Some editions of RPGs Coming This Week are packed with wholly new experiences, while some weeks happen to be a confluence of everyone releasing remakes. Such as it is this week, as besides a gorgeous new visual novel, our full slate is a variety of remakes. You may have played some of these games on other platforms or headsets, but maybe you wanted a non-VR version (hello, The 7th Guest Remake), or want to see how FFVII Rebirth can possibly be squeezed onto a Nintendo semi-handheld. In any case, adding more avenues of access to games is only a good thing, and perhaps our last title this week could be the start of a series revitalization, too.
Let us know if you’re looking into any of this week’s releases, or if you’re still playing Mina the Hollower like me!
Intro by Mike Salbato
Castle in the Sands – May 31st (Windows)
Castle in the Sands is a visual novel featuring gorgeous pixel art, with a setting inspired by the classic fairy tale One Thousand and One Nights and North African culture. Players take on the role of a hunter trying to find medical help for his younger brother. Soon enough you encounter a mysterious young woman along with a magical yet crumbling castle hidden away in the desert. Can you find a way to help your brother and potentially restore/protect such an enchanting place? As you uncover the mystery hidden within the castle’s foundation, your choices ultimately bring you to one of three conclusions to the tale. Castle in the Sands looks phenomenal and is designed to be a short (two to three hours) yet satisfying VN experience. I’m very eager to see if Castle in the Sands will be a hidden oasis in the desert when it releases later this week!
by Audra Bowling
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth – June 3rd (Switch 2, XBX)
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is heading to the Nintendo Switch 2 and the Xbox Series X|S! The second game in the acclaimed FFVII Remake project, Rebirth opens up the world after the party leaves Midgar and is rife with a ton of content and polished action RPG mechanics. I had a blast playing the game on the Steam Deck, and Zach Wilkerson adored his time with Final Fantasy VII Rebirth on the PS5. It’s great that even more gamers will get the chance to play this enjoyable and powerful title this week!
by Audra Bowling
The 7th Guest Remake – June 4th (PS5, XBX, Switch, Switch 2, Windows)
The house beckons once more… Vertigo Games fully remade the 1993 horror classic The 7th Guest for VR in 2023, and is now expanding its release to modern platforms with the redubbed title of The 7th Guest Remake. Guided by a ghostly narrator, explore an eerie mansion full of cobwebs, secret passages, and logic puzzles. With each puzzle you solve, the tragic mystery of the house further unveils itself through ghostly flashbacks that play out before you via live action actors. Think Myst mixed with Disneyland’s The Haunted Mansion ride. As a plus, Steam users who own either the VR version or this new remake will have complete access to the other version as well.
by Matt Wardell
Gothic 1 Remake – June 5th (PS5, XBX, Windows)
Despite the closure of Gothic series developer Piranha Bytes, THQ Nordic is going full steam ahead on their remake of the storied studio’s debut title, Gothic 1 Remake. Even though Piranha Bytes is sadly long gone, the pedigree of new developer Alkimia Interactive includes staff who worked on mods for the original Gothic titles. The Gothic series is widely considered to be the crown jewel in the “Eurojank” RPG crown, combining a dark, gritty, low fantasy setting with a high degree of player agency and branching narrative based on decision making and faction alignment.
THQ Nordic reports that the remake’s game world is 10-30% larger than the original game [Editor’s Note: Wow that’s a big range, THQN], giving returning Gothic fans plenty of reason to revisit this landmark title. Personally, I find this release bittersweet, as I would’ve rather seen Piranha Bytes return to their defining work rather than seeing it farmed off to a new (less experienced and likely much more “cost efficient”) studio. Having said that, some Gothic is better than no Gothic at all, and this could provide a firm foundation for more entries in the series to come.
by Ben Love
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