Those Who Rule got a new patch:

Patch (v1.4.2): New SS Rank Weapons, Community Easter Eggs

Hey everyone!

I know I said I was likely done with content updates, but I've had some requests through the games release that were too good not to put in. One of the main ones being filling out the roster of SS rank weapons to have a payoff for weapon mastery. Each weapon type now has it's own unique SS rank weapon that are given as rewards throughout the late game.

For those of you who have been following the game since at least last June, you may remember the Brutal mode contest that was held, with the prize to the first completionist being a custom character. It's my pleasure to now introduce Renza, who will be brutalizing other Brutal mode players in chapter 16. But to those of you who take her down, you will get a new refinement, the Elite Cutter!

And finally, one last playable character, but that is a secret I'll leave for you all to discover. :)

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With patch v1.4.0 Those Who Rule will support modding:

Patch (v1.4.0): Mod Support

Hey everyone!

For those of you who remember the roadmap I posted a while back, I'm excited to announce the delivery of the final entry: Mod Support.

Here is what is currently being exposed to mod with this patch:

• Player Unit Base Stats.
• Player Unit Growth Rates.
• Player Unit Base, Advanced, and Exalted classes.
• Player unit equipment.
• Player unit starting chapter.
• Storage and Denari.

For those of you familiar with playing with the game's save file, this will use the exact same system, but with a few more things exposed.

Modding Guide

I've also put together a modding guide for people who are completely new to something like this. I tried to be as thorough as possible, but this is also my first time trying to implement modding in a game, so please let me know any pain points you may have! I tried to include step by step examples on how to make any changes, as well as resulting screenshots. There is also an example file you can use to start at the end of the guide.

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The Turn Based Lovers checked out the newest version of Those Who Rule:

SRPG Those Who Rule Hits Steam Deck Verified Status, Adds 30 Achievements in New Patch

Tactical RPG Those Who Rule just got a major boost with Patch v1.2.4, delivering long-awaited Steam Deck Verified status and a fresh batch of 30 Steam achievements to sink your teeth into.

Those Who Rule Combat System
Valve has officially greenlit Those Who Rule as fully compatible on Steam Deck, making it easier than ever to take the game’s brutal turn-based battles on the go. This is a solid milestone for solo developer Eldin Turulja and the growing fanbase supporting the indie strategy hit we praised in our review.

Alongside the Deck support comes a hefty injection of replay value: 30 achievements now track everything from beginner steps to hardcore feats. You’ll earn badges for moments like getting your first unit promotion, executing a brutal 40+ damage strike, or pulling off finesse like defeating enemies with shield bashes or bleed effects. Some achievements go deep—Ranger General, for instance, demands a full campaign clear on Veteran difficulty with Permadeath on.

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RPGFan reviewed Those Who Rule:

Those Who Rule Review

Can there ever be enough turn-based SRPGs in the mould of Fire Emblem? Is it still possible to be excited about wars of political gamesmanship and the marshaling of the accompanying squads? For indie developer Eldin Turulja, the answer would be a resounding positive. This militaristic SRPG binds a complex and demanding combat system around a gritty, well-told story. Those Who Rule won’t move the needle in terms of originality too much, and there are quibbles with its UI and general level of management depth, but this is a solo labor of love that questions what the right to rule means and what responsibilities those with that right might bear.

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From the beginning of the game, I wanted to complete Those Who Rule to learn the fate of the Rangers and engage with more of the tough battles and varied objectives. There was enough to keep me going in discovering new characters, unlocking new classes, and contemplating new map effects or strategies. The interplay of the combat design and the importance of positioning and managing aggro is deeply satisfying. That said, the fiddly UI and rather limited management options do take away from the experience. Some may also be turned off by the relatively basic enemy variety: there are no lions and tigers and bears here. But I can’t deny the game has a lot of heart and soul. For those who have a soft spot for political drama between warring nations nestled around a challenging turn-based combat system, it might pay to be king for a day.

Score: 79/100

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The Turn Based Lovers reviewed Those Who Rule:

Those Who Rule – Review

Those Who Rule is a brand-new tactical RPG developed by Eldin Turulja. The game offers a few unique systems, a gorgeous art style, stunning character portraits, and even perma-death.

Story
The player will take control of a group of Rangers in a war-torn world. The man cast is Slyker, the leader, Marcus, the brute of the party, and Illyana, the tactician. These three are tasked with impossible decisions at every corner of their journey.

The player will traverse a wide range of biomes and locations, such as castles, dungeons, caves, snowy plains, sandy deserts, and lush forests.

As you play through the story you will uncover the secrets of the world and the enemies you are fighting, but not every enemy is how you pictured. The game is riddled with twists and almost becomes a thriller in the sense of not knowing who the villains truly are, and even then, the game leaves you asking questions about each decision you make.

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Impressions
The combat, the story, and the challenge are incredible. Every mission has been engaging and making me want more, and the story beats do not let up in keeping the suspense while also reminding us that this is a grounded experience for our cast. Seeing these inexperienced young adults battle through these dangerous encounters makes you feel more connected with them.

The game will take roughly 20-30 hours to complete and offers some replayability with the dynamic story options that they have to offer.

I would highly recommend this game to RPG fans who are looking for a hardcore tactical experience.

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The tactical RPG Those Who Rule has been released:

Those Who Rule is LIVE!

Hey everyone,

Surreal feeling, but Those Who Rule is officially available for purchase on Steam! I want to give a huge shoutout to all of you who wishlisted and followed the development of the game. It's been a passion project of mine for the last four years, and your feedback has been invaluable in shaping the game.

I hope you enjoy your time with it, and I'd love to continue hearing your feedback as I continue to push out updates to the game!

Features

• A 20-30 hour single player campaign that spans 21 chapters and can be played on 3 difficulties.
• Over 30 classes to choose from, with 2 tiers of 3 choice upgrades for each character.
• Over 100 different abilities from personal/weapon/item/class/refinements.
• Over 50 character and world building base conversations.

Roadmap

• Player requested QoL/features, and bug fixes.
• Controller support and Steam Deck verification.
• A Brutal difficulty mode where the first person recording themselves beating it will get to design a custom in game playable character.
• Mod support.

Though it's the launch, it's also just the start! Please continue to help me make Those Who Rule the best game it can be. I'll be eagerly watching the forums for feature requests and bug reports to fix ASAP. Again, I can't say it enough but I appreciate each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart.

Thank you!
Eldin Turulja

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

Release Date Announcement - January 27, 2025

Hey everyone!

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

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

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

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

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

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October news for the tactical RPG Those Who Rule:

Dev Update (October 2024)

Hey everyone!

Sorry for the late update, but I've narrowed down the release month to January 2025!!

I've been nose to the grindstone on polishing up the demo for the Steam Next Fest that we'll be participating in starting TOMORROW! Really excited to see how it goes, as it's usually a major source of visibility for indies. This one has over 3,000 games participating though so we'll have to wait and see.

We also have a shiny new trailer to announce the new launch month.

Between all the demo updates and trailer creation, I also had time for finishing up chapter 8, focusing on a more tight experience. I have a new process for designing maps that I think is going to be super engaging:

The new demo is also released now, still up to chapter 3, but I've gotten a ton of feedback that I've already incorporated into the game.

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September news for the tactical RPG Those Who Rule:

Dev Update (September 2022)

Hey everyone!

This month I stepped way from development a bit, but for good reason. I got married!! The second half of the month saw me getting back into the swing of things and I've made significant progress on one of the most requested features: reducing the amount of inputs required to take your turn!

Here is a video demonstrating the old vs new flows:

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