Here’s the weekly recap of new releases for RPGs and turn-based strategy games. Let’s not beat around the bush—this is the week of Metaphor ReFantazio. As I’m writing this, the game dropped just a few hours ago. I’ve already started playing it myself, finishing up the prologue. I’ll share more of my personal impressions later on.
That said, aside from the Atlus title, there are also a few indie gems worth your attention that I’ve gathered here for you to check out.
Spear Song
Spear Song is a turn-based tactical RPG inspired by the rich folklore and myth of Slavic culture. The gameplay emphasizes positioning and tactical decision-making, where manipulating enemy movements plays a key role in victory with each campaign featuring randomly generated maps and encounters.
As you progress, you’ll upgrade your knights, unlocking new abilities and combinations to help you survive the ever-growing challenges. However, note that there’s permanent death, so if fallen knights are gone, they are gone for good, forcing you to rebuild your squad from scratch if you fail. On PC via Steam.
Metaphor ReFantazio
Metaphor: ReFantazio, from the creators of Persona 3, 4, and 5, brings a new fantasy adventure where you must unravel the curse of a kingdom’s lost prince. At the heart of the game is the “Archetype” system, which allows you to unlock and combine powerful abilities from various job classes, letting you customize your party as you build bonds and take on dangerous foes.
Time management plays a crucial role as you balance questing and exploring dungeons by day with strengthening relationships and virtues by night, as happens in Persona games.
What I absolutely love is the ability to dive into combat at lightning speed, skipping those tedious animations that can become a bit dull over time. Without a doubt, Metaphor: ReFantazio will keep you hooked for countless hours of gameplay. On PC, PlayStation and Xbox.
Guild Saga: Vanished Worlds (E.A.)
The real surprise of the week might just be Guild Saga: Vanished Worlds. Even though it’s still on PC in Early Access, this pixelated tactical RPG shows a lot of promise with both its style and depth. Set on the mysterious continent of Andra, the game places you in the role of a young Hero’s Guild recruit, thrust into a world on the brink of chaos. As a malevolent entity rises from the shadows, you’ll find yourself at the heart of a dangerous conflict, where your choices ripple across the world.
Combat is isometric and deeply strategic, drawing inspiration from traditional RPGs while offering modern depth. You’ll assemble a party from a variety of classes, each with unique abilities, and your tactical decisions on the battlefield will be key to survival.
Beyond combat, Guild Saga: Vanished Worlds features an immersive narrative and world-building, with a vibrant setting known as the Respite Archipelago. The game’s extensive customization lets you craft your hero’s skills, choose from five races, and recruit a diverse party of companions. Each companion is fully customizable, with hundreds of skills across multiple disciplines, and relationships deepen through personal quests and evolving dynamics. Here you can find our preview.
Dead Season
We’ve tested and reviewed Dead Season, the story-driven, zombie-themed tactical game that launched this week. In this single-player, turn-based tactics game, you control a band of four survivors, each driven by the need to scavenge for resources and survive against a relentless tide of the undead.
The gameplay emphasizes tactics, with each mission demanding precise moves to avoid noisy encounters that could draw even more enemies. Combat is unforgiving, requiring you to carefully manage resources and take advantage of the environment to complete objectives and escape tight situations. With each victory, your characters gain experience and unlock abilities, making them more adept at surviving the escalating dangers.
The 16-mission campaign unfolds through motion comics, delivering a gripping story that complements the gritty survival gameplay. Unique zombie types and hostile human enemies create diverse challenges that force you to adapt your strategies on the fly.
Stellar Orphans
Stellar Orphans takes you on a gripping intergalactic journey where survival is the ultimate goal. In this deck-building strategy game, you must guide a stranded crew through the unforgiving void of space, managing crises and shaping the future of your “Stellar Orphans” with every card you play.
Each decision carries weight, from forging alliances to managing scarce resources, as you craft an optimal deck to face the challenges of deep space. The game’s core mechanics revolve around strategic planning, calculated risks, and adaptability, ensuring that no two playthroughs are alike.
Stellar Orphans delivers a narrative-rich experience infused with science-fiction themes and moral dilemmas. As you explore unknown regions of space, you’ll encounter unexpected twists that deepen the story, forcing you to make tough choices that will affect your crew’s fate. On PC via Steam.
Necro Story
Necro Story offers a playful twist on the Monster Capture RPG genre, where you step into the shoes of a mischievous necromancer, accompanied by the ghost of a cheeky white mage. In this light-hearted yet strategic adventure, you’ll explore the afterlife to prevent humanity’s doom, all while raising an undead army from your fallen foes. The game combines quirky humor with deep, tactical battles as you capture enemy souls and turn them into powerful allies.
Equip your allies with the best gear and evolve them into even more powerful demons, skeletons, or zombies to maximize their potential. Alongside the fun storyline, Necro Story is packed with hidden secrets, unlockable through environmental puzzles, rewarding players with unique items and equipment. For those who enjoy lighthearted RPGs this game offers an engaging mix of witty banter, undead antics, and strategic battles.
That wraps up our week of releases! Let me know what you’ll be playing this weekend. As for me, I’m trying to get back to streaming indie games with my Indie Morning sessions. I know I’ve been a bit inconsistent with them, but this might finally be the time I stick with it! I’m planning to kick things off this Saturday at 7:00 AM, and I’ve got a ton of new games to show you. Have a great weekenk. Ciao
