On this edition of RPGs Coming This Week: indies. Lots of ’em. We got indie RPGs for days. Let’s hop right in!
Crymachina – October 24th (PS5, PS4, Switch, Windows)
Ready for another round of weeping waifus? Thematically, Crymachina definitely feels like a follow-up to Crystar, even if it ostensibly takes place in a separate canon. Mechanically too—fights are still flashy, fast-paced affairs, and this time they crib a combat trick from the likes of NieR (the shooty pods).
I’ll be honest; everything I know about Crymachina comes from our own Kiyan’s hands-on preview. I don’t think I’ll ever top the raw descriptive power of “Swan Lake with lightsabers” or “The Nutcracker on ice and steroids,” so allow me to funnel any and all interested parties toward his write-up.
by Gio Castillo
Dark Envoy – October 24th (Windows)
If you needed more CRPG goodness this year, you might consider Dark Envoy. It is, of course, playable in single-player, but its multiplayer experience is pretty unique. The way co-op works is that you’re limited to one human companion, but you can each control two of the four members of a party. You play as a brother and sister duo, you see, which probably explains why four-player co-op isn’t a thing.
Premise-wise, Dark Envoy‘s pretty out there. It blends steampunk with fantasy magic, and the results are much more coherent than you might expect. Character specializations, skill trees… it’s a complete experience.
by Gio Castillo
Beast (Entering Early Access) – October 25th (Windows)
I’m pretty certain that strategy RPG set in grimdark Eastern Europe is a first-time combination on RPGs Coming This Week. Beast is a gridless tactics title from Polish studio False Prophet, whose members worked on the likes of Shadow Warrior 3 and The Medium.
The game is about an ex-slave of the Ottoman Empire who returns to his Carpathian homeland (in modern terms, somewhere in Eastern Europe) to find everything ravaged by disorder and a vicious plague. You take it upon yourself to destroy the source of the plague, somehow. I, personally, would just move to Switzerland or something.
Beast has the potential to be a great game, and Steam Early Access is one way you can steer its development to the finish line.
by Gio Castillo
BattleCakes (Entering Early Access) – October 26th (Windows)
UPDATE: Days before release, developer Volcano Bean revealed that this week would see the game launch into Early Access to avoid crunch time, and they expect the full release to happen in around three months’ time.
And now for something a lot less depressing. BattleCakes is a turn-based RPG where you customize your little cake protagonist, form a party, and fight other sugary entities like Gummy Beasts (see above). I’m half hoping that it’s hiding some sinister undertones like, say, EarthBound. That’d be fun and also mean to the many, many kids that are going to gravitate toward this game.
Realistically speaking, BattleCakes is going to be a gentle experience that rewards pacifism. Combat is optional; you can get through the whole game by befriending your foes. Even the bosses.
by Gio Castillo
Dave the Diver – October 26th (Switch)
I’ve heard so many good things about Dave the Diver, but it took me a while to finally discover what the fuss was about since I was still too busy trying to catch up on the other side of the sea of my RPG backlog. A few hours in, though, and I was already getting hooked on its gameplay loop and light-hearted humor.
To give you a brief background: you will be playing as a diver named Dave who, at night, manages a sushi restaurant with a chef who serves the freshest seafood you catch during the day. What’s fun is that there’s a lot to explore in the sea, and there’s always something new to do after every single day. There’s also farming, boss fights, crafting, mini-games, and the best feature of them all, feeding a cat.
I would recommend this title to anyone who needs to play something light after playing a series of story-driven and heavy narratives. Beware, though; it’s highly addictive.
by Tin Manuel
Sands of Aura (Exiting Early Access) – October 27th (Windows)
Finally, we have the soon-to-be-version 1.0 Sands of Aura, a Souls-like action RPG with an isometric perspective. It’s got all the hallmarks of a Souls-like: decaying world, check; moody atmosphere, check; brutal combat, check. Not to mention the worldbuilding and various upgrade and crafting systems available. Coming this week after roughly three years into Early Access, I think Sands of Aura is as complete a product as it gets.
by Gio Castillo
Also Coming This Week
Great Ambition of the Slimes – October 26th (Switch)
The SRPG Great Ambition of the Slimes is coming this week to Switch after launching for PC earlier this year. Those of you oozed to playing tactics games in bed may be happy to hear this!
by Gio Castillo
The Unliving (Exiting Early Access) – October 26th (Windows)
We covered The Unliving when it first came out in Early Access in late 2022. This action RPG is hitting version 1.0 in record time.
by Gio Castillo
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