On The Radar – August 2021

“Things in Arizona don’t just die; they bake and fry in the heat until there is nothing left.”
― Jeffry R. Halverson

Usually August is not very exciting from the point of view of the releases.

Indeed, with the arrival of the Summer, even the purest turn-based lover feels the need to take a break from his favorite games, maybe going somewhere, away from the sweltering heat of the cities.
It is undeniable, in fact, that nowadays our beloved PCs looks more and more like a charcoal stove, a circumstance very useful during the winter, but that not when outside is so hot that you can see a fire hydrant chasing a dog.
But, even if this month may appear not so good for the release of a game, the list below can give us more than a reason to change our mind.

During August will be released 17 turn-based games (and I’m sure I missed a game or two…), and to be honest I cannot even remember a month so generous in terms of releases. A renaissance? A coincidence? Who knows, but what I know is that this month there is no time for chit- chat.

So, forget the heat, put your PC in the fridge and live this fantastic turn-based month!

P.S. Speaking of heat, do you know what is faster, hot or cold? Hot, because you can always catch a… cold… Ok I’ll be quiet now.

CREATURES OF AETHER – 2^nd August

Directly from Android, Creatures of Aether tries to say something new about the deck-building genre also on PC. It is a quite original card game that brings together PVP and PVE matches, and all for free!
I tried it, not a long time ago, on my tablet and I have to admit that it was quite funny!

KEY FEATURES

• PVP card Battles
• Elemental Creatures
• PVE Dungeons
• Powerful Rivals

On Steam!

SKALD: Against the Black Priory (E.A.) – 2^nd August

A classic, turn-based rpg set in a dark and gritty fantasy universe full of tragic heroes, violent deaths and eldritch horror.
SKALD: Against the Black Priory is a tile and turn-based RPG where you lead a party of up to six characters on an epic and perilous quest.
Develop your party as you explore the accursed isle of Idra, fight untold horrors and struggle to maintain your sanity whilst striking at the heart of the foul Black Priory and the horrors therein.

KEY FEATURES

• Vintage graphics using the glorious Commodore 64 color palette.
• Complex level-based character development with abilities, skills, and features.
• Different character classes and builds.
• Grindless tactical combat.
• “Choose-your-own-adventure” system and dynamic, tree-based dialog.
• Dozens of opponents, items and encounters in an expansive world.

What can I say about it? It’s quite simple, SKALD is one of the most fascinating (maybe the MOST fascinating) game of the year, and I’m really happy for its release, even if it’s only in E.A. This is one of those rare cases where E.A. is a good thing, because, so far, the developers have proved to have a great relationship with their community.
Don’t sleep on this one, trust me!

On Steam at the beginning of the month!

JUPITER HELL – 5^th August

Some time ago I wrote one of my “forgettable” Hands-on about a game called Jupiter Hell. I really liked what I saw at that time and I’m quite sure the full game will be a blast!

At its core JH is a turn-based roguelike, spiritual successor to DoomRL and so here we find some of the most well-known features of the genre like procedurally generated levels, permadeath and so on.
Besides, while in many recent roguelike the death of your character unlocks some kind of bonus, here the death is really nothing but the end of everything.I think this game should be dedicated to all those who think that turn-based games are slow and boring. Try Jupiter Hell and you’ll discover how far you are from the truth!
There are not so many games like this one out there, so if you like the blood, the dark and a tight-lipped smile then… what are you waiting for!?!

On Steam, very soon.

BURNED LAND – 9^th August

This month, the fan of strategy and 4x games will be very pleased. Burned Land, in fact, is a 4x game in which you will take control of a nascent human race with and ambitious goal: avoid its extinction!
The game was in E.A. for a very long time now and, after many updates suggested by a solid fan base, it seems finally ready for a full release.

Build, explore, manage and conquer until you are worthy of gods, then confront their anger. The game offers a high degree of freedom and replayability, giving you the chance to take many important choices for the survival of your tribe.

On Steam during August!

MECH ARMADA – 10^th August

The earth is about to give way to monsters of all kinds and the only hope remains the resistance that has built Mechs equipped with extraordinary weapons.
We are at the head of this resistance and as such, we will have to take care of planning attacks, upgrading mechs with more than 70 parts, and taking on giant bosses on grid maps.

KEY FEATURES

• Turn-Based combat: You can move into position and attack with each of your mechs, in any order. Then it’s the Swarm’s turn…
• Design your own mech: With 70+ available Mech parts, you can create thousands of unique combinations. Each part has its own strengths and weaknesses, giving you an enormous range of possibilities.
• Deep strategic combat: There are no perfect solutions. Create your own strategy by cleverly making the most out of your resources and the situation.
• Procedurally generated: All the gameplay elements (monsters, maps, resources and rewards) are randomly combined and balanced ensuring no two battles are the same.
• Rogue-like campaign: Death means game over. Try again with an entirely new run, with new random parts and encounters. You’ll have to make do with what you get!
• Environment variety: From the outskirts of destroyed cities, to desert wastelands, the battle for survival rages on.
• Epic bosses: They’re massive, ugly and ridiculously tough. Are you up to the task?
• Auto-save: Never worry about saving again. Leave your game at any point and return exactly where you left off.

Mech Armada will be released on Steam during August!

VULGORD’S TOWER – 10^th August

Vulgord’s Tower plays like a traditional board game fused with card-based RPG battle mechanics.
The goal is to be the first to storm the tower to defeat Vulgord. To do this, you must survive through all the four realms, acquire skills, and amass an army large enough to defeat Vulgord.

Fight to survive! The spoils of battle come in the form of gold, warriors, and keys. All of which are integral to your quest. Every turn triggers an event like a battle, a story event, a branching conditional event that requires choices, or a trip to the bazaar or wizard tower.

On Steam quite soon.

HUMANKIND – 17^th August

HUMANKIND is a grand historical strategy game, in the vein of Civilization, where you’ll be re-writing the entire narrative of human history and combining cultures to create a civilization that’s as unique as you are. Maybe the bigger difference between the two games is the chance offered by Humankind to “combine” different cultures in order to create your own personal population.

Another prominent difference from Civilization seems to be the importance reserved to the battles. Each battle in HUMANKIND plays out like a mini turn-based board game with the possibility to command each of your units with its special abilities.
One of the most relevant releases of the month, that’s for sure.

On Steam!

DUNGEONEERS – 19^th August

A simple story (about dragons attacking a human village and some heroes in search of revenge) combined with an old-fashioned tabletop gameplay style, this is Dungeoneers!
At its core, the game is described as a dungeon crawler with turn-based combat with a streamlined gameplay. In other words no long monologues or dialog trees, no complicated inventory management and boring cut-scenes!
Essentially in Dungeoneers you will have to beat a good number of dungeons, trying to get stronger, and, when you feel ready try to go into the dragon lair.
At your disposal the three heroes that represent, at the same time, the three classes the game has to offer, in other words: a Human Swordsman, a Dwarven Brawler and an Elven Huntress.

On Steam during August.

KING’S BOUNTY II – 24^th August

The King’s Bounty turn-based tactics series returns with King’s Bounty 2!
I remind you that the first King’s Bounty comes from the old 90s and that its sequel, King’s Bounty: The Legend, was one the most successful turn based games of 2008-2009.

Four years in the making, a team of 150 developers is looking into the final stages of the King’s Bounty II development. With 200+ unique characters, a dynamic soundtrack, a detailed narrative with more than 200,000 words, a beautiful world, and over 50 hours of gameplay — the World of King’s Bounty II is waiting to be discovered.
King’s Bounty II allows gamers to pick one of three heroes – each with their own personality and unique skill set – and journey out into the fantasy world of Nostria.
There is much to explore – from recruiting, developing, and commanding your personal army to venture into a non-linear world full of betrayal, sacrifice, and survival. With big bustling towns, small hamlets, frozen wastes in the north, wide grasslands, or oppressive wetlands, King’s Bounty II offers the largest open-world 1C Entertainment has ever created.

On Steam at the end of the month.

THE CURSE OF FELDAR VALE – 30^th August

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.

RIFT WIZARD – August

Rift Wizard is described by the developers like a “tough as nails fantasy roguelike”, and I’m sure that if the developers decided to choose this description, the difficulty level of the game is beyond my ability!
Anyway the game feature a challenging turn based combat and a deep open ended character building. Obviously we’re talking about a true roguelike, so don’t the graphic is essential (but quite charming) and the levels are all procedurally generated challenges.

Try to guess? Yeah…on Steam.

ULTIMATE ADOM: CAVERNS OF CHAOS – August

After a long development phase, finally, Ultimate ADOM by Thomas Biskup is ready to hit Steam! Experience the sequel of a traditional roguelike dungeon-crawling classic. Endless procedurally generated dungeons, countless monsters, grafting, crafting and a vast amount of skill trees and items allow for unlimited replayability. Journey into the ever-changing depths of the Caverns of Chaos.

On Steam, sometimes during August. 

BARNARD’S STAR – August

A multiplayer, turn-based tactics battler with no micro-transactions and no random chance — ingenuity is the only way to victory!
Snipe your friends, electrocute your enemies and rain down acidic slime in the Barnard’s Star system, 6 light years from Earth. Barnard’s Star is exactly what it seems: a crazy and funny turn-based game!

Features

• 3 factions (Humans, Robots, and Critters) with 7 character classes per faction
• Each character has unique attacks and abilities
• 2 maps, each with unique tactical opportunities such as teleporters and destructible cover
• 3 layouts for each map, for a total of 6 different playable fields
• Play offline vs. AI or a friend (or even pit two AI’s against each other, if you just want to watch)
• Challenge friends and strangers with online multiplayer

Some time during August on Steam.

CONQUEST OF ELYSIUM 5 – August

Conquest of Elysium 5 is the long awaited sequel to Conquest of Elysium 4… nope, I’m joking, I’ve never heard of it before, but I’m sure that if this is the fifth installment there must be a reason!
Anyway C.o.E. 5 is described as is a quick turn based fantasy strategy game with a touch of rogue-like. Among its features it there is a huge number of factions (each with its own unique gameplay and magic rituals) and 10 planets where the action can take place.

On Steam!

DUST TO THE END – August

Ahh the good old “wasteland”. The smell of rotten rats under the nose, the air of an oven on the face and a desolate landscape exactly where once there was a crystal clear sea. Ahh the good old “wasteland”…

Dust To The End is a game where your only aim is to fight for your life and see the next day. Easy? Not at all, believe me.
Join a caravan of merchants to cross the unforgiving sands. Negotiate and barter to gain riches through trade. Build and defend your settlement, developing new industries from the scratches of the old world. Fight and kill your enemies and the strange creatures that inhabit the wasteland – or attack and plunder unsuspecting victims in this kill-or-be-killed merciless world.

KEY FEATURES

• Lead a merchant caravan through the unforgiving wasteland, selling and buying more than 100 kinds of goods in a dynamic economy where supply and demand constantly affect prices
• Explore a vast semi-open post-apocalyptic world map where monsters, beasts, bandits and other caravans roam freely
• Beware the hazards and challenges that this harsh natural environment will pose to your caravan!
• Discover more than 50 cities and towns, each with different sizes, facilities and trade goods
• Fight turn-based battles with 9 categories of weapons and dozens of special skills
• Hire new mercenaries for your caravan, each with their own personality, which determines the mercenary’s mood and team status, which in turn affects the team’s combat effectiveness and attitude
• Become a leader: explore bunkers, establish and operate underground bases, develop factories and facilities and buy or hire civilian assistants. Do whatever it takes to increase the economic output of your settlement
• Wasteland-style design, with more than 40 exquisite hand-made character drawings
• Multiple endings, different dialogue choices will affect the plot direction and the final ending

After a long E.A. phase, Dust to The End is finally coming and my throat is already dry.

On Steam of course.

TITANKIN: PROLOGUE – August

Jump into this opening act of the TITANKIN story in a turn-based JRPG set in a unique world inspired by Celtic mythology. Twin protagonists Jorden and Torden are pulled into a familial mystery that sends them on a quest full of fun and discovery.

KEY FEATURES

• Strategic Turn-Based Combat
  Each enemy you encounter has distinct strengths and weaknesses – discover and employ your own strategies to quickly overthrow the enemy.
• Command TITANS
  Defeating each TITAN will yield a KINSTONE- equip one on a character and they’ll benefit from enhanced stat growth, as well as the ability to call upon the TITAN in battle!
• The Classic JRPG, Modernized
• No random encounters: on-map enemies will chase or run from the player, and superior balancing removes the need to grind for levels. Save points within a dungeon will also fully restore the party!
• Vibrant Celtic-Mythology Setting
• You will meet, battle, and recruit creatures and entities inspired by famous and obscure mythical stories of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and more.
• Meaningful Choice
• The Tuath Dé are watching your every move- and fates are not unbreakable. The things you do and say will have an impact on the world around you- whether they’re felt now or in the years to come …
• Short and Sweet
• This opening act of the TITANKIN saga won’t devour all your time- if you love JRPGs but don’t have 50+ hours to spend on a juggernaut, TITANKIN Prologue will leave you feeling fulfilled.

Check out the Steam Page

VOID ECLIPSE – August

We tried the demo during a Steam Festival, and be surprised by Void Eclipse by Tau Ceti Studios. Void Eclipse is turn-based strategy in an immersive sci-fi world. You’re an android with scattered memories in search of your mysterious origins. Explore the stars, Evolve your army and Fight an alien threat. Help characters or harm them – will you be Feared, Admired, or Respected?

KEY FEATURES

• Explore the galaxy searching for memory fragments as you confront your enemies.
• Evolve your character’s personality matrix and upgrade your battle abilities!
• Tactical turn-based combat includes over 100 passive & active battle abilities for your characters.
• Choose dialog options that changes your reputation, what missions to take, and what units to unlock!
• Comes with 2 playable alien races and 14 unit characters to compose your ultimate battle fleet.

Expected for this month on Steam.

That’s all folks!
Wish you have a great summer!