Here are the 15 games announced through TBL pages that I’m currently tracking.
Back with Episode 63 of Keep an Eye On It with another batch of RPGs and strategy games from my recent TBL coverage. 15 this time, and I really do think there are some pretty interesting concepts in there.
KAEOI has always been about introducing you to games you probably wouldn’t have come across in any other way. Some of the projects are very early on in their life, others are further along. In any case I like to give them a bit of breathing space away from the constant flow of the bigger announcements. I hope you find something you’re interested in and that a few of the developers out there will find a few new people who are interested in what they’re doing.
There are a couple of games in here that I genuinely think you shouldn’t miss. WANE is my personal favorite, and I’ve put it right at the top, though we also have Stolen Realm 2, the pixel-art clan warfare of Northern Saga, and a whole host of other oddities. Their inclusion is entirely justified, as each and every one of them has given me some reason to look at them.
WANE
- Developer: Metis Creative
- Platforms: PC via Steam
- Release: To be announced
- Wane Steam Page
I’ve put WANE first because the occult setting and the frankly dubious cast of characters interest me most. Declan Wayne, the archaeologist, has opened something he really should have left alone, and his increasingly unstable mind has seen him return to Ravelle in search of a cure.
You bring in the occultists and the mercenaries to go down into the depths and have these turn-based tactical battles with horrors which are manifestations of his own past. Injuries accumulate, supplies disappear, and the decision as to when to pull back is part of the process of keeping the expedition going.
There’s also a rather interesting financial issue going on outside the dungeon. The artifacts you pull out can either be kept for the purposes of studying Ravelle’s history or sold to fund your supplies, wages, and medical bills. The shortcuts and safe rooms also assist future parties in getting further in as the dungeon continues to shift.
I really like it for the blend of strategic management and slick tactical combat. Looking forward to getting a demo at some point.
Medium Rare
- Developers: Payne Robinson, Peter Tinaglia, Giovanni Fim
- Platform: PC via Steam
- Release: January 2027
- Medium Rare Steam Page
Medium Rare has a great name and a rather grim reason for it. In a world where the depletion of resources has made cannibalism an industry, your wife has been taken to a human meat processing plant somewhere up a mountain.
To get to her, you’re going to have to tramp through a whole series of grid areas full of cannibals, infected humans, and the various mutated animals. Very much probably not the hiking trip either of you ever intended.
This is a turn-based survival dungeon crawler with dice-based gun fights, weapon combos, and an inventory that you absolutely have to think about how you pack. Ammo and carrying capacity will severely restrict what you can do on any given run, and the parts you pick up will be used to upgrade your character and gear when you get back to base.
There’s a Steam demo available if you’re up for having a go at this rather unfortunate supply chain.
Gods With Badges
- Developer: Strange Scaffold
- Platform: PC via Steam
- Release: 2027 (exact date TBC)
- Gods With Badges On Steam
Turning off your body camera in order to get access to further tactical and dialogue options is a rather bleak idea as a game mechanic, and that’s precisely why Gods With Badges has my eyes on it.
You play disgraced officer Harrow McClellan returning to a previous posting in the dystopian city of Scarhelm. Your patrols are all about taking complaints, collecting evidence, dealing with suspects, and then deciding how you’re going to use the immense power that comes with the uniform.
Combat is isometric and has a tactical system with cover, custom gear, hostage rescues and the option to arrest or kill the suspect. Turning the camera off adds a further dimension to those decisions as you’re no longer in the recording mode. You may in fact find that arresting a suspect puts your officer at greater risk than simply going for the attack that gives you the best outcome, and that’s a much more uncomfortable decision.
Stolen Realm 2
- Developer: Burst2Flame Games
- Platform: PC via Steam
- Release: To be announced
- Stolen Realm 2 On Steam
Apparently dragons and werewolves weren’t quite enough. Stolen Realm 2 opens up portals to sci-fi and post-apocalyptic worlds as well, bringing in the alien and the zombie to the rather problematic list of enemies we already have.
It’s a turn-based RPG with completely free character building (you can mix and match abilities, weapons, and equipment however you like with no classes to constrain you). Supports both single-player and online co-op (up to 6 players).
The sequel has a hand-crafted campaign with quests and decisions as well as a standalone roguelike mode for multiple runs and build experimentation. The roguelike mode is very much in the spirit of the game in that it’s all about trying out all sorts of odd combinations of characters.
There’s absolutely scope for experimentation and with six very different builds to juggle it should provide the co-op group with something to talk about other than who’s going to get the next shiny bit of kit.
Vermilion Sea
- Developer: Michael Kiang
- Platform: PC via Steam
- Release: To be announced
- Vermilion Sea on Steam
Vermilion Sea has you as Emi, a naval academy student on the path to becoming a Captain, tasked with protecting the Samyu Republic from pirates and also with uncovering problems within the Republic itself.
The setting is very much rooted in Chinese and Korean history and the battles take place on a traditional tactical grid. You recruit your characters (including former enemies) and spend time with your crew on the ship between chapters. That time on the ship can be a source of useful information both in terms of the battles ahead and the people you’re going to be fighting alongside.
The bit I really liked was after the first six linear chapters. From that point you pick which missions you want to go for, but there just isn’t enough time to do them all before the pirates come.
One job might give you gear, another might give you supplies, and another might give you a potential recruit. It’s all down to prioritization really, with the ship and the army both fighting for the same limited resources. That’s the Holy Grail for Fire Emblem fans.
Olympus 2249
- Developer: Dieselship Studio
- Platform: PC via Steam
- Release: Available in Early Access since October 6, 2026
- Olympus 2249 on Steam
Olympus 2249 is straight into my old school CRPG weakness again: an isometric, post-nuclear world where talking is just as much of a problem as a gun. Its dieselpunk version of America uses five Karmic Types to influence your dialogue, your quests and the reactions of the other characters.
That identity can be changed through your choices, and the non-combat specializations open up further ways of dealing with the problems. Being an unpleasant person is obviously a valid character concept with its own set of consequences.
When the talks break down, you’ve got turn-based tactical combat with aimed attacks at various body parts, stamina-based abilities, and environmental tricks (fuel barrels, fire, electricity, and traps).
This one is already playable with the current Early Access content featuring about a quarter of the story (estimated at 3-7 hours of play). Keep that in mind before you go out into the wasteland.
Tile Crawl
- Developer: UNSUNG
- Platform: PC via Steam
- Release: Coming soon; exact date unannounced
- Tile Crawl on Steam
Six items. That’s your entire inventory in Tile Crawl, and you use them up as you go. It’s a tactical roguelite where each encounter is a spatial puzzle with enemies, healing, treasure, allies, and explosives all on the board.
Your full collection of relics is always on screen so you never have to wait for the right card to come up. The problem is working out how to use what you’ve got without eventually ending up with your gear reduced to a very unfortunate collection of broken bits.
Its Perfect Hit system is the one that’s quite the odd man out. If you get your damage spot on to match the enemy’s strength, you get a special hit. Getting the numbers right can mean you weaken the enemy, you can strengthen the enemy, or you can even deliberately do damage to yourself. Exploration allows you to choose where you go and when you go to the boss (of course you can’t go to every single one).
You can also pick up new heroes, new equipment, and new passive upgrades during your runs. I’d definitely recommend you give the demo a go.
Northern Saga
- Developer: Bluetome
- Platform: PC via Steam
- Release: To be announced
- Northern Saga on Steam
For all the Ogre Battle fans out there (and especially those of you who spend hours putting together various teams), there’s something rather interesting here in the Viking mode.
Northern Saga is very much an Ogre Battle derivative with real-time army movement and automatic tactical skirmishes. You don’t go in and pick every single character’s attack. Your job is really one of preparation and squad composition. You’ve got your troops on a 3×3 formation grid, and the way you position them affects their abilities, their bonuses, and their attack synergies. The campaign is Una’s through the unrest and conflict of the Northern Territories.
Troop development starts with the three basic archetypes: the Soldier, the Archer and the Pilgrim. You can then move on to more specialized troops via class changes, skills, and gear.
That’s the bit I’m most likely to get stuck in. If you can give me a few different ways of putting together a small army then I’ll be more than happy to spend an absolutely ridiculous amount of time moving the same individual between two roles whilst convincing myself that the whole campaign is based on it. The pixelated graphic is absolutely superb, so this one is a must-support project.
ACORN: Seed of Resistance
- Developer: Guidelight Games
- Platform: PC via Steam
- Release: 2027
- Acorn on Steam
A forest full of little animal adventurers doesn’t necessarily mean you’re going to have a good afternoon. In ACORN: Seed of Resistance, your order has been double-crossed, nearly wiped out, and then blamed for the very crimes it was trying to prevent.
Each mission starts with a single hero going out and picking up allies as they explore the procedurally generated terrain. You then develop those recruits through skills and equipment with the aim of turning your disparate collection of recruits into a proper fighting force.
Battles resolve automatically, and again, as in the Viking game above, your attention is on party build and preparation (traps, barricades, fire bombs, etc.). Health and camping supplies will also be a factor in deciding which fights you take.
The intent is for the adventures to be around 15 minutes in length with the missions feeding into a larger campaign of base rebuilding and leaders being unlocked. Fit a decent amount of party-building decision-making into that 15-minute slot, not bad! Steam lets you request access to the playtest (though a request doesn’t guarantee you’ll get in).
Seeker Tactics
- Developer: DA2 Creative Inc.
- Platform: PC via Steam
- Release: To be announced
- Seeker Tactics on Steam
Seeker Tactics is adding monster collection to an extraction RPG, which sounds like a very effective way of making leaving a dungeon both emotionally and mechanically difficult. You’re exploring tile-based locations, capturing companions, gathering artifacts, and then having to decide when to actually leave.
The risk increases with every turn you stay, so the prospect of another useful find is always at odds with the ever-increasing likelihood of losing what you’ve already got. Your surviving companions and loot all go into the preparation for the next run.
One member of the party can act multiple times, though each individual action (move, attack, ability) will consume an action point, which may then be required by another member of the party. This gives party composition a very clear link to how you’re going to allocate your action points on each turn.
Defeat sees your haul left behind with one chance to come back and retrieve it before it becomes a permanent loss. With the trainable monster list and the haul recovery option, there should be absolutely no lack of opportunities to become really attached to the outcome of an expedition.
Southern Lights: Broken Frequency
- Developer: Glynos Interactive
- Platform: PC via Steam
- Release: November 1, 2026
- Southern Lights on Steam
An isolated Antarctic research station, a rather unusual power source, and an experiment which has apparently attracted something rather unpleasant. Of course the scientists have chosen a location with excellent access to absolutely no assistance.
Southern Lights: Broken Frequency has you in control of the stranded station as you make your turn-based survival and resource management decisions. You’re going to be balancing the need to repair the facilities, keep life support going, and continue the research against the background of a crew whose health and sanity are rapidly going down the pan.
Specialists have their own set of strengths and weaknesses, with the various perks being fully configurable to some degree. Emergencies add to the difficulty of an already grueling workload and can in themselves be the cause of further problems.
You might push an overworked researcher to the point where you get some result, but you’re also at the risk of destroying the very person you need to interpret that result. A Steam demo is available prior to the November release.
Master of Luna
- Developer: Aleksandr Tiupin
- Platforms: PC via Steam
- Release: Available in Early Access since September 12, 2025
- Master of Luna on Steam
Master of Luna is one of the already playable options; you play as a half-forgotten god trying to reassert his power. It’s a turn-based 4X in which you capture sites of power and neutral cities, build an economy, and manage your gold, your mana, and a range of other rarer resources.
When the armies go to war, it’s on a separate battlefield where it’s the individual spells of your heroes and the abilities of your creatures that will determine how well your hard-earned resources perform under pressure.
The devs are spot on in that they want to reduce the amount of repetitive admin and the amount of time spent waiting around. I’m completely with that. I love a good fantasy conquest campaign; I’m not at all keen on half the campaign being spent on admin.
The setting is absolutely spot on with me (eternal twilight, mist, ruins all over the place, very moody pixel art aesthetic). That’s the kind of thing I’d be quite happy to just play through in the evening when I’m not in the mood for all the admin and just want to be doing some research and some tactical battles. There’s a demo available with the early access version.
Seen NOT Heard
- Developer: Odd Indeed
- Platform: PC via Steam
- Release: To be announced
- Seen not Heard on Steam
Seen NOT Heard takes a very unsettling premise and drops it into a world which is essentially a collection of sketches and watercolors. Melia wakes up from a nightmare to find her mouth has been sewn shut and has no memory of how that happened. The monsters of the kingdom may well have the answers. It’s a story about the impact of family trauma and is very much alive with a number of characters who provide a welcome dose of humor.
There’s a party-based RPG underneath it all with turn-based combat, equipment crafting, companion development, and 10 areas to explore.
Who you take with Melia and the various combinations of abilities you can get out of your party are absolutely vital. The dialogue will also have to grapple with the fact that your protagonist is mute. I have no idea how the game will deal with a mute protagonist throughout the course of the adventure or how the rather quiet visual style will mesh with the more serious themes, but I’m looking forward to finding out. In the meantime, a demo is available.
Thornetica
- Developer: Forbidden Candy
- Platform: PC via Steam
- Release: To be announced
- Thornetica on Steam
A uni theatre society deciding who gets to play the medieval noble is in itself a textbook example of a strategic problem. Thornetica takes it to the next level. The Kent University theatre society performs a play on the York/Lancaster conflict, with each “chapter” of the play being a battle fought via tactical RPG combat.
You choose which member of the cast takes on each role, thus putting your party together and, in the process, potentially changing the course of the story and the dialogue. A brilliant way of making character selection an integral part of the fiction.
Between the rehearsals, you have your free time in which you get to get involved in all the various activities, you develop your social skills, and you get to know the other members of the club better. There can be a very definite romantic element. There is absolutely scope for a more personal kind of strategy RPG where your friendships can share the stage with your classes and your combat roles. A demo is available on Steam.
Expedition Bonk
- Developer: Yukisora
- Platforms: PC via Steam
- Release: November 30, 2026
- Expedition Bonk on Steam
Closing out episode 63 of my Keep An Eye On It with Expedition Bonk, which dispatches three F-tier heroines after the Goblin King, as it seems no one bothered to check whether there were any other applicants who might have been better qualified.
It’s a compact turn-based RPG which blends action selection with timed inputs (for increasing the power of your attacks and blocks). Skills have a finite number of uses, so it’s not simply a matter of getting the timing right. You have to decide whether a particularly potent skill is worth using up at this point or whether you should save it for the next turn.
Progression uses a shared skill tree with individual skills and upgrades for the whole party. The money you make gets put back into the team to make them stronger, and there are 11 stages of progression from the rather underpowered starting party to the target.
It takes about four hours to do the adventure (which frankly is part of the appeal for me in that free time is now an utopia). There’s a demo available to play with the timing and get the bonking going before launch.
That’s my pick for Episode 63. WANE is still one of the games I’m most interested in, though I’d quite happily make time to look at any of them in more detail. That’s generally the point at which this column starts to become a problem with my schedule.
Have a proper look at the projects you’re interested in, try out the demos that are available, and put your favorites on your wishlist. Which of them grabbed you, and how many were entirely new? Let’s talk about them on Reddit.
