RPGs Coming This Week, 3/24/24 [UPDATED]

ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist (Entering Early Access) – March 25th (Windows)

ENDER MAGNOLIA: Bloom in the Mist is set in the same world as its prequel, ENDER LILIES: Quietus of the Knights, but decades later in the Land of Fumes. Much like the first game, ENDER MAGNOLIA‘s gameplay retains a unique battle system and includes new difficulty levels to suit your liking. 

Itching for a dark Metroidvania with a gorgeous art style, gripping narrative, and melancholy soundtrack? Well, the ENDER games might be what you’re looking for, especially while waiting on the release of Hollow Knight: Silksong. Who knows, they might even surprise you like ENDER LILIES surprised Des.

by Tin Manuel

Go Fight Fantastic – March 26th (Windows)

The multiplayer hack-and-slasher Go Fight Fantastic is cute, colorful, and coming this week to PC via Steam. Up to three players can play locally or online through the story campaign and/or an endless “Horde Mode.”

Judging by the GIFs on the store page and the gameplay trailers out there, Go Fight Fantastic‘s fights are fast, frenetic, and fluid, thanks to randomized environments and the different playstyles of the four playable characters. Speaking of the environments and characters, they’re gorgeously hand-crafted, and the visual effects look crisp.

I sure talked this game up, didn’t I? There’s a demo up if you’re on the fence.

by Gio Castillo

Geneforge 2 – Infestation – March 27th (Windows)

Geneforge 2 – Infestation is a an open-ended adventure set on an alien world, where players take the role of a Shaper with the power to create and control life in many forms. This game is a full-remaster of Geneforge 2, a 2003 CRPG cult classic, with many new areas, quests, and characters added, as well as a huge helping of fresh paint on the UI and an extensive visual design overhaul.

Geneforge 2 – Infestation promises true freedom; there’s no apparent ”bad guy” but there are individual factions that players can join, betray, or just outright destroy as they see fit. Although a numbered sequel, it seems to be as much an iteration on the formula as a direct sequel.

The game is, for my money, the definition of a CRPG—a “CRPG-ass CRPG,” as the kids might say. Veteran indie developer-publisher Spiderweb Software has been faithfully creating these kinds of games for 30 years. If you haven’t heard of the studio or you want to know more, definitely check out this 2018 GDC talk from studio founder Jeff Vogel.

If you’re someone who loves tweaking numbers, choosing myriad skills, and forging your own story in a world of choices, this could very well be a game for you, assuming you can get down with the old-school look and vibe that Spiderweb is so known for.

by Claton Stevenson

Royal Order – March 27th (Windows, macOS, Linux, Android)

UPDATE: The publisher has announced a delay to March 29th.

Royal Order is a fantasy visual novel with RPG elements and a focus on stats-raising survival. An indirect sequel set in the same universe as the VN Royal Alchemist, players need not be familiar with the first game to enjoy the new cast of characters and plotlines found here, ensuring that the game appeals to both newcomers and those returning to its story universe. How you spend your time in the sixty in-game weeks you’re given is said to have a lasting impact on the way the narrative plays out. Can you ensure characters survive by increasing their stats? Will you instead opt to host parties to keep opposing factions happy? Or will you just take the fight directly to the pirates menacing the continent? It’s all in your hands!

I was intrigued by Royal Alchemist earlier, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting Royal Order. A customizable protagonist, a trio of interesting love interests, two stat-raising systems for consideration, an extensive time management schematic, gorgeous artwork, and a total of eight different conclusions all certainly provide the makings for a potentially enticing VN experience. I’m looking forward to finding out what Royal Order has in store when it releases later this week!

by Audra Bowling

Terra Memoria – March 27th (PS5, XSX, Switch, Windows)

Terra Memoria is a very cute, PSX-inspired turn-based RPG. Players will undertake a journey through Terra, a world running on the power of magic crystals, of which shortages are becoming frequent. (Is it really an RPG if there aren’t crystals?).

Six party members are playable in Terra Memoria, each filling some classic roles such as the anthropomorphic Sloth Bard or the cliched Rhino Wizard—you know, the classics. But seriously, this game seems to have a lot to offer: beautiful 2D sprites on modern, stylish 3D backgrounds; diverse and interesting environments to explore; crafting; building; and even what looks like a fun little cooking minigame.

I think this game will garner a lot of interest purely on its aesthetics, but I feel there could be something more to Terra Memoria than just looks.

by Claton Stevenson

Open Roads – March 28th (PS5, XSX, PS4, XB1, Switch, Windows)

Here’s something that’s been cooking for quite some time. Publisher Annapurna Interactive is releasing Open Roads, a narrative adventure game about a mother and daughter embarking on a road trip to unearth buried treasure. We’ll count on star actresses Keri Russell and Kaitlyn Dever to give their characters and the story the dramatic weight they deserve. Unlike our supreme overlord Mike Salbato, I haven’t played Open Roads, but I’m willing to bet the farm on this being a bit of a tearjerker.

Also, the visual above gives me Lady Bird vibes. I presume Open Roads doesn’t feature someone jumping out of a moving car, though.

by Gio Castillo

Touch Detective 3 + The Complete Case Files – March 28th (Switch)

And now for something I didn’t see coming. Nintendo Switch owners will soon be able to play Touch Detective 3 + The Complete Case Files, which bundles the third game in the franchise with the first two games, which originally came out on the Nintendo DS. The aforementioned third game was a Japan-exclusive Nintendo 3DS title.

Touch Detective is a woefully obscure franchise of mystery games in the West, so it’s a little surreal that this new game is randomly getting localized. It’s much more known in Japan, though, thanks to the popularity of the phallic companion Funghi. Isn’t he cute?

Our own Neal Chandran reviewed Touch Detective and Touch Detective 2 ½ years ago, and his excellent writeups are still worth reading today. Check ’em out so you know what to expect.

by Gio Castillo

Grandia HD Collection – March 26th (PS4, Xbox One)

Five years after Grandia HD Collection was released on the Nintendo Switch, PS and Xbox players can finally revisit or experience the timeless classics (Grandia I and Grandia II) for the first time. The new ports on these platforms will include trophies and achievements. Read what Zach has to say in his Switch review.

by Tin Manuel

Outward: Definitive Edition – March 28th (Switch)

The survival action RPG Outward: Definitive Edition is coming to Switch after rolling out on PC and a bunch of other platforms.

by Gio Castillo