Ah, the end of November. It can mean many things in many different parts of the world. Here in the United States, for example, it means Black Friday is near. It used to mean the American holiday of Thanksgiving, too, but in recent years Thanksgiving has been pushed into a smaller and smaller bubble of time and that bubble has all but burst. Families now converge at the dinner table in a rapid manner, gorging on however much turkey and stuffing they can consume within a 20-minute window. Thereafter, older folks flop down on recliners as their younger relatives sprint into the cold because somehow Black Friday now begins at sundown on Thursday evening.
There’s a lot that can be said about that. Especially this year. Am I the one who should be objectively criticizing the hyper-normalcy of this dangerous capitalist escapade? Sadly, I am not. You see, my friends, I am going to find a PlayStation 5 this week or die trying, thus perpetuating this monstrous trend. Because RPGs, dear readers. Because RPGs.
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands – November 23rd (Windows, macOS)
Here at RPGFan, we try to cover the big games as well as the small ones. World of Warcraft is one of the more niche titles in our database, with a measly “millions upon millions” of active subscribers at any given time, so you’ll be forgiven if you’ve never heard of it. In fact, it is unequivocally the most popular MMORPG the world has ever known, so if you’ve been living under a rock for 16 years then maybe it’s time to crawl out of there and behold the fantasy wonderland of Azeroth. And what better time to do so than this week, coinciding with the exciting release of Shadowlands, Blizzard’s eighth major expansion to a game that may never stop expanding! The titular Shadowlands are Azeroth’s realm of the dead in accordance with World of Warcraft‘s deep and ever-evolving lore. With five new zones, a roguelike never-ending dungeon to explore, a brand new leveling system and — natch — plenty of fresh plot to enjoy, it’s a right fine time to tap that subscribe button all over again.
In Celebration of Violence – November 26th (Switch)
With a name like In Celebration of Violence, I should hope parental advisories are strongly inferred. A fantasy roguelike where exploration and murder go hand-in-hand, developer Julian Edison has given this game a striking tagline: “Live, kill, die, improve, live again.” The heart of In Celebration of Violence is its push for players to prepare themselves with premeditated skill, sizing up their enemies and environment before meticulously carrying out a homicide. Mind you, this is all to the tune of a game chock full of monsters, zombies, and bandits aplenty; I have to admit, the thought of such an in-depth combative assault on some random undead bloke piques my interest. In Celebration of Violence released on Steam nearly three years ago to very positive reviews and now its deadly premise is coming to a Switch near you.
Root Double -Before Crime * After Days- Xtend Edition – November 26th (Switch)
Say it with me now. Root Double. Before Crime. After Days. Xtend Edition. What does that tell me? Well, the game’s overarching name must be Root Double. This is set before some crime but after an unspecified number of days. As a bonus, it’s also what I can only surmise is the extended edition of the pre-crime after-days experience. Look, you got me. I admit it: I had no idea what this was before I wrote this article. But the joke might just be on me; based on our 2016 review, Root Double -Before Crime * After Days – Xtend Edition is apparently a pretty good visual novel that first debuted on PC four years ago. When the game begins, it’s the year 2030 at an isolated research city called Rokumei. Everything seems swell until a nuclear facility goes haywire, thus prompting an elite squad of anime protagonists to step inside the facility and prevent Rokumei going the way of Chernobyl… all-the-while dealing with ghosts, terrorists, and the wonderful world of telepathy. If you’re a Switch owner and that sounds like your brand of crazy, I have just the link for you.
When are you planning on making the jump to next-gen? Or do you prefer your PC over console generations? Maybe you’re just happy as a clam in a shell with your Nintendo Switch’s rich role-playing library. Heck, for all I know you haven’t bought a new system since the Sega Genesis. More power to you; Phantasy Star IV is great. Whatever the case may be, feel free to sound off in the comments section below. You can even just tell us hi. We’ll say hi back. It will be nice.
Check back next week as we enter the wintry months all warmed-up with hot cider and hotter new RPGs!
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