A new squad-based RPG blends turn-based decision making, real-time actions, and a fractured story told by three unreliable protagonists.
Vaunted has the potential to become a tactical RPG Sci-Fi game that refuses to fit neatly within any single lane.
Lost Lake Games and Hooded Horse will build the game upon both a turn-based planning mechanism and a real-time action/execution mechanism; however, Vaunted’s initial setup will provide players with significantly more challenges in regards to movement, position and reaction compared to other games in this particular genre.
Approximately 1000 years after the downfall of the last Galactic Empire, relic hunters, mercenaries, and syndicates are all competing for control of the remnants of the old Imperial Ruins and any remaining power that may be buried within these structures.
The three criminal protagonists of the game were part of an ill fated expedition that returned with absolutely nothing to show for it. This quickly turned their own survival into their next challenge to overcome.
Vaunted is being designed as a tactical RPG with turn-based choices directly affecting actions such as jumping into cover, aiming freely, dodging enemy counterattacks, setting up overwatch angles, and utilizing grenades or special abilities to modify the battlefield, and time only advances when the player takes an action.
It also eliminates traditional initiative orders, so the player decides who performs the next action when activating with the enemy. That one choice itself could greatly affect the design of encounters in Vaunted, particularly due to the fact that it enables intentional combo plays, rescue maneuvers, and quick changes to your strategy when things start falling apart on the battlefield.
Lost Lake Games’ game tells the story of the ill-fated expedition that took place in the past through three very unreliable narrators. The three lead characters are Dyse, a thief/con artist made for flankers and loot hunting, Gendril, a battle-scarred mercenary who uses firepower and underworld connections to solve problems, and Kyvaath, a young warlock with cybernetic enhancements whose personal vendetta is linked to his desire for revenge.
Their versions of what occurred not only change the flavor text of Vaunted, but they can also potentially cause different outcomes throughout an entire mission.
The Steam page notes that by switching between the three character’s viewpoints you can literally rewrite entire chapters of the game, initiate entirely different conversations with enemies, other NPCs, completely change how ambushes develop, and discover entirely new loot items/skills/secrets throughout individual missions.
Besides the three main characters, players can add characters from outside of their immediate party through recruiting from larger pools of criminals, mercenaries, and bounty hunters, and equip them with various forms of gear, including sentry turrets, jetpacks, sniper rifles, and handguns.
Each character develops independently and can surge ahead or fall behind based on their performance in combat. Additionally, characters can be developed further into specific builds through equipping them with upgraded gear as well as creating synergistic effects.
Vaunted also incorporates death into progression in a far more systemic manner than many narrative-driven tactics games do.
Character deaths do not end your campaign while losing one of your heroes ends the current chapter allowing you to retell the chapter from another protagonist’s point-of-view. Additionally, regardless of whether your campaign ended prematurely, you retain certain amounts of progress through reputation and a credibility system, which allows you to gain new benefits after failing each time.
There will be a PC release via Steam in 2026, and there will also be a release on Xbox One. Below the announcement trailer.
