Most weeks, I start my RPGs Coming This Week article off by just typing whatever springs to mind and calling that our intro. It’s often strange, but it gets the job done, and some folks even like it! The tragedy right now is that nothing is springing to mind. I suspect some of you can relate. To those who can’t — is your coffee stronger than mine? May I have some?
Oh, I know. I can compliment the Xenoblade Chronicles‘ ‘Future Connected’ epilogue add-on that was released as part of the Definitive Edition package. I blitzed through it a few days ago, and it does justice to best girl Melia, and for that I am delighted. I love that game, but she really gets shafted near the end. This is more than I could ever have anticipated, and boy, it’s appreciated.
Know what else is appreciated? RPGs. Especially the sort that arrive this week…
Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei – June 28th (Switch)
I can tell you outright this game seems cool. Rather than centering on Feudal Japan, an era that while surely intriguing is perhaps a bit overplayed, Idea Factory went back a few centuries to the time of the Heiji rebellion and (chiefly) the Genpei War that followed. So, we’re talking about late 12th-century Japan, and it’s just very refreshing to me as someone who enjoys Japanese history but laments how many eras are left woefully underutilized for global audiences.
Of course, Birushana: Rising Flower of Genpei is an otome visual novel, so there’s plenty of romance. The five routes offer wildly different partner personality types, and there are several bad endings to dodge (or willfully bump into if you’re a completionist) along the way.
Disgaea 6 Complete – June 28th (PS4, PS5, Windows)
The Disgaea games and enhanced ports go together like Laharl and trouble. I believe every title in the mainline series now has a ‘Complete’ or some similar fare. The question on Disgaea diehards’ minds is probably, “well, is it worth double-dipping?” Admittedly, I can’t speak to that, as I haven’t played the original version and I don’t follow Disgaea especially closely online.
From what I’ve found, it seems like fans of the game are generally interested in its new content and should be satisfied with the bells-and-whistles graphical presentation on PS5. Disgaea 6 Complete is sort of notorious for not running all that well on Switch, so hopefully performance improvements have made their way into the PlayStation and PC versions.
Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdoms (Entering Early Access) – June 30th (Windows)
Oh, this looks lovely! I dig the art. Gamera Interactive’s Alaloth: Champions of the Four Kingdom bills itself, as many projects do, as a tribute to classics such as Baldur’s Gate and Pillars of Eternity. The trouble is, for every game that succeeds in rekindling that magic, a few more fall short. And that’s understandable; old-school CRPGs are a tough genre to emulate.
Alaloth, which launches in Early Access this week, resembles “the darkest period of the Middle Ages.” So, don’t expect most disputes to be resolved through Tudor-like court machinations. What would you need that war ax for, then? But seriously, there’s promise here. Four playable races (hence the title?), 12 “memorable companions with their own backstory.” All right, yeah, let’s keep an eye on this one.
Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak – June 30th (Switch, Windows)
Well, real respect to the rest of this week’s list, but Monster Hunter Rise: Sunbreak is the clear breadwinner of the bunch. It’s the hot, hot, hot stuff with terrifying new monsters as well as the return of key favorites. It’s got new zones, a new base, new mechanics… new characters? Probably? I’ll admit, I haven’t actually played Monster Hunter Rise, but as a professional games journalist, I can at least keep up with the trailers!
Sunbreak looks like a ton of fun, though. And supposedly, it’ll be quite challenging? And I’ve heard good things about the vanilla Rise‘s degree of difficulty, so hey, sounds like we’ve got another hit on our hands. Iceborne worked wonders for Monster Hunter World, so it’s great to see Capcom kicking hard twice in a row. In fact, I’m just going to say it, it’s great to see Capcom making great games in general.
Numina – July 1st (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Loads of classic vibes this week. Numina aspires to deliver another fabulous golden-age JRPG experience, with a dynamic battle system and heaps of focus on characterization and storytelling. Expect to bump into puzzles on your way through dungeons, purchase and upgrade your equipment in towns and similar settlements, and best of all, there’s a branching narrative depending on how you influence the hero’s actions.
Sidequests typically enhance one’s understanding of Numina‘s lore, which is attractive to me as a worldbuilding nerd. But you’ll also get a grappling hook at some point that’ll extend your reach and get you some sweet prizes as a reward. There’s a lot of game going on here, so here’s hoping it all clicks together.
Also Coming This Week
More games are also coming this week.
Fishing Paradiso – June 30th (Windows, macOS, Linux)
Hey, Fishing Paradiso has been out for three years on iOS and Android! And it hit Switch on June 2nd! We missed the boat here by a long shot. [Editor’s Note: Please tell me this was an intentional pun.]
You’re on an island. A pleasing one, at that, with a colorful cast of characters each with their own little stories. You’ve got a boat, some provisional funds, a fancy little doodad to keep in touch with your friends called a SkyPhone, and… oh, yeah, you’re dead. This is heaven, so fish to your heart’s content. You probably won’t even be killing actual fish! If heaven truly is a decent place, anyway. I mean, it’d be messed up, you know? “Everything is perfect here. Except for fish. This is fish hell.”
Gamedec – July 1st (Switch)
Are you looking for another intense RPG to hammer away on your sweet, sweet Switch? Does the term “cyberpunk isometric” thrill you to action? Do you dislike it when choice-based games seem to judge you for every little decision they perceive as a wrinkle in your moral code? Gamedec is here, and it’s rearing and ready to be played either portably or docked.
See? Filled to bursting with choices.
Sometimes, my outros run five paragraphs. Sometimes, they last a swift five sentences. This week, it’s the latter.
I leave you with the following burning question, friends.
When the heck are we gonna see more of Pokémon Scarlet & Violet?!
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