The year 2022 seems to have a good slew of games coming out that aren’t just limited to turn-based. But as you know, this is site is specialized so without going over those, allow me to introduce some of my most anticipated turn-based games with some hopefuls on the list that don’t have a specific date but are warranted to be on in my opinion.
Triangle Strategy
This one is probably one of the heavy-hitter releases of the first quarter of 2022 regardless of game genre. Developed by Square Enix and Artdink (who published the Playstation version of Tactics Ogre in 1998) and published by Square Enix, Triangle Strategy looks to release on March 3 exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. It is being produced by Tomoya Asano who has worked on the Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler games.
The art style of the game not surprisingly looks like Octopath Traveler and has that blend of 2D and 3D which is called 2.5D. The game which had a free demo released early last year had been open to input from fans which the developers took note of and made some changes accordingly. The playstyle feels kind of like Fire Emblem and Final Fantasy Tactics to me somewhat although that may be left up to interpretation as well as pending changes made to the final version.
The story takes place on the continent Norzelia with mainly three countries that make it up — Glenbrook, Aesfrost, and Hyzante fighting over natural resources like salt and iron which is aptly named the “Saltiron War.” The hero of the story Serenoa Wolffort, his fiancé Princess Frederica Aesfrost, and his childhood friend Prince Roland, are thrust into the conflict. The game aims to be about fifty hours long for the main story.
The replay value to this game is probably a lot more due to the decision system the game has with the player having to make a choice among several which affects different aspects of the game’s morale system and thus affecting the outcome. It looks promising to say the least with many hoping this will be worthy of Final Fantasy Tactics and Tactics Ogre.
Dragon Quest III 2.5 3D Remake (Hopeful Pick)
This game does not have a definitive date but I love the Dragon Quest series so much that I am putting it up here for the time being. Dragon Quest III was originally developed by Enix and published by Chunsoft on the Famicom in Japan way back in 1988 and eventually the USA four years later in 1992 for the NES under the title Dragon Warrior III as they wanted to avoid legal trouble with a table-top game with the same name.
They eventually registered the trademark in the USA anyway in 2002 with every Dragon Quest since then had the current name. The new remake as stated in the title will be in the vein of 2D and 3D or 2.5D like Octopath Traveler and the much anticipated Triangle Strategy. This game has been remade several times ranging from the SFC, to Game Boy all the way to smartphones just recently. I have played several but none of them have made a somewhat 2.5D transition as this new remake is going to do.
Without going over too much of the story as I feel it would spoil it for those who never played it, this game is part of the Loto trilogy which comprises the first three Dragon Quest games. Dragon Quest III was one of the first big mainstream games to have characters you could create and customize which included the hero as well. Thus, it has great replay value and is highly regarded as one of the fan-favorite Dragon Quest games in Japan. Even though I stated I have played and beaten this game several times before, I still intend to play this game and look forward to it as the original is a classic among classics. Nintendo Store
Advance Wars 1+2: Re-Boot Camp
Advanced Wars is a tactics game released way back in 2001 by Intelligence Systems in the USA (the Japanese release as well the European release were delayed due to the time-sensitivity of the September 11 incident), the company responsible for the recent Fire Emblem and the Paper Mario series. It subsequently had a sequel as well a year later. The two games are now being developed by Wayforward as one compilation and aim to be released on the Nintendo Switch with a non-definitive Spring release date.
The remade games now have 3D graphics along with new art styles and a remade game soundtrack. The Advance Wars series is in my opinion a tactics game for tactics fan. It features military-style tactics where commanding officers order troops to defeat other troops, capture neutral territories, and capture the enemies headquarters. All this while accounting for terrain and the various types of military units and weapons at ones’ disposal. The originals were very balanced games with greatness all-around. Hopefully, the gameplay remains the same.
Pokemon Legends: Arceus
This game looks like a huge open-world adventure and is being compared to having the world of Pocket Monsters given the Breath of the Wild treatment somewhat. It was later revealed by the Pokemon Company that is not open-world in fact however. It is a prequel to Pokemon Diamond and Pearl in the Pocket Monsters timeline. It has the nearest release date on this list with it being released exclusively for Nintendo Switch on January 28.
Besides being a large seemingly open-world but not open-world game, this game has some interesting concepts new to the series like being able to sneak up on Pokemon and capture them with a Pokeball without a fight. But be careful as wild Pokemon are able to attack trainers directly which will change the way adventurers must think. Those who may want to try a new way of experiencing Pokemon should check it out as it seems to add a lot of action to the Pokemon series along with new elements like crafting to its RPG formula as well.
Metal Slug Tactics (Hopeful Pick)
News for this game caught me by surprise because it is going to take the classic Metal Slug gameplay and covert it to a strategy RPG. Although, I later found out that this game was being taken from an earlier 2009 concept for S!Appli mobile phones only in Japan. Not an extensive amount is known about gameplay besides it being a tactical RPG with Roguelike elements with attack syncing.
They also stated that many of the game’s standard style of attacks will be implemented like air raids. The art style and its gameplay movements look faithful to the Metal Slug run and gun franchise. The developers said they intend to make it difficult but will allow for unlimited replay attempts for new and old missions alike.
It has animated sequences similar to Japanese animation which looks fantastic with all the familiar faces being back like Major Marco Rossi, Captain Tarma Roving, Sergeant Eri Kasamoto, and Major Sergeant Fio Germi judging by the trailer.. It is being Developed by Leikir Studio and published by Dotemu who have published Streets of Rage 4 and will do the upcoming Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. It is another hopeful pick with a tentative release date in 2022 for PC via Steam and the Nintendo Switch. I am very excited for this one.
Let me know what you think about my 5 most anticipated Turn-Based RPGs of Q1 2022 in the comments below.
Metal Slug Tactics is a game I keep forgetting exists, but it is one I am looking forward to.