RPGs Coming This Week, 2/11/24

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden – February 13th (PS5, XSX, Windows)

The year is 1695. The place is called New Eden and communities of settlers are plagued by a haunting curse. In Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden, players take control of Red and his beloved partner Antea, a pair of “Banishers,” experienced spirit hunters charged with the task of lifting this curse from the world. But there’s a catch: Antea is dead. 

This latest title from studio developer Don’t Nod (Life is Strange and Vampyr) is an action RPG set in the physical and spiritual realms. Banishers is a game to check out for anyone interested in combining both realms with a mix of combat sequences, tragic romance, and player choices. When controlling Red, players fight with a rifle, sword, and firebane. When control switches to Antea (who becomes a spirit or ghost), the player has access to supernatural abilities and ethereal attacks.

Tormented spirits and afflicted residents abound in this troubled world, and whether the player chooses to hold them accountable, grant them serenity, or banish them to the eternal void will affect the game’s and characters’ outcomes. 

As always, stay tuned to RPGFan for any updates. If you’re curious about the other games from Don’t Nod, we’ve got reviews for all five Life is Strange episodes on our game page, while our own Caitlin Argyros wrote a Vampyr review.

by Kyle Cantelon

Dungeon Travelers: To Heart 2 in Another World – February 15th (Windows)

Let’s get it out of the way: Dungeon Travelers: To Heart 2 in Another World is a game for perverts. It directly appeals to people who want to see naked high-school girls. To say “yikes” is an understatement. At the same time, however, it purports to be a serious dungeon crawler with a robust class system. That fact, along with its surprisingly respectable pedigree, has persuaded me to give it a cursory look.

Dungeon Travelers: To Heart 2 in Another World was previously known as To Heart 2: Dungeon Travelers, a 2011 PlayStation Portable game by developer Sting (of Riviera and Yggdra Union fame). That PSP release is itself a fleshed-out version of a mini-game in an adult PC title (with connections to Utawarerumono, per VNDB). It is also a spinoff of To Heart 2, a PS2 visual novel that went on to become a pretty big anime franchise. Did you get all that?

Despite never leaving Japan, Dungeon Travelers has built up a small following among hardcore DRPG fans, which is probably why publisher Shiravune is localizing it and its two sequels. If you’re big on dungeon crawling and can stomach the ecchi—or if you enjoy it; I won’t judge—I suggest giving these a shot.

by Gio Castillo

Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II – February 15th (PS5, Switch, Windows)

Although Sony’s recent State of Play didn’t feature it, the presentation’s juicy focus on horror feels like it set the stage nicely for Spirit Hunter: Death Mark II coming this week. 

Death Mark II is a horror-themed visual novel and the third entry in the Spirit Hunter series. Kazuo Yashiki returns as the protagonist and finds himself accepting a job to infiltrate a school in a Tokyo suburb where gruesome events seem to occur every decade.

If you like horror games but aren’t familiar with the visual novel style, then you may want to give this one a try. The Spirit Hunter series consists of interesting gameplay elements such as side-scrolling investigations, a rotating cast of partner characters with different stats that can affect how dangerous situations play out, and other tabletop RPG elements. 

If you’re interested in either of the first two games in the series, check out our reviews of Spirit Hunter: Death Mark and the sequel Spirit Hunter: NG.

by Kyle Cantelon

Dragon Quest Builders – February 13th (Windows)

My introduction to Dragon Quest Builders was Builders 2, and I fell in love with its mix of town building and RPG exploration. With the upcoming PC release of the first game, I’m eagerly anticipating seeing where it all began. Could this indicate that Square Enix is working on a third entry? Fingers crossed.

by Tin Manuel