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Esoteric Ebb Review Fantasy Democracy One can readily point to Disco Elysium as helping kickstart this decade's cRPG revival, with its focus on character interactions inspiring a good number of titles in recent years. However, simply emulating a particular style is not in itself a recipe for success without also including strong design principles, able writing and quest design, and an engaging setting. Thankfully, Christoffer Bodegård's Esoteric Ebb has all three, using its eccentric cast and world to great effect, fully bringing players into its thoroughly entertaining set of mysteries and ensuring they'll have plenty of fun getting through the various obstacles it throws at them. Esoteric Ebb puts players in the role of a cleric in the eclectic post-Arcanepunk fantasy city of Norvik. They have been tasked with investigating an explosion at a tea shop; however, they start out the game waking up in a morgue after being seemingly brought back from the brink of death. After creating an initial character build by assigning points to the usual attributes -- Strength, Dexterity, Constitution, Intelligence, Wisdom, and Charisma -- players set out to establish their current position and begin work on the quest they were assigned. Complicating the situation is that Norvik is due to hold its first-ever election in just five days, and players need to solve the mystery while navigating the city's political factions before the voting takes place. The game sees the player's attributes act as characters in their own right, offering constant inner dialogue. Players frequently ask internal questions, and the attributes help to inform their reactions and feelings towards characters and situations they find themselves in, as well as providing all relevant historical or world details that the cleric would know. Though the cleric has their own set history, players are able to establish their personality by their choices and character build, with the game keeping track of whenever they express support for a particular party in the upcoming election or choose to refer to themselves as a cleric or something else. [caption id="attachment_164996" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The city of Norvik is home to a wide variety of eccentric characters, the player included.[/caption] While the main quest involves solving the mystery of the tea shop, players have a large amount of freedom as to how they go about it, and can choose to pick up and focus on numerous side quests as well, many of which connect to the election or main quest in some way. Players are joined early on by a goblin companion named Snell, who proves to be a strong and entertaining sidekick, playing off well with the cleric, particularly during any odder moments. Quests involve a large selection of varied characters who are all entertaining to interact with in different ways, aided by the internal commentary of the cleric's attributes. Many of the quests have multiple ways with which they can be solved or ended, helping give the game plenty of replay value. With the five-day limit of the main quest, the game takes an interesting approach to advancing time. Time moves forward minute by minute as players advance events and conversations; taking longer to exhaust all avenues in a particular conversation uses up more time. Moving around does not advance the clock, giving players a bit more freedom and agency over how they spend their time. Many characters or locations are only available during certain times of day. Players will also need to find an appropriate time to sleep and take a long rest to restore spell slots and prevent exhaustion. Players may feel a bit rushed initially as they see the clock advance; however, the pressure it applies definitely works in the game's favour. It succeeds in impressing upon players that they do need to prioritise their investigations and quests, but after getting used to how it works in practice, it doesn't feel restrictive and still lets players follow the story threads they want to naturally. It helps encourage players to make plans and makes it very satisfying to follow through on them. Esoteric Ebb can be a bit overwhelming at the start, as the game largely throws players into the situation and hands out a lot of information at once, without little guidance on what to do with it. However, everything soon starts to fit together, and it becomes clearer how the game's systems and quest design work, even if the city remains a bit awkward to navigate. The writing gets long-winded at times, especially when it delves into factional politics and history, during which many players may glaze over a bit, but the conversations overall are thoroughly entertaining, aided by a strong underlying set of mysteries and highly enjoyable quest designs. Despite its bizarre foundations, the game's setting has a ton of depth, and its eccentric cast ensures there's always plenty of fun interactions to be had. [caption id="attachment_165001" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The cleric's attributes offer plenty of advice on how to react or deal with characters.[/caption] Gameplay is built around both active and passive D&D -style skill checks. Passive checks that directly compare a number against the player's attribute score are usually used in dialogue, primarily determining what advice and responses the player's attributes offer. Meanwhile, active checks -- where a d20 is rolled, and the player's relevant attribute modifier is added to the result before being compared against the relevant Difficulty Check (DC) -- come during events, encounters, and interaction with the world and characters. A number of dialogue options come with a skill check, which are frequently impacted by choices that alter the DC or grant Advantage/Disadvantage (where two dice are rolled instead, and it takes the higher or lower value, respectively). Natural ones and twenties are handled accordingly as guaranteed failures and successes. Esoteric Ebb doesn't contain combat per se , but certain high-danger encounters add a bit of combat flavouring, and the game keeps track of the cleric's Hit Points. These turn-based events see the player and their opponent take turns performing actions, but rather than attacking, players must complete skill checks to get through the encounter. They offer the most direct threat to the cleric's HP as they come under direct assault, though plenty of other events can also reduce their HP through poor choices and failed skill checks. Health can be restored using various consumable items or a healing spell, with numerous other spells also available for the cleric to use to their advantage, albeit with a limited number of spell slots available to use each day. Should the cleric's HP reach zero, the game will automatically run a series of death checks, where the player will need to roll a ten or higher to succeed. Three successes or a natural twenty will see them return with 1HP and a point of exhaustion, while three failures or a natural one means game over, though the game has an autosave and players can freely manually save outside of events and conversations. Aside from this, the game does a good job encouraging players to accept failed rolls in addition to basking in the joy of a lucky success. Trying to overcome a failure is often just as entertaining than smooth success, with there being other paths available to progress the game. [caption id="attachment_165000" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Players can equip or use various items to help them in their quests.[/caption] Players frequently earn small amounts of experience as they learn information and complete quests, which lets them level up, gaining points to upgrade attributes and unlocking additional spell slots. New spells can be found in a variety of ways, from completing quests to obtaining spell scrolls from numerous characters or locations. In addition, players able to pick up a wide variety of items that can be equipped into various slots. These items can alter attribute scores or provide bonuses in certain situations, such as giving advantage on conversational skill checks with bureaucrats or unlocking new event choices when a hammer could be of use. For further bonuses, completing quests allows players to unlock feats, with most quests providing providing multiple options, and to equip up to four at once. Esoteric Ebb' s audiovisual elements do their job of supporting the strong gameplay and writing without ever standing out. The game's art style works well with the setting, while the character designs are strong throughout and the different locations are decently distinguishable from one another. There is no voice acting, but it never feels like players are missing out with its absence, while the music and various sound effects add solid enough flavour to the visuals. The UI does a fine job, even if it takes a little bit of deciphering early on, and the game is great to play on Steam Deck with its built-in gamepad controls and adjustable text size working well. While Esoteric Ebb certainly doesn't try to avoid the direct comparisons to Disco Elysium' s style, it manages to stand out through its original setting and entertaining set of mysteries. The ingrained usage of skill checks to help guide conversations and what the game reveals to players helps keep them engaged, with plenty of highly enjoyable quests and interactions to be had all the way through. There’s lots to enjoy here, particularly for those who like seeing how their choices affect the presented mysteries and obstacles. Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher. The post Esoteric Ebb Review appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerMar 6

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Receive Pre-Launch Media Ahead of the game's release next week, Capcom released pre-launch videos and screenshots for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection . The game's three-minute early launch trailer gives a preview of the game's story, and is accompanied by a new 90-second animated trailer showing the protagonist meeting a newly hatched Rathalos before later going on their first mission with them. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is part of the spin-off series where players control Monster Riders, those who partner up with and raise monsters. The game is set in a land with two major nations, Azuria and Vermeil, which are facing a crystal encroachment that is destroying the environment. Meanwhile, twin Skyscale Rathalos hatch, which is a supposed portent of destruction last seen from a civil war 200 years ago. Players control the heir to Azuria, who sets out to investigate the phenomena impacting the world, joined by Eleanor, the princess of Vermeil, who offers to act as a hostage. Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection will release for PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 on March 13, 2026. [foogallery id="186358"] The post Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Receive Pre-Launch Media appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerMar 6

Titan Quest II Gets Updated 2026 Roadmap Following the release of the latest Early Access update for Titan Quest II , THQ Nordic and Grimlore Games has released a new 2026 roadmap for the game. Like 2025, the game is intended to receive a major update every three months, with a minor update in-between. New content will include the Wild Lands, which continues the story from the Arkadian Plains, while a feature-focused update will add crafting and summons and a system update will add Spirit Mastery to the game. The second half of the year will include additional story chapters, quests, items, bosses, gameplay features, and more. Titan Quest II is currently available on Early Access through Steam and the Epic Games Store , priced at $29.99/€29.99. The game is a follow-up to 2006 title Titan Quest and is inspired by Greek mythology. It sees Nemesis, Goddess of Retribution, corrupting the Threads of Fate and condemning all those who oppose her to eternal punishment. Players control a hero fighting alongside the gods aiming to change fate, with the game including online co-op multiplayer. The game will fully release for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. The post Titan Quest II Gets Updated 2026 Roadmap appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerMar 6

RPGamer Checks Out Steam Next Fest Winter 2026, Pt. 2 With so many RPGs releasing each year, it can be hard to keep track of which ones to keep an eye out for. Steam Next Fest offers players a chance to try out some of the many upcoming games ahead of launch and figure out those worth paying closer attention to. Here at RPGamer, we looked at a few of the publicly available demos during the winter 2026 edition of Steam Next Fest. In this two-part feature, the first of which is available here , we picked out some titles we felt were worthy of shining a spotlight on. No Vacation for an Executioner Release Date: March 2026 Publisher: JayO Developer: JayO Steam Page After two attempts (and as many misses), it seems the “executioner” genre is not for me. True, No Vacation for an Executioner is a third-person action RPG centered around a melee combat system rather than a torture-based visual novel with RPG elements (see my previous experience with The Executioner in 2019), but the overall experience wasn’t much better during this outing either. The eponymous executioner is having a rough day at work, culminating in running away during the middle of his latest public execution, which inexplicably results in the gathered townspeople becoming infected by some sort of disease and becoming featureless abominations. There wasn’t a whole lot I comprehended during my forty-five minute play session with the demo, other than that it was now my task to take out these mutated wretches. But a sluggish camera, lack of a lock-on system, and an inconsistent success rate of the parry-riposte combo actually working or even stopping the damage-sponge enemies from hitting me during the middle of it made short work of my quickly waning enthusiasm. Add to that a fairly ugly world (disguised by the marketing phrase “retro PS2-style”), and it was high time for that particular executioner to take a permanent vacation. - Pascal Tekaia Roulette Dungeon Release Date: To Be Announced Publisher: Hooded Traveler Games Developer: Hooded Traveler Games Steam Page Balatro burst onto the scene two years ago with an unconventional marriage of Poker with deckbuilding roguelite mechanics. Hooded Traveler Games hopes to capture some of that same magic with their new roguelike Roulette Dungeon . This game incorporates the titular roulette wheel as you spin it to determine how much damage your feline character does to the enemies as they try to escape the dungeon in which they have been jailed. Thankfully, combat isn’t completely random, as players have abilities such as the skill to stop the roulette wheel in its tracks to guarantee that big hit on the boss. Much like Balatro , the key to progression involves modifying the three different roulette wheels that the player can choose between in combat. At the end of each level, players can use their accumulated chips — earned through betting on the wheel results in battle and completing side events — to skew the wheels with different numbers or special abilities to tilt the results in their favor. At least in the demo, it isn’t completely subverting the way the roulette wheel works, but even in this introduction, bosses have abilities to modify your wheel or force you to use a specific wheel. With different characters to choose from that have distinct strengths and abilities, it seems like there’s enough depth here to make for an interesting take on the Rogue genre. - Joshua Carpenter Spaceman Memories Release Date: To Be Announced Publisher: NerdyPunkDev Developer: NerdyPunkDev Steam Page While the demo for Spaceman Memories shows some potential for the final game, my experience trying to play through it was hindered by glitches and balancing issues. Among these were softlocks, items not respawning after reloading saves, and at least one situation where I didn’t have enough of the items needed to help me get through a combat encounter. Thankfully, the developer seemed to be taking feedback and was able to fix these problems. As for the game itself, the first thing that caught my eye was the visual aesthetic; the mix of 2D sprites and 3D environments calls to mind the HD-2D style that has been in vogue for the past several years. What really makes it stand out is the fusion of futuristic sci-fi and Japanese mythology that is an inspiration for the game’s enemies. Even the game’s save points take the form of maneki-nekos. My player character was the astronaut Ichiro 94, who had just woken up from cryogenic sleep in the future year of 2049, and after landing back on Earth, turned out to be plagued by monsters from Japanese myths and legends. Beyond the premise, there hasn’t been much in the way of plot development, as the majority of the demo consisted of running around, talking to NPCs to figure out what I had to do, and getting into combat with enemies. Combat encounters are 1v1 affairs as both the player and the enemy take turns. On my turn, I select the option to attack or defend, which costs me a small amount of PP. I can also use certain items such as health kits to heal myself, batteries to recover PP, ofudas to stun the enemies, or grenades for dealing a stronger amount of damage. These items are also used out of combat, with ofudas and grenades able to remove barriers and rock formations. The combat is pretty simplistic from what I was able to experience from the demo, but the use of items did lead to some strategy against a frog spirit that I had to fight in the demo’s singular dungeon. While I wish my experience with the demo was less frustrating, I’m still curious to see how the final result turns out, as the aesthetic presentation definitely grabbed me. - Ryan McCarthy STARDUST: Wish of Witch Release Date: Q2 2026 Publisher: Kniv Studio Co., Ltd. Developer: Kniv Studio Co., Ltd. Steam Page STARDUST: Wish of Witch was a very pleasant experience. The bright, expressive pixelated graphics do an incredible job of showing off the personality of the characters, and the music is bright and catchy. The battles are very easy to get used to, the story picks up pretty quickly, and by the end of the demo, you’re given just enough information to entice players to get the full game. Battles are fairly standard; square based maps, abilities with different ranges, turns alternating from friends to foes. The skills in the game are presented as cards, which have their own costs, effects, and cooldowns. The only nitpick I have with it is that sometimes the cards interfere with targeting and map visibility. It’s only mildly frustrating and probably the only downside I could see. Other than that, playing the game is very easy and accessible. I played with a single hand using a mouse. If you’re into SRPGs, I think this one should be on your radar. With there being only eight battles in the demo, it can easily be enjoyed in an afternoon. - Robert Sinclair Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors Release Date: To Be Announced Publisher: poncle Developer: poncle, Nosebleed Interactive Steam Page To say Vampire Survivors is one of the most addictive video games I’ve ever played would be an understatement, so when I learned that the developers were making a spinoff, I was ecstatic. Vampire Crawlers: The Turbo Wildcard from Vampire Survivors is a roguelite deckbuilder executed with that incredibly compelling flair that made the original Vampire Survivors so addictive. The remixing of the original soundtrack is incredible, and the first-person dungeon crawler format is a really good fit for the format this game is going for. Visually, the game is very much the same as the original Vampire Survivors in art direction, but seeing familiar locations from a new perspective is a genuine treat. The gameplay is, fittingly, addictive as all-get-out. The game’s emphasis on speed is a real delight, and makes every battle feel both strategic and action-packed. Perhaps the most impressive element is just how much content is packed into this small demo. Five hours in and I haven’t unlocked everything yet, and given the frankly startling amount of content in the original, I shudder to think about what the full game might include. - Ezra Kinnell Vapor World: Over The Mind Release Date: Q2 2026 (Early Access) Publisher: ALIVE Inc., Boltray Games Developer: ALIVE Inc. Steam Page I was not surprised to find in my research that Vapor World: Over the Mind appears to be the first project from Korean developer Alive Game Studios. There were some issues with the demo that felt amateurish: a mangled English translation, the voice actors were monotonous, if you fail a section in the tutorial, it takes a while before you’re allowed to try again, and the UI is bare bones. The game begins by noting that this current demo is based on a beta build and is incomplete, so many of these could be easily rectified before release. Even in this state, the game does have its merits; Vapor World is brimming with style. The developers clearly do have a creative vision, and the parts of the game that work really shine. Combat feels responsive and satisfying, the unique art style gives the game a strong identity and feel, and the little drips of story in the demo are intriguing. It feels like its major influences are Dishonored and Bloodborne : you are a fragile killer fighting an inner darkness, and you need to use stealth and careful combat to traverse this mysterious dreamscape. Vapor World isn’t going to revolutionize gaming, but it could become a solid, enjoyable game with a unique flourish. I’ll continue to follow its development because I’m curious to see what it will become and how much of its potential is realized. It could be a frustrating flop, or it could be a solid game; it all depends on what the developers choose to focus on as they continue development. - Kay Vandivert Withering Realms Release Date: May 2026 Publisher: Moonless Formless Developer: Moonless Formless Steam Page While Capcom’s Resident Evil series is celebrating its latest release, indie developer Moonless Formless is harkening back to a much earlier iteration of the survival horror formula with Withering Realms , itself the sequel to 2024’s Withering Rooms . Players take on the role of Clover, the ghost of a young girl who awakens from death only to discover that it is far easier to get around riding on the back of a large doll whose movements she can control. As Clover’s doll, players must first explore the rooms of a decrepit mansion before heading out into the randomly generated world around the town of Penwyll, traversing its fields, caves, and graveyards while fighting the monsters that haunt it. At least Clover is able to lock on to these “rotters”, making the hand-to-hand combat not exactly fluid but manageable, if fairly rough around the edges and unrefined. Expect to die a whole lot while coming to grips with the slash-and-dodge combat progression, always sapping the doll’s stamina gauge. Things quickly become far more unwieldy, though, as Clover comes upon pieces of equipment, costume parts, new weapons like a pistol and an arm-mounted rifle, a lantern, grenades, and even magical spells, all of which are found in such quick succession that becoming familiar with them is not an option. After nearly an hour, I’d pretty much had enough – deaths were far too frequent, and combat not nearly refined enough to make repeatedly going down against the same group of enemies remotely enjoyable. Moreover, I’m not convinced that the randomized nature of the game is a good fit for the storytelling or building of tension needed for the survival horror genre, and the one hand-crafted environment I did find – the starting mansion area – was nothing but two overhead shots of hallways with a series of rooms branching off on the left and right sides. As much as the game visually apes Capcom’s juggernaut series, I think I’ll stick to my actual Resident Evil . - Pascal Tekaia Yami Kids Release Date: 2026 Publisher: Yanako RPGs, Silverbook Games Studio LLC Developer: GameDevTosh, Yanako RPGs Steam Page Creature collecting tends to boil down to collecting cute monsters for use in combat against one another. Yami Kids doesn't reinvent that wheel, with oni being used against contractors or going to a Battle Center for experience and loot. Where Yami Kids differs, though, is in its use of Shadow Duels. The demo only shows the protagonist and their sibling watching helplessly as the antagonist battles their guardian offscreen, but, unlike fights where only pride is lost, this guardian is killed. But that's only one of the fights; otherwise time is spent exploring the slums where people are barely surviving. Opening chests provides currency and a small chuckle as they all say something about the player committing theft. Discerning combat is not always easy, as enemy levels are not shown on screen, and abilities for one oni may be different for another oni of that same type and name. All-in-all, it's not an easy game to predict for survival. Beyond this quick exploration and the option to sign contracts with and then build up a few oni, there's the Battle Center, which in the demo felt like a random dungeon, but in a few attempts, the placement of enemies and treasure stayed in the same spot. This makes it a useful place to grind for experience, but not a fun one to spend a lot of time in. The demo ends with the protagonist's sibling sacrificing themselves and time jumping to the protagonist graduating from university and learning about how their family has kept oni continuously pouring into the world. There are a lot of fun directions Yami Kids can go, making this an easy recommendation to look into for turn-based creature collecting fans. - Ryan Costa We hope you enjoyed reading about our staff’s Steam Next Fest summer 2025 experience. Check out part 1 as well, and please let us know what games you played during the event through the comments, social media, or our dedicated Discord server ! The post RPGamer Checks Out Steam Next Fest Winter 2026, Pt. 2 appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerMar 6

Kena: Bridge of Spirits Coming to Switch 2 This Spring Developer Ember Lab announced a Nintendo Switch 2 release for adventure title Kena: Bridge of Spirits . The game originally released for PC, PlayStation 4, and PlayStation 5 in 2021 before getting Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S versions in 2024. The Nintendo Switch 2 version is set to release in spring 2026 and will include the game's anniversary DLC and New Game+ mode. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is set in a fantasy world with players controlling Kena, a young Spirit Guide looking into the demise of her village. She is joined by a team of spirit companions called the Rot, who are able to manipulate the environment. Those looking to read more about Kena: Bridge of Spirits can check out RPGamer’s review of its PlayStation 4 version. A sequel, Kena: Scars of Kosmora , is planned to release on PC and PlayStation 5 later this year. The post Kena: Bridge of Spirits Coming to Switch 2 This Spring appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerMar 5

Meg’s Monster Heading to Mobile Developer Odencat announced that its turn-based RPG Meg’s Monster is coming to mobile. The game, which celebrated its third anniversary this week, will release on iOS and Android in May 2026. The mobile version will natively run on vertical with tap controls and will be free-to-play with ads, with optional in-app purchases that will remove ads. It will also include the game's Lost Memories DLC. Meg’s Monster released for PC, Mac, Linux, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch in 2023. The game follows a young girl named Meg who wakes up in the Underworld, a land of monsters that will happily eat humans. However, friendly ogre Roy and his friend Golan find her first. Determining that Meg has the power to cause the apocalypse in the Underworld, Roy and Golan search for Meg’s mother to get her home. The game features turn-based combat where Roy begins with 99,999 HP and is immensely powerful, with players instead needing to focus on ensuring Meg doesn’t cry. Those looking to read more about the game can check out Michael Baker’s review of its Nintendo Switch version, with the game winning RPGamer's 2023 Michael A. Cunningham Memorial Award . The post Meg’s Monster Heading to Mobile appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerMar 5

Kromlech Available on Steam Early Access Developer Perun Creative has released its action adventure RPG Kromlech on Steam Early Access . The Early Access version is available for $29.99, with a 25% launch discount until March 19, 2026. The initial version is said to include all of the game's major mechanics, with the game expected to spend around a year in Early Access before fully launching. Kromlech is billed as a love letter to immersive early-2000s RPG, combining old-school elements with contemporary design ideas and quality-of-life features. Its dark fantasy world is inspired by Iron Age cultures, particularly the Celts, as well as sword-and-sorcery literature. The game's combat is built around taking advantage of enemy weak points, while its Crisis System sees major events happening every couple of days that can create "World Scars" if not solved in time. [foogallery id="186323"] The post Kromlech Available on Steam Early Access appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerMar 5

Ys X: Proud Nordics Review Nordic Track Adventure-seeker extraordinaire and perpetual shipwreck victim Adol Christin is back, revisiting his latest outing in a new definitive edition. Just over a year after Nordics first debuted, NIS America has released Ys X: Proud Nordics , an enhanced version of the game that boasts a number of quality-of-life features as well as a whole new island to explore, complete with its own storyline featuring two new characters. While the influence of Nihon Falcom's flagship Legend of Heroes series can certainly be felt permeating Proud Nordics ' DNA, the Ys franchise has always been more focused on fast-paced action combat, and the addition of some new content and streamlining features makes for a decent, if not quite great, time exploring Obelia Gulf alongside the red-haired explorer. En route to the continent of Celceta (despite being the tenth numbered entry in the series, Proud Nordics is actually the third entry in the timeline, immediately preceding Memories of Celceta ), Adol and his companions become stranded in the seaside village of Carnac when the captain of the passenger ship they were traveling on is put to the sword by the Normans, a fierce seafaring people. It isn't long before Adol is literally joined at the wrist to Karja Balta, the princess of the Normans and daughter of their jarl. After the village is invaded by the Griegr, a horde of undead monsters, Adol accompanies Karja to the nearby Norman stronghold, where he gets sucked into a new adventure. Before credits roll, players will see him become an honorary member of the Balta Seaforce and Karja's sworn Shield Brother, and travel to the far reaches of Obelia Gulf to rescue Carnac's abducted citizens and uncover the mystery behind the fiendish Griegr forces. [caption id="attachment_167619" align="aligncenter" width="640"] It's time for Adol to set out on a new adventure![/caption] Unlike some other recent entries in the Ys series, Proud Nordics only features two playable characters, Adol and Karja, despite the fact that they are accompanied by a wide and varied cast of Carnacians aboard their ship, the Sandras. One character is controlled directly during combat or exploration, while the other always runs close behind, taking swipes at enemies during combat or even running a short distance ahead and initiating confrontations. Combat skills, however, can only be executed by the active character, although holding the right trigger causes Adol and Karja to attack in tandem, giving access to special cooperative skills and a powerful defense that nullifies most incoming damage. Some enemies, particularly the stronger and larger varieties, attack with special color-coded skills that must be dealt with accordingly: red attacks are extra powerful but can be blocked with the cooperative defensive shield, while blue attacks are fast and must be dodged, which can only be done in solo mode. Switching the active character on the fly is as simple as a button press, with the passive character slowly regaining health, which is a handy and welcome feature. On the whole, this combat system offers at least a modicum of flexibility and variety, particularly during the late game when both characters have learned plenty of skills to utilize in battle. Enemies, however, are often quite spongey, making extended combat scenarios and dungeons much more of a chore than they needed to be. It doesn't help that dungeons are often rather uninspired takes on the same "desert island" concept, with even the more standout dungeons, like a seaside fortress or a behemoth combat ship, rarely going beyond simple rooms and hallways packed to the rafters with scores of foes. Exploration, at least, makes use of a handful of traversal tools Adol will unlock during his adventure, like a grapple to swing across chasms or a hover board to ski across both water and land. Even rarer, though welcome, are the moments when Adol and Karja are granted the freedom of separating from each other for a few brief moments during dungeons, letting the player solve puzzles that require switching between the pair in creative and novel ways. Overall, though, dungeons are long and sloggy button-mashing affairs that are short on fun and engaging payoffs. [caption id="attachment_161921" align="aligncenter" width="640"] When not exploring islands and dungeons, there are a few other activities for Adol & Co. to try their hand at.[/caption] Those who enjoyed the original release's dungeons will be happy about one of Proud Nordics 's prominent new additions, Öland Island, a large landmass that is fully explorable and comes with its own narrative sidequest, dungeons, and new bits of lore to unearth. Öland Island becomes accessible once players gain access to the first few exploration abilities, with new sections of the island steadily unlocking over the course of the game's runtime when new traversal options become available. It's on Öland that players will run into Canute and Astrid, two characters hailing from the Kingdom of Danmerk, who challenge Karja and Adol to a competition that will take them across the whole island, looking for previously undiscovered lore relating to the fall of the Norman civilization. Öland also includes a battle arena and new bosses to square off against, offering a good way to meet the game's upscaled enemy levels in later areas. Mechanically, however, Öland Island doesn't offer much of interest that the base game doesn't already, namely a whole lot of action combat on a new patch of soil. Still, there's something to be said about the plentiful bits of narrative that pepper the game's runtime and break up the dungeon-diving sections. During Adol's short stint in Carnac, players have an opportunity to meet some of its more prominent citizens -- other youths of the village as well as some of their families -- and it's this cast of supporting characters who make up the bulk of Adol and Karja's crew aboard the Sandras. Additionally, a number of Normans from Karja's clan become recurring faces and constant companions on Adol's adventure, and the game provides ample opportunity for many of these characters to become well fleshed out and developed. Even Proud Nordics ' antagonists, three fearsome Griegr known as the Trident, get lots of well-written screen time. The vast majority of this storytelling is presented and voiced quite nicely, with only a few less-than-favorable exceptions. Cherami Leigh's turn as Karja stands out positively while, surprisingly, Adol's doesn't. Character designs look great and are memorable across the board, with picturesque and vibrant graphics that would feel quite at home in any Legend of Heroes installment, and music is largely pleasant to listen to, even if not particularly standout as a whole. [caption id="attachment_175003" align="aligncenter" width="640"] This definitive release even adds a few new characters to the mix, in a limited capacity.[/caption] There are yet a few odds and ends left to mention. While cruising Obelia Gulf on the Sandras, naval battles against Griegr ships can be encountered, though these are almost exclusively optional, with colored halos illuminating the water's surface where combat can be initiated. The most noteworthy reward for these encounters is new wind currents that propel the Sandras across the water at a faster clip. There are also islands under Griegr control that can be reclaimed by Adol and his crew, through a combination of naval combat and on-foot dungeoneering. Luckily, ship-to-ship combat is rather inoffensive, with encounters generally staying brief and simple to execute, as both sides position themselves and blast away with their cannons until one goes down. Of course, resources can be poured into upgrading the Sandras throughout the journey to keep it in ship-shape for tougher battles down the road. Compared to the original release, the Sandras now also boasts a faster travel speed while on the high seas. Apart from that and the new island of Öland, there is also the new post-game Muspelheim dungeon for players to tackle. All previously released cosmetic DLC, namely costumes for Adol and Karja and decorations for the Sandras, are included, as are some tweaks to specific game mechanics like naval combat and mini-games, and some graphical and performance upticks. All told, this package is certainly worthy of being deemed the game's definitive edition. The Ys formula, while certainly evolved over time, has always been focused on more action-oriented mechanics, and there are enough bells and whistles here to keep it generally engaging, if a bit repetitive, while the storytelling has taken on a more and more prominent role over time. It may not be up the alley of those looking for deeply engrossing gameplay, but for players with a passing interest in the franchise who have not yet committed to this installment, now's the perfect time to dive in and get their feet wet. Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher. The post Ys X: Proud Nordics Review appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerMar 5

Setting Down Roots: Housing in World of Warcraft Lots of games have housing. It’s a popular feature, as people like getting to set down digital roots in their favorite game. On the face of it, that fact that World of Warcraft: Midnight, which launched earlier this month, added a housing system to the game might not seem remarkable. However, one needs to keep in mind that this is the eleventh expansion to a twenty-two-year-old game. World of Warcraft has a long and strange history with player housing, with developers resisting it for years, and making one famously failed attempt. Since World of Warcraft housing just got its full release, it’s worth looking back at everything that led up to this moment. To understand housing in World of Warcraft , we first need to understand garrisons. Garrisons were one of the features announced with the Warlords of Draenor expansion, the sixth expansion and was announced at BlizzCon 2013. It was pitched as being like a base in an RTS game, a command center where the player would gather resources, command troops, and make their stand against the expansion’s bad guys. Garrisons were specifically called World of Warcraft’s answer to housing. Reading interviews and social media posts from the time, one can see a conflict between what many players wanted garrisons to be and what the developers wanted to make. The developers emphasized that the main focus of garrisons was to provide benefits to ordinary gameplay, and belittled the idea of housing as a purely creative activity. They promised some customization options, but it was never a focus. Garrisons were going to be an important gameplay feature first and foremost. An orc does not go home after a battle and decorate. [caption id="attachment_185322" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Garrisons were World of Warcraft’ s first true attempt at a housing-like system.[/caption] Garrisons might sound interesting on paper, but the execution was lacking and Warlords is not well regarded among the playerbase. The expansion had many problems, and garrisons were a major victim. The focus on gameplay is one of the reasons garrisons didn’t turn out as anyone hoped. Once the novelty wore off, managing a garrison became a chore instead of a fun system to play with. Once it’s set up to the player’s satisfaction, there’s very little reason to interact with it. It can be left alone to generate the gold or materials the player needs, they swing by to pick it up, then leave again. The second major problem was isolation. Unlike other expansions, there was no major hub city in the expansion for players to gather. The places outside a garrison players could congregate was far removed from the rest of the expansion’s content, making it a difficult and inconvenient place to gather. Since one of the primary functions of a city hub is to facilitate the creation of groups to tackle group content, not having one hindered the player’s ability to find other people to play with. Garrisons were isolated from the rest of the world and from each other, and could not fulfill the same function. The last major issue is a lack of customization. While some customization options were initially promised, only a handful were ever added to the game. Once again, this meant there was little reason to continue interacting with garrisons once the initial setup was done. There was a lack of emotional investment in the garrison as a place, as a player could not make it truly theirs. So garrisons were a bust, and when the next expansion -- Legion -- launched, the concept was left behind to gather dust with the rest of Warlord’s content. Interestingly, Legion introduced a feature called class halls, which were also a kind of home base players were meant to be invested in. However, they had even fewer housing-like features than garrisons, and many of those systems were shed in later expansions. The further the game went from Warlords , the more distant the possibility of housing seemed. For years, when talking about housing in World of Warcraft , there’s always been this stain garrisons left behind; housing has been tried before and it sucked, so why do some people still want housing? Many were looking at other MMOPRGs with housing, and wished World of Warcraft had a system like that. Even after the failure of garrisons there were still players who wanted a way to set down roots in their favorite game. People wanted to see what a housing system in World of Warcraft could look like. Twelve years after Warlords was announced, World of Warcraft: Midnight was announced in August 2025, and included information on a new housing system. From the outside, it is impossible to know how much garrisons impacted the development of true housing. They certainly did take at least some of the lessons learned from Warlords to improve. Perhaps the single most important change is that housing provides no benefit to player power or wealth. Housing is an entirely optional part of the game. A player only interested in high-end raiding doesn’t have to engage with it at all if they don’t want to. [caption id="attachment_185319" align="aligncenter" width="640"] The author's house in the Alliance neighborhood, Founder's Point[/caption] This is a good thing because, as garrisons showed, forcing everyone to engage with a complicated system isn’t beneficial in the long run. A person who’s collecting decor and working on their house in Azeroth is doing it because they want to, but because it’s fun. A player can allocate as many or as few hours to housing as they want. The development team also found a solution to the isolation of garrisons. The way housing works is that there are two maps, called neighborhoods, that are dedicated to housing. There is one for each player faction, both with multiple available plots for players to choose from. Once a player picks a plot, they get a house, and from there they’re free to do what they want with the space. All neighborhoods are shared spaces, but not all neighborhoods are public. It’s possible for a guild, or even an informal group of friends, to have an instanced neighborhood. Customization is, of course, a major element of housing. There are hundreds of decor items to collect, and each type of house exterior has multiple options for things like the type of door, windows, or roof it can have. When housing became available to a wider audience, communities immediately formed around it. Major fan websites launched their own housing guides and decor catalogs. Groups of players gathered together to share their creations. A great example is "wowkea" on YouTube and Discord; this is a good place to look if you're interested in seeing what dedicated players are able to build. Housing has quickly became a major pillar of the game, before it was even fully launched. Early access to housing was made available to anyone who pre-purchased any edition of Midnight , including myself. Barring some bugs, I felt the housing system was a solid one, even in its early access state. It’s a solid, well designed foundation to build on. I wasn’t sure at first how I would feel sharing a space with other players, but in reality it worked out just fine. The housing plots have enough space between them that it doesn’t feel crowded, and the permission options for your house are robust, making it easy to keep out strangers and allow friends in at your discretion. I was in charge of setting up a private neighborhood for my World of Warcraft friend group, and once it was launched the process was pretty much painless. We now have our own space where we can show off our houses to each other and collaborate to earn more goodies. [caption id="attachment_185316" align="aligncenter" width="640"] An orc-themed housing interior.[/caption] Turns out, after a battle, an orc does go home and decorate! He’s got new trophies to mount on the walls. He has to find the right kind of weapon racks to display his growing collection of battle axes. He has to eat and sleep somewhere . None of that detracts from everything else World of Warcraft is, instead it made Azeroth a richer world. While Midnight introduced housing, developers have already stated that it’s something that will be developed alongside other evergreen content going forward. This system is still extremely young, so we have yet to see what kind of longevity it will have, or what possible updates could be planned for the future. The post Setting Down Roots: Housing in World of Warcraft appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerMar 5

New Release Round-Up (March 5, 2025) Welcome to RPGamer's new release round-up. In this column, we look to provide our readers with details on the major RPGs released since our last update. Please note we do not currently include Early Access releases where the game is still in development. Pricing is shown in US dollars before application of any discounts, local pricing may vary. Back to the Dawn Platform: Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2 (previously released on PC) Publisher: Clouded Leopard Entertainment Developer: Metal Head Games Available: Nintendo eShop (Switch) , Nintendo eShop (Switch 2) Price: $34.99 Back to the Dawn is a prison escape RPG. Players choose from two protagonists -- reporter Thomas or undercover agent Bob -- with both having their own twenty-hour storyline. The game features over a hundred quests, multiple escape routes with their own risks and rewards, and multiple endings. A PlayStation 5 version is planned to release later this year. Esoteric Ebb Platform: PC Publisher: Raw Fury Developer: Christoffer Bodegård Available: Steam Price: $24.99 (10% launch discount) Tabletop adventure-inspired title Esoteric Ebb puts players in the role of the Cleric, a menial labourer in the arcanepunk city of Norvik. As the city is on the brink of its first election, they are tasked with investigating an exploded Tea Shop. The game features open-ended quests with a wide variety of stakes. Actions and choices are met with dice rolls, and the player’s ability stats will intrude on conversations with their differing viewpoints. Legends of Amberland III: The Crimson Tower Platform: PC Publisher: Silver Lemur Games Developer: Silver Lemur Games Available: Steam , GOG.com Price: $19.99 (10% launch discount) Legends of Amberland III: The Crimson Tower is the latest title in the series inspired by classic 1990s cRPGs following Legends of Amberland: The Forgotten Crown and Legends of Amberland II: The Song of Trees . Legends of Amberland III: The Crimson Tower sees players leading a party of seven adventurers — pre-made or player-created — on an adventure through Amberland. The games can be played in any order, sharing the same world and lore, but with each having its own self-contained story. Oceanhorn 3: Legend of the Shadow Sea Platform: iOS, Mac Publisher: Cornfox & Bros. Developer: Cornfox & Bros. Available: Apple App Store Price: Apple Arcade subscription only Adventure RPG Oceanhorn 3: Legend of the Shadow Sea is set nearly a thousand years after the events of Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm . Players control the Champion of Sol and are tasked with navigating the treacherous Shadow Sea as they face the Shadow and look to harness the power of Xoma, the fourth lost god, to reshape the world. They will encounter a mysterious figure called Em, as well as mixture of new and familiar faces. Pokémon Pokopia Platform: Nintendo Switch 2 Publisher: The Pokémon Company Developer: Koei Tecmo Available: Nintendo eShop Price: $69.99 Pokémon Pokopia is a life-simulation game where players control a Ditto that can transform into a human shape. It lets players learn moves from befriended Pokémon and construct an environment that attracts other Pokémon while collecting materials, building furniture and homes, and growing vegetables. The game features a synchronised day-night cycle, changing weather, and a variety of in-game locations, with players able to invite friends to visit. Ratcheteer DX Platform: PC, Mac, Nintendo Switch Publisher: Panic Developer: Shaun Inman Available: Steam , Nintendo eShop Price: $12.99 (25% launch discount) Lo-fi action-adventure title Ratcheteer DX is an upgraded version of the original black-and-white title Ratcheteer , which released for the Playdate in 2022. The game is set in a world where the surface has been claimed by an Impact Winter, and humanity is left to hibernate underground. Players control an apprentice mechanic who wakes up to find the power plant and water treatment plant to be offline, putting the Cryo Colony in danger. They will need to find eight tools and explore 250 rooms across six regions and six dungeons. Sales Links Xbox Store PlayStation Store (North America) PlayStation Store (Europe) Nintendo eShop (North America) Nintendo eShop (Europe) Steam GOG.com Epic Games Store The Humble Store The post New Release Round-Up (March 5, 2025) appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerMar 5