Look, I don’t always have to include a Pokémon reference in these titles, but if they’re gonna keep releasing new or updated games in the series lately, I have no problem going back to the well. Beyond a new kind of Pokémon title, our lineup of RPGs Coming This Week include a musical-themed turn-based RPG that seems well worth your time, a stylish adventure/VN sequel, and a couple of titles to satisfy fans of retro gameplay and pixel art. And even a rare shmup in the RPGFan sphere of coverage, as it turns out, with the return of a 20-year-old GBA game on modern platforms.
Intro by Mike Salbato
People of Note – April 7th (PS5, Switch 2, XBX, Windows)
People of Note first came onto my radar when I visited publisher Annapurna Interactive’s booth last year at Tokyo Game Show. Cadence, a young singer with stars in her eyes, travels the musical world of Note, visiting various genre-nations and collecting a band of eclectic musicians to bolster her own sound. Almost counter to its lighthearted, KPop Demon Hunters vibe, People of Note‘s turn-based combat is surprisingly strategic and puzzling. The dynamic, genre-shifting soundtrack rocks (and pops and… you get it.) and the writing is thoroughly funny/punny. I can’t wait to see what RPGFans think of it.
by Matt Wardell
Sigma Star Saga DX – April 7th (PS4, PS5, Switch, Windows)
WayForward has been on a tear recently, revisiting their extensive back catalogue to make significant improvements (or, in the case of Shantae Advance: Risky Revolution, finally release to the public at all). Sigma Star Saga DX is the latest in this line of revisited classics (it’s been a long time coming, as WayForward first mentioned it in July 2024) and the first one to fall into RPGFan coverage! Sigma Star Saga was originally released in 2005 for the Game Boy Advance, offering a unique blend of shmup gameplay with a top-down action RPG format. A novel experiment that our own Neal Chandran quite enjoyed upon release, despite its flaws.
Thankfully, the official website lists a bevy of upgrades to the DX version, including improvements to the map and save system, a decreased random encounter rate, rebalances to the EXP system, an updated script, and bug fixes. WayForward has a good track record with these modern releases, so if you have a hankering to play a unique hybrid of shooter and RPG, don’t let this one pass you by.
by Ben Love
Pokémon Champions – April 8th (Switch, Switch 2)
As a franchise, Pokémon has always been torn between the increasingly complex demands of supporting a healthy competitive battling scene and the approachability & mechanical evolution required of single-player RPGs trying to hook successive generations of children. Pokémon Champions seeks to solve this dilemma by shifting the online competitive multiplayer to a separate game that connects to the mainline games through the Pokémon Home App. Both channeling previous battle simulation games like Pokémon Stadium and seeking to expand the franchise by adopting a free-to-play model and releasing on mobile later this year, Champions is quite possibly the most important Pokémon release in a decade.
If this concept seems confusing, Nintendo released a brief but comprehensive overview trailer last week. Pokémon Champions will allow trainers to import their favorite creatures from Pokémon Home or amass a team of rental Pokémon. Champions also further streamlines the competitive stat-raising process, doubling as a raising & training sim as much as it is a battle simulator. Time will tell if this all-encompassing competitive battling platform will satisfy long-time online players, but it’s one of the best ideas Game Freak and The Pokémon Company have had in years.
by Ben Love
Arcadia Fallen II – April 9th (PS4, PS5, XB1, XBX, Switch, Windows, macOS, Linux)
Arcadia Fallen II is the visual novel RPG sequel to the first Arcadia Fallen, set in the same complex and colorful fantasy world of its predecessor. Seven years have passed since the first game’s events in Anemone Valley as players step into the role of a student at Seven Winds Academy, a magical institution tasked with making sure that mages become productive members of society.
The first Arcadia Fallen had a surprisingly nuanced fantasy plot with memorable characters who you could form bonds with. Arcadia Fallen II seems to tread much the same waters, taking a closer look at another side of its established fantastical universe. The game is rife with worldbuilding moments and contains a choice-heavy narrative in which your decisions shape the way the plot and its cast develop, promising high replayability. The colorful visuals also make the graphically stylish presentation and UI stand out. I enjoyed the first Arcadia Fallen, and I’m eager to dive into its setting once more to see how things have changed since my first foray into this fascinating story-verse. Arcadia Fallen II is a title both visual novel and RPG fans alike should keep on their radar when it releases this week!
by Audra Bowling
Also Coming This Week
Manafinder – April 3rd (PS4, PS5, Switch, XBX)
Technically an RPG “Coming Last Week,” since we just caught this sudden console release of the 2022 RPG, Manafinder, that our own Neal Chandran described as “a great game that reminds me of old favorites while rocking a style all its own” in his review. Now it’s available on most consoles, so if you haven’t been able to give the game a try on PC, now’s your chance.
by Mike Salbato
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