This week, I fully expect a certain game to dominate everything else in terms of attention, mind share, revenue — name any business metric you can think of. That’s the reality of Pokémon being the juggernaut franchise that it is. But here we try to give every release a fair shake, and try we will right now. Let’s explore into all the RPGs Coming This Week!
Lords of Ravage – October 15th (Windows, Linux)
Lords of Ravage is a dark fantasy tactical RPG with roguelike elements, all unraveling in beautiful pixel art combined with high-quality lighting and VFX. In this game, you don’t play as a hero; you play as one of the Lords of Ravage: the merciless Lord Berold, the forbidden magic sorceress Zavris, or the abyssal demoness Azneya. As a Lord of Ravage, your goal is to destroy the heroes who dare stand in your way and find an artifact that will help you conquer the entire world.
To achieve this, you’ll explore the land to build your power, raze villages, pillage, and kill everything and everyone that stands in your path to make the world pay as it deserves. You will command an army of minions, loyal Dark Alliance warriors, or mercenaries who serve your will, because why fight yourself when others can die for you on the battlefield? Do everything in your power to gain followers and influence before your opponents have to face their final boss: you.
If you want a taste of what it’s like to be the villain, a demo is available on Steam before the full game releases. In it, you’ll discover the origin story of Lord Berold, a once-powerful knight guilty of unmentionable crimes…
by Adem Yilmaz
Pokémon Legends: Z-A – October 16th (Switch 2, Switch)
Three years after Pokémon Scarlet and Violet and Pokémon Legends: Arceus, a brand-new Pokémon adventure is finally upon us, and it’s very exciting. Pokémon Legends: Z-A is set in Lumiose City, a location well known by fans since it first appeared in Pokémon X and Y, released in 2013. This time, the story takes place some years after the events of X and Y. A large corporation named Quasartico Inc. is leading an urban redevelopment project in Lumiose City, aiming to create a place where humans and Pokémon can live together in harmony.
As a newcomer to Lumiose, you’ll befriend your first partner Pokémon — Chikorita, Tepig, or Totodile — before uncovering mysterious incidents occurring throughout the city. You’ll stay at an old hotel named Hotel Z, which will serve as your base of operations. Along your journey, you’ll meet many characters, including the hotel’s owner, AZ, a towering nine-foot-tall man who claims to be 3,000 years old. All of this will lead you on a long journey where you’ll need to keep an eye out for Zygarde, a legendary Pokémon that changes form throughout the game.
One of Pokémon Legends: Z-A‘s most anticipated new features is its real-time battle system. You and your Pokémon will be able to move freely during battles, and instead of using PP, moves will now have cooldowns. This adds a dynamic, action-oriented layer to combat that brings it closer than ever to the anime experience. You’ll need to think strategically, chaining moves in the right order, positioning yourself carefully, and dodging attacks either by moving, swapping Pokémon, or using abilities at the right time. This fresh battle style should bring a thrilling level of intensity to the traditional RPG gameplay.
Pokémon Legends: Z-A will also introduce new features like Wild Zones and the Z-A Royale, while reintroducing beloved mechanics such as Mega Evolution and the ability to catch Pokémon directly in the wild by simply throwing a Poké Ball. Even if performance and graphic quality might vary between the Nintendo Switch and Switch 2, this ambitious title is sure to make waves in the Pokémon community and mark the beginning of a new era for the legendary franchise.
by Adem Yilmaz
Away From Home – October 17th (Windows)
Rounding us out this week is Away From Home, an RPG with rhythm-based combat. Its store page specifically cites EarthBound as an inspiration, which makes sense considering that Mother 3‘s battle system had a rhythm mechanic. And that’s not to mention Away From Home has similarly quirky vibes with darker material under the surface, if the trailer above is any indication.
Small aside, but I swear this is a game made specifically for me. The game’s got side quests and chance-based events with progression influenced by Yakuza 0. In terms of music, one of the soundtrack’s contributors is Nelward, one of my favorite chiptune guys on SoundCloud over a decade ago and a fantastic pop artist today.
Another thing I want to note is that Away From Home looks fantastic. It’s gotta be difficult for pixel-art graphics to stand out these days, but this game pops from the screen with its vibrant, well-animated look reminiscent of classic ’90s cartoons.
A demo is available if you want to sample the game ahead of release. It’s a little confusing to access since there’s a separate Steam page for an identical game called Home, which I presume is its original incarnation. Avoid that and use the Away From Home Steam page.
by Gio Castillo
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