C4G checked out the demo of Outward 2:

So I Played Outward 2 Early!

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GamingBolt reviewed Broken Roads:

Broken Roads Review - The Final Verdict

Broken Roads is an ambitious debut game by Australian developer Drop Bear Bytes. Inspired by classics like Wasteland, Broken Roads feels like a fresh take on the genre with how it tackles certain aspects of those games in its own way. The best example of this is in the morality system, which is handled by a moral compass instead of a linear good-or-evil line.
The only real let down in Broken Roads is its combat system, which can often end up feeling overly simplistic. However, thanks to its unique post-apocalyptic Australian setting, the game manages to make exploring its broken world quite interesting.

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Fextralife summarizes this week's gaming news:

Gaming News – Remnant 2 DLC, Darkest Dungeon 2 Free Content, PoP Sands of Time Remake and MORE!

Timestamp
0:00 - Top RPG News of the Week
0:04 - Star Wars Outlaws Release Date
1:09 - Albion Online Europe Open Beta
2:23 - Final Fantasy Rebirth Platinum Trophy Bug Fix
3:05 - Darkest Dungeon 2 New Free Game Mode
4:18 - Dredge File Adaptation Announced
5:27 - Prince of Persia Sands of Time Remake
6:26 - Remnant 2 The Forgotten Kingdom DLC
7:40 - Destiny 2 The Final Shape 
9:23 - Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance Trailer

The Turn Based Lovers assembled news and lists for their favourite genre:

EVERYTHING TURN-BASED – WEEKLY RPG NEWS AND RELEASES 13 APRIL 2024

TOP 15 MOST ANTICIPATED TURN-BASED RPGS OF 2024

TOP 10 GRIM-DARK TURN-BASED RPGS & STRATEGY GAMES

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The Turn Based Lovers reviewed Broken Roads:

BROKEN ROADS – REVIEW

Broken Roads has been awaited by fans as a post-apocalyptic CRPG in the vein of classic Fallout. Now that it’s here, the game may not be quite as deep as players were hoping, but there’s a beauty in its simplicity that makes it a memorable experience regardless.

A POST-APOCALYPTIC OUTBACK

Broken Roads takes place in Western Australia, some four generations after a nuclear war. The devastated world is less Fallout and more The Walking Dead, with survivors banding together in tight-knit communities or turning to banditry to survive. A feeling of tribalism and distrust pervades the setting since resources are scarce due to a fifteen-year drought, and anyone could be a spy or a thief.

At first, the world seems fairly grounded in reality, but some supernatural elements slowly start to creep in. A few hours later, characters with strange powers are introduced – not necessarily magic, but close enough for that to be the best term for it. Learning this power for yourself adds new builds and options in combat. There are also mutated animals roaming the Outback, from bloodthirsty dingoes to ravenous koalas and kangaroos.

The Australian setting is always front and center, and Broken Roads is clearly made by people who love their country and culture deeply and can poke fun at it. There are even tooltips to translate Australian slang for players who don’t hail from the Land Down Under.

[...]

The tree of possible outcomes isn’t anything revolutionary, and in most cases, boils down to whether you want to complete a quest this way or that way, but it’s executed well enough that consequences down the line feel organic. That’s really in keeping with Broken Roads as a whole; it doesn’t do anything that’s really new, but it also doesn’t try to overcomplicate things or reinvent the wheel. It’s not the second coming of Fallout 2, but rather a fun, contemplative RPG that’s more compelling in the quiet moments than in the midst of battle.

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Fallout London will integrate the Next-Gen-Update changes:

Fallout London - Next-Gen Update Announcement

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The deckbuilder Slay the Spire 2 has been announced for 2025:

Slay the Spire 2

The Spire Awakens
Civilization has waited 1,000 years for the Spire to reopen its doors...
Return to the Spire and face friends and foes in this sequel to the quintessential roguelike deckbuilder. How high will you ascend... and what truths lie at the top?

Deckbuilding Galore
New slayers join the fray with their own sets of cards, mechanics, and personalities. Try out more archetypes and master them at your own pace. The Spire forever awaits those who dare challenge it...

An Ever-Changing Spire
The Spire isn't what it used to be. New enemies, events, and treasures await as the rooms and items you discover change each time you play... Try risky builds or play it safe as you explore countless different strategies, find yourself in peculiar scenarios, and confront the Bosses of each Act.

New Ways to Play!
That aren't yet announced...

Rebuilt from the Ground Up
Slay the Spire 2 was completely rewritten from the ground up in a new game engine! We're bringing in modern features, incorporating all-new visuals, and expanding moddability.

Coming to Early Access. Again!
Slay the Spire's success comes from our community! It sounds corny, but the extra mile many of you went to report issues, translate content/announcements, create long video essays, make excellent (lol) tier lists, and draw goofy or gorgeous fan art is the reason we're doing it all again. We love our job!

The strategy RPG Age of Fear 5: The Day of the Rat has been released:

Age of Fear 5: The Day of the Rat

The adventure begins as the Undead King meets his end by Sir Edward's blade. Indulf Blackheart, mercenary leader in the Undead Legion, must balance his need for bloody revenge with his thirst for wealth and power. Together with the young witch Lexa, the dashing Black Knight Indulf sets out on a quest of infamy to plunder the realm's riches and build a criminal empire to call his own. With allies in short supply, a previously unseen faction lurking in the sewers may prove to be the key to the Black Knight's dark dream... sneak and backstab your way!

AGE OF FEAR is a long-running series of fantasy turn-based strategy games loved by fans for its tabletop wargame battle system and in-depth RPG customization (scroll down for a list of features).

STRATEGY GUIDE (200MB PDF) 
MODDING GUIDE (15MB PDF) 

FEATURE LIST
- NON-LINEAR CRIMINALITY - pick your assignments and loot King William's lands for all they're worth. Forge your way through a twisted plot into the realm's seedy underbelly!

- CRAFTING - collect ingredients from enemies and environment, and craft all the most powerful artifacts!

- INVISIBILITY - are you tired of enemies seeing all your moves? Cast a spell and whoop... you disappeared. However, the AI can do it too.

- HEX-FREE BATTLES - test your tactics with a novel movement system where size matters and units aren't constrained by artificial grids!

- OPEN WORLD - are you bored with the main storyline? No worries, you can always take a side-quest or play procedurally-generated battles. Play this game as you want!

- GLOBAL EVENTS that occur while exploring the World Map, à la Battle Brothers. This feature is still being developed and could serve to provide more lore and fun unit interactions conditional on the player's party!

- FACTION BASES which can be upgraded as you explore the Age of Fear world. Investing in base upgrades will unlock additional recruitable units, skills and locations to explore!

- MERCENARIES - recruit your troops from multiple races and factions! Will a Dwarven Warrior work with a bloodthirsty Orc?

- ALIGNMENTS such as Evil and Holy. Units from opposite sides won’t like each other and may desert. A bit of diplomacy (or charisma!) is needed to manage such relationships.

- EXTENDED STORY including many sub-quests, optional events, alternative endings, more detailed lore, etc.

- FREQUENTLY UPDATED - we take our work seriously and patch our games often with new features and content. Also, whenever possible, those updates are back-ported to all our previous games!

- COMMUNITY-DRIVEN - we listen to our players and continuously improve! Go and check our forums, everyone has their say and we implement those suggestions.

- FULL OF JOKES - who said strategy games have to be serious? All the best fantasy jokes have a home here!

- PARTY CUSTOMIZATION - build and upgrade a custom army from more than two hundred unique units, skills and spells (but be aware of racial animosities!).

- DEEP BATTLE MECHANICS - learn the basics in a hurry, then develop new strategies around a huge variety of skills, spells and battle hazards like neutral factions and environmental effects (yes, you can anger bystanders!).

- EASY TO MOD - create your own missions, or even full-fledged campaigns, to be shared with the Steam community!

- FANTASY STORYTELLING - get wrapped up in a spectacular storyline featuring a motley crew of characters, globetrotting adventures and fantasy shenanigans galore. All hand-illustrated!

- PERMANENT DEATH - accept the grim realities of death where all units that fall in battle stay dead... unless an evil Necromancer raises them as Zombies.

- ARTEFACTS AND RELICS - discover numerous unique weapons, armours, potions and treasures, with the rarest granting powerful OP skills and stat bonuses.

- ADVANCED AI - our AI is built upon a self-organizing network of agents and meta-heuristics algorithms (yes, we are PhD-smart!). Discover one of the most sophisticated AI systems you've ever played against!

- LOW HARDWARE REQUIREMENTS - run the game even on that old potato laptop of yours. Your stone-age computer is good enough!

- COLOR-BLIND MODE - a special mode with higher contrast and outlined fonts.

- ...everything else we come up with! Purchase only if you want access to the latest features in the Age of Fear series, and please keep in mind that this is an evolving product.

If you're hungry for a no-nonsense, old school turn-based strategy game, you've met your match in the Age of Fear series. Enter the fantasy world of Age of Fear today!

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

RPG News Roundup (4-13-2024)

Capsule Computers reviewed Broken Roads:

Broken Roads Review

Overview
When one thinks of the post-apocalypse, it almost always involves some form of nuclear destruction, plague, or even zombie threat as the survivors struggle to continue living in a world that wants them dead. Usually these are set in a North American city or greater region, sometimes in Europe, but what about a place where the wildlife wants to kill its residents even on a normal day? Few games take advantage of Australia and the unique aspects the continent provides, even less in a post-apocalyptic Australia. So when indie developer Drop Bear Bytes worked hard to put out a CRPG called Broken Roads, where players have a moral compass, choices to make, and a world to survive in all while exploring Western Australia, it seemed like a perfect chance for something new. If only the game’s name didn’t end up having a double-meaning in the end.

[...]

Overall
As someone from a place with eternal road construction, seeing broken roads get patched is a common occurrence and often one that makes for smooth sailing after a while, but in the case of Drop Bear Bytes’ Broken Roads, some of these issues run deeper than the bug riddled experience, what with its lackluster combat, boring companions, and lacking quality of life features. Playing through the game the multiple times I needed to to actually see it through, it is evident that there is a lot of passion here and the writing does show it. The morality compass, the numerous ways things can develop and progress, and the unique Australian flavoring seeping from every crack in this broken road makes it an interesting game that we hope can get fixed in the future, even if some of its issues are far deeper than some patches can fix.

Score 4/10

MrMattyPlays checked out Outcast - A New Beginning:

The RPG That NO ONE Is Talking About...

Kotaku reminds us that Baldur's Gate 3 is well made RPG:

Baldur’s Gate 3 Becomes First Game To Win Every Major GOTY Award

Larian’s RPG completes a feat that not even Elden Ring could

If it seems like Baldur’s Gate 3 can’t stop winning Game of the Year awards, you aren’t wrong. Just this week, Larian’s ambitious 2023 Dungeons & Dragons RPG took home yet another prize during the video game portion of the British Academy Film Awards (BAFTAs). While it is impressive alone to take home a single GOTY award, the latest winmarks a momentous first. Baldur’s Gate 3 has taken home all five major Game of the Year Awards given out by the industry.

The winning streak started in November 2023 when Baldur’s Gate 3 won Ultimate Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards. The game then won the grand prize at The Game Awards in December, the D.I.C.E. Awards in February, and at the Game Developer Choice Awards in March. Baldur’s Gate 3’s win at the BAFTAs wraps up an astounding awards season in which the game was pitted against titles like Alan Wake 2, Tears of the Kingdom, Marvel’s Spider-Man 2, and more. It’s like the Triple Crown of video games but with two more prizes…the Quintuple Crown?

[...]

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Second Wind interviewed CD Project Red devs:

The Rebound After Cyberpunk 2077 Interview with Yahtzee & JM8

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PSLS checked out Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn:

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn Dev Talks Visual Design, Pacing, and Soulslike Inspiration

While there are quite a few Soulslike games on the market, the genre is still mainly associated with the company that popularized it. However, Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn hopes to set itself apart by exploring an underutilized subgenre of fantasy fiction. The action RPG draws inspiration from Napoleonic France, New Zealand geography, and ancient Mesopotamia.

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn’s colorful world sets it apart from other Soulslike games
Their hauntingly beautiful environments as much define games like Dark Souls and Elden Ring as their brutal difficulty. However, Flintlock deliberately sets itself apart by trading a gloomy atmosphere for something more colorful. “The intention was for us to propose something that we think brings the genre further, to have something that might look and feel a bit different from the usual games in it,” Art Director Marie-Charlotte Derne told The Loadout. “This is also an opportunity for us to play with those ranges of color and brightness.”

[...]

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Couchpotato spotted a trailer for Visions of Mana:

Visions of Mana - Official Japanese Trailer

Tim Cain likes the Fallout TV Show:

Fallout TV Show

Gematsu reports that Deep Silver and Warhorse Studios will announce Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 on April 18.

Couchpotato spotted update 1.2 for System Shock:

Patch 1.2 & -55% Sale Now Live!

Female Hacker, Reworked Final Battle and Cloud Saves among many of Shodan's Update.

Citadel Station is renewed, Shodan is renewed, and so will you be. Hacker!

Shodan has learnt from the 1st forays to take her down. Ever watching and optimising her realm of ruin. She invites you to scurry and survive in her corridors once more. Your efforts only serve to prove what an excellent drone you'll make.

We've made many changes based on the feedback of assimilated insects. Indeed, to celebrate and entice new hackers into her lair, System Shock will be on sale for 55 % less from April 11th to the 25th.

[...]

Baldur's Gate 3 is the best game of the BAFTA Games Awards - Congratulations! 

Polygon reports that Fallout 4 gets a major update:

Fallout 4 is finally getting a next-gen update, just in time for the TV series

PS5 and Xbox Series X players will get 60 frames per second and more on April 25

Conveniently timed following the release of the Fallout TV show, Bethesda has announced that its most recent mainline Fallout game, Fallout 4, will be getting a free next-gen update for PS5 and Xbox Series X.

According to a post on the official Fallout blog on Thursday, console players will finally get a next-gen version of the 2015 game in a native application, which will allow them to play it at up to 60 frames per second when the update goes live on April 25. There will also be quality and performance modes that will allow players to choose between a higher resolution or higher frame rate. If players have the game on older consoles, they’ll still receive an update with stability improvements and other fixes.

PC players will also get a free update with next-gen features, including ultrawide monitor support. Plus, interested players can now get Fallout 4 on the Epic Games Store. And for those who have always wanted to play it on the go, the game will be Steam Deck verified.

In addition to next-gen quality of life features, Fallout 4 is also receiving new content, including a quest that features the Enclave, along with Enclave-specific character and weapon skins, that originated in the Creation Club. There’s also the new Makeshift Weapon Pack, which allows players to use random objects, like a piggy bank, as weapons, along with Halloween-themed decorations for your Boston-based settlements.

[...]

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Vagrus: The Riven Realms gets a new DLC called Old Acquaintances:

Vagrus - The Riven Realms: Old Acquaintances

Two savants from largely disparate backgrounds: one born a slave, the other into Imperial nobility. Fate saw their paths inextricably intertwined, and neither escaped unscarred. Both of their journeys are long – roads filled with trials and tribulations – but while the aristocrat has taken a path that may shake their belief in the very Gods they so passionately worship, the former slave’s quest is a discovery of the past; an inward journey, possibly taking players to the ends of their wits.

Vagrus – The Riven Realms: Old Acquaintances, introduces two new Companions with new abilities, individual and specific loyalty quests that explore their own stories, new enemies and rewards, as well as newfound additions to hirelings that can join owners of the DLC.

[...]

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Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance:

Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance - Official The Sacrifice Trailer

Couchpotato spotted the second DLC for Remnant 2 called The Forgotten Kindom:

The Forgotten Kingdom - DLC Announcement Trailer

Our second DLC for Remnant 2 will launch on April 23!

This second DLC for Remnant II, The Forgotten Kingdom, will launch on April 23 for $9.99. You can purchase the DLC Bundle for $24.99 on April 23 to get The Awakened King DLC, The Forgotten Kingdom DLC, and have access to the final DLC once it’s available sometime later this year. Those who purchased the Ultimate Edition of REMNANT II have access to all DLCs at no additional cost.

In this upcoming DLC for REMNANT II, you will piece together the forgotten history of the lost tribe of Yaesha as you attempt to quell the vengeful wrath of an ancient stone spirit called Lydusa. Navigate the lingering traces of torment, treachery, and death that haunt the land's once proud ziggurats, as Lydusa's living stones wander the crumbling remnants of an ancient civilization in search of fresh blood. In a brand-new storyline, you must uncover the secrets of the lost tribe by exploring a mysterious new area within the world of Yaesha. In this strange new location, you will traverse new dungeons, acquire powerful gear —including a new Archetype, “The Invoker"— meet unexpected allies, and face new threats in their quest to return some semblance peace to the forgotten kingdom.

Here is a detailed list of features you can expect in The Forgotten Kingdom:

• New Storyline, Dungeons, and Area Based in the World of Yaesha: Delve deeper into the biome of Yaesha and experience a brand-new storyline where players will unravel the mystery of Yaesha’s lost tribe and a vengeful stone spirit called Lydusa, and her living stone constructs.
• New Archetype - The Invoker: Drawing strength from the Nature Spirits of Yaesha, this new Archetype can harness the mystic power of the jungle. More details on the Archetype will be revealed in a new Archetype Reveal Trailer next week!
• Many Items and Powerful Weapons that Enhance Gameplay: Outfit the traveler to survive this more deadly version of the world of Yaesha by choosing from a host of new weapons and modifications, along with new items, like amulets and rings.
• New Bosses, Characters and Fearsome Creatures to Encounter: Mysterious threats and survivors, of unknown origin, emerge from the crumbling remnants of the forgotten civilization of Yaesha bringing new challenges for all players.

Alrik Fassbauer spotted the Genshin Impact Version 4.6 Special Program:

Genshin Impact Version 4.6 Special Program

Version 4.6 "Two Worlds Aflame, the Crimson Night Fades" Trailer

Daveyd spotted that a demo for the story-rich RPG The Necromancer's Tale is available for download:

The Necromancer's Tale

The Necromancer's Tale is a narrative-driven top-down RPG where you play the role of a minor noble in the 18th Century, drawn into the Dark Necromantic Arts as you seek knowledge and revenge. Great power awaits... along with the weird, the morbid, and a gradual descent into madness.

Before you lies a great spellbook, filled with powerful rites of death and reanimation. Can you decipher the pages and master its arcane rituals without losing your mind or being strung up by the townsfolk? Your progress will require great determination, cunning and secrecy.

The Necromancer's Tale is a story-rich game, in which you converse with 150+ NPC characters, each with their own portrait art. You will investigate, negotiate, coerce and flatter in order to progress your aims. The game's Trust system means that your choices - even in conversation - really matter. If the townsfolk's trust drops too low, you will find your choices are affected - if it drops further still, you will surely be tried in court and hanged, or lynched by a frenzied mob.

The game involves tactical turn-based combats between you, your allies and your undead minions - versus a range of enemies, natural and supernatural. Our unique combat system, involving 300+ critical hits, draws on tactical games which we have released as far back as 1995.

The Necromancer's Tale is set in an alternative-history Kingdom near Venice and the Adriatic Sea, in 1733. This is a time at the cusp of rational thought and superstition; science and magic. The world is dark and dangerous; courtly intrigue collides with black magic even as chemistry emerges from alchemy.

Couchpotato spotted part 2 of Jeff Vogel's Baldur's Gate 3 analysis:

Picking Apart Baldur's Gate 3, Part 2 (Talkin' 'Bout D&D)

It turns out that game balance was a mistake all along.

It's always a huge holiday for me when a turn-based, story-heavy RPG manages to break through and be popular with the Normals. This makes lots of new RPG fans. Then I can sell my games to them eventually, much as a catfish eats the scum at the bottom of a lake.

It's also a great opportunity to pick apart a good game's design. Find out what works and what doesn't work and what the state of the art is for RPGs right now. If a game sells well, that means every choice it made was correct, and you should pick over the carcass for ideas to steal with all speed.

Baldur's Gate 3, by Larian Studios, is a huge, sprawling game. It has a real "No wrong answers" feel, where just about every idea made it in somewhere. I want to spend a post or three picking apart the game system, pulling out specific structures and ideas, and looking at them in the light.

This will all be a bit disjointed with lots of small individual topics. But it's worth it, because this is a very interesting game.

[...]

The free DLC Dwarves of Runenberg for The Last Spell will be released on April 24:

The Last Spell First DLC Dwarves of Runenberg to release on April 24th

New map, new race, new features + Free update.

Greetings Heroes!

Prepare your Haven, gather the dwarves and wait for the Night, as our first DLC Dwarves of Runenberg will release on April 24th!

Summary:
- New map: Runenberg
- New race: Dwarves
- New weapons
- New items: Stone Medals
- Free update

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The DLC The Tavern Opens for Wartales will be released on April 18:

The Tavern Opens: Release Date

Greetings Mercenaries!

We are excited to share with you that our second DLC The Tavern Opens! will be released on April 18th.

You will be able to manage and expand your own tavern in this management and simulation expansion for Wartales. Secure wealth and prestige for your troop during your adventures. Purchase your initial establishment, select the finest decor for your tavern, hire employees, and craft the optimal menu to satisfy your daily customers.

Stay tuned for more information on the upcoming content, in the meantime you can add The Tavern Opens! to your wishlist now.

Don’t forget to let us know what you think of the upcoming content by joining our awesome (and passionate) Wartales community on our Discord server, Reddit page as well as Twitter.

- Shiro Games

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The Fallout: Cascadia mod team presents their newest showcase:

Fallout: Cascadia | Spring 2024 Environmental Showcase

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IGN presents a new game mode for Darkest Dungeons 2:

Darkest Dungeon 2 - Official 'Kingdoms' Game Mode Trailer | Triple-I Initiative Showcase

This new game mode challenges players in a desperate race against the clock to find and defeat a monstrous threat before it overwhelms and destroys the Kingdom. Journey across the land to gather resources and battle evil incursions, all while defending a network of safe haven Inns.

Acquired resources are used to upgrade heroes and also the Inns themselves, which can be improved via extensive upgrade trees. Players will embark on unique quest lines and fight back against three new monster factions: The Coven, Beastmen and Crimson Courtiers. Kingdoms can be played independently of the game’s original “Confessions” campaign.

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Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn:

Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn - Official Composing Vengeance Trailer

Couchpotato spotted a mini-boss trailer for Hyper Light Breaker on GameSpot:

Hyper Light Breaker - Mini-Boss Gameplay Reveal Trailer

A demo for the tactical RPG Lost In The Open has been released:

Lost In The Open

Fantasy meets reality in Shibuya, Tokyo, where magic is something to be feared. In this action RPG, a young wizard seeks freedom through strength, and an officer seeks to control magic and restore order. When their paths cross, a darkness that will transform the world descends.

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Creative Producer Takumi, Scenario Writer Kazushige Nojima, and Composer Yoko Shimomura discuss the action RPG Reynatis:

Reynatis Interview

[...]

—— First, could you tell us about the concept and theme for REYNATIS?

TAKUMI The concept for REYNATIS is “suppression and liberation.” The game's story, world, and music are all designed to convey the strain of suppressing yourself and the joy of letting yourself be free.

The theme is "people who find it difficult to live with the pressure to conform." For example, I think standing out is looked down upon in Japanese culture, and the concept of sameness is highly regarded. I personally have distinctive hair colors and clothes, so I’m often looked at with curiosity. I’m sure that there are people who have experienced something similar just for having a different way of thinking, or preferences that don’t align with others. Because of this, they won’t express their individuality.

This title is an antithesis to that aspect of Japan’s culture and way of thinking. It includes the desire for everyone to express their individuality more, and offers support to those who want to express their individuality but are unable to.

—— I see. And what is the meaning behind the name REYNATIS?

TAKUMI It is based on two different words. First, in Latin, “renatus” means “birth,” or “rebirth.” In Spanish, it can mean both “king” and “birth,” so it holds the meaning of a “born king.” As you play the story, you'll understand the meaning behind “birth” and “rebirth.” REYNATIS as a title was a result of combining all of these things. In addition, the word itself has a significant meaning when it appears in the game.

[...]

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MP1st checked out Visions of Mana:

Visions of Mana Hands-On Preview – A Classic Returns

The Mana series of video games is over three decades old, beginning in 1991 as Final Fantasy Adventure for the Game Boy handheld system. It has been eight years since the last release in this franchise, with 2016’s mobile-centric Adventures of Mana the last new entry, even if that was itself a remake of the original 1992 Adventure title. The first mainline entry in almost two decades, Visions of Mana, is nearly upon us, and Square Enix invited MP1st to get some world-first hands-on time with a preview build of the game ahead of its release later this year. Read our preview to see how this latest iteration of the venerable franchise is shaping up.

So Many Colors!
Visions of Mana sports a brightly colored palette, with a cel-shaded art style that could fit in with any JRPG. There’s nothing groundbreaking here in terms of looks, but it is gorgeous all the same. We saw wide, sweeping vistas, along with deep, treacherous canyons, and tall, snowy mountains, all within our short 1.5-hour or so trip into the world of Mana. It’s one you’ll no doubt enjoy visiting time and time again. Audio is also equally fitting, with an orchestral-like soundtrack that helps add to the epic adventure you and your crew are undertaking. There’s plenty of voiceover work as well, with voices pretty well suited to each character.

[...]

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IGN and Yellow Brick Games present the action adventure Eternal Strands:

Eternal Strands: Unreal Engine 5 Dev Diary - IGN First

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Gabe Amatangelo talks about CD Projekt RED's transformation:

Changing the Game: A Leader's Perspective on CD PROJEKT RED'S Transformation | D.I.C.E. Summit 2024

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