Preview Archives

Neverway Prologue Demo – From Farm to Nightmare

Posted by Ben Love on April 9, 2026

Farming RPGs have never been more en vogue, with an entire new wave of indie farming life-sims cresting off the success of Stardew Valley and the revitalization of the Story of Seasons series. While many of these titles iterate on that standard farming RPG formula first established by Harvest Moon a… Read More »

PAX East 2026 – Terra Nova: Legend of the Runes is a Retro JRPG to Watch

Posted by Mike Salbato on April 8, 2026

Okay, maybe I shouldn’t tell you what you want out of an RPG. I don’t know you, person reading this. But if you’re here on RPGFan, I have at least an idea, and I’m telling you that Terra Nova: Legend of the Runes is one to keep both eyes on. I was able to try it out at PAX and talked to developer An… Read More »

PAX East 2026 – Spirit Rancher’s Spirit-Fueled Farming is a Refreshing Change of Pace

Posted by Mike Salbato on April 6, 2026

Farming sims are only getting more popular as time goes on, across the indie space and with larger developers. After spending some time with Yangyang Mobile’s Spirit Rancher at PAX East, I think the devs are onto something good. Like any other expanding genre, it’s important for newcomers to offer s… Read More »

PAX East 2026 – Brigandine Abyss Hands-On: Hexagonal Strategy

Posted by Mike Salbato on April 6, 2026

Don’t play strategy RPGs at a convention. That’s not a slight against Brigandine Abyss or NISA’s booth — I’m glad and surprised the semi-recently announced title was on hand and in English. But in a show floor filled with people either passing by or waiting to play, probablyjudgingmyeverymoveovermys… Read More »

PAX East 2026 – High Times: Crafting Donuts & Moods

Posted by Mike Salbato on April 4, 2026

I have a soft spot for the fascinating intersection of food/drink service and visual novel (thanks, Since Coffee Talk and VA-11 HALL-A). After spending half an hour with High Times at PAX East, I continue to enjoy this particular setting/gameplay blend. A donut shop sim mixed with a dating sim may h… Read More »

Solasta II Early Access Review

Posted by Mark Roddison on April 3, 2026

After roughly fifteen hours with its Early Access build, it’s safe to say Solasta II is shaping up to be a better version of its predecessor. The developers have clearly invested time in refining the graphical fidelity with a shift to Unreal Engine 5, expanding the range of roleplaying systems, and… Read More »

PAX East 2026 – Disgaea Mayhem Hands-On: Frenetic Fan Service

Posted by Mike Salbato on April 2, 2026

One of my highlights at PAX East 2026 was stopping by the NIS America booth and getting some hands-on time with Disgaea Mayhem and Brigandine Abyss. More on the latter in another article, but if you’re curious how Disgaea’s first foray into action RPG territory fares, you’re in the right place! Disg… Read More »

GreedFall: The Dying World Impressions

Posted by Mark Roddison on March 28, 2026

After a lengthy stretch in Early Access, GreedFall: The Dying World has now reached its full release. During development, the project went through several iterations and even adopted a new title to more clearly position itself as a prequel to GreedFall. Expectations were understandably high: the fir… Read More »

Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026 Overview & More Hands-On Impressions

Posted by Matt Wardell on March 25, 2026

The scale and stakes of video game development have seemed to become unsustainably large in recent years, with many RPGs, say, requiring hundreds of millions of dollars and years of manpower from huge teams. While I’m certainly not one to say no to a feast, I find it’s the small appetizers that I wa… Read More »

Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026 – Summer Road Hands-On Preview

Posted by Matt Wardell on March 25, 2026

One of my biggest regrets from Tokyo Game Show 2025 was that I didn’t get my hands on Summer Road, often touted by Japanese developer Rebuild Games as a roguelite RPG enjoyed in 10-minute chunks. At Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026, I finally returned to the nostalgic suburban streets, and frankly, I c… Read More »

Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026 – Disc Creatures WORLD Hands-On Preview

Posted by Matt Wardell on March 24, 2026

Like many of you, Pokémon holds a special place in my heart. Though if I’m being honest, my RPG tastes have… evolved since the days of Game Boys and car rides. Disc Creatures WORLD, developed by the two brothers making up Picorinne Soft, shares that same reverence for Nintendo’s iconic monster-catch… Read More »

Tokyo Indie Games Summit 2026 – Bandit Knight Hands-On Preview

Posted by Matt Wardell on March 24, 2026

To look at Bandit Knight, it’d be easy to mistake it for one of Square Enix’s recent HD-2D games, such as Octopath Traveler or the upcoming The Adventures of Elliot. The Square Enix inspiration doesn’t stop there; the character sprites in Bandit Knight gesture and spin around to convey joy or frustr… Read More »

Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy Hands-on Preview: Worlds Collide

Posted by Zek Lu on March 23, 2026

Thanks to the wonderful team at Square Enix, I recently had some hands-on time with Dissidia Duellum Final Fantasy ahead of release. Let’s cut to the chase: if you’re anything like me, you’ve probably been holding out hope for a proper console Dissidia again, something closer to the original or Duod… Read More »

Slay the Spire II Hands-On: And Slay Some Monsters, While You’re At It

Posted by Jerry Williams on March 14, 2026

Slay the Spire may not have been the first PC deckbuilder, but it almost certainly set the stage for a new genre that has absolutely flooded online marketplaces. Often imitated, rarely surpassed in terms of quality, Slay the Spire has enjoyed a large fanbase dedicated to modifying the game and seein… Read More »

Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection Hands-on Preview: Back on the Grid

Posted by Zek Lu on March 4, 2026

Thanks to the wonderful team at Capcom, I had the opportunity to go hands-on with the upcoming Mega Man Star Force Legacy Collection. This is actually my first time playing through these games, and I’m coming in with plenty of questions about how well this Nintendo DS era of Mega Man RPGs holds up.… Read More »

Danganronpa 2×2 Hands-On Preview

Posted by Matt Wardell on February 16, 2026

I recently had the pleasure of reconnecting with the fine folk at Spike Chunsoft in their new Tokyo headquarters to try a demo of Danganronpa 2×2 (“two by two”), their upcoming “retelling” of the hit 2012 murder mystery visual novel, Danganronpa 2: Goodbye Despair. Riding the elevator up to their lo… Read More »

Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection Preview – A Breath of Fresh Air

Posted by Ben Love on February 12, 2026

The Monster Hunter Stories series has come a long way. Starting as a multimedia project with the first 3DS game and a tie-in anime, the series doubled down on delivering a high-quality monster-taming RPG experience with 2021’s Wings of Ruin, expanding the scope of the game while maintaining the appr… Read More »

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined Hands-On Preview

Posted by Scott Clay on November 19, 2025

The ongoing wave of RPGs from yesteryear getting remasters and remakes continues with the “remake” of one of PlayStation 1’s biggest RPGs, Dragon Quest VII. We often have the debate about what constitutes a remake or a remaster, but in this case, Square Enix decided to call this remake Dra… Read More »

Starbites Hands-Off Preview: An RPG That Won’t Leave you Feeling Deserted

Posted by Paul Skevington on November 13, 2025

Starbites is a science fiction game influenced by JRPGs of the past, and I’ve been eager to see more of it since it was announced for a Western release in August. Now I’ve done exactly that, thanks to an invitation from publisher NIS America and developers Ikina Games. In a fascinating sit-down with… Read More »

Octopath Traveler 0 Hands-on Preview: Stories Renewed

Posted by Zek Lu on November 11, 2025

Thanks to the wonderful team at Square Enix, I had the privilege of playing Octopath Traveler 0 ahead of release, and it didn’t take long to realize this is far more than a side story. Built on the foundation of Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent but crafted for fans craving a full tradit… Read More »

The Indie Side of Tokyo Game Show 2025

Posted by Matt Wardell on October 4, 2025

Tokyo Game Show 2025 has concluded, and a few days out I still find myself sorting through the many goodies I received, photos I took, and notes I wrote. Beyond the pomp and spectacle of giant stage displays and events from companies like SEGA, Capcom, Square Enix, Konami, Level-5, and Koei Tecmo, I… Read More »

TGS 2025 – Nioh 3 Hands-On Preview: Going the Distance With the Takeda Shingen

Posted by Matt Wardell on September 27, 2025

Koei Tecmo has a lot of swords in their arsenal. Amongst their massive zone at Tokyo Game Show 2025, they featured demos of the soon-to-be-released Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment, developed by KT’s AAA Games Studio, and Ninja Gaiden 4, developed by Team Ninja. But what drew me was Team Ninja’s… Read More »

TGS 2025 – Professor Layton and The New World of Steam Hands-On Preview: Elementary, My Dear Luke…

Posted by Matt Wardell on September 27, 2025

It’s hard to believe the last Professor Layton game, Layton’s Mystery Journey, released in 2017. It feels like we’ve been waiting ages for his return, and at TGS 2025 I was getting some déjà vu seeing another demo for the 2026-slated Professor Layton and The New World of Steam. Unlike the TGS 2024 d… Read More »

TGS 2025 – Yakuza Kiwami 3 & Dark Ties Hands-On Preview: Mine Gaiden

Posted by Matt Wardell on September 27, 2025

Does the name Yoshitaka Mine mean anything to you? Longtime players of the Yakuza/Like a Dragon series will no doubt recognize Mine as the businessman-turned-steely yakuza antagonist of Yakuza 3 from way back in 2009. However, when SEGA and developer Ryu Ga Gotoku Studios announced Yakuza Kiwami 3,… Read More »

TGS 2025 – Monster Hunter Stories 3 Hands-On Preview: Soaring to New Heights

Posted by Matt Wardell on September 27, 2025

Like many of you, I’ve been hunting monsters in Capcom’s beloved action series for several generations—but I’ll admit I’ve skimped on riding those monsters. The turn-based, more cutesy Monster Hunter subseries, Monster Hunter Stories, recently expanded its audience beyond the 3DS with the enhanced r… Read More »

Preview(s) Archive