior, Sorcerer, Monk, Ranger, and Ninja. We never knew we even wanted a Final Fantasy VII-inspired battle royale game, but here we are. The Crisis Core vibes here are pretty strong with this one!