This is the fourth year of what has become the premier event for fans of the genre. In terms of the number of attendees, discounts, and announcements, the TurnBasedThursdayFest has once again delivered impressive results.
Unfortunately, due to being completely consumed by everything happening, I was unable to create the video recap of the event that I had originally planned to do on Saturday. However, I did want to quickly write down what I felt were the key takeaways from the event, and the main pieces of information that I thought were most relevant to everyone’s consideration.
Blood & Chaos
Blood & Chaos is a throwback, built with a nasty edge. Guau Games‘ upcoming RPG is a party-based roguelike that combines the old school aesthetic of classic ’80s dungeon crawlers with modern, tactical turn-based combat and permanent consequences, such as having your entire party wiped out if you lose.
The player guides a fellowship of up to six heroes through cities, quests and cursed dungeons in an ever-changing world where the positioning of your heroes, their assigned roles, the equipment they have, and the spells they use are all important.
What sets it apart is how well it attempts to bring together CRPG party building and roguelike pressure, creating a high-stakes experience for each descent while placing all of it within a fantasy setting that revolves around the idea of ancient sacrifices, divine conflict and the return of a past that is slowly rising back to life. It is currently expected to release in 2026.
Magin: The Rat Project Stories
At the festival, Magin: The Rat Project Stories was a welcome addition. I played an early build a while ago, but then lost track of it. Fortunately, this narrative-driven RPG appears to have made a successful return.
Published by Daedalic Entertainment and developed by The Rat Project, it is a dark-fantasy adventure that uses side-scrolling exploration, branching storylines, and deck-building card battles, with a world that ties magic (called “essence”) to fear and desire.
The story revolves around Elester, a Magin and seasoned hit man working for an underworld syndicate, and young Tolen, whose growing connection to “essence” is changing his direction.
What sets the game apart is how emotions fuel both combat and exploration, with the heroes’ mental states affecting both combat and story outcomes. Deck upgrades, earned cards and double-sided crafted “essence” cards provide a strategic element to the adventure. No release date, but a playable demo available.
Alice at the End of Her Life
Before the festival, I had never heard of Alice at the End of Her Life. The premise appears to be quite interesting.
Developed and published by LightWitch, it is a 2D turn-based RPG that is inspired by Lewis Carroll. The game features hand-drawn visuals, side-scrolling exploration, and a hybrid turn-based combat system that incorporates real-time elements.
In the story, Alice is a girl who has no memory of anything prior to her name, and she finds herself on an adventure with Emily, a resident of Wonderland who has contracted a mysterious disease known as the White Rabbit’s Disease. They find themselves traveling through a world where death is supposed to be non-existent and trying to find a cure for the disease that is spreading across the land.
The game is divided into twelve chapters and will include a variety of odd allies and a journey outside of the Land of Hearts. These elements give the game the feel of a compact, but definitely narrative-heavy JRPG-style adventure.
Those Who Rule II
I really enjoyed the first version of the series, and during the TurnBasedThursday Fest, the official announcement for the sequel to the original, Those Who Rule, was revealed.
Eldin Turulja, the developer behind the original, returns with the series in what he calls a “gritty, Balkan-inspired fantasy.” The player begins with a small militia and gradually grows it into a force large enough to influence the fractured nation.
The gameplay includes a combination of character-building and squad-building, along with challenging turn-based battles. What distinguishes the sequel, however, is its focus on national identity, conviction, and the costs associated with maintaining unity in the face of fear and instability that are driving the events.
Overall, Those Who Rule 2 feels like a larger, more politically-charged follow-up to the original game’s low-fantasy tactics formula, and, as of now, is listed as a PC title with a release date that has not yet been announced.
Agent of Strange
Of all of the titles presented at the event, Agent of Strange may have been one of the most distinct. Among other things, it was one of the first times that I had seen this title mentioned anywhere on my radar.
Agent of Strange appears to be a darker role-playing thriller that is set in a wintery European city that is ruled by the occult Traum Family. The player assumes the role of a Covert Conspirator who infiltrates the city using a false identity and then crafts the story through missions, social cover, background choices, traits and secret motives.
What provides the game with its own identity is the blending of early 20th-century urban mystery and surreal horror, combined with a sandbox narrative structure where the encounters that occur with NPCs can happen in different ways depending upon who the player decides to trust and how they choose to travel through the city. No release date yet.
Space Scum
Space Scum frequently shows up on my lists. One reason is that I am a fan of Battle Brothers, and this sci-fi take on the same formula has left me feeling pretty optimistic. During the event, the developers confirmed that they expect to launch Space Scum by the end of summer 2026.
Sole Survivor Games, the developer behind Space Scum, and Forklift Interactive, the publisher, have created a turn-based RPG that centers around a group of mercenaries who move from planet-to-planet, accept contracts, loot equipment, and survive in a harsh sandbox environment.
Procedural generation creates the landscape, factions create challenges, and player choices determine the consequences for the mercenaries. The demo titled Space Scum Demo: First Blood, is available right now.
She Dreams Elsewhere
Like with Magin, it has been a long time since I last heard anything about She Dreams Elsewhere. An RPG developed by Studio Zevere.
She Dreams Elsewhere is set in a surreal world centered around Thalia, an anxiety-ridden woman trapped in a coma and forced to navigate a dream world filled with nightmares in order to awaken and rebuild what happened to her.
The thing that stands out about the game is the combination of front-facing turn-based combat, exploration through a weird and immersive environment, and the two progression hooks called the Charm and Connection Systems, which affect the combat strategies and the relationships with the cast.
Overall, the pitch is clearly more personal than most games in this area, dealing with issues of emotion, mental health, and self-identity, and the current official pages still list it as “Coming Soon” for PC, Xbox, Game Pass and Nintendo Switch.
Xenonauts 2
Another major piece of news came from the festival regarding Xenonauts 2, with confirmation that Goldhawk Interactive‘s Cold-War era alien-invasion strategy game will exit Early Access on April 2, 2026.
The game is heavily rooted in the traditional style of classic X-COM, allowing players to manage a multinational black-ops organization that must research alien technology, engage in air-to-air combat with UFOs, and fight turn-based battles on the ground against an enemy that is far more advanced.
Why the 1.0 release matters is the massive amount of expansion that has occurred during Early Access.
New alien species have been introduced, additional UFO classes have been included, and Geoscape systems have been expanded. Additional story missions have also been added. Over 180 maps have been generated. A complete ending has also been implemented. Post-launch patches and mod tools remain part of the plan.
Never’s End
A new trailer for the highly promising tactical RPG Never’s End was shown during the opening presentation of the festival, and, perhaps more importantly, a playable demo was also available.
Developed and published by Hypersect, Never’s End is a turn-based fantasy strategy game set in a world that is on the brink of destruction due to the spread of a force known as the Never. The player takes control of an undying warrior spirit that survives by possessing townspeople and turning them into disposable vessels for battle.
What sets the game apart is its simulated battlefield design. Weather, wind, water, temperature and terrain all directly impact combat. Players can flood the ground, raise the earth, summon fog, freeze enemies, or even turn the battlefield itself into a weapon.
That system exists inside an open-world environment. Rebuilding settlements, unlocking temples, and determining how many lives to expend for power all seem connected to the advancement of the game.
The result is a game with a strong sacrifice-driven loop instead of a typical party-build system. It is currently planned for release in 2026. A demo is also available on Steam.
Smash It Wild
Honestly, there is probably a lot more I could have highlighted, but I’ll wrap this up with Smash it Wild: Tactical Volleyball Roguelike. I enjoyed trying the demo and checking out the new trailer, which demonstrated a significant level of growth for this true genre mashup.
Ernestine, the developers behind Smash it Wild, and Goblinz Publishing, have created a tactical turn-based game that combines volleyball and dodgeball within a fantasy-themed tournament. Animal teams compete through class-like abilities, team synergy, unlockable attacks, and item builds.
What makes the game stand out is the manner in which it treats each match like a part of a roguelike run. Training sessions, upgrades, random events, and risk/reward decisions all contribute to the progress between matches. Losing once forces the player to restart the entire run.
The game appears to be a great example of the integration of sports tactics with a run-based structure. And, as of now, it is currently scheduled to release on April 16, 2026 for PC.
