I’ve been having more fun with Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising than I had anticipated. That’s not to say I thought I would dislike it. Rather, it’s a meatier experience than I would have thought I’d get for 15 bucks.
This thought led me down a mental rabbit hole. You know the sort. You’re in bed, it’s two in the morning, and you’re wondering why you’ve woken up and just can’t seem to return to your slumber. “Have other games given me the impression that $15 is something one spends for a two-hour DLC experience?” It’s true — the market varies wildly on this stuff. I think back to Mass Effect 3‘s major story DLCs. That game came out a decade ago. Am I imagining things, or did each of those cost $15?
Of course, anyone who has played that game’s “Citadel” DLC knows it was worth the tag. But the rest? I like them, I do, but compared to the 20-plus hours I’ve been spending in Rabbit & Bear Studios’ new Suikoden-inspired world? What a night-and-day sort of thing.
I should stop. I know. These comparisons are wonky at best. I guess I’m just happy that Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising has met and exceeded my expectations. What a tantalizing appetizer this has been. I’m so stoked now for the main course.
Little Witch in the Woods (Entering Early Access) – May 16th (Windows, macOS)
Gawd, this is so cute. You’re Ellie. She’s an apprentice witch. She’s adorable. She’s exploring an adorable forest and does adorable things. Little Witch in the Woods is a slice-of-life adventure where you help make your world a better, brighter place… with witchcraft! Are you kiddin’ me? I want the full version. I want it yesterday. Alas, it enters Early Access this week.
Also, you get to talk to cats. Hello? Give me this game?
Outward: Definitive Edition – May 17th (PS5, XSX)
What, dare I ask ye, is better than Outward? The answer may surprise you. It’s Outward: Definitive Edition, and it’s outward this week for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. If you missed this survival-style open-world RPG when it came to PS4, Xbox One, and PC a few years back, why not check it out now with enhanced visuals and all the bells and whistles that have released ever since?
Monsters are only the beginning of your peril, adventurer. Infectious diseases? Yes. Brutally cold nights? Of course. Randomly remembering that you forgot to pay your electric bill? Wait, that one’s unrelated.
Heck, I should do that.
Heroes of Book & Paper – May 18th (Windows)
Just how old-school is Heroes of Book & Paper? Old-school enough that what you see above is basically what you get. The entire game is told the way many of the eldest CRPGs were delivered, with story text, stat tables, illustrated icons, and various adventurous artwork. As a bonus, the developer, LeMachinga, wraps it all up in a rather novel overlay. That’s a pun, by the way.
Every story injects some random elements, leading to several endings and multiple playthroughs that are guaranteed to diverge. Heroes of Book & Paper is, simply put, RPGs the way mom remembers them.
I don’t know, maybe I just had a cool mom.
Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong – May 19th (PS4, PS5, Switch, XB1, XSX, Windows)
It’s not just vampire. Nor any old masquerade. It’s Vampire: The Masquerade – Swansong, and it’s a title long enough to require a colon and an apostrophe.
Destinies intertwine in the latest Vampire: The Masquerade video game, with three protagonists from separate walks of life — but a shared taste for blood. Through murders, power struggles, and rave parties, Swansong is every bit the narrative-driven RPG. You’ll level up the cast’s abilities to the fullest to maximize your chances of survival in the ever-dangerous World of Darkness.
Dolmen: May 20th (PS4, PS5, XB1, XSX, Windows)
Futuristic science fiction meets cosmic horror, and Sigourney Weaver’s nowhere to be found. That always means one of two things: there’s the chance for something cool and original, or it’s going to be a bad entry in the Alien franchise.
If you don’t fancy seeing your timeline erased, you’re going to need to play Dolmen to the very end. Your mission is to locate and retrieve titular Dolmen, mysterious crystals on the alien world of Revlon Prime, which has nothing to do with the makeup company, for the record.
Unless I’m wrong. I could technically be wrong here.
See anything ya like? I — oh, forget the typical outro speech, I need to tell you something else about Eiyuden Chronicle: Rising. You know Estelle, right? Estelle Bright? U-L-T-R-A-V-I-O-L-E-N-C-E? Yo, CJ? The heroine of Rising? She’s like Estelle, she’s got all that spunk and extra energy and does right by people but snarks in funny ways and you just have to see it to believe it.
Okay, I’m starting to get sleepy. I think I have typed enough for the entertainment of the masses this week. Go play some RPGs. Have fun while you’re at it. Quinton’s orders.
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