Probably the last Keep an Eye on It of 2021. I want to end the year with 10 Indie turn-based RPGs & Strategy Games expected during 2022 except for one game which is already available. This last episode of the year it’s the perfect place to thank you for continuously following this column and TBL with such great interest.
It has been a year full of satisfaction both for the website and for the YT channel, so many talented writers have joined us to share their videogames stories helping TBL become a meeting place for RPGs and Strategy fans.
My idea is to keep improving every single thing related to turnbasedlovers project, starting from the written content to the videos, and everything related to them.
Anyway, let’s start with 10 Promising Indie Turn-Based RPGs & Strategy Games set to be released during 2022.
Project Apax
If like many JRPG fans you find yourself longing for the glory days of the PS1 era, Project Apax promises a nostalgia-filled journey. It follows two protagonists, Laia and Evan, as they rise from their status as humble apprentices to saving their kingdom (and, in all likelihood, the world) from a mighty empire. Packed to the brim with locations to explore, Project Apax will provide roughly 80 hours of gameplay focusing on old-school JRPG elements.
Of course, retro-inspired games need an angle if they’re going to stand out. Project Apax will use modern AI algorithms to develop enemy battle plans, so players will need to think and strategize in order to win battles. Hopefully this will lead to some exciting boss battles where the enemy can choose from an extensive moveset and keep the player on their toes at all times – just imagine if classic super-bosses like Ozma or Ruby Weapon could have adapted their strategy! The game doesn’t release until late 2022, but a demo is available right now.
Great Houses of Calderia
Great Houses of Calderia is what would happen if Crusader Kings and Civilization had a baby. In a fantasy Renaissance setting, players will be arranging marriages, securing political alliances, and scheming against their rivals while also balancing the population assignments of their cities and maintaining control of strategic resource nodes. It’s not yet clear exactly how much 4X gameplay will make its way into the generational grand strategy model, but it was only a matter of time until such an experiment began.
The game promises more battle management than its inspirations, so players hoping to flex their tactical muscles could find an opportunity to do so in Calderia. The fantasy world also gives players an opportunity to build a truly unique history, naming important sites after distinguished dynasty members and commemorating famous battles. Great Houses of Calderia is currently expected to release in Q2 of 2022.
RESEARCH and DESTROY
This cartoony and chaotic multiplayer game feels like the cast of Evil Genius playing Valkyria Chronicles on the set of a Scooby-Doo episode. Players will send their wacky scientists all over the world to develop new weapons capable of destroying the monsters that have overrun Earth. It seems perfect for a night of silly hijinx with friends, and the campaign mode promises plenty of replayability as supernatural crises erupt in different parts of the world on each playthrough. There is not yet an official release date, but a free demo is currently available.
ZOR: Pilgrimage of the Slorfs
Don’t let the silly name fool you – ZOR is a game with a ton of promise. This hex-based tactical adventure sees the player guiding the Slorfs across their planet to investigate an omen that threatens their civilization. Everything from movement to combat to navigating the dense and dangerous terrain is done through a hand of cards. The player’s entire roster of Slorfs shares the same deck, so unlike many tile-based games it’s likely that each unit will have to take wildly different actions based on the available hand.
ZOR is also a very pretty game; its whimsical art style allows for all sorts of wondrous environments. Despite its beauty, each map is very dangerous, and even the simplest actions could result in disaster. Managing resources between maps lends the game a survival element as well. Taken together, this all adds up to an especially exciting release expected in early 2022.
Myriads: Renaissance
Floating islands are a staple of fantasy gaming. While plenty of games let players explore these impossible landscapes, there aren’t nearly as many that let you build one. Enter Myriads: Renaissance, a 4X game with city-building elements. Not only will players be able to fly out in search of new islands to settle or conquer, but they will also be able to add landmass to their territory on which to build.
Managing scarce resources is common in strategy games – some games make it a cornerstone of their gameplay. Making usable land the most precious resource of all adds lots of compelling decision points; if you only have one mountain, should it be a mine to gather extra resources or a watchtower to fend off attacks? If you like the district-building mechanics of Civ 6 and Humankind, Myriads should be a very exciting game to look forward to. There is not yet an announced release date, but the demo is available for download.
Xenotheria
Deckbuilding and deep characters don’t tend to go hand-in-hand, but Ganymede Games hopes to change that with Xenotheria. Players will follow a ragtag group of explorers hoping to solve the mystery of a world-ending disaster before it’s too late. The delightfully weird, isometric alien world the team is tasked with saving offers plenty of challenges to overcome – the design team did a great job with this one.
In addition to having a unique personality, each potential party member contributes their own set of cards to the player’s combat deck. This makes the choice of teammates even more important than it is in most RPGs, as swapping characters can impact how the entire team performs, not just change out a move set. Good things take time, though; Xenotheria won’t be out until late 2022.
A Glimpse Of Luna
If you’re visiting this site it’s a fair bet you like card games. It’s also a fair bet you like hex-based tactical games. Why not try both together? A Glimpse of Luna offers tactical gameplay powered by cards; players deploy units to the board from their hand, then try to get the optimal positioning to defeat their opponent. The limitless potential for new content this format allows means that A Glimpse of Luna could have legs for a very long time as long as its player base sticks around.
A Glimpse of Luna allows for many possible builds. To begin with, there are four playable factions, each with its own unique playstyle. Additionally, the game boasts four distinct unit classes and twenty-one card abilities, meaning there is plenty of room to give each card a place in the right deck. It is currently free to play on its own website.
The Troop
At first glance, The Troop looks like a turn-based version of WarGame set in World War II. Dig a little deeper, and it could just be the WWII game that players have been waiting for. It focuses on platoon-level combat, so players will be managing a few infantry squads, some heavy weapon teams, and maybe an armoured squadron on any given map. This means your most precious resource will likely be your soldiers’ lives.
Where many WWII games pride themselves on extreme historical accuracy, The Troop states right up front that it is a game first and foremost. The player is able to adjust many aspects of gameplay to create as much or as little challenge as they like, and the scenarios are designed to maximize enjoyability over strict accuracy. Unless it comes out very soon, it doesn’t look like The Troop will make its planned 2021 release, but in the meantime, a demo can be downloaded to give it a try.
Of Blades & Tails
Fans of Redwall, Armello, or any other setting where anthropomorphic animals hack at one another with swords could have a retro treat coming in Of Blades & Tails. A one-man project in early development, this hack-and-slash RPG will provide an open world with procedurally-generated dungeons to explore. Despite danger lurking around every corner, the game is reasonably forgiving of death and provides frequent autosaves so there is never too much progress lost from a bad round of combat.
Of Blades & Tails still has a long way to go, but it’s clear that it is being actively worked on with an eye towards release sometime in 2022. It already has some lovely environments, so we’re excited to see what the finished product looks like. The developer states that a demo is currently in testing, so it’s possible that curious players will be able to try it out fairly soon.
Precursors: Armored Angels
Precursors: Armored Angels offers exciting hex-based battles between giant robots. If you wish Battletech was just a little more Evangelion, look no further. While the game’s style isn’t actually anime, it does prominently feature mechs piloted by pretty young women with brightly-colored hair. Thankfully, Precursors doesn’t feel as exploitative as many other mecha games with all-female rosters.
The game’s story revolves around crucial plot decisions and long-term planning; players have only 120 days to save their colonies from destruction. It also boasts a wide array of pilot and mech abilities, allowing for plenty of customization and viable builds. It’s expected to enter Early Access in the near future, with no word yet on an official release date.
Let me know what you think about these 10 promising RPGs & Strategy Games expected in 2022 in the comments below and don’t forgive to check out the video version of this article. Thank you so much for keeping following TBL, wish you a happy and sheltered Xmas.
GREAT HOUSES OF CALDERIA looks interesting
Totally agree with you 🙂