On this edition of RPGs Coming This Week: the final version of a game two decades in the making, the long-awaited Western release of an acclaimed visual novel, and much, much more.
Adore (Exiting Early Access) – August 3rd (PS5, XSX, PS4, XB1, Switch, Windows)
Adore stars Lukha, an aspiring Adorer capable of collecting and calling upon the aid of creatures in battle. Gaterdrik is a world seeing dark days: the god of creatures, Draknar, is dead and a malignant curse is spreading across the world’s creatures.
Lukha sets out to revive Draknar, but he isn’t alone in this action-oriented adventure. You can collect and call upon unique creatures’ help, each one boasting a different set of abilities that helps tailor the battle style to your preferences. The creatures you collect work best as teams, further developing their skill sets when matched together in what is called the synergy system.
You can also get unique traits to further customize creatures’ abilities, further modifying and strengthening your team’s unique combat style by utilizing runes and artifacts. A strategic eye is necessary to figure out how to best use your team in combat.
Adore is leaving Early Access this week, looking to be an entertaining RPG experience for those wanting more creature-collecting adventures!
by Audra Bowling
Baldur’s Gate III (Exiting Early Access) – August 3rd (Windows)
Baldur’s Gate III will soon release in completed form, and it’ll be a month earlier than expected! Ostensibly, this is to give a wide berth to Starfield, which is almost guaranteed to dominate September. Folks who want to have the full Dungeons & Dragons experience on PlayStation 5 will need to wait until August 31st, though, as developer Larian Studios said it needs a bit more time to achieve a 60-frames-per-second target.
The Early Access version of Baldur’s Gate III comprises the entire first act, for which a normal playthrough, according to the Steam page, usually takes between 25 and 30 hours. If you take that with Larian saying the first act is less than one-third of the full experience, we’re looking at a lot of game with version 1.0.
What even is Baldur’s Gate III? It’s essentially the video game version of the tabletop RPG D&D. It’s a party-based RPG (with multiplayer) set in a medieval fantasy world, and a lot of it involves dice-rolling and passing skill checks. Combat is strictly turn-based while the exploration aspect is real-time, but the game affords you the ability to make it also turn-based. Cool feature!
by Gio Castillo
Astralojia: Season 1 – August 4th (Xbox One, Windows)
Here’s a strange one. Astralojia: Season 1 is a mishmash of turn-based JRPG combat, slice-of-life, and… American sitcom? It’s set in a martial arts school where everyone has magic powers, and you play as a kid trying to make his way to the top. Combat is, well, the Active Time Battle system from Final Fantasy fame, but developer Astrah has emphasized that grinding is not a thing in the game. Instead, there is a set number of boss fights with each requiring unique strategies to overcome.
Astrah took Astralojia: Season 1 off Steam in June, citing poor performance. Now, the game is back as an Xbox and Microsoft Store exclusive (for now, at least). Here’s hoping folks give this idiosyncratic title a fair shot.
by Gio Castillo
White Album: Memories Like Falling Snow – August 4th (Windows)
White Album: Memories Like Falling Snow is a classic visual novel developed by Aquaplus. Players take on the role of Touya Fujii, a run-of-the-mill college student. His girlfriend, Yuki Morikawa, is a popular singer starting to gain attention under the spotlight.
Unfortunately for their relationship, the more famous and busier she gets, the more they strain to remain a couple. Will they be able to stay on the rocky course despite all of the obstacles, or will they ultimately drift apart? This “story of love in many forms” promises a poignant journey no matter what path Touya and Yuki take when it releases later this week.
by Audra Bowling
Also Coming This Week
Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed Director’s Cut – August 1st (Switch)
Akiba’s Trip: Undead and Undressed Director’s Cut was previously released on the PS3, PS4, and Vita. Featuring a digital version of Tokyo’s famous Akihabara district, you are on a mission to defeat vampires by, uh…disrobing them to expose them to the sunlight. This Director’s Cut adds new missions and a new “true” ending and marks the first time the game is released on Nintendo Switch (the Director’s Cut content will be available as DLC for PS4 and PC). If you are a fan of Acquire’s Way of the Samurai games and don’t mind the silly premise, there is a lot of beat ’em up fun to be had here!
by Ben Love
Barony – August 1st (Switch)
The roguelike dungeon-crawler Barony is coming to Nintendo Switch at the top of August. It originally came out on PC and retains the heavy focus on cooperative multiplayer (up to four players) with this new port. The Myths & Outcasts DLC will be sold separately.
by Gio Castillo
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm – August 2nd (PS5, XSX, Windows)
Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm has you playing as a young hero alongside his two companions in an RPG adventure set 1,000 years prior to the events of its predecessor. Will they be able to unite everyone, facing off against the forces of Warlock Mesmeroth and their Dark Army? The game boasts 20+ hours of challenging boss fights, thought-provoking puzzles, and dungeon exploration. Oceanhorn 2: Knights of the Lost Realm looks to be a promising and entertaining adventure!
by Audra Bowling
And that’s that! As always, we enjoy reading your thoughts on the column and the games that we write about every week, so feel free to drop a comment here or on your social media site of choice! Until next week, readers!
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