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The Sinking City

The Sinking City Review
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RPGWatch
Game of the Year Awards 2024 - Most Promising RPG
What is the most promising RPG of 2025? Like every year, you had your say. Check out the details to find out what games our visitors and editors think are most promising.
» Read the article
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Poll Watch
Yes, it will decrease the quality of games
Yes, it will impact people's jobs / shift the industry
Yes, but it is too early to say whether the net result will be negative
No, it will increase the quality of games
No, it will improve people's jobs
No, it won't substantially change anything
I don't have any opinion for or against it / don't know enough about generative AI to say
Recently Released
Feb: Astral ThroneFeb: Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
Jan: Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
Jan: Coridden
Jan: Kamibako: Mythology of Cube
Jan: Tails of Iron 2
Jan: Those Who Rule
Expected Releases
Feb: ShujinkouFeb: TLoH: Trails through Daybreak II
Feb: Immortal Hunters
Feb: Avowed
Feb: LaD: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
Mar: Burden of Command
Mar: Cabernet
News Discussion Watch
Non-RPG General News - Dune Awakening Impressions by Farflame
Avowed - 175 Questions by Vaelith
Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Wrong Tone? by Andrew23
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II - 1 Million Copies sold by Vaelith
Immortal Hunters - Release Date: February 17 by Vaelith
TLoH: Trails through Daybreak II - Reviews by Carnifex
Cloudheim - Announced by Carnifex
Gothic 1 Remake - Making Of #1 by danutz_plusplus
Atomic Heart - Enchantment Under the Sea Review by danutz_plusplus
SKALD: Against the Black Priory - Review by Stingray
Forum Discussion Watch
Introducing "The Dark Age of Wythia" A New Text-Based Browser MMORPG by Hafenguy
Console exclusives coming to PC by danutz_plusplus
The TV Series discussion thread by danutz_plusplus
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II by HiddenX
Steam curation by HiddenX
Sekiro Adventures Journal by danutz_plusplus
Immortal Hunters by RPGWatch
The Totally NEW Team Corwin Thread by dteowner
The ever-popular "Currently Listening" thread by Carnifex
NFL and college football thread. by Carnifex
Saturday - February 08, 2025
TLoH: Trails through Daybreak II - Reviews
Couchpotato spotted some reviews for The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak II:
IGN: The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 Review
RPG Site: The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak 2 Review Score: 8/10
COG: The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak II Review – A Divided Experience Score: 82/100
TLoH: Trails through Daybreak II
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: J-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Sworn - Early Access Release
Team 17 released the roguelite Sworn into Early Access:
SWORN | Launch Trailer
SWORN is a 1-4 player co-op action rogue-like. Explore and reclaim a fallen Camelot from the reign of a corrupted Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table.
Immortal Hunters - Release Date: February 17
The action RPG Immortal Hunters will be released on February 17:
Immortal Hunters - Official Version 1.0 Release Date Trailer
God is dead, killed by a mighty Church that conquered the world with his power. Now, it faces the Apocalypse. Experience it in an RPG beat 'em up as one of its Immortal Hunters. Defy fate, expose the lies of the Cardinals, and find a reborn God before the Khemrids destroy humanity.
Immortal Hunters
SP/MP: Single + MPSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Action-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers - New Trailer
Learn more about the lore of Wuchang: Fallen Feathers:
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers - Official Bilibili Developer Diary and Lore Trailer
Source: IGN
Wuchang: Fallen Feathers
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Action-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi - Review
Wanderbots checked out the dungeon crawler Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi:
Wildly Underrated Classic Dungeon Crawler RPG - Undernauts
Undernauts: Labyrinth of Yomi
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Dungeon Crawler
Platform: PC
Release: Released
Astral Throne - Released
The tactical RPG Astral Throne has been released:
Astral Throne
Experience a new twist on a familiar genre
Embark on an enigmatic journey in Astral Throne, a captivating blend of retro-style turn-based strategy and roguelike adventure. Navigate a once-prosperous land cloaked in a memory-stealing fog from a fallen star.
Fight through a series of tightly designed hand-crafted combat encounters while building a formidable army through Roguelite-style level-ups and loot. Synergize your party’s classes, equipment, weapons, and skills in various ways - all while experiencing a mysterious story that changes depending on who you recruit and choices you make.
Turn Based Strategy
- Astral Throne is a unique blend of Roguelike, Strategy, and RPG
- Strategize around weapon and magic triangles, stat and experience distribution, and permadeath
- Encounters are handcrafted to retain the tight design of a strategic experience
- However, there are pockets of variance through enemy spawns, recruitable characters, loot, and the layout of an ever-changing overworld
- Small choices can lead to vastly different outcomes every run
Build Your Team
- Flexibly customize your party, which can change drastically between runs
- Each playthrough presents numerous opportunities to change your characters' builds in diverse ways
- Synergize classes, skills, and ability-granting equipment
- Choose your path through a procedurally generated overworld map and which objectives you accomplish
React and Synergize
- Collect weapons, items, and team-affecting relics that can change every run
- Unlock and recruit characters, heroes, and leaders that offer diverse experiences
- Replay with a multitude of difficulty modifiers that put your skills to the test
- Menus are snappy and responsive, and a deep tooltip system offers extensive clarity of information
Uncover the Mistery
- Explore a once-prosperous realm shrouded in memory-stealing Stardust
- Each hero has unique character traits and stories that blend to create a compelling world
- The story of each run changes depending on who you've recruited into your party
- Even the music adapts to your actions in encounters and the world map
- Reveal the truth of a mysterious plot over the course of multiple runs
Astral Throne
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Roguelike
Platform: PC
Release: Released
Friday - February 07, 2025
Gothic 1 Remake - Making Of #1
Couchpotato spotted a Gothic 1 Remake making-of video:
Gothic 1 Remake | Making Of #01: The Essence of Gothic
Gothic 1 Remake
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Adventure-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
MMORPG News - LostMagic released into Early Access
The MMORPG LostMagic has been released into Early Access:
LostMagic
A 2D MMORPG with turn-based combat, dungeons, PvP, PvE in a unique world with story driven content.
Thanks Couchpotato!
MMORPG News
SP/MP: MassiveSetting: Unknown
Genre: MMORPG
Platform: Unknown
Release: In development
Dragon Age: The Veilguard - Wrong Tone?
The Nerd Stash thinks Dragon Age: The Veilguard failed because it got its tone wrong.
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Dragon Age: The Veilguard
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: RPG
Platform: PC
Release: Released
Cloudheim - Announced
Cloudheim
SP/MP: Single + MPSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Action-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Coridden - Review
The Gamer Social Club reviewed Coridden:
Coridden Review
Diablo meets altered beast in this indie gem
Coridden may be one of the little indie gems of 2025. The first outing from developer Aftnareld, it’s a Diablo style RPG where you take on the forms of various beasts you encounter, and features a very fun and robust combat system.
While not too heavy on plot and some technical issues hurt the experience, it’s enjoyable gameplay and plentiful content for its size more than make up for its short comings. Especially if you have some friends to run through with.
[...]
Final thoughts
Despite some tech issues and not having the most memorable plot, Coridden’s gameplay is so much fun that I didn’t care. While flying solo in the game can be a bit tough at times, its still a blast and even better when you team up with a few friends. I hope to see more from Aftnareld in the future as they crafted a fun and unique adventure here.
Score: 8/10
Thanks Couchpotato!
Atomic Heart - Enchantment Under the Sea Review
Twisted Voxel reviewed the DLC Atomic Heart - Enchantment Under the Sea:
Atomic Heart – Enchantment Under the Sea Review – Short, Sweet, and Supercharged
Atomic Heart – Enchantment Under The Sea continues the journey of this ambitious first-person shooter, which drew inspiration from BioShock while carving out its own unique identity. In many ways, this expansion brings out the best in the game’s world and delivers a satisfying conclusion to its story. It’s no coincidence that the DLC’s name feels like a nod to its BioShock aspirations, and it lives up to that legacy in more ways than one.
This is easily one of the strongest pieces of DLC released for Atomic Heart so far. While the base game started strong, it stumbled with a story that faltered near the end and gameplay that felt repetitive over time. Still, it had a lot going for it - stunning visuals, a fascinating world, and deep lore to explore. The post-launch season pass has steadily built on these strengths, with each episode adding fresh story content and expanding the game’s universe.
[...]
Atomic Heart - Enchantment Under The Sea is an electrifying continuation of the game's saga, delivering dynamic combat and an engaging narrative. This DLC enhances the base game's visual appeal and introduces inventive new weapons while shifting the focus from repetitive puzzles to more action-oriented gameplay.
Score: 7.0
Thanks Couchpotato!
Atomic Heart
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Technofantasy
Genre: Shooter-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: Released
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes - Expansions
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes will get 3 expansions:
Suikoden JRPG Spiritual Successor Gears Up for a Trio of Story Expansions
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes gears up for a trio of story expansions, each diving deeper into the journeys of the game’s main characters. Publisher 505 Games and developer Rabbit & Bear Studios have officially unveiled the release dates for these highly anticipated DLC packs, offering new perspectives and lore-rich adventures.
The first expansion, The Chapter of Marisa, arrives on February 27, introducing players to a compelling tale centered on Marisa’s life as a Guardian. Her path intertwines with a mysterious young girl captivated by ancient ruins, forming an unexpected yet cherished bond. However, their journey is soon shadowed by dark forces, leading them to uncover the secrets of the enigmatic “Child of the Rune.”
Next, on March 13, The Chapter of Seign shifts the focus to the noble strategist, providing a fresh viewpoint on the unfolding events within the Galdean Empire. This expansion sheds light on what transpired while Seign and his allies operated from the shadows, playing crucial roles in the empire’s fate. As the story unravels, players will witness the hidden struggles and covert missions that shaped the course of the main narrative.
Closing out the trilogy of expansions is The Chapter of Markus, launching on April 3. Markus, accompanied by Carrie and Nowa, stumbles upon a mysterious anomaly known as “Menhir’s Distortion,” which grants them access to an unknown realm through a teleportation gateway. Their exploration into this uncharted dimension could hold the key to long-buried truths, including revelations about Markus’s cryptic past.
[...]
Thanks Couchpotato!
Source: Turn Based Lovers
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: J-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: Released
Shujinkou - Interview
RPGamer interviewed Director Julian Rice about Shujinkou:
Shujinkou Interview
Rice Games’s Shujinkou is a dungeon-crawling RPG that sees three protagonists — Shu, Jin, and Kou — banding together to take on the Akuma, language-devouring monsters that terrorize the land. Shujinkou offers a vast world, two-arc story campaign, sixteen different labyrinthine dungeons to traverse, and an optional language-learning element across its gameplay. Ahead of its release later this month, RPGamer was given the chance to ask director Julian Rice about the game’s features and development.
Jordan McClain (RPGamer): What inspired you to make Shujinkou, and where did you draw inspiration from?
Julian Rice (Rice Games Inc): The inspiration for Shujinkou started with the word itself — Shujinkou (主人公) in Japanese means “main protagonist.” Growing up, I spent time in both the USA and Asia, particularly Taiwan and Hong Kong, and my mother is Taiwanese. When I first started learning Japanese in high school, I would break down each kanji character and compare it to my somewhat limited knowledge of Chinese (Mandarin). When I came across the word shujinkou, I had a eureka moment—like almost every other word, each kanji within the word had its own distinct meaning. That sparked the idea of creating three characters—Shu, Jin, and Kou—each with unique personalities inspired by their respective kanji. In the early days, I imagined them sailing the seas, riding airships, and embarking on grand adventures to save the world from looming threats.
Six years ago, I didn’t yet know how to make a full-fledged game, so I started by following YouTube tutorials to create a simple platformer. But deep down, I knew that wasn’t the game I truly wanted to make. On top of that, the art team I had assembled wasn’t specialized in a style that suited a platformer. So I decided to pivot toward a genre I’ve always loved — dungeon-crawling RPGs — and that’s how Shujinkou really started taking shape.
[...]
Thanks Couchpotato!
Shujinkou
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Dungeon Crawler
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone - Early Access on March 6
Gematsu reports that Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone launches into Early Access for PC on March 6.
Thanks Couchpotato!
Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Post-Apoc
Genre: RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Stellar Tactics - Version 0.728
Couchpotato spotted the patch notes for Stellar Tactics version 0.728.
Stellar Tactics
SP/MP: Single + MPSetting: Sci-Fi
Genre: RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
SKALD: Against the Black Priory - Review
PC Gamer reviewed SKALD: Against the Black Priory:
Skald: Against the Black Priory review
Come for the fantastic retro RPG combat and exploration, stay for the utterly gripping cosmic horror.
Before playing Skald: Against the Black Priory, I liked the idea of this throwback roleplaying game, but wasn't sure it was for me. I love old-school RPGs, but pre-1997 is too old-school for me, and Skald's primary source of visual inspiration is an era of DOS and Commodore RPGs I have respect, but not much affection for. Skald's gorgeous VGA-inspired pixel art scared me off as much as it enticed me.
Finally diving into the game, though, I found something decidedly more modern: Skald is crisp and tight, threading the needle with an elegant, modern design sensibility that doesn't sand off the complexity and depth I crave in my RPGs. It's easy to get your arms around, but also challenging and surprising the whole way through. The biggest shock of all was the writing: Skald is one of the most effective, unnerving cosmic horror stories I've seen in a game, and part of that comes from all the effort it puts into fleshing out its fantasy world and characters before tearing it all down.
[...]
Graphics from the '80s with RPG gameplay from the late '90s and writing like nothing else: Skald was 2024's biggest pleasant surprise.Score: 89/100
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SKALD: Against the Black Priory
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: RPG
Platform: PC
Release: Released
Dragonkin: The Banished - Overview Trailer
Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for Dragonkin: The Banished:
Dragonkin: The Banished - Official World Presentation Overview Trailer
Source: IGN
Dragonkin: The Banished
SP/MP: Single + MPSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Hack & Slash
Platform: PC
Release: In development
LaD: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii - Story Trailer
Couchpotato spotted a story trailer for Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii:
Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii - Official Story Trailer
Source: IGN
LaD: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Modern
Genre: Action-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Thursday - February 06, 2025
RPG General News - Childhood-Games return
Pixelbytes looks at older games that return this year:
A Reminder That Childhoods Return This Year In A Big Way Through Suikoden, Lunar, and Power Stone
Toys ‘R’ Us filed for bankruptcy in 2017 before returning in a limited capacity years later. Even before that though the company didn’t have the relevant position it used to when video games were considered toys, rather than an industry. After all, it was over 50 years ago that Nintendo decided to market its home entertainment system in the boy’s aisle of the toy section, influencing not the trajectory of gaming that remained well into PlayStation’s life cycle of gaming, some might say it remains. For a young me, Toy’s ‘R’ Us was the place to go if you wanted to buy games, with the alternative being smaller family-owned stores, which one close by to where I lived did factor into my buying habits, but if you were looking for the best selection, the former was the right place to go. This year three titles arrive that harken me back to those days, the games being Suikoden, Lunar, and Power Stone. While they aren’t the only ones, this year is poised to be a great year for the generation that grew up on Geoffory the Giraffe.
[...]
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RPG General News
SP/MP: UnknownSetting: Unknown
Genre: RPG
Platform: Unknown
Release: In development
Avowed - 175 Questions
Learn more about Avowed:
175 Rapid-Fire Questions About Obsidian's Avowed
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Avowed
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Action-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Xenonauts 2 - Development Update
Couchpotato spotted a new development update for Xenonauts 2:
Xenonauts 2 Monthly Development Update!
The latest on Milestone 5, and changes to the early game...
Hello everyone - hope you all had a great Christmas and a happy new year. January is now over, so it's time for an update on what we worked on!
Milestone 5
Work is continuing on Milestone 5 over on our Experimental branch. This month we released three stability hotfixes for Milestone 5, and we've spent the last three weeks working on a major gameplay update. Our initial plan was to release this a couple of weeks ago, but some of the changes we're making break existing campaigns and we wanted to avoid doing that more than once. We've therefore rolled the changes into one big patch which should be coming out on the Experimental branch in the next few days.Our goal is to lock down Milestone 5 so the translators can begin work translating all the new text later this month, which will allow us to plan the final public release of Milestone 5.
Mind Control
The first new addition is the alien psionic ability Mind Control, which has been granted to Psyon Officers, Psyon Leaders, and Eternals. This formula takes into account the psionic strength of the alien versus the Bravery and Morale of the defending soldier, with greater distance making the attack easier to defend against. This should make alien Eternals a bit more intimidating than before, as they have very high psi-strength!As we've experimented with several iterations of Mind Control since our original Kickstarter, for clarity -- the older alien "Mind War" ability has been removed, and the Psyon Mesmerise ability no longer has a chance to Mind Control the attacker on a critical fail. The new Mind Control ability is the only way the aliens can take control of your soldiers.
Strategic Operations / Supporters
We've also expanded the Strategic Operations and Supporters systems to address feedback about the choices becoming predictable after a few hours of play. Strategic Operations now become more effective each day they are not used - for example, the Raise Funds operation usually grants $500,000, but this increases by $10,000 for each day the operation is not used (once used, the value resets back to the default value).Supporters have also been tweaked slightly. Each supporter now has a "protection level" value that controls how expensive it is to interact with them - if they have high protection the cost of recruiting / eliminating them is increased by 30%, whereas if they have low protection then the cost is reduced by 30%. This value changes every 10 days, with supporters having a 50% chance of being in a normal state and 25% each for high / low protection.
The purpose of these changes is to make these systems less static. Instead of just waiting until you have 150 Operations Points so you can recruit a new Supporter, the player might now want to evaluate which Supporters are lightly protected and which Strategic Operations look good value.
Writing
Over the past week or two I've been working on the plot-related writing, which has become a bit disjointed since the introduction of the plot-related missions and the Phase system in Milestone 5. We have added several new early-game research projects to ensure that the player is better informed about why the aliens are acting the way they are with regards to the invasion (mostly better explaining the limits within which they are operating), and also who the Cleaners are and why they acting the way they do.Later in the game, I've added research text to the various projects related to UOO-1 and we've also added little intro conversations to those missions as well. I'm currently working on the research text and intro conversations for Phase 5 and Operation ENDGAME, which are the last remaining placeholder research reports in the game. I'm hoping to have that completed this week.
Early Game Rebalance
Finally, we spent a fair bit of time this month fixing some of the balance issues reported by people in the feedback threads we provided, so thanks to anyone who contributed to those whether on Steam, Discord or our official forums. One of the most common pieces of feedback was that the early game (i.e. Phase 1) felt too compressed, so we have extended this by an additional month (up to three months) and moved the Cleaner Base mission forward from early Phase 2 to the end of Phase 1.We'll be doing another pass on game balance after we release the next beta patch, as it's quite likely that the additions from earlier in the post will affect the balance. Please keep the feedback coming and we'll do our best to improve the gameplay as we finish up Milestone 5 for general release!
That's it for this month - I'll write another update next month!
Xenonauts 2
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Sci-Fi
Genre: Non-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II - 1 Million Copies sold
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is successful:
Wccftech: Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Sells 1 Million Copies
GamingBolt: Why Are GAMERS ADDICTED To Kingdom Come Deliverance 2?
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Historical
Genre: Action-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: Released
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II - Review
Eurogamer reviewed Kingdom Come: Deliverance II:
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Review
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Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Historical
Genre: Action-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: Released
Non-RPG General News - Dune Awakening Impressions
Eurogamer checked out the survival game Dune Awakening:
Dune: Awakening - Is It Good? Hands-On Impressions & New Gameplay
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Non-RPG General News
SP/MP: UnknownSetting: Unknown
Genre: Unknown
Platform: Unknown
Release: In development
RPG General News - John Famiglietti Interview
RPG Site talked with John Famiglietti from the industrial / noise rock band Health:
"I want to do an RPG more than anything" – Health's John Famiglietti on his next soundtrack, Cyberpunk 2077 collaborations, and more
Last week, I had a chance to chat with John Famiglietti AKA Johnny from the industrial / noise rock band Health about a plethora of topics for today's Branching Path Interview. I've been a fan of the band for many years now, and in addition to their many albums and collaborations, they've also worked on music for some of the biggest games in years with their first one being the score for Max Payne 3. Since then, they've done songs for Grand Theft Auto V, Cyberpunk 2077, and more-recently New Blood's Ultrakill. After watching their live streams and also Johnny's interviews over the years like on The Downbeat Podcast, I kept thinking of ways to get it done. Given how much he loves RPGs and especially FromSoftware games, I thought it was a good time to have a chat with him to discuss Health's music, collaborations, games, and more. I also spoke to Johnny about how the band adapted through the pandemic, him wanting to do an RPG soundtrack more than anything, working with CD Projekt Red here. This interview was done on a call. It has been slightly edited for clarity.
[...]
Thanks Couchpotato!
RPG General News
SP/MP: UnknownSetting: Unknown
Genre: RPG
Platform: Unknown
Release: In development
Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone - Trailer
Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone:
Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone - Official Cinematic Trailer
Chernobylite 2: Exclusion Zone
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Post-Apoc
Genre: RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Wednesday - February 05, 2025
Turn Based Lovers - Upcoming J-RPGs
The Turn Based Lovers checked out the upcoming J-RPGs:
Top 22 NEW Upcoming Turn-Based JRPGs Of 2025
Timestamps
00:00 Intro
00:37 Lost Hellden
02:08 Chained Echoes: Ashes of Elrant
03:31 Guns Undarkness
04:47 Clair Obscur: Expedition 33
07:15 Fuga Melodies of Steel 3
08:32 Trails through Daybreak II
09:25 Legends of Astravia
10:02 Phantom Brave: The Lost Hero
11:45 Wander Stars
13:02 Maliki: Poison of the Past
14:32 Threads of Time
15:49 To The Grave: The Wildlands of Faenora
17:26 Lunar Remaster Collection
18:35 My Familiar
20:51 Seed of Pandora
22:21 Oddventure
24:51 Cairn: Mathair's Curse
25:33 Suikoden I&II Remaster
27:13 Seed of God
29:00 The Starbites
30:11 Sacrifire
31:31 Etheria Restart
32:03 Outro
Turn Based Lovers
Solasta - The Paladin Class
Learn more about the Paladin class:
Dev Update #07 - Class Spotlight: The Paladin
For whom the blade smites, It smites for thee.
Hello, faithful readers!
From Rogues straight to Paladins, what a trip! It is no secret that those two classes can easily clash due to how they are typically represented - with Rogues often being depicted as thieves and used as an example of Chaotic Neutral characters, and the Paladin formerly being locked into the Lawful Good alignment in previous D&D editions with a strict moral code to follow lest they lose their power. Buuut when there’s a will, there’s a way - it’s up to the players to figure it out!
[...]
It is by smiting that one becomes a Paladin
Fun fact, we French don’t say “Practice makes perfect”, but “It is by smithing that one becomes a smith” - and it’s surely by smiting that one truly becomes a Paladin, for Divine Smite is most definitely their most well known power. A huge burst of guaranteed radiant damage that you can decide to add after you hit your target - and up until the 2024 ruleset, usable multiple times per turn for free, making them the terror of bosses (and DMs) alongside high-level monks spamming Stunning Strike.For the Paladin comes with a fairly strong fantasy - a holy warrior following a strict moral code of conduct and, in return, being empowered by that very same oath they swore. They are durable frontliners with access to divine magic and great damage output, whose only weakness lies in their fairly limited mobility and range options.
Another class-defining feature is their Aura, granting incredible boons to their party members. Even just the base Aura of Protection boosts Saving Throws to such amounts that it easily breaks the concept of bounded accuracy when compared to parties without Paladins - prompting some to say that if this feature never existed and was instead revealed today in an Unearthed Arcana supplement, many would consider it too powerful.
[...]
Thanks Henriquejr!
Urban Strife - Major Update
Urban Strife will get a major update this month:
Coming next in February...
We've been planning a major update for the start of the year, originally intended to roll out in multiple patches. This update includes a significant rebalancing of the economy, which wouldn't work well without a series of tweaks and adjustments. However, since it's already February, we've decided to release everything in one go to ensure it's fully functional and ready to play.
The focal points of this update are industry mechanics and a new class of weapons. Most of the work on the industry crafting (code and HUD) is complete, and submachine guns are performing well in our tests. Over the next two weeks, we’ll focus on adding the following:
Loot distribution and trader restocking will be balanced for a longer, more open-ended campaign, allowing you to take your time and experiment with different approaches.
Diverse weapon classes of of .22LR, 9mm, and .45 calibers will appear more often in the starting zones for better weapon variety.
Damage values will be adjusted to make these weapons more viable in low-tier or bad armor setups.
Headshot mechanics will be reworked to be less of a one-shot kill. Since heads are naturally exposed in combat, they currently cause too many instant fatalities.Another major change we've been planning for some time is streamlining the RPG elements in the first act. Instead of quests primarily pushing factions into conflict, they will now focus more on helping you understand each faction’s unique traits. This means that, for a while at least, it will be possible to maintain friendly relations with three faction groups simultaneously if that’s how you want to play.
We're also working on reducing linearity, giving you more freedom to explore and start the game on your own terms. The first maps to receive improvements will be those set in the suburbs, and we’ll gradually extend these changes to the rest of the first act. Additionally, we hope to release a pair of new maps this month -more details on that soon! Stay tuned!
Thanks Henriquejr!
Urban Strife
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Apocalypse
Genre: Tactical RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II - Review @ PC Gamer
Henriquejr spotted a Kingdom Come: Deliverance II review on PC Gamer:
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 review
KCD2 is just as bizarre and ambitious as its inspirations. Thank god.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 might be the most specific RPG I've ever played. Everything from its location, to its era, to its combat, to its clothing feels hyper-tuned, dialled in with precision to suit oddball tastes.
Looking for a sweeping fantasy romp? You won't find one. Like its predecessor, this is a game whose story springs inevitably from the politics of its time and place: the Kingdom of Bohemia in 1403. Want to mow down your foes by the dozen? Good luck. Combat is a strange dance of positioning both your hands and feet relative to those of your enemies, and charging into the fray even in the late game is liable to get you cut apart. Want to equip a hauberk without first equipping a padded gambeson beneath it? What are you - some kind of moron?
[...]
Signed, sealed, delivered
KCD2 feels a bit miraculous: a ludicrously ambitious and peculiar thing that somehow fulfills its ambition and peculiarity, managing to hit the highs Warhorse aimed for in the first game but perhaps fell just short of.It feels tailor-made for a certain brand of systems-loving sicko—the kind of person who still gets starry-eyed about Stalker and Morrowind—and manages to actually make good on their (or at least my) nostalgic yearning for those halcyon games of old.
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a big, bold, unutterably weird thing, and it's a new RPG classic.
Score: 90/100
Kingdom Come: Deliverance II
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Historical
Genre: Action-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: Released
Tuesday - February 04, 2025
The Blood of Dawnwalker - Dynamic World
Wccftech reports that action and inaction have consequences in The Blood of Dawnwalker:
Dawnwalker Will Have Serious Consequences for Both Action and Inaction, Says Dev
It's been less than a month since Rebel Wolves unveiled their debut open world RPG, The Blood of Dawnwalker. The Polish developer, founded by former CD Projekt RED employees, is betting heavily on a dynamic world that also uses a time limit (the main character has only 30 days and nights to save his family) to fuel a greater sense of urgency. In an interview that appeared in PC Gamer's March 2025 magazine (issue 406), Rebel Wolves delved deeper into this design concept.
Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz (Creative Director): Dawnwalker is not going to be a game where it’s a pure sandbox, where you’re just focusing on the gameplay. We do want you to experience these moments with the world of the characters and the emotions that these situations can evoke, and so on and so forth. But, at the same time, you are looking for ways of maximising freedom as you do.
Daniel Sadowski (Design Director): In our game, we want the world to be dynamic. We don’t want it to be static, like waiting for the player all the time. So, both action and inaction in Dawnwalker have serious consequences, and that’s also how we structured the quests, so that it can all be showcased while you play the game.
[...]
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The Blood of Dawnwalker
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Action-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord - Grammy Award
Game Developer reports that Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord composer Winifred Phillips has won a Grammy award.
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Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Dungeon Crawler
Platform: PC
Release: Released
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector - Review
RPGamer reviewed Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector:
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector Review
Wake Up, Sleeper. Again!
Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector is Jump Over the Age’s triumphant return to hope in an era of deep space capitalist collapse. This time around, players build a crew and travel between humanity’s outposts among the stars, chasing post-corporate intrigue, odd jobs, and personal goals. Many of the sci-fi elements are familiar aspects of grungy space exploration à la Cowboy Bebop, Firefly, or Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers: the small ship skirting financial ruin in a gig economy, beauty in brokenness, the restorative power of found family, and the struggle for freedom. But Citizen Sleeper 2 is unique in its unflinching exploration of how people and societies are shaped by and rebel against external forces. It is a unique celebration of community in the face of history’s inexorable scars.
As in Citizen Sleeper, the protagonist is a sleeper: an artificial being who contains mental aspects of a human debtor serving their sentence in cryosleep. Unlike most sleepers, this one isn’t an indentured corporate possession or dependent on chemical stabilizers to prevent their body from breaking down. Nevertheless, planned obsolescence can’t be ignored for long. Life is dangerous and they’re falling apart. The technology and politics that lead to this thorny state are a lot to absorb, but they wend through the story in a way that invites curiosity rather than obscures. The Starward Belt is far from Erlin’s Eye, the setting of Citizen Sleeper, but longtime fans will be happy to know many of its stories continue. Like Erlin’s Eye, the Starward Belt is an area of former corporate influence, rife with technology and repurposed holdings from a period of unchecked growth. Corporate war is far away but not so distant that its shockwaves are inconsequential.
[...]
Citizen Sleeper 2 is a timely story about hope in the face of collapse and how the inevitability of endings can’t negate nobility, sacrifice, or human connections. Although it doesn’t offer as much narrative freedom as suggested by its expansive maps, the strength and depth of its stories more than recommend a play. It’s dark in space, but the points of light we find and nourish can guide us.Score: 4.5/5
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Citizen Sleeper 2: Starward Vector
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Sci-Fi
Genre: RPG
Platform: PC
Release: Released
Kristala - Content Update
Kristala will get a content update in February:
MAJOR New Content Update Coming in February
We've added tons of new features & mechanics - plus a spirited new NPC & important questline
Greetings, dearest Travelers!
February is officially around the corner, and we're gearing up for a MAJOR content update that will be dropping very soon right here on Steam.
What new content can you expect next month? We're so glad you asked! Here's a rundown of the fresh features and new mechanics comin' your way:
- Addition of an Important new NPC & ongoing questline
- Initial implementation of a fully redesigned Menu / UI system
- New mechanics tied to Food items (snackable consumables and dish recipes!)
- Tools & Tool Crafting Menu added (did someone say throwing knives?!)
- Projectile-Throwing & Climbing Enemies - and yes, they can climb onto rooftops, too...
- Dodge attacks + quicker takedowns to go along with the existing, slow-mo ones
- Filling in of existing animation gaps (more realistic parkour movements & NPC dialogue interactions, refined enemy spawn movements, etc.)
- Chapter I Localized in 4 key languages: French, German, Spanish LATAM, and Brazilian Portuguese)
[...]
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Kristala
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Action-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: In development
Enotria: The Last Song - New Patch
Couchpotato spotted a new patch for Enotria:
Enotria: The Last Song - January Patch is LIVE
Read the patch-notes here
Patch Notes
Core Improvements
Improved core movement mechanics for the main character (MC).
Enhanced guidance for Litumnia and Golden Path.
Multiple changes added in-line with the January Patch roadmap
Loadouts and Inventory
Added charge lines in non-active loadouts.
Introduced additional filters for inventory items.
Audio
Added intro voiceover in Japanese, English, and Italian.
Guidance and Quests
Improved Litho’s guidance.
Enhanced quest guidance.
Visual Effects (VFX)
Improved impact VFX.
Polished lighting effects.
Added new VFX for the Dodge action.
Added multiple new VFX effects
Improved VFX for Elemental Torches.
Enhanced multiple old VFX effects
Bug Fixes
Fixed the bug causing simultaneous deaths of bosses/minibosses and the main character, which previously resulted in players being stuck in arenas or boundaries.
Enotria: The Last Song
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: Action-RPG
Platform: PC
Release: Released
Alaloth - Wyrmwood
Couchpotato spotted a free Alaloth content update called Wyrmwood:
Get the latest free content update and enjoy a unique special offer!
Hello, Champions!
As promised, we are committed to expanding the game with a series of free content drops that will enrich your experience, introduce new challenges, and refine the world of Plamen based on your feedback. Today, we are thrilled to unveil Wyrmwood, the first free post-launch update, bringing a brand-new high-level area to explore, along with new enemies, quests, items, and community-driven adjustments. Moreover, Alaloth has been featured on Steam as a Daily Deal! This is a huge achievement, and we couldn't be more thrilled. During Early Access, we had a lower price point and ran a few major discounts to bring in new players. Now that 1.0 is out, things will be different, and this Daily Deal is likely to be the biggest discount of 2025, making it something you definitely don’t want to miss! But let's move back to the update!
WHAT'S NEW IN WYRMWOOD
The free update introduces new areas, mobs, NPCs, quests, and lore. The centerpiece of this content drop is Drakvalen, a savage island unreachable by sea, protected by the Talons and Dragonhold with the support of Edherest. Drakvalen is home to a young dragon, Bemith, and it is widely believed that she could spawn a dangerously powerful brood, which is why the area is strictly controlled. Access is only possible through a magical gate created by the mages of Valestrum, guarded by the Talons themselves, and entry is restricted without the explicit permission of Overlord Daskar.
[...]
Glorious Companions - New Update
Couchpotato spotted a new update for Glorious Companions:
Refined & Reinforced - The Latest Improvements Await!
Greetings, Companions!
We've been hard at work refining your experience in Glorious Companions. This update brings important fixes, balance changes, and exciting new content!
Fixes:
- Map icons are now properly localized.
- Fixed abilities that could break the game.
- Recruits can now be renamed correctly.
- Save playtime now displays accurately.Improvements & Changes:
- Rebalanced NPC encounters—expect a more appropriate challenge beyond the early game!
- Adjusted pickups & POI placements for smoother progression.
- Enhanced worldmap visuals with new animated elements.New Content:
- New Offhand Items: Players can now obtain unique offhand items as rewards for clearing vaults. These items provide you with the chance to fight with style!
- More Character Customization Options: Customize your mercenaries even further with new appearance options. With new skin tones, eyes and other tweaks, you’ll have more ways to make your companions stand out.
- New Loading Screen: A fresh loading screen has been added to enhance immersion while transitioning between different parts of the game.
- Ambient Sounds in Cutscenes: To make the story moments more engaging, ambient sounds have been added to cutscenes, adding depth to the atmosphere.
- New Battle Maps with Obstacle Variants: Additional battle maps have been introduced, featuring new obstacle types that change tactical positioning and movement strategies. Expect more variety and strategic depth in combat!
- Seethrough Shader for Tall Obstacles: A new shader effect has been added to battlemaps, allowing tall obstacles to become semi-transparent when they obstruct your view. This improves battlefield visibility and clarity during combat.
See you on the battlefield!
Glorious Companions
SP/MP: Single-playerSetting: Fantasy
Genre: RPG
Platform: PC
Release: Released