RPGs Coming This Week, 5/3/26 – Classic & Modern

The Traveller Tale – May 5th (Windows)

If you’re a fan of old school CRPGs, The Traveller Tale may be up your alley! From its first-person perspective and chunky, ornate frame and UI, to its blocky textures and low-frame-rate monster animations, it really captures that retro feel. And don’t get me started on the delightfully opaque still water textures. To be incredibly clear, I say all of this with respect — any fancy animations or water effects wouldn’t fit the look, so I applaud Mystic Dream Studios for adhering so closely to their classic RPG vision. Looking at the gameplay trailer on The Traveller Tale‘s Steam page, about the only thing that may not be true to the time period they’re paying homage to is the fact that the voice acting seems pretty good, and not just “good for its time,” but I think that’s okay.

by Mike Salbato

Alabaster Dawn (Entering Early Access) – May 7th (Windows, Linux)

Fans of CrossCode, take note! Developer Radical Fish Games is hard at work on their next title, launching into Steam Early Access this week. A spiritual successor of sorts, Alabaster Dawn features familiar gameplay packed with fast-paced combat, parkour, and puzzle-filled dungeons, but looks to be even more refined than the devs’ first outing. Caitlin was impressed when she played a demo version last fall, and the game was far from ready then. Alabaster Dawn is already looking promising, and its time in Early Access is only going to give Radical Fish the time they need to refine it. In a surprise move, they are including an optional roguelite mode for Early Access, as a way of giving players something to do between future updates. Check out the Early Access version or the demo on Steam this week.

by Mike Salbato

Axe Cop – May 4th (PS4, PS5, Switch, XB1, XBX)

I’m not sure how we missed it when Axe Cop landed on Steam in late 2020, but I’d like to think that if I read the pitch of a retro-style JRPG written by a five-year-old, I’d have taken notice! The game hits consoles this week, so it’s the perfect time for us — and potentially you — to rectify this oversight. Axe Cop’s visuals evoke classic Game Boy and NES titles, while the dialogue and characters all have a delightfully campiness to them that reminds me of some of the characters, comic books, and drawings I myself would make as a kid, something I’m sure many of us can relate to! It’s fun to see these concepts made into a game, and a turn-based RPG, no less.

by Mike Salbato

Shadows of the Afterland – May 5th (Switch)

Point & click adventure Shadows of the Afterland launched on Steam in February and is now coming to Nintendo Switch. Developers Aruma Studios are definitely channeling classic adventure game visuals with this one, featuring a fascinating premise and a protagonist who’s both from the past and the future. Well, 1988, so it’s the future relative to 1960. The official description says it best:

Madrid, 1960: A maid named Pilar dies. You arrive in the afterlife looking like Pilar but speaking as Carolina, a police officer from the future. Possess the living and cross between worlds to uncover the truth behind a soul split between two identities.

Any fans of classic LucasArts adventure games are probably on board — and probably even played it on Steam already! But if you are looking for another point & click adventure on Switch, this is your week.

by Mike Salbato