On The Radar – May 2021

Written by Hardcase

Lists
Upcoming turn-based games

You’re a child in the garden
You’re growing up I’ll watch you bloom
And your dreams are not forgotten

– Greta Van Fleet

Youth is an extraordinary (D&D) adventure!

I’m fighting an enormous green dragon with a long and thin neck. His movements are sudden and quick, like a whip.
The stale air is almost suffocating me, but I can’t afford any distractions. My life is in my… fingers.
The arcade room is full of people and sounds and colors, it seems the inside of a bizarre spaceship.
Above me, a big monitor broadcast my fight with the dragon, while behind me there is a little crowd watching it with bated breath. One last blow and the dragon is dead. Finally, Daphne is mine…

It’s the ’80s and my world is all about friends and videogames. Girls will begin to trouble my mind in a couple of years, but right now my family are my friends. We are always together, the perfect party for a D&D adventure.
There is the biggest of us, called House, our Tank. He is almost 190 centimeters tall for a tonnage of 120 Kg. He could smash a car without breaking a sweat, but actually he is a very good guy.
Then there is the Count, the (false) aristocratic of our team, like a true Knight full of knowledge and always ready to follow the law. An average guy with a sparkle of foolishness, just behind the wall of his boring wisdom.
After that we have Za-Za, the Jester, a funny and unpredictable guy with only one – quite useless – skill: he is able to imitate a cockroach inflating air in his belly.
We are all teens and we can do whatever we want, but getting to the arcade room is never a joke. First of all we need to go through one of the worst and infamous district of our city, something similar to the old Bronx in New York City. But nonetheless, this is not a real problem for us, in case of danger we have our portable panic room: House! Passed the treacherous district, we have to continue along a very long bridge, crossing an area full of crashed car and ferocious dogs, all teeth and nerves. A gloomy place perfect for an ambush. Then, finally, after a small patch of muddy land (maybe there are even quicksand!), right in front of us appears our carnival, full of mysteries and promises: our final destination. With our pocket (almost) full of coins we make our way towards the arcade room!
Quest completed.

The years have passed and now my only chance to live adventures like the ones narrated above are all in my beloved CRPGs. I think this is the main reason why I feel so excited every time a true turn-based RPG, like Solasta Crown of the Magister, is going to be released. It’s easy for me to imagine my party still composed by my friends on our long way to the carnival.
Have you ever considered CRPs like an extension of our youth? Maybe I’m just crazy, but like someone else said before: “One person’s craziness is another person’s reality“.

Then, there remains only one last question: where is my beloved Daphne now?

DEMEO – 6th May

I’m not very confident with VR games, maybe I’m just too old, but the idea of putting on an helmet and completely close the door to the reality, well… frankly, I would feel like an idiot.
Besides, most of the VR games have nothing to do with my passion for turn-based games, but… this time we have an exception.
Demeo is probably the first turn-based RPG / dungeon crawler in virtual reality. I have to say that, watching the trailer, the game seems to perfectly catch the tabletop experience of a RPG.
An important part of Demeo is reserved to the cooperative features (up to four players), with even the possibility to play it in cross-platform mode. I’ve to confess that I’m rather intrigued by this title, luckly it is planned also non-VR version of the game!
Very soon on Steam.


SUFFERING – 14th May

Suffering is quite a strange and mysterious game.
The story of the game is about an ordinary human, doomed by his sins, who suddenly fall into the Room of Suffering! In short, the life of an indie developer who decide to compete against the big software houses or, alternatively, the life of a lawyer with a conscience.
The game promises to bring exactly what you can expect from the title: a lot of suffering.
The developers claim that this might be “the most difficult turn-based indie game you’ve ever played””. Besides SUFFERING (I like to write it in capital letters) promises “zero mob, no gold, no levels and no companions”, so it should be questionable whether there is still a game after all, anyway… personally I like to have fun while playing a videogame but I’m sure the world is full of masochists.
On Steam E.A. quite soon.


THE AMAZING AMERICAN CIRCUS – 20th May

Finally a game that tries to offer something different and original, at least in terms of setting.
Personally I can’t even remember a game whose story is related to the management of a circus. Anyway The Amazing American Circus is set during the Gilded Age and tells the story of a man (you) who decide to build his own circus empire.
Obviously, in order to do so, you’ll have to travel all around the USA, visit legendary places and meet real historical characters!

Among the features of this very interesting game we shall find:

  • Become a legend! Save a run-down circus, gather a troupe of performers, and dare to defy the greatest showman on earth – P.T Barnum himself.
  • Recruit and train over 12 different types of circus artists
  • Take part in exciting battles on the circus arena using the beautifully illustrated collectible cards
  • Upgrade your circus caravan thanks to different types of wagons offering over 100 possible modifications
  • Meet both historical and fictional characters deeply embedded in American folklore, such as John D. Rockefeller, Susan B. Anthony, or Nikola Tesla
  • Immerse yourself in a story taking place during the turbulent era of the fading Wild West and enter the beautiful and dark world of Native American folklore and the immigrant populace
  • Listen to a unique soundtrack inspired by classic circus music and American country & folk

Next month on Steam!


THE CURSE OF FELDAR VALE – 24th May

Maybe The Curse of Feldar Vale is not a game for everyone, but I’m sure it will make the happiness of all the true turn-based RPG lovers!
Based on Dungeons and Dragons Open Game License (OGL 1e/2e), T.C.o.F.V. is the first episode of a series of adventures set on the world of Qaedon, during the Age of Chaos. Humans, greenskins, and all manner of monsters fight to survive these troubled times. Your goal is to build a party of 4-6 characters and adventure in this ruthless world seeking fame, fortune and glory.

Features:

  • Hours of game play with multiple locations to visit and numerous quests to undertake.
  • Build your party from traditional D&D races (Human, Elf, Dwarf, Half-Elf, or Halfling).
  • Tactical turn-based encounters on square grids where every decision counts.
  • Adventure in overland locations, explore buildings, or battle in dark dungeons.
  • Keep your party supplied (hungry heroes do not fight as efficiently as well-fed ones!).
  • Hundreds of items for your party to find.
  • …and much more!

If you are a bit curious, you can even play the demo. Soon on Steam.


SHIN MEGAMI TENSEI III NOCTURNE HD REMASTER – 25th May

As I said many times in the past, I’m not a big fun of JRPGs, neither classic nor modern.
If I have to honest I find them quite repetitive and boring, with their exhausting dialogues and their straightforward gameplay, but I’m sure that this is just a matter of taste.
Anyway, this game (don’t ask me to write its title for a second time, I’m too old for this…) seems to be a true classic. Its first release goes back to 2003 on the glorious Playstation 2. Things were easier at that time and often a good story was enough for having a good game.
This HD version finally brings on PC remastered 3D models and backgrounds, additional difficulty settings, the chance to save the game whenever we want, English voice over etc.
At the end of the month on Steam.


SOLASTA: CROWN OF THE MAGISTER – 27th May

Well, this is not a secret, Solasta is simply my favourite game of the month, maybe even of the first half of this year! Unfortunately there plenty of tactical turn-based games, but just a few are true CRPGs.
Our blog had written a lot about this game, but if are in hurry it is enough to read the great preview written by Alori some months ago. Long story short Solasta is a calssic (in a good way!) turn-based RPG based on the SRD 5.1 ruleset. I’ve never tried it while it was in e.a. because I just wanted to wait the full release, but I’ve to say that, at a first glance, it reminds me Pathfinder: Kingmaker, another great RPG, whose sequel is just around the corner.
Probably one of the most interesting feautures of Solasta is the one called the “Dungeon Maker“, a very funny way to unleash the creativity of the player, who can craft his own dungeons, play and share them with friends.
We are just few weeks away from the full release. Finger crossed!
On Steam.


WARHAMMER AGE OF SIGMAR: STORM GROUND – 27th May

I find myself constantly impressed by the unbelievable number of Warhammer universes. WAOSSG, an abbreviation more similar to a sneeze than to a title, is the newest game based on a Warhammer license. From the official site, I read that the game is set in a dark fantasy world “where immortal knights ride heavenly stardrakes to eradicate Death across a multitude of realms”.
Your goal is to lead your highly costumizable army in a dynamic campaign, fighting strategic battle to the death. The campaign is non-linear and battle after battle it will give you the chance to win new units, upgrades and legendary loot. So far I still haven’t found a Warhammer game to my taste, but this time, at least on the paper, it seems that we are on the right track!
On Steam, at the end of the month.

THE HAND OF MERLIN (E.A) – May

The Hand of Merlin is a roguelite turn-based RPG that merges Arthurian legend with sci-fi/horror themes? A crazy idea? I’m not sure of it…
I’ve to admit that the developers of this game know how to catch the attention of the players. The setting and the lore of The Hand of Merlin seems to represent the strength of the entire production, with a great focus on the bestiary and the characters behind the project.
Obviously the game tells the story of a journey, but not a standard one: among alternate dimensions, nightmare creatures and mythological relics your mission to save the world (or, better, the worlds!) won’t be an easy task!
I hope to get soon an interview from the developers, so stay tuned!
On Steam.

WARHAMMER 40,000: BATTLESECTOR – May

Ok I’m starting to get a little bit confused about Warhammer releases. So many games, so many universes, so many different software houses… I cannot even understand if they have something in common!
Anyway, this game is defined like “the definitive battle-scale game of turn-based strategy and fast-paced combat that takes you to the battlefields of the 41st Millennium“.
The concept – to me – seems to be always the same: 1) build and forge your army (yawn); 2) fight the enemies in skirmish battle (yawn n.2), using your “amazing” skill (yawn n.3).
Fans of Warhammer I beg your pardon.
Sometime in May, on Steam.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

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Hardcase

True Italian with certified mustache made of pasta. Lawyer for a living, writer for passion. Turn-Based Lovers collaborator and many other unnecessary things.

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