This edition of RPGs coming this week is for the cult fans, the real ones who kept their favorite niche franchises alive long after their makers had moved on. Today, System Shock and Etrian Odyssey diehards are rewarded with signs of life. Will we see new entries in these series one day? Who can say. Anyhoo, let’s get on with the show!
System Shock – May 30th (Windows)
The much-delayed System Shock remake is finally here, and while it’s not a new game, I imagine it’s still a veritable oasis in the desert for immersive sim enjoyers. With BioShock 4 said to be in limbo, I feel like fans are probably clamoring for something, anything to sate that itch for that ill-defined-yet-distinct first-person emergent gameplay.
Prior to writing this, I had no idea about the lengths Nightdive Studios took to rescue the System Shock franchise from becoming lost to time. Well, the company was born out of the process of tracking down and acquiring the IP, so the company putting out a ground-up remake is a pretty big milestone. We should respect that.
by Gio Castillo
Shattered Heaven – May 31st (Windows)
At this point, we’ve seen a fair number of deckbuilder RPGs enter the market, so what makes Shattered Heaven stand out? Well, for one, it’s a looker. I love how the character design blends and contrasts with the background and card art. Another point in its favor: sophisticated character-specific and skill-leveling mechanics that seem to play nicely with each other.
Conceptually, I’m into it. The game is set in a world after “the fall of God,” and the various peoples that live in it have a hard expiration date of 40 years old. The devs have a series of deep dives into Shattered Heaven‘s lore and gameplay that you may want to look through. It’s fascinating stuff.
by Gio Castillo
Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection – June 1st (Switch, Windows)
Etrian Odyssey Origins Collection provides HD remakes of the first three Etrian Odyssey games originally released on the Nintendo DS, now for Switch and PC. Although Etrian Odyssey and Etrian Odyssey II were previously remade for the 3DS, this is the first time Atlus has revisited Etrian Odyssey III.
With beautifully remastered visuals and music and a variety of new options for mapping out dungeon layouts (using the touch screen of the Switch or the mouse cursor for PC), there’s never been a better time to jump into the series. Atlus has even included an easier difficulty mode for new players that may be reluctant to delve into the hardcore dungeon crawling action.
by Ben Love
Also Coming This Week
The Caligula Effect: Overdose – May 30th (PS5)
The Caligula Effect: Overdose and I have a complicated history. I must admit, I didn’t give it the best review score for its earlier Switch port. And yet, I find myself unable to truly dislike it, as I feel it had quite a lot of promise in terms of story direction and characters. Maybe others will also find inklings of potential in this tale of different people trapped in a virtual reality trying to break free when it is released on PS5 later this week.
by Audra Bowling
And that’s a wrap on everything RPGFan-relevant coming out in the next seven days. I know everyone’s still exploring Hyrule, and Valisthea is surely on the horizon, but it does my heart good to keep people informed about what else is out there. See you all next week, readers!
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.