Has it already been a month? Time moves exponentially faster as the responsibility of buying christmas presents becomes ever more pressing. If only my loved ones could be appeased with a slew of turn-based goodness.
After a relatively slow October where Metaphor: Refantazio dominated the market we have a slightly busier November… where another beloved JRPG title dominated the market aslongside a number of early access launches.
Same rules as always, F2P titles are excluded because they don’t have sold copies, adult titles are excluded so Marcello doesn’t kick me off the website. Beyond that the following list is the top 10 games based on estimated copies sold[1] that were released in November 2024.
Dragon Quest III HD-2D Remake
I mentioned a beloved JRPG that dominated the charts this month and along with taking the crown for estimated copies sold, I am giving it an unofficial award for worst naming convention. “III HD-2D” will just never sit right with me.
It’s an iconic game remastered with beautiful landscapes so I am not surprised it’s selling well and there are plenty of people out there with serious nostalgia for early JRPG’s for this to capitalize on. Considering that another Dragon Quest game appeared on my list 2 months ago, I am beginning to think this might be the start of a pattern with how many titles are released in this series.
Dungeon Clawler – EARLY ACCESS
Where on earth did this one come from? I usually try to keep up to date on hot releases but Dungeon Clawler managed to completely pass me by. Apparently I am in the minority as it’s put up some impressive numbers for an early access release and it’s easy to see why it’s doing fairly well.
It’s the latest offering from the developers behind The Wandering Village and Terrascape and hits a number of key qualities. Innovative roguelike mechanics, clean art style, low price, a questionable pun in the title, and, most importantly…it’s a claw machine where you actually win items. We might also have a full preview coming up on the site soon if it hasn’t already beaten this list to the upload!
Metal Slug Tactics
I know this is hardly an unpopular take, but the look of Metal Slug just never gets old, and I am glad they tried to keep the series alive with an innovative spin-off. It’s no surprise that it’s sitting fairly high in the charts, and if you want a full breakdown, you can go and read a review on the site from VeryWetLeaf.
The fact that described it as a “phenomenal if not a perfect adaptation of the franchise to the turn-based tactics format”, made me fix my original mistake of not having this wishlisted.
ZEPHON
I honestly thought Zephon would be coming in at number 2. That might be partly due to the amount of advertising I see for this game whenever I browse Reddit. Good job, though. I certainly want to market to the right audience because I think the game looks fantastic.
ZEPHON is very much in the shoes of their previous licensed title, “Warhammer 40,000: Gladius of War.” It allows players to expand their empire while facing various eldritch abominations amongst forests of flesh-eating trees and other charming locals. Honestly, it sounds kind of like Warhammer all over again, but I am always here for original sci-fi universes, especially if they lean into the grimdark.
Epic Auto Towers – EARLY ACCESS
I wondered how far down the list we would get before an auto battler crept in. Looking at the screenshots, I am simply left confused. I am not entirely sure how a coffee tower is going to help defend my realm or the long-term feasibility of a TNT tower.
Come to think of it, isn’t a tower defense game somewhat of an auto battler by default? Either way, the game seems to have developed a mostly German audience, which is boosting it up this list despite being a Russian-developed game. I can’t think of many other titles in this specific tower defense auto battler niche, so it’s one to keep an eye on if that combination appeals to you.
Beastieball – EARLY ACCESS
Pokemon x Volleyball with a killer art style published by Klei? This just sounds like it was made to be an indie darling. The reviews seem to be holding that view up because it’s the highest reviewed game on this list currently sitting at a whopping 99% positive reviews.
I particularly like the fact that Beastieball allows you to tackle “gyms” in any order, as we are almost always forced down a more linear route in traditional creature collectors. I would be shocked if this doesn’t turn out to be a great game when it is fully released, so maybe keep your eyes out for a full review in the future.
Blackthorn Arena: Reforged
Is it just me, or are gladiator management games on the rise at the minute? Gladiator Guild Manager, We Who Are About To Die and now a remake of Blackthorn Arena, a title released in early 2020. Perfect timing with the release of Gladiator II to stir your arena combat interests.
The original has been remade with new graphics and new content, but what looks to me like a similar amount of jank. Still, it seems the original had a bit of a cult following, which has helped this rerelease, even if reviews are seeming a little mixed currently. Now, this title may be cheating my chart numbers slightly because it seems everyone who owned a copy of the original title got a copy of the reforged version so it’s hard for me to grasp how many of the estimated sales numbers are legitimate but I am leaving it in due to the majority of reviews indicating they did not receive the product for free.
Seer’s Gambit
Seer’s Gambit also had a full review posted up on the site. This time, it was by yours truly, and I had a great time with the game, so I am happy to see it pop up again here. A roguelite semi-autobattler where you quest to save the kingdom while assembling your motley crew of heroes. Compared to other auto battlers it has a focus on each character having some sort of activatable ability and using these at the right time can greatly impact your team’s performance.
If regular auto battlers are just a bit too hands-off for you, you might find Seer’s Gambit strikes the right balance. It’s got the feel of a passion project and a penchant for tipping cows, what else do you need to know?
Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch – EARLY ACCESS
For me the original Lost Eidolons was a game of two halves. Initially I loved its slightly darker fantasy take on a Fire Emblem game but the shine wore off as I got further on and fell victim to a slight lack of variety. Our own reviewer had a much more positive opinion and highly recommended it. Following the response to the initial game we now have the standalone roguelite title Veil of the Witch which aims to iterate on the original.
It’s certainly captured my interest a lot more with the roguelite loop, more distinct character designs and the general fan feedback seems to be that this is an improvement. I will be keeping an eye on the title to see how it progresses in the future because the idea of a roguelite Fire Emblem sounds like an easy way for me to lose a week or two of my life.
Dungeon Inn – EARLY ACCESS
Now, this one looks interesting to me. Making these lists has really made me take note that there are some banger-looking titles that are very much underplayed in the Western market, and Dungeon Inn is one such title. You own an inn placed at the entrance to a dungeon and have to juggle business from 2 rivaling guilds for maximum profit.
Not only dealing with upgrading your interior decor but also having to deal with guild fights breaking out on your doorstep. Not only that, but I also had to deal with the situation covertly to avoid displaying bias to either guild. I have no idea how well all these players are out, but the reviews so far are very good. Hope to see a strong full release in the future.
And that’s it for my November round up. What has been your favorite release from the past month? Head to the Turn Based Lovers discord server and let me know.
[1] Data used was from Gamalytic based on games that include a “Turn Based” tag and then sense checked against VGInsights and peak player numbers/reviews from SteamDB, Gamalytic outliers were moved closer to numbers shown on other sites. All sold copy numbers used are estimates based on an unknown algorithm that uses review counts among other metrics. Free 2 Play and Adult games, as well as some games that would not fit the standard definition of turn-based, have been removed from the list.
