Couchpotato spotted a trailer for the Wuxia RPG Where Winds Meet on GameSpot:

Where Winds Meet Announcement Trailer | State of Play 2024

Couchpotato spotted a gameplay trailer for The Wayward Realms, which is currently on Kickstarter:

The Wayward Realms- Life of An Adventurer - A Gameplay Trailer

A spiritual successor to the Elder Scrolls II: Daggerfall, The Wayward Realms, a medieval fantasy roleplaying game led by industry veterans Ted Peterson & Julian Lefay, that aims to bring the "old-school" design philosophies of Classic RPGs together with the latest technology and quality of life improvements, courtesy of Unreal Engine 5. 

Farflame spotted a sign of life of the Stormrite team:

A Much Needed Announcement

Hello all, I thought I’d make an announcement to update you about Stormrite. It would be silly to ignore the long period of silence from the team. We’re truly sorry about it, and it’s something we never wanted to do & never want to do again. Through university, work layoffs, and life, the team as a whole weren’t able to work on the project as much as we’d have liked, and progress just… stalled.

Moving forward, our primary focus is a public demo. We want you all to be able to get your hands on Stormrite. It will feature Act I of the game, letting you get an introduction to the story, and a feel for the core gameplay features.

We’re back on track behind the scenes. The animation revamp is underway, and we should have some material to share with you soon on that. We'll be back to our schedule of regular progress updates in no time.

Again, we’re terribly sorry for the silence, as much as we have had our struggles recently, there’s no excuse for the lack of communication. We’ll do better, and we hope you as the community will continue to support us from here on out!

Thank you all for everything,

Kelechi

Farflame spotted a new update for Lords of the Fallen:

Lords of the Fallen - 'Clash of Champions' OUT NOW

GamingBolt interviewed Mighty Coi about The Night Wanderer:

Mighty Koi speaks with GamingBolt about its upcoming Soulslike action RPG.

Based on award-winning series of Polish sci-fi and fantasy novels The Lord of the Ice Garden, developer Mighty Koi’s upcoming The Night Wanderer is making some intriguing promises. Not only is it looking to adapt the acclaimed novels in close collaboration with their author Jarosław Grzedowicz, The Night Wanderer is also promising Soulslike combat, a world designed around Metroidvania-esque exploration, and more. Intrigued by it as we have been, we recently reached out to the upcoming action RPG’s development team, hoping to learn more about its world, combat, development, and more. You can read our interview below.

"We’re aiming to strike a delicate balance between honoring Grzedowicz’s existing stories and weaving in our own narratives inspired by his works."

What was it about Jarosław Grzedowicz’s The Lord of the Ice Garden series that attracted you to it and motivated the decision to make a video game adaptation?

Polish fantasy literature is incredibly rich, with a long history and many talented authors crafting world-class stories. While The Witcher certainly brought attention to the genre, it’s just the tip of the iceberg.  Lord of the Ice Garden is a beloved classic in both fan circles and the wider Polish literary scene. We see immense potential in its worldbuilding and story, making it a perfect candidate for a modern, immersive game adaptation.

[...]

Thanks Farflame!

Noisy Pixel checked out The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak:

The Legend of Heroes: Trails through Daybreak Preview - A Refreshingly Ambitious Combat System

The Wayward Realms Kickstarter started, a game by 3 Veterans who worked on Daggerfall: Ted Peterson, Julian Lefay and Eric Heberling:

The Wayward Realms

"A game that aims to bring the “old-school” design philosophies of Classic RPGs together with the latest technology and quality of life improvements, courtesy of Unreal Engine 5.

Get lost in a massive, beautiful open world, filled to the brim with adventure. Explore vast, realistically scaled cities, sprawling towns, deep dungeons filled with untold treasures, and a plethora of diverse environments. Discover populations of warring factions, dangerous creatures, and an expansive cast of characters that come to life the more you interact with them."

Thanks Kordanor!

Learn more about the gameworld of Myrthwood:

A Simulated World

Hi Folks, Daron here from Bad Ridge Games. Today, we’re taking a look at how the world around you functions in Mirthwood.

Seasons of Change
In Mirthwood, you will experience the distinct beauty and challenges of the seasons - Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter - with each bringing its own crops, colors, and events. With Mirthwood being an open-world, this has been no small task. The game features seven large main regions, each with unique aesthetics and sub-biomes. This means each change of season offers a myriad of new visuals depending on where you travel.

Transitioning into Winter will have the most impact on gameplay. With no crops to be grown, you’ll need to shift your focus to other tasks like mining, upgrades, or other adventures. For the inhabitants of the world, potential shortages of food can be deadly.

Raising the Stakes
Most NPCs in Mirthwood are mortal and can pass away, whether from starvation, illness, or if they find themselves the victim of a bandit or animal attack.

This gives NPCs real and tangible goals to work towards. Mortality also paves the way for organic stories to develop. Characters that die will be known to you, possibly even close friends. While there may be opportunities for you to intervene, not every life can be saved. Those who die are buried, and in time, replaced by a new immigrant from the Continent.

The Storyteller
Mirthwood’s storyteller will generate Events of varying intensity to keep things interesting. Some Events are seasonal - you might encounter a Heatwave in Summer or a Blizzard in Winter. Other Events can happen year round, like a Full Moon (...enjoy). Not all Events present challenges. You’ll be notified if a Traveling Merchant is nearby, or if the Trade Ship has arrived and docked at the coast, bringing rare items from the Continent.

Survival & Crafting
Mirthwood will feature survival-lite gameplay. You’ll need to pay attention to your core vitals - Health, Stamina, and Hunger. If you decide to set out and travel across the map, be sure to have a plan for food. Many herbs and berries can be foraged, but cooked meals offer the most benefit. Herbs will also help you craft elixirs and medicines vital to curing illnesses.

You’ll discover campsites and settlements across the map that serve as respites, places to cook, sleep, and save your progress. Some of these campsites can be upgraded and turned into strategic homes-away-from-home for your character. Here you'll be able to access your stash, cook, and craft gear provided you have the materials.

Hopefully that gives you some insight into world experience in Mirthwood. Let us know what questions you have!

Thanks Couchpotato!

Learn more about the Green Knight and the upcoming demo of Legends of the Round Table:

The Green Knight

We're ready to tell you a little more about another of our adventures, which is inspired by the poem Sir Gawain and the Green Knight by the anonymous poet known as Pearl.

In The Green Knight, a mysterious man covered in greenery comes to King Arthur's court to challenge one of the Knights of the Round Table to strike him. Normally it's Gawain who rises to the challenge and beheads him. The Green Knight picks up his head and proclaims that whoever accepted the challenge must receive the same blow from him, in a year and a day at the Green Chapel, in Wales.

Following the storyline of the original tale required adaptations to make it interactive and enjoyable to play. The symbols and layers of meaning, typical of tales and texts with a mythical background, have been preserved but also adapted to deepen certain aspects, provide explanations to the player, and achieve better coherence between gameplay actions and narration.

This adventure combines dreamlike sequences with moments of investigation and courtesy, as well as battles with monstrous creatures. And as you can see, it takes place in snowy landscapes...

We also greatly appreciated David Lowery's film The Green Knight with Dev Patel in the role of Gawain!

The Demo
We have a playable demo coming soon and are looking for players for our very first playtests! If you're interested, join our Discord server and pick the "playtest" role.

Thanks everyone and until next time!

Thanks Couchpotato!

Learn more about the Ventrue Clan:

Clan Highlight: Ventrue

Clan Highlight #4 - The Clan of Kings, Blue Bloods, Tyrants, Warlords, Patricians, Borgias

Ventrue vampires usually choose their progeny from mortals familiar with power, wealth and influence. Seeing themselves as the rightful leaders of vampire society, Kindred of clan Ventrue take up the mantle of leadership wherever possible, often in the form of high positions in Camarilla Courts.

Playing a Ventrue in Bloodlines 2
Ventrue are blue blooded tyrants who incite obedience in both their allies and their foes. Focusing on the Discipline Dominate, Ventrue forces their prey to obey their command to fight their friends, forget what they’ve seen or even kill themselves. Feeding builds up Fortitude, allowing the Ventrue to soak up more damage in case any enemy is powerful enough to resist their force of will.

Abilities
When you choose your clan, you will start out with a passive ability unique to each clan. You are then able to unlock abilities from the Ability Tree, starting with your chosen clan. Each ability requires spending Ability Points to unlock which are earned from completing missions, combat and exploration. At the peak of the Ability Tree, you can unlock the clan Perk, a reward to those dedicated enough to unlock all of the abilities for a clan, giving a permanent passive upgrade.

Flesh of Marble
Clan Passive: Feeding hardens your skin, making you highly resistant to damage.

Cloud Memory
Cause a target to forget you were there, putting them into a relaxed state.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

A revised Solasta campaign sourcebook can be preordered

3rd Anniversary & Solasta Revised Campaign Sourcebook Preorder Available now!

Yes, it's finally back!

Hey hey people!

It's been forever and a half since our last News, hasn't it? Sorry for the radio silence, the Tactical Adventures' crew has been toiling over the past year on our next game - which we still won't announce for quite some time.

But that's not why we're here today! No? No! We're here to celebrate the 3-year anniversary of Solasta's 1.0 launch! And what better way to do that than bringing back the much-coveted Solasta Campaign Sourcebook. You heard that right, we've partnered with Modiphius Entertainment & Rookery Publications to publish a Revised Campaign Sourcebook including all the new subclasses released post-launch, totaling a number of 41 subclasses all adapted to Tabletop!

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

Sector interviewed Josh Sawyer about game development:

Josh Sawyer Reflects on Design Evolution: From Icewind Dale to Pentiment

Josh Sawyer is a name that has been familiar to RPG fans for decades. He's worked on Icewind Dale, Neverwinter Nights 2, Alpha Protocol, Fallout: New Vegas, Pillars of Eternity, and most recently Pentiment.

How did he get into game development, how has his design philosophy changed over the years, and why did he decide to do Pentiment a little differently? He answered all these questions for us during the GDS conference in Prague.

Your work is often associated with intricate narratives and designing complex systems. Could you discuss your design for these systems, and how did this philosophy evolve over the years?

Yeah, I do think it's changed. Initially, when I started working at Black Isle, the first game I worked on was Icewind Dale, even though it had a strong combat focus, it came right after Planescape Torment, which obviously was known for very big branching dialogues. And the studio in general, Black Isle and later at Obsidian, was very, very into big branching dialogues with a lot of question nodes you could loop through and lots and lots and lots of options, and also a lot of reactivity to your build choices and ways to complete quests that unlocked in that way.

And then that kind of migrated towards such a reliance on question nodes, not flooding the player with as many options, especially if the options felt superfluous, like they weren't really adding anything. And on New Vegas, one of the things that we noticed is, in contrast to Fallout 3, which had percentage-based checks. We went with flat checks, either you made it or you didn't, which on the one hand is good and it's satisfying that your build is rewarded, but also it was always clear, like I should always pick this option. So the role playing element kind of went away because it implied that if you ever saw your option come up, you should pick it.

This continued into Pillars and Deadfire because, at the time, they didn't have a super great idea of how to handle it. On Pentiment, the way I've tried to approach it is that there are almost never any question nodes. Every conversation has a through flow. It's about a thing, and you never reach a point where you're kind of circling back and looping. It has an arc that ends, and I feel like that makes the conversations feel much more natural. You can still put in all sorts of cool branching, but it's all sort of moving towards the end goal that you know as a writer when you start the conversation. And then the way that I've tried to handle using checks and dialogue is if you unlocked it, you can pick it, but sometimes it's not actually a good idea to do that.

In Pentiment, characters very often get aggravated when you pick those options. So you kind of have to think about the character and the situation that you're in and whether or not the character is going to respond positively or negatively to you sort of saying that thing. And I think that's a nice balance because the player is clearly being given more options because they're backgrounds, but they still have to role play and read the social situation to get the outcome that they want. And sometimes though they might say like, „I don't care about getting an ideal outcome, I want to pick this option,“ and that's totally valid as well.

[...]

Thanks Couchpotato!

The Old Acquaintances DLC will be released on June 12:

Old Acquaintances Release Date Trailer | Vagrus - The Riven Realms

Vagrus - The Riven Realms is a Strategy-Roleplaying Game for PC, in which the player takes the role of a vagrus - a sort of a caravan leader, who makes a living on a strange and dangerous dark fantasy world by taking a traveling company on all kinds of ventures. Besides its story-rich narrative, the game features tactical turn-based combat and strategy elements, such as elaborate cargo, crew, and character management systems.

Thanks Couchpotato!

Memorable moments of Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous:

A Companions Retrospective | Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous

Thanks Couchpotato!

Couchpotato spotted a Making-Of video for Flint - Treasure of Oblivion:

Flint: Treasure of Oblivion – Making-Of #01: The World of Pirates

The action RPG Kristala will be released into Early Access on June 6:

Kristala - Official PC Early Access Release Date Trailer

Thanks Couchpotato!

The retro RPG SKALD: Against the Black Priory will be released today:

SKALD: Against The Black Priory

PC GamesN checked out Skald Against the Black Priory:

Skald Against the Black Priory review - a modern take on retro RPGs

Strong worldbuilding and unique visuals prop up an imbalanced combat system in Raw Fury and High North Studios' retro-infused RPG.

Attempting to play the forefathers of the RPG genre in 2024 requires patience steeped in a hefty amount of nostalgia. From the days of Ultima and the first Baldur’s Gate, the genre has developed quality-of-life features that have made it difficult to turn back the clock by two or more decades. So when a game like Skald: Against the Black Priory promises that retro RPG feel with enough modern concessions to make it fun to play, I jump at the chance to get my hands on it.

[...]

Our Verdict

Skald: Against the Black Priory captures the spirit of your favorite old-school RPGs while serving up deep sidequests and memorable lore, but its combat and progression systems eventually run into trouble and its overarching narrative never quite takes off.

Score: 7/10

PC Gamer reviewed Capes (Video Edition):

Capes Review

Superheroes clash in this turn based strategy game. Recruit, train, and deploy your team in order to take back the city from the villains that hold it hostage. Is it a super game though?

Majuular looks back at Ultima V:

Ultima V Retrospective | The Tyranny of Virtue

Mortismal Gaming checked out the upcoming retro RPG SKALD: Against the Black Priory:

SKALD: Against The Black Priory - First Impressions

Vaelith spotted the release of the party-based RPG Elegy of Fate - some gameplay:

Elegy of Fate - Warrior vs Boss Fight

Embark on a unique RPG journey as a resurrected hero. Obtain the sealed power of a malevolent deity in a ring, evading the pursuit of a goddess. Explore the world, awaken legendary heroes, and shape your destiny with a formidable order of knights. Uncover the long-buried tales of this continent.

The tactical RPG Capes has been released:

Capes - Official Launch Trailer

Capes is a superhero turn-based tactics strategy game developed by Spitfire Interactive. Players will recruit, train, and dispatch their team of heroes to save the city from certain doom.

Wccftech reports that the Embracer Group confirmed the release of Gothic 1 Remake and some other games in next financial year.

Thanks Couchpotato!

PC Gamer checked out the upcoming Capes:

CAPES REVIEW

Every hero has their unique super-strengths in this wonderfully intense turn-based strategy game.

All the best superhero teams have one thing in common: everyone has their role. While Wolverine's charging in, claws flashing, Cyclops is up on a ridge shooting down lasers, Iceman is zipping around freezing foes, Jean Grey is delving into a supervillain's mind, and Colossus is body-blocking energy blasts. 

That's what your squad of superheroes feels like in Capes as you're directing them in turn-based battles. From teleporter Rebound to psychic Mindfire to speedster Mercurial, each character is wonderfully distinct, and securing victory means combining their unique powers to enhance their strengths and cover their weaknesses.

[...]

Really, though, it's not the story that pulls you along - it's the depth of strategy on offer. The drama isn't in the cutscenes, it's in every nail-biting turn as you try and figure out the perfect combo to get you out of another fine mess. It can be a serious challenge - if you're the kind of person who hates the idea of reloading the same mission multiple times looking for the right approach, this probably isn't for you. But meet it on its own terms and Capes will give you 20-30 hours of wonderfully substantial and engrossing superhero strategy.  

THE VERDICT 
An awkward story doesn't hold Capes back from being one of the best turn-based strategy games of recent years.

Score: 80/100

Thanks Couchpotato!

Techstomper reviewed Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes:

Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes review – Raise and Raze Castles

There was a time when Kickstarter seemed like the answer to all gaming problems. Fancy a sequel to a forgotten series? Kickstarter it. Or want a new series from a legendary team? Kickstarter it. And while the buzz around crowdfunding games has died down a lot from its heydays, one name got the masses excited one last time. Rabbit & Bear Studio’s first title from this pledge is  Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes.

[...]

Long to Beat
Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a slow burner that takes time to really get going. I was about 14 hours in, before I happened upon the games quick travel system.

But if you give it the time needed, there is a lot to enjoy here.  Eiyuden Chronicle: Hundred Heroes is a real throwback to classic JRPG’s, where epic tales and turn-based action was the order of the day.

Thanks Couchpotato!

Gamerhub reviewed the dungeon crawler Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord:

Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord Review – Casting Its Spell

Back in the 80s, there simply weren’t that many options for “dungeon crawling” in the world of gaming. However, we did see some innovative titles that paved the way for what was to come. Like, for instance, the 1981 Sir-Tech release Wizardry.

Brutal in nature but still fascinating at its core, Wizardry introduced a compelling gameplay system using the most basic of visuals. And it moved the genre forward nicely, followed by a number of sequels for PC and consoles alike.

Now, Digital Eclipse, the retro masters that they are, have put a significant touch on the game with Wizardry: Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord, which takes the original material and crafts an entirely new experience from it – while at the same time keeping helpful reminders about whence (whence?) it came.

The end result is a game that will definitely test your nerves, but offers something excellent for the long-term. What’s more, its presentation sets a standard for how to do retro right. We’ll explain a bit later in the review.

[...]

Embrace the Wizard
If you didn’t bother with the original Wizardry, you may not entirely be sold on what Proving Grounds of the Mad Overlord has to offer. The gameplay is mostly the same, though the new presentation does make it much more appealing.

However, I think it’s worth giving a try. The battle system, though brutal in spots, is very well done, and the touches Digital Eclipse have added to this universe – especially the original Apple II overlay – is astounding. It’ll definitely keep you busy for hours at a time as you level up your party to something fierce.

Give it a shot. Whether you’re a newbie or a long-time fan, it won’t be hard to see what kind of spell Digital Eclipse cast here.

Score: 4/5

Thanks Couchpotato!

Tim talks more about Troika's history:

Troika's Conan The Barbarian Proposal

Couchpotato spotted another showcase for the Fallout 4 mod Cascadia:

Fallout: Cascadia | Spring 2024 Environmental Showcase

Learn more about the obstacles during the development of Hyper Light Breaker:

Embracing Chaos - How Hyper Light Breaker Survived 2023

Thanks Couchpotato!

Mortismal Gaming presents the recent Tainted Grail: The Fall of Avalon update:

Tainted Grail: The Fall Of Avalon - New Zone, System Overhauls, & More

Thanks Couchpotato!

Lorespire interviewed the creative producer of The Wayward Realms:

Bringing Classic RPG Systems to Modern Gaming - The Wayward Realms

Thanks Couchpotato!

Songs of Conquest sold 500.000 units:

The future looks bright!

Hello Wielders!

My name’s Carl Toftfelt and today I’m writing the Steam post, a friendly takeover of sorts! I’m the Lead Game Designer of Songs and have been working on this project for the past seven years. Releasing from Early Access into 1.0 has been exhilarating. All the kind words and calls for more content for the game have been amazing. I truly feel privileged to share that Songs of Conquest has now hit an incredible milestone!

There was more than a few high-fives at the office when we reached this milestone!

Of course, with over half a million players and a passionate community I’m very pleased to tell you the following: There’s an expansion coming with two new factions. There will also be four DLCs that will expand existing parts of the game.

New factions take quite some time to develop. We want to keep telling the story of Songs of Conquest at a higher pace than only faction expansions would allow. So we’re introducing something we call Tales of Conquest in the form of DLC, releasing roughly every quarter. These Tales will move the story of Songs of Conquest forward, as well as expand our gameplay, through story missions following each one of the existing factions.

Our first Tales of Conquest is called ‘Rise Eternal’ and it will focus on our undead faction - the Barony of Loth. You will follow Kastus Maal, a scholar slain by Lady Stoutheart at the battle of Grey Tor. He will be seeking vengeance from beyond the grave against the Arleon baroness, and with his guidance the Risen will be more powerful than ever before.

[...]

Thanks Henriquejr!

Splattercatgaming checked out the demo of the sim RPG Mirthwood:

I've Been Waiting a While For This Open World RPG - Mirthwood