Now here’s a fun week of variety! We may be a site that primarily covers RPGs, but as more genres overlap with RPGs, we get to have a great range of experiences like our three titles this week. We have the bright colors and so-crisp-you-can-slice-your-veggies-on-’em pixel graphics of Scott Pilgrim EX for those looking for an action RPG mixed with classic beat ’em up gameplay. We have the long-awaited sequel to Slay the Spire if your thing is building decks of cards and devising strategies. And if you, like me, fell in love with Dragon Quest Builders and want a builder/sim game with a similar vibe and lots of Poké-friends, we have Pokémon Pokopia, the game that is absolutely going to define my weekend gaming.
(Yes, I used a similar headline last week, but I can’t help that there’d be two Pokémon releases around the series’ 30th anniversary!)
What are you playing this week? Let us know below!
Intro by Mike Salbato
Scott Pilgrim EX – March 3rd (PS4, PS5, Switch, XB1, XBX, Windows, Linux)
After over a decade, an unfortunate delisting of the original game, and a resurgence in popularity for the series, we finally have a new Scott Pilgrim-themed beat ’em up. Scott Pilgrim EX takes the River City Ransom-inspired structure of the original game to new heights, adding seven playable characters, a huge map of interconnected levels with quests to complete, and an original story penned by series creator Bryan Lee O’Malley. I’m a big fan of the first game, and this sequel seems to be expanding the scope, turning what was a fairly traditional beat ’em up into a full-fledged action RPG. You can learn more about the game on Tribute’s official site, which is just as lively and vibrant as the source material!
by Ben Love
Pokémon Pokopia – March 5th (Switch 2)
Have you ever wanted a fusion of Pokémon, Dragon Quest Builders, and Animal Crossing? Honestly, I had never considered that idea before Nintendo announced Pokémon Pokopia, but now that it’s here, it seems like a match made in heaven. The Dragon Quest Builders 2 team at Omega Force appears to have done an excellent job combining the basic building & quest-driven structure of Builders with the more open-ended social simulation elements and robust multiplayer options from Animal Crossing New Horizons.
The narrative sees players inhabit the shoes of a Ditto, mimicking the appearance of its (Missing? Dead? It’s unclear and a little dark) trainer. As this identity-confused Ditto, you must borrow the skills of other Pokémon to revitalize the landscape and create a beautiful town for every colorful inhabitant. You can find more details on the official site, and Nintendo Treehouse posted a deep dive into the gameplay loop on YouTube.
by Ben Love
Slay the Spire 2 – March 5th (Entering Early Access; Windows, macOS, Linux)
Game genres are a frequent discussion point at RPGFan, as the lines blur more and more in game development. This isn’t a bad thing—why should any game developer feel constrained to fit their game ideas into a single box? But as more games incorporate elements from RPGs, the blurrier that line gets. We didn’t cover the first Slay the Spire, as beloved as it is, but then Jerry comes to me in 2024 and says, hey, I want to review the Slay the Spire board game, and here’s why it’s relevant to our readers. He made a good enough case for the RPG and strategic elements that we’re bringing Slay the Spire 2 into our coverage.
It’s been seven years since developer Mega Crit struck gold with the first game, and the sequel looks to expand upon the original in several ways, with deeper lore, a bigger variety in gameplay and encounters that will require additional strategic planning, and a brand new co-op multiplayer mode for up to four players. Co-op introduces team synergy abilities and even multiplayer-specific cards to add a twist to, well, what’s already a twist on the single-player mode.
No doubt Slay the Spire 2 will evolve over time as well, beyond this week’s Early Access launch. Be on the lookout for impressions from us soon!
by Mike Salbato
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