The Metroidvania Ender Magnolia: Bloom in the Mist will be released on January 23:

ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist Final Trailer

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Fextralife checked out the AI Limit demo:

AI Limit Gameplay Impressions - Demo Review & Thoughts

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Tim talks about world building in games for beginners:

A World Building Tip

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Polygon reports that Baldur's Gate 3 won the Hugo Award - the premier award for narrative excellence in sci-fiction and fantasy media.

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The Outerhaven checked out The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II:

The Legend Of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 The Final Hands-Off Preview

I was able to play Trails Through Daybreak 2 and was invited to a preview event showcasing the game prior, but we got a lot of meat in a brand new preview event for the game and it was stellar. Let us dig in!

Recapping What We Already Know
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 takes place three months after the events of the first game. Elaine knocks on Van’s door as she wants his help finding more information about the crimson Grendel.

At the same time, Swin and Nadia (From Trails Into Reverie) have made their way to Calvard looking for a mystery person. As they follow the clues to each of their mysteries, Elaine and Van, meet up with Swin and Nadia. Throughout the game, the full Arkride Solutions team will become available to help with these mysteries alongside some new party members.

The Märchen Garten
The Märchen Garten is a brand-new area to Trails Through Daybreak 2 and it is reminiscent of the Reverie corridor of Trails Into Reverie. While in this brand-new area, you can go through multi-floor dungeons with any playable characters in your party. There is also a ton of things you can do in the Märchen Garten.

You obtain equipment, costumes, items, and more with the mystic cube. As you are going through the dungeons in the Märchen Garten, you get shard tokens. You can use these shard tokens to break down the mystic cubes. If it is a high-rarity item inside the cube, the color of the cube turns into a rainbow. In the mystic cube instead of it being an item for a costume, it is a data core. If you get an allotted amount of the same data core, you can trade those cores in for that item it is a data core for. That is one difference between the unsealing pedestal in Reverie and the Mystic Cube here.

A brand new mechanic in the series is enhancing Crafts. In earlier games, you mainly enhanced crafts by leveling up or reaching a story milestone. This time you can enhance crafts by collecting skill stones and converting them to craft stones. These craft stones are unique to individual party members. You can break down craft stones back into skill stones in case you want to convert them into another party member.

[...]

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Gamingbolt compares Kingdom Come: Deliverance I and II and claims that it could be a niche hit like S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: 

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 1 vs. 2 – What’s New?

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Could be 2025’s Stalker 2 (And Why That Excites Us)

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The Diablo 4 - Season of Witchcraft starts on January 22. Wccftech lists some of the new features:

Diablo IV Season of Witchcraft Adds the Armory, Witchy Powers, and a New Storyline on the Tree of Whispers

Yesterday, Blizzard hosted a developer live stream to reveal many new details about Diablo IV Season of Witchcraft, scheduled to go live on public servers on January 21 at 10 AM Pacific Time. Arguably, the biggest addition is the long-awaited Armory feature, which allows players to seamlessly change from different saved builds when they are in towns. The Armory is character-bound rather than account-bound, and each character can save up to five different loadouts. On the Armory screen, players will see right away a specific build's Equipment, Skills, selected Paragon Nodes and Glyphs. Notably, switching between loadout slots with different Paragon loadouts is free. If an item saved in the player's Armory loadout is no longer available because it has been sold, traded, or salvaged, an icon will indicate the item is missing in the loadout preview.

[...]

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The tactical RPG Those Who Rule will be released on January 27:

Release Date Announcement - January 27, 2025

Hey everyone!

Getting a little emotional, last one of these updates I'm going to do before the game releases. The first update I did was on February 12, 2022, almost 3 years ago, and here we are now, announcing the release date of January 27, 2025. It's a surreal feeling, and I want to thank each and every one of you who have followed the development of this game.

I've been heads down on the remaining chapters, and I can finally say that we have finished the entire game, with 21 chapters in total (Prologue up to chapter 20). I don't want to spoil all the levels, but I'll show a sneak peak into a later chapter:

I had some extra time to get in the most popular requests, like fixed growths option, a non-permadeath option, difficulty options (planning a "brutal" difficulty after release), persistent blood effects (can be seen in the gif above), etc.

I've also added in the remaining weapons, items, and refinements into the game, bringing the total amount of abilities you have to customize your units with to well over 100.

These final 2 weeks will be spent play-testing, and adding in the final story scenes/supports, but trying to make minimal code changes to have the game be as stable as possible for release.

[...]

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Coridden features a co-op mode:

How to convince your friend to play Coridden with you

A short guide

Greetings, Shifters!

If you were to tell a friend about Coridden, what would you say?
Some of the most remarkable features would surely include:

• Riding on each other
• Swimming
• Petting a Droke

But jokes aside, what are the key elements that make Coridden… Coridden?

Shapeshifting
The ability to switch freely between your human and beast forms and use each form's strengths and skills when needed.

 Action-packed Combat
There is a lot of combat action where both your skill and gear are vital.

The RPG elements
As you level up, you can build up your human and monster forms with new gear, attributes, as well as active and passive skills.

Full co-op campaign
Up to four people can play together in drop-in/drop-out co-op gameplay. Play through the whole story campaign together and take on various side-quests on your journey!

Exploration
Visit dangerous caves and old structures to get a chance to find some exciting loot.

Coridden’s world is in a sort of post-apocalyptic scenario where nature and creatures dominate, but humans still have access to highly advanced technology they do not fully understand, similar to the feel of the world in Horizon Zero Dawn.

We wanted Coridden to bring back similar vibe and fun as old-school co-op RPGs, such as the Diablo games, BG: Dark Alliance, Champions of Norrath but also those that engrossed us in their engaging narrative and side quest-hunting such as Baldur's Gate 2: Shadows of Amn.

Coridden comes out on 29 January, so GET READY!

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RPGFan presents some upcoming RPGs:

RPGs Coming This Week, 1/19/25

In this edition of RPGs Coming This Week, our slate is populated by all manner of rereleases. From the latest high-profile PC port to a remake of an under-the-radar indie title, the industry continues churning out the good stuff, even if most of it isn’t new new. So, join me as we inspect the latest and greatest RPGs!

[...]

Creativebloq reports that Citizen Sleeper 2 was created without classic coding:

"Game development is more accessible than ever": how Citizen Sleeper 2 was created without coding

Illustrator turned indie dev, Gareth Damian Martin's new game is built entirely with visual scripting.

Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is the upcoming sequel to the hit indie game from 2022; that first game reached more than a million players. But what fans of the two games might not realise is that the solo indie developer behind the games, Gareth Damian Martin, has barely written a line of code for either of them.

Gareth’s background is in illustration and writing, but messing around with Twine - a text-based game development software - as a way to write experimental fiction led to them creating In Other Waters, a 2020 game all about analysing the flora and fauna of alien seas. “I had the idea while I was on holiday in Greece, and I was swimming in the sea every day,” Gareth remembers.

Gareth had little programming or animation experience, so instead they concentrated on their strengths. “I knew that I could write, and I knew that I could do graphic design, so I was like, ‘Well, what kind of ideas can I do within that space?’ And so a UI game, like In Other Waters, seemed like a really obvious decision.” The form perfectly reflected the content: the artificial intelligence you play as in the game can only experience the ‘real’ world outside through text and interfaces.

[...]

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Game Rant thinks Mass Effect 4 (5?) can learn romance from Mass Effect: Andromeda:

For All Its Flaws, Mass Effect: Andromeda's Approach to Romance is Something ME4 Can Learn From

Despite Mass Effect: Andromeda continuing to be the black sheep of BioWare's Mass Effect franchise, there are still certain areas where it succeeded that the next game could learn from, such as its short-lived romance storylines. Among the various issues Mass Effect: Andromeda encountered following its launch, like its now-infamous facial animations, the game was criticized for its underwhelming LGBTQ+ romance options, particularly for one of its dual protagonists, Scott Ryder. However, this meant that one of its most interesting romance arcs fell under the radar, and arguably deserves to be revisited in the upcoming Mass Effect 4.

[...]

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C4G checked out the mobile/PC RPG Game of Thrones: Kingsroad:

I Played The NEW Game of Thrones Open World Action RPG

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Couchpotato spotted a dev talk about The Blood of Dawnwalker:

Rebel wolves devs talk about Dawnwalker

Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for Lords of Ravage:

Lords of Ravage: Dread Knights - Official Story Trailer

Joel RPG made a new top list for Tactical/Strategy RPGs:

Top 15 Best NEW Tactical/Strategy RPG Games That You Should Play | 2025 Edition

TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:28 Buy Games Cheaper
01:18 #15. Those Who Rule (PC)
02:02 #14. Slaves of Magic (PC)
02:40 #13. Arena Monarchy (PC)
03:29 #12. Heart of the Machine (PC)
04:12 #11. Astral Throne (PC)
05:00 #10. Godstone Tactics (PC)
05:39 #9. Mystical Tactics (PC)
06:23 #8. Chrono Stone (PC)
07:10 #7. Dark Pact (PC)
07:49 #6. We Are Gladiators (PC)
08:25 #5. Dead Weight (PC)
09:04 #4. Grand Arms: March of the Red Dragon (PC)
09:48 #3. Endless Tactics (PC)
10:31 #2. Broken Alliance (PC)
11:14 #1. Lost In The Open (PC)

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RPGFan checked out Freedom Wars: Remastered:

Freedom Wars and the Not-So-Delicate Art of Player Disempowerment

Freedom Wars does nearly everything right thematically. From the first moments, you’re slapped with a million-year sentence for a mysterious crime you allegedly committed. You must now live out your sentence in a post-apocalyptic penitentiary known simply as The Panopticon. A notice explodes onto the PS Vita’s screen explaining this fact, with a space in the lower-right-hand corner where you must deposit your fingerprint. In a nice touch, you can simply press your finger to the screen.

Playing the prisoner is not merely part of the story, however. You are immediately assigned an artificial humanoid overseer — an “accessory” — who explains that you must always remain close to them and they will monitor your every breath and step. You must go where and do what you’re told until you earn enough Entitlement Points to claim Entitlements.

The Entitlements system is the strongest indicator of the developers’ commitment to Freedom Wars‘ theme and how it translates to gameplay. The second I depressed the “run” button to get to my first objective within the Panopticon complex, a violation notice blasted onto my screen, notifying me that jogging before earning the corresponding entitlement was a transgression worth a few more years of jail time. Inside my cell, my Accessory recommended I rest to better contribute to “the greater good.” When I lay down on my concrete cot, the game slapped me with another violation for lying down before earning the right to do so. I slept sitting up in the bed. In both instances and many others, I dutifully pressed my finger on the on-screen reader to indicate that I received the punishment.

[...]

Learn more about patch 0.1.1 for Path of Exile 2:

Patch 0.1.1 Q&A VOD

Earlier this week, Game Directors Jonathan and Mark joined the Tavern Talk podcast hosted by Darthmicrotransaction and GhazzyTV to discuss the details of Patch 0.1.1. If you missed it, you can check out the full VOD from GhazzyTV's YouTube channel below.

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Sovereign Syndicate is one year old:

Celebrating One-Year of Sovereign Syndicate!

Year in Review and What's Next

Hi Everyone!

We’re celebrating one year since the launch of Sovereign Syndicate, and I thought I would take some time to reflect on what we’ve done so far and where we’re headed.

I’m really proud of the game we made and humbled by the positive reaction from the community. I still read all the comments, reviews, and watch YouTube and Twitch content, and I’m glad that what we’ve made has resonated with so many of you and that you’re hungry for more content in the world we’re building.

So what’ve we been up to? Generally the studios activity can be broken down into three main categories:

• Re-investment in Sovereign Syndicate including bug fixes, localizations, console porting, and additional quality of life features.
• New projects, investing in developing new game prototypes to further develop the IP or other new games, or doing contracting work for other studios.
• Debt repayment, the studio took on significant financial debt to get the game made, part of our financial resources go to making interest payments and repaying this debt.

We’ve tried to find a balance here, ensuring we’re meeting our debt repayment obligations while also bringing Sovereign Syndicate to a larger audience through localizations, porting, and other development activities, and thinking about what’s next for the studio and Sovereign Syndicate and working on projects that interest us and teach us new skills.

So far, we’ve released localizations for Chinese and Russian language markets, and we’re working on releases for Turkish, Spanish, and Brazilian Portuguese. We’re also looking for partners for German, Polish, Japanese, and Korean, but no firm commitments there yet. We’re also working on console porting and hope to have an announcement there soon with the intention to bring the game to Xbox, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch platforms in 2025.

Finally, we’re working on Sovereign Syndicate: Director’s Cut which will be fully voiced in English and have additional comic panels and quality of life options. More on that soon, but we’re hoping to deliver it in late 2025 / early 2026.

That’s all for now, thanks again for all your support, and as always you can follow all the latest developments and chat directly with the developers by subscribing to our newsletter or joining our Discord.

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Couchpotato spotted a new dev note for Remore: Infested Kingdom:

[Dev Note] Completing the Narrative of Remore #1

Hi, Survivors!

In today’s Dev Note, we’re diving into the narrative direction of REMORE.

So far in Early Access, the main storyline has focused on the outbreak of the Infested, the Cultists causing chaos, and the Survivors’ struggle to push through it all. Taking down the Cult leader was where the story wrapped up, but we haven’t really talked about what happens after that - until now.

We launched the Early Access version of REMORE mid-development to share the game’s systems and experience with you as quickly as possible. Our goal was to build an engaging gameplay system and show you what kind of game REMORE is all about. If Early Access was part of the “journey,” now it’s time to push toward the “finish line,” with the narrative also heading toward a complete and satisfying experience.

For us, games are interactive media—something that offers endless possibilities based on player choices. That’s what makes them such a unique and rich form of content. We believe a game should provide an “environment” where players can explore those possibilities, and the narrative plays a crucial role as the foundation that ties everything together.

Today, we want to share some of the thoughts and discussions we’ve had while crafting a narrative that’s not only more fun but also adds more value to the game.

[...]

Dualshockers reports that Final Fantasy VII Rebirth won over 40 awards.

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Learn more about The Million XP Dungeon contest:

The Million XP Dungeon

Like every week the RPG Crawler sums up the computer and tabletop RPG news:

RPG News Roundup (1-18-2025)

Forest Reigns is an upcoming FPS from former S.T.A.L.K.E.R. devs:

Forest Reigns - Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer

Get your first look at Forest Reigns, a new first-person shooter set in a post-apocalyptic Paris, where most of humanity has been wiped out and nature has reclaimed our territory. Survival crafting, a non-linear story, and a forest that can serve as both friend and foe in any given situation all combine to set Forest Reigns apart.

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Farflame spotted a trailer for Dragonkin: The Banished:

Dragonkin: The Banished – Early Access & Release Date Trailer (PEGI)

Dragonkin: The Banished is coming to Early Access on Steam on March 6th, 2025! 

Free a world ravaged by powerful Dragons! Dragon's blood seeps into the earth, corrupting everything it touches, as humanity lies on the brink, a group of heroes, some mutated by this draconic corruption stand up to fight back against the oncoming horde. 

Experience a new ARPG experience this spring, choose your hero, alter your skills using the unique Ancestral Grid mechanics, turn their own against them with your wyrmling companion, and join us as the game continues to expand through Early Access.

Farflame spotted a gameplay trailer for the gladiator management game Arena Monarchy:

Arena Monarchy - Gameplay Trailer

GamingBolt interviewed Neople - the developers of The First Berserker: Khazan:

The First Berserker: Khazan Interview – Combat, Difficulty, Art Style, and More

Neople speaks with GamingBolt about its upcoming Soulslike action RPG.

Of all the Soulslikes coming up on the horizon, few of them have captured attention like Neople and Nexon’s action RPG The First Berserker: Khazan, a grimdark take on the Dungeon and Fighter universe, and a game that has looked consistently promising with its pre-release showings. From the promise of crunching and challenging combat to its striking, stylized art tyle, to the strong impression it has made with pre-release previews, The First Berserker: Khazan has plenty going for it that makes it one of 2025’s more prominent releases. Recently, we had the chance to speak with its developers about its combat, approach to difficulty, level design, and more. You can read the full interview below.

The First Berserker: Khazan’s stylized art style is one of its most instantly eye-catching elements. How did you land on this look for the game?

As a longtime console game enthusiast, particularly in action RPGs, I have long envisioned a game with a style like Khazan’s. Since childhood, I’ve been a fan of this genre, and that passion deeply influenced my approach to developing this game. Our goal of evolving the Dungeon and Fighter (DNF) Universe and expanding it globally with a console launch inspired us to create a fresh new art style for the IP. While many hardcore action RPGs and Soulsborne games lean toward surreal, complex art with high-end design and graphics, we aim to bring an animated and anime-inspired style to Khazan. This choice stays true to the DNF aesthetic while also refreshing the look for Western audiences who may be less familiar with the universe. We aim to achieve a cinematic quality for Khazan that is often found in mature-audience animation, focusing on two primary elements: bold, gritty, and intense battle scenes, paired with high-quality cartoon rendering to immerse players in a dark, atmospheric setting. We also believed that this animation style would better express the ultimate combat feeling we pursue and the action scenes that Khazan unfolds. Through this approach, we hope to engage a global audience by delivering intense battles with detailed, cel-based animation.

[...]

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Learn more about the successful fighter jet Wingblade J8:

Wingblade J8, A Corpo Ship in a Neo-Human Colony?

Wingblade J8 - one of the most successful fighter jets, capable of combat in both space and atmospheric environments—belongs to Hoshi Ryu, a militaristic mega-corporation notorious for its aggressive expansion and deep ties to space pirates. 

Their hunger for domination knows no bounds, often leading them to capture and re-colonize long-abandoned neo-human settlements.

Yet even they refuse to enter Dread Heaven, a forsaken colony where every explorer has vanished without a trace.

So, what is one of their jets doing there? And why are our angels allowing it to land?

[...]

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Farflame spotted a roadmap for the sandbox RPG Age of Reforging: The Freelands:

Age of Reforging RoadMap Reveal!

A letter to Reforgers

Dear Reforgers:
Greetings, we are developer team from Personae Game Studio. On the first day of the New Year, our entire development team wishes you all a Happy New Year! First of all, we would like to thank all the players for their support and love for Age of Reforging: The Freelands and Blackthorn Arena! Thank you for your purchases, playtime, and feedback!

It has been seven years since the initial development of Age of Refoging. During this time, we have made many wrong turns, encountered setbacks and obstacles, but also gained a lot. For indiep game developers, there is no greater satisfaction and joy than seeing many people playing and enjoying our games. We have received praise and encouragement from many players, as well as criticism and suggestions. Admittedly, the game still has many deficiencies. To this day, there are still some stubborn bugs, and there is still much for improvement in optimization. Here, we sincerely apologize for any negative experiences you may have encountered, and promise to do our best to continue improving the game.

We have listened carefully to the opinions of community players and reflected on them. After repeatedly reviewing and playing the current version of Age of Reforging, we realize that the core experience of “AOR” still has a lot of deficiencies. For this reason, we are under great pressure and are determined to get the core experience of “AOR” right. We plan to completely transform the core gameplay of the game from the original CRPG-like style to a more sandbox RPG style (such as Kenshi, Wartales, Battle Brothers, Stone Shard, etc.). We believe that the reborn “AOR” will definitely bring you an unparalleled gaming experience. Today, full of anticipation for the future and creative enthusiasm, we would like to share with you our follow-up development plan for “Age of Reforging: The Freelands” (see below). We wish we could share only good news today, but the harsh reality forces us to also ask for your help:

Due to the long development cycle, the development cost of “AOR” is close to 2 million US dollars. However, since its EA version was launched, due to our own lack of preparation, the game version is rough and has significant problems, and sales have only reached a few thousand copies. The revenue cannot support the follow-up development expenses of our studio. At present, our funds have been exhausted, and we have owed two months' salary. The survival of the studio is in a very dangerous situation. We believe that many people think that “AOR” is a very promising game , not just for you, but also for ourselves. This work is the result of countless efforts over the past seven years. We hope that it can continue to grow and bear fruit. We already have a clear and exciting plan for the final version of the game. Because of this, we hope to make the game as perfect as possible, rather than hastily releasing the official version, despite the difficult situation. We still need about 3 months to complete the follow-up development.

In order to survive, we hereby implore all players to offer us some help: an encouraging review or introducing our game to your friends and family is a lifesaver for us and may help us tide over the difficult times. We really need your help to realize the beautiful vision of “AOR”. We promise: all income before the official release of the game will be invested in the follow-up development of the game! And our core team members have made a commitment: no matter what the situation in the studio is, we will definitely develop the game to completion!

Seven years ago, we were a few gamers who loved games. We came together because of our ideals and formed an indie game team to begin the development of “AOR” and “Blackthorn Arena”. In the process, we encountered countless difficulties, made many mistakes, learned a lot and gained a lot of knowledge. We have grown from a few inexperienced development novices to a team of more than ten people with seven years of development experience. We believe that as long as we can survive, we will be able to apply the accumulated technology and experience to future development and bring everyone better and better works.

The following are the new content and improvements we hope to add to Age of Reforging: The Freelands. The final realization needs everyone's help, but in any case, we will continue to fix and improve existing issues. (The following content is all free updates)

[Picture]

Meanwhile, during the Christmas week winter sale, our other gladiator management game, Blackthorn Arena: Reforged, has also reached a new all-time low discount. Blackthorn Arena and AOR have even launched a discounted bundle. If you already own Age of Reforging, you can get an additional 25% off when you purchase Blackthorn Arena: Reforged!

Finally, thank you very much for taking the time to read about our future plans for the game. The survival of Studio is because of the gamers like you who love games! Thank you!!

Farflame spotted some develoment updates for Cyber Knights: Flashpoint:

Update #200: F10 Smasher - Mission and combat log persists between reloads, improved Talent descriptions re: drones, fixed tons of small map bugs

Update #201: New Weekly Map "Route 5 Bypass" - Added new weekly map and +8 new proc-gen combos, Leverages explain Contacts needed, easier remove mods, more

Update #202: Return of the VIP - Fixed Assassinate VIP missions, rebuilt outlining to be better, improved Leverage pop out, improved File naming

Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone has already been funded on Kickstarter:

Chernobylite 2 funded on Kickstarter in less than four days! Play the game in first-person mode and help us reaching the stretch goals.

Hi Chornobyl explorers,

Yes, we did it! We reached our campaign goal in less than four days, which is an incredible achievement beyond our imagination. 

Once again, we all can pack our backpacks, Geiger counters, and stalker's equipment to get back to the Exclusion Zone as the gamers have spoken!

Thank you! You are awesome!

Your, players, message is evident to us: you want to play Chernobylite 2 and have the Exclusion Zone bigger, better, and more ba**ss. 

Thanks to you, we can now focus on developing the alternative first-person combat mode, allowing you to play the game in any style you choose. Whether you're a fan of classic third-person RPGs or modern first-person adventures, you should be comfortable experiencing Chernobylite 2 in a way that is more natural to you.

What next, then?

Of course, it's not over. We are keeping our campaign alive for the next few weeks, and there's plenty more to do to keep growing our community and deliver more cool stuff within the game. We'll add some stretch goals to the campaign now to let us expand Chernobylite 2 with other elements that may be interesting, especially for you, our current and potential backers. 

What is the first stretch goal? As we secured first-person shooting mode, we want to add all the weapons you used in the original Chernobylite. Why are not all of them included in Chernobylite 2 today? When we planned to focus on third-person combat only, we realized that some other firearms look and work better within the new camera system. Today, a few of the iconic pieces from the first Chernobylite, like Makarov, were not fully recreated in the new game. We have replaced them with other guns, but as we know now, you'd like to have good stuff from the original Chernobylite present in Chernobylite 2, so besides the player perspective, we'll also give you the same toys you enjoyed most. As Neo said: Guns. Lots of guns.

Stay with us; we'll keep you posted about many more cool things. Our campaign is running, and we want to involve you in the whole process. So, let us know in your comments what you think about other things we could do together to make Chernobylite 2 your favorite post-apo RPG game of this decade.

We believed we'd succeed, but the amount and intensity of your support exceeded our expectations. Let's make it last. 

Cheers,
Wojciech Pazdur
Creative Director

Thanks Farflame!

Game Rant reviewed Tyrant's Realm:

Tyrant's Realm Review

I’m not ashamed to admit that I’m terrible at Soulslike games. It took me over 80 tries to beat the Cleric Beast in Bloodborne -- that’s right, the first boss -- making me the butt of jokes in my friend group to this day. Frustratingly, the dark and haunting worlds typically seen in these titles appeal greatly to me, leaving me continuously bitter and disappointed at my own lack of skill and gumption. Tyrant’s Realm has proven to be the perfect remedy to my failings, numbing the pain of standard Soulslike combat by injecting the game with an addictive and atmospheric roguelite gameplay loop. Death isn’t to be feared, but welcomed, as it opens the door to new and better equipment and upgrades that give the game’s protagonist a better chance to thrive and survive.

[...]

Tyrant's Realm is a roguelite action-adventure inspired by classic PS1 visuals. Explore procedurally generated dark fantasy worlds, battling through dangers that evolve with each run. Death is not the end, as the night is still young.

Tyrant's Realm is clearly a passion project made by people who were molded by both the PS1 era and FromSoftware's magnum opus. As mentioned at the start, I'm not a fan of Soulslike titles, but this one managed to win me over in record time. Affordable and stylish, it offers a fair amount of challenge without being overwhelming to newcomers, and its roguelite elements serve as carrots on a stick to make even the most discerning player prep for "just one more run."

Score: 8/10

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Siliconera reviewed Tales of Graces f:

Review: Tales of Graces f Remastered Preserves Its Best Parts

Around fifteen years after it first appeared on the Nintendo Wii, Tales of Graces f Remastered finally brings the experience of protecting your friends and family onto even more consoles. The updated graphics, combined with the very anime aesthetics and bright watercolor-like palette, help in making the game look stylized, rather than dated. As the first entry in Bandai Namco’s initiative to remaster the Tales series, it’s a roaring success that amplifies the original game’s pros while cutting down on its cons.

[...]

Tales of Graces f Remastered is an action RPG with high-speed battles that allow you to switch between fighting styles to match your play style. Experience a touching story full of adventure that dives into the true meaning of bonds and friendship. Venture to the planet Ephinea to become Asbel Lhant as he is joined by his childhood friends and the mysterious Sophie on a journey after becoming drawn into a conflict between three kingdoms vying for control of the planet!

An easy-to-play and accessible port with plenty of QoL improvements and visual upgrades to highlight its pros and do away with its cons. While the story remains "meh," it's still a strong mainline entry in the franchise thanks to its combat system, mini-games, and endgame content.

Score: 9/10

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Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for Arknights: Endfield:

Arknights: Endfield Special Trailer | Endfield: Those Who Stayed

The card based game Death Howl has been announced - a demo will be available on January 20:

Death Howl - Announcement Trailer

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Gematsu reports that the tactical RPG Kriegsfront Tactics has been announced for PC, PS5, XBox and Switch. You can check out the Prologue for free.

Kriegsfront Tactics Prologue - Play in Various Languages on Steam!

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PC Gamer interviewed Konrad Tomaszkiewicz about The Blood of Dawnwalker:

The Witcher 3's director explains why he had to leave CDPR to make his dream vampire RPG: 'We had crazy ideas'

The leader of Rebel Wolves speaks

For PC Gamer magazine's upcoming The Blood of Dawnwalker issue, I flew out to Warsaw to visit developer Rebel Wolves and speak to a number of its key devs, including founder Konrad Tomaszkiewicz: Best-known for being the director of The Witcher 3, one of gaming's greatest ever fantasy RPG experiences.

Tomaszkiewicz also worked as a co-director on Cyberpunk 2077 before leaving CDPR. The obvious question is why an established and proven director would feel the need to move on from somewhere they'd helped to such success.“I set up Rebel Wolves because I felt that I wanted to make something that is unique with my friends,” says Tomaszkiewicz. “Of course, we have a huge love of RPG games, and what has been done before in the past. [But] I feel that those things, those rules of RPG games, can be expanded and evolved. We had crazy ideas. We knew that, you know, if we wanted to make them, we needed to open our own studio, because it would be hard to convince any big company - you know, with non-IP - to change, and do something new, and do something crazy. Actually, it’s risky, because we’re doing some solutions which are new.

"And the second thing is that we have a studio where we work with the people, and among them, not like at the bigger studios where it’s harder. I felt that a smaller team is capable of doing more, because the communication inside the team, and it’s easier to speak about the vision. It’s easier to feel the creative fire, and to do something special.”

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AngryCentaurGaming looks back at 2024:

What is Your Favorite Game of 2024? - These are Mine | Best Games of 2024

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Learn more about exploration in Assassin's Creed Shadows:

Assassin’s Creed Shadows – Exploration Gameplay Overview

Hello everyone! Assassin’s Creed Shadows will now be released on March 20, 2025.

As we prepare to show you more about the game in the coming weeks, we are excited to unveil more about our key exploration mechanics in Shadows.

So far, we have broken down stealth, combat, and parkour. This week, we are taking a look at Shadows' exploration loop. Our open world is vast and full of things to discover, so learning how to get your bearings as you explore its numerous mountains and valleys will be key to your adventure.

For additional insights, we'll once again be joined by Charles, Shadows' Game Director. 

All footage is from a work-in-progress build. Please note that some of the videos in this article may be compressed, which could affect their quality. Make sure to watch in 4K for the best quality. HUD settings may vary depending on the capture to showcase examples of customizable options. 

When it comes to Shadow's exploration features, there's a lot to discover. Alongside the return of existing gameplay loops and mechanics, we made major changes and additions to foster a unique sense of discovery as you roam the world.   

"We didn't want to hold the player's hand too much with icons and markers" says Charles. "We wanted to craft an open world where information was key and would become a form of reward. This made sense in the context of playing a shinobi and fighting for information. In Shadows, information is something you need to look for and earn, whether through your spies, NPC encounters, or through your own eyes. In short, we want players to discover all our cool secrets on their own terms through investigation, their spy network, or by observing the world."  

Let's take a deeper look! 

The Call for Exploration - World Map 
The World Map is the backbone of exploration.  

You will start the game with a map that only reveals region names and drawings hinting at the potential nature of key locations. Moving around the world will slowly reveal a significant radius around your character, uncovering more and more details as you go. Each new region, sub-region, and local landmark you encounter will deepen the clarity and richness of your map: in short, the more you explore, the more information the map will provide. 

When navigating in the menu, the world map offers different zoom levels, each toggling different sets of information. From provinces' names at the farthest zoom to local landmarks and relevant icons at the closest. This map will be the cornerstone of your journey, your best ally in choosing where your next adventure lies, or where to find your quest objectives.  

"When exploring the world, you should look out for undiscovered locations (i.e. "?" icons)" says Charles, "because there are so many interesting places to seek out, whether in a destroyed camp or a hidden shrine, we want you to always feel a sense of discovery." 

Before we expand on the additions made to the map, let's briefly look at other features to better contextualize the whole exploration loop.  

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The dungeon crawler Cyclopean: The Great Abyss has been released into Early Access:

Cyclopean: The Great Abyss - Early Access Trailer 2025

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You can take part in a player satisfaction survey for Wartales.

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