RPG Game News

8 followers

42 articles/week

Immerse yourself in the world of RPGs. Stay updated with the latest news, updates, and reviews of the best RPG games. Dive into epic adventures and create your own story!

AI LIMIT DLC: Eirene’s Furnace of War Impression ...it is far from the kind of expansion that changes one’s opinion on the whole game. A year ago, I gave AI LIMIT a decent enough score for its solid level design, interesting world-building and fun combat. Since then, my impression of the game has improved, as I’m quite fond of the protagonist Arrisa and how she’s actually an active protagonist with a shred of personality, unlike a lot of other Soulslike protagonists. As such, I was pleasantly surprised to find out that the game was receiving a free expansion, titled Eirene’s Furnace of War. Players are required to roll credits on the base game without starting a New Game Plus on that save file to access the DLC. After arriving at a new area and defeating a rather simple boss, the player will enter Eirene’s domain, the Furnace Arena, where she reveals her role in the larger design of AI LIMIT's world. Eirene is essentially an arms manufacturer, and after the events of the story, is left masterless and fighting a war she has no reason to fight other than it is the reason she was created. Eirene asks Arrisa to help her obtain combat data for a new experiment she is performing, and Arrisa agrees because the new weapon Eirene is developing will ostensibly help humanity survive. Thus, Arrisa begins the Trials of War, and that is where the narrative elements of the expansion mostly end, aside from a few lore-heavy conversations with Eirene that reveal some of her motives and the true purpose of the trials; conversations that feel more like the game checking a box rather than essential to the larger AI Limit narrative. [caption id="attachment_184886" align="alignnone" width="640"] One of the new bosses in the Trials of War: Eirene herself.[/caption] Eirene’s Furnace of War adds three distinct game modes. The most prominent is the Trials of War, a roguelite game mode where the player starts without their previously obtained equipment and must start from scratch. Arrisa will travel through remixed areas from the base game, and upon defeating familiar enemies and bosses from the base game, players will be able to obtain items such as stat upgrades, upgrades to Arrisa’s other moves, such as her parry and shield, and even some passive buffs, such as a projectile that spawns when she gets hit. It is possible to become extremely powerful, which is good because even on the easiest difficulty, no run of the Trials of War is guaranteed to succeed. After either completing a run or losing it, players can return to the beginning to spend obtained currency buffs that will make Arrisa more powerful in subsequent attempts, and also spend special currency on items that can be used outside of the Trials of War, such as a new outfit and weapons. Unfortunately, the items on offer here are sparse, but it is nice to have them nonetheless. [caption id="attachment_188864" align="alignnone" width="640"] AI LIMIT's developers aren't resting on their laurels in the art department.[/caption] Additionally, Eirene’s Furnace of War adds two more modes. The first is a welcome addition: a boss rematch mode that can be used to challenge most of the game’s bosses after they’ve been defeated. This is especially welcome, as the Trials of War includes its own variants of some of the base game bosses that have their own designation, so players can practice against either version if they so choose. Each boss also has up to five difficulty levels to choose from, so those looking for an even greater challenge are able to ratchet up the difficulty, alongside an in-game timer that players can use to compete against themselves for the best time. This mode has also been coupled with a boss rush mode where players can fight a curated list of bosses in sequence without a break, which can be a fun way to reexperience some of AI LIMIT’s best fights. Unfortunately, that is about it when it comes to Eirene’s Furnace of War . A solid 85-90% of the expansion is reused assets and is entirely focused on gameplay, and while well-executed enough, it is far from the kind of expansion that changes one’s opinion on the whole game. The fact is that this is only for those who enjoy AI LIMIT’s combat and boss design, and even then, those who are turned off by roguelite systems may want to stay away. While far from offensively bad, Eirene’s Furnace of War doesn’t offer much that hasn’t been seen before, making it a relatively unnoteworthy addition to an otherwise solid game. Disclosure: This article is based on a build/copy of the game provided by the publisher. The post AI LIMIT DLC: Eirene’s Furnace of War Impression appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerApr 13

Etrange Overlord Review Strange, isn't it? Etrange Overlord bills itself as a “Musical Action-RPG,” and while there are both Action and RPG elements, though I often felt like I was playing something more akin to a party game. The narrative is lighthearted and nonsensical, the combat is a chaotic mess of colors and janky mechanics, and the “musical” elements feel more like an aesthetic choice that doesn’t have much consequence to the game as a whole. Etrange Overlord takes place in Hell, shortly after protagonist Étrange von Rosenburg is executed. Why was she executed? Well, she was falsely accused of assassinating the king, of course! Thankfully, Étrange is rather unbothered about having ended up in Hell. Shortly after arriving, she is accosted by demons, meets up with her cat Cat-Smith, and the two of them defeat the demons and subjugate them, turning their three leaders into their servants. Upon giving them the names Cackie, Chortie, and Chuckie (after the way they all laugh), they don brand new, human-like appearances and become her new retinue. So begins Étrange’s journey through Hell to make herself the most relaxing afterlife she can muster, an afterlife she is desperate to fill with as many sweets as possible. The narrative of Etrange Overlord can best be described as a gag-comedy, though it does have some grander elements that come to fruition late into the campaign. Étrange herself is a wonderful protagonist, both aloof and every bit the archetypal “villainess” the story paints her as, while also being hilariously overpowered, having mastered dark magic while alive and so is rather unfazed by most of the major enemies Hell throws at her. The supporting cast is also fun, though most of them lean far too heavily on tropes to be terribly interesting, mostly serving to add dimensions to Étrange’s character. [caption id="attachment_179257" align="alignnone" width="640"] Étrange often astounds her allies with just how powerful she is.[/caption] Unfortunately, the narrative's broader scope is poorly executed. Most of the intrigue involving who and why Étrange was framed is already revealed from minute one, and most of the development on that front is done using Side Stories, which are all totally optional and don’t even involve a gameplay segment. Furthermore, though they are called Side Stories, it is highly recommended not to skip them, because they contain rather essential context for making the later chapters make any sense in the slightest. Another issue that occurs is that some jokes are repeated a bit too often, especially the way every character seems to be competing for Étrange’s attention in some way, only for her to be rather uninterested in the whole ordeal. While not actively annoying per se, the jokes begin to lose their edge as the story continues. The game is presented wonderfully, with the “musical” theming at its most effective here. During many cutscenes, a spotlight will suddenly be shone on a character (usually Étrange, though others may be present as well,) and they will sing a little number. While the songs themselves aren’t spectacular or particularly impactful, they are a fun way to break up the pacing and deliver exposition to the player, especially in scenes where an entire conversation unfolds through song. Unfortunately, the game’s soundtrack leaves something to be desired outside of the musical numbers. The soundtrack has a fairly standard “lighthearted adventure” quality that works well enough, but there simply aren’t enough unique tracks, especially for a game that otherwise has “musical” written all over it. While the cutscene animations aren’t the cleanest or the most high fidelity, the game takes great advantage of its art style and uses some clever limited animation techniques to pull off some great stuff, especially on the comedic side. While some of the environments and areas can feel a bit stale at times, especially in the early-to-midgame, the character designs (done by Shinichiro Otsuka, illustrator of the Re:Zero light novels), are all incredibly fun, though once again many of them lean a bit too heavily on tropes to stand out. [caption id="attachment_179289" align="alignnone" width="640"] Musical numbers are a really fun way to mix things up.[/caption] Gameplay is where Etrange Overlord stumbles quite a bit. The game is a top-down Action-RPG that focuses on completing objectives and progressing through individual stages with four characters. Objectives range from simply defeating every enemy, defeating specific enemies or a boss character, retrieving items, and more. While these mission types work well enough, none of them pop out as interesting or worthy of note, and the capture-the-point goal specifically has several balancing issues that make it frustrating in single player, with enemies easily able to undo progress made while the ally NPCs don’t focus on the actual mission. Characters also feel incredibly stiff and lack any variety in gameplay. Every character only has a base combo attack and a special attack that can be activated after collecting a specific item. Unfortunately, every combo feels restrictive, and the universal dash that every character has access to doesn’t alleviate this much. While there is a little bit of variance in some characters' move sets, such as some using close-range and others using long-range attacks, the game never presents much of a reason, outside of story-related obligations, to change out the party. What makes Etrange Overlord somewhat resemble a party game is the Lane mechanic. Every stage has Lanes that circuit around the area and are populated by items that travel along the lanes at varying speeds. These items range from the aforementioned special attack item, which grants the player the ability to use the character’s special attack, attack and defense enhancement items, sweets that can heal the player, bombs that can be thrown to deal damage to enemies, items that can be retrieved in order to complete a level, or energy that can be deposited into devices that are also traveling along the lanes. [caption id="attachment_180625" align="alignnone" width="640"] Items that aren't immediately consumed upon obtaining them can be thrown, though bombs are the only item one would want to throw at enemies.[/caption] As a result of Etrange Overlord's Lane mechanic, combined with the high density of enemies, most battles have a chaotic quality that is undeniably fun. However, the poor character control, lack of variety, and simplicity of every encounter make the combat system feel underwhelming and cause the game to lose quite a bit of steam towards the end. Even the grander boss encounters suffer from this, particularly the unique bosses who suffer from the chaos more than they gain. Outside of combat, there isn’t much to do. Every stage has materials that can be collected, which can be used to upgrade weapons and cook meals, but these have minuscule effects that don’t alter the core gameplay meaningfully. It is possible to customize Lanes to some degree, though this mostly boils down to upgrading the effects of the various items. The overworld is also rather uninteresting, with no secrets or hidden areas to discover. While these elements aren’t the end of the world, without a solid core gameplay loop to latch onto, they feel rather hollow. Etrange Overlord has a lot of qualities to enjoy. The narrative is fun if a bit nonsensical and predictable, the characters are a blast, and the musical numbers are a nice touch that distinguishes it from its contemporaries. Unfortunately, the lack of a great combat core combined with monotonous gameplay makes the game ultimately difficult to recommend. Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher. The post Etrange Overlord Review appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerApr 13

Being and Becoming Interview Metroidvanias thrive on interesting visually impressive premises that mix with unique atmosphere and enjoyable gameplay. Developer Ichthys looks to combine all of the above and more with their Soulslike Metroidvania Being and Becoming . Joining RPGamer today is creator, game designer, and writer for the game Anthony Fischer to dive into the gameplay and visual inspirations for this upcoming title that will be releasing on Steam . Ryan Costa (RPGamer): Being and Becoming is quite the atmospheric Metroidvania. Can you talk about some of the ideas in its design, such as the underwater cathedral of the first level? Anthony Fischer : I have hypnopompia, which is a condition where I sometimes continue to dream after waking up. Usually this is paired with sleep paralysis so you cannot move while you are getting spooked by whatever hallucination you are experiencing. However, I rarely get paralyzed so I run around my room like an insane person trying to fight whatever dream spilled into the waking world with me. This was the core inspiration behind the idea of The Dream. Being and Becoming pulls from biblical locations, characters, and prophecy, steeping them in the strange logic of dreams. The underwater Third Temple that the player begins in is depicting a biblical location altered bizarrely by the eldritch nature of The Dream. The reasons as to why the Temple is sunken deep underwater with these people stuck in diver suits will be explained in time through the story. RPGamer: Will players uncover bits of the protagonist's past and how they came to enter the dream? AF : Through exploration and meeting different characters the player will learn all about the protagonist’s past and how that ties into The Dream. The protagonist entered The Dream with a convent of sisters and learns of their fates as they explore. RPGamer: There is a lot of detailed spritework for characters and enemies alike. Are there any in particular that the team is proud of creating? AF : Our art director’s favorite work is the save point. We see this beautiful garden of eden location through a ghostly doorway acting as a portal. This was created with the help of several visual effects artists and our art director himself doing the sprite work. RPGamer: What are the main ideas behind the mechanic of defeating enemies to feed into the player's ability to heal? AF : Blood has an important place within the story of Being and Becoming . The player collects it through combat and can heal with it. The reasons behind why this works exactly will be revealed in time throughout the story. We wanted to provide in-world reasons for each of our game mechanics for a more interesting atmosphere. RPGamer: How many weapons are players able to find and how much do they differ? AF : We are still playing around with the total number of weapons, but we will have at least 5 weapons the player can use. Each is designed with a unique combo system that plays to the strengths of that weapon. For example, the protagonist’s basic weapon is a fast, dual wielded axe and cleaver that strikes twice with each press of the attack button. They soon find a much slower but more powerful anchor that can launch enemies into the air. Weapons are designed to fill a specific role not covered by any other weapon, but are designed to compliment the movesets of each other. Launch an enemy with the anchor and you can use the blunderbuss to juggle that enemy mid air with a ranged shot to keep them airborne. RPGamer: Will the various locales all be interconnected through one large world map or are the areas segmented? AF: The sunken kingdom the player explores is interconnected through one large world map that expands outward from every direction from the Third Temple where they start the game. RPGamer: The Steam updates often feature quotes from H.P. Lovecraft. Are there other artists or writers that have helped inspire the story and setting? AF: Being and Becoming has its primary story inspirations from H.P. Lovecraft, the Bible, and Kierkegaard's writings on being and becoming. I have taken the theme of cosmic horror from Lovecraft and wrapped it around biblical figures and prophecy to make something distinctive. Our art director was most inspired by Bibliomania from a design standpoint. There are some inspirations from Fromsoft, Castlevania , and Hayao Miyazaki as well. For the color work, Heartmachine’s titles were the main inspiration. RPGamer: Will there be new abilities to unlock far into the game, or will most of the basic skills be learned early on? AF: There will be many abilities the player unlocks throughout the game from the start up until the very end. Our goal is to keep introducing new weapons and abilities that keeps the player engaged and excited for discovery from start to finish. RPGamer: Are there any aspects or mechanics within Being and Becoming that you think will stand out for RPGamers? AF: We do not have a stat screen or anything from the numbers side of RPGs, but we do have an interesting build system with our relics. In our public playtest, we featured 4 relics that all combined in interesting ways. For example, we had a relic that left a ghostly afterimage of a launched enemy that transferred damage (and further knock ups) to the flying flying enemy, which could be combined with the ability to dodge cancel attacks to leave behind your own afterimage continuing that canceled attack. So you could have your afterimage attack their afterimage while you attacked their actual body. Each relic can be upgraded to change its function and combined with others for a ton of unique builds and playstyles. RPGamer: Between the save points and parts of boss fights shown in the trailer, there's an overlapping set of visuals that occur that seem like one world breaking into another. Is this part of a motif that could be expected to seen frequently? AF: Each area of the game has at least one unique environmental mechanic. The Aqueduct of Jerwan seen in the trailer shows a rift that opens into a completely different background with new level geometry from what was once there outside the rift. There are other areas that build on this idea that are related to The Aqueduct, but there are also many more areas with completely different environmental mechanics. RPGamer would like to thank Anthony Fischer for their time in answering these questions about Being and Becoming as well as Sarah Blackwell and Stride PR for making it all happen. Those looking forward to this atmospheric Soulslike Metroidvania can look forward to its release on Steam . The post Being and Becoming Interview appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerApr 12

Avowed Works Best When You Stop Expecting a Sandbox RPG Obsidian Entertainment’s Avowed is a game I liked from the start, even when the wider conversation around it didn’t always reflect that. A lot of the criticism surrounding it seemed to come down to comparing it to what it isn’t: a fully systemic, sandbox-driven RPG in the vein of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim . However, that framing misses the point. Avowed works best once expectations of a sandbox experience are set aside and it is approached as a dialogue-driven, roleplay-focused experience. When it launched in 2025, the conversation around it felt split. Some players were drawn in by its connection to the Pillars of Eternity universe, while others bounced off what felt like a lack of traditional RPG systems. Once the game’s focus on dialogue-driven roleplaying clicks, the entire experience starts to make a lot more sense. More than anything, what pulled me in wasn’t the combat or even the exploration. It was the world itself. Avowed doesn’t ease players into its setting. It throws terminology, factions, and history at players almost immediately, expecting them to either keep up or take the time to learn. Characters speak like these things are common knowledge, because to them, they are. At first, that can feel overwhelming. But over time, it makes the world feel more believable. Instead of constantly stopping to explain itself, the game trusts players to meet it halfway. The glossary helps fill in the gaps, but the dialogue itself stays natural, never slipping into exposition-heavy explanations. It’s a small thing, but it goes a long way in making the world feel lived in. [caption id="attachment_188957" align="aligncenter" width="591"] Kai serves as a strong anchor into Avowed’s world through dialogue and character interaction.[/caption] Much of the criticism around Avowed focuses on what it doesn’t do. There’s no real sandbox chaos here. NPCs don’t follow complex routines, players can’t attack random characters, and the world doesn’t react in the same systemic way as something like The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim . For a lot of players, that’s been a sticking point. However, Avowed is deliberately built without those systems, and when approached on its own terms, they aren’t actually missed. That’s because most of the sense of immersion comes through dialogue and roleplaying choices rather than systems. The game gives plenty of opportunities for players to shape their character through conversations, deciding how they respond, what they believe, and who they align with. After finishing the game twice with very different characters, those choices did a lot more to define the experience than any missing sandbox system would have. That said, this approach does make some of the game’s weaker elements stand out more against the stronger parts, especially the companions. Kai, in particular, works well as an anchor into the world. His background and perspective help ground the setting in something personal, giving players a clearer way into its broader conflicts. His connection to places like the Deadfire makes the world feel lived in rather than explained. Not every companion reaches that same level, though. Characters like Giatta and Yatzli often feel more like vehicles for delivering lore than fully realized people, with personal arcs that don’t leave much of a lasting impression. Marius stands out for a different reason. Where other companions at least serve as a lens into the world, Marius rarely feels like he adds much at all. His personality leans heavily on sarcasm and friction, but without the depth or payoff that usually makes those traits work. [caption id="attachment_188962" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Not every companion reaches that same level, but Avowed works because it focuses so heavily on a specific kind of immersion.[/caption] A good comparison is Sera from Dragon Age: Inquisition , another companion who can be abrasive and divisive. The difference is that Sera is given space to evolve, and the player can choose to engage with or reject her. Marius never quite gets that same level of development or agency, and as a result, he feels less like a difficult character and more like an incomplete one. While the immediate responses to choices usually strike true, the long-term reactivity is also a bit lacking. Characters can strongly disagree with major decisions in the moment, only to fall back into familiar patterns shortly after, with little sense that those moments carry forward. It undercuts the immersion the game works hard to build and makes some choices feel less meaningful than they should. But even with those issues, Avowed stayed with me, largely because of the strength of its world and writing. Not because it does everything expected from a modern RPG, but because it focuses so heavily on a specific kind of immersion: one built through its world, its writing, and the way it lets players exist within that space. It’s not Obsidian’s most ambitious game, and it won’t click with everyone. But for players willing to meet it on its own terms, there’s something genuinely rewarding here. After a year of updates and improvements, it finally feels like the version of Avowed that was always meant to be played. The post Avowed Works Best When You Stop Expecting a Sandbox RPG appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerApr 12

RPGamer Round-Up: April 5 – April 12 Welcome to the latest edition of RPGamer's round-up column, where we look back at some of the articles that we have posted over the intervening period. This article is designed to give reminders of some interesting content and stories that our readers might have missed. Editorial Content People of Note Review People of Note takes center stage, ready to show off its musical prowess and measured, thrilling turn-based combat. With the game hitting every note, Jordan McClain states that music lovers and RPGamers won’t want to miss out on this indie gem. GreedFall: The Dying World Review The story of the continent of Teer Fradee isn’t quite finished. Pascal Tekaia reports back from before it all started, as developer Spiders lets players see through the eyes of the island’s natives. Avowed PS5 Review Is Avowed' s Envoy a fungi to be around? Sam Wachter finds that Obsidian Entertainment’s first-person fantasy action RPG is plenty enjoyable, even with a bit of mold growing on it. Ultima VII: The Black Gate Retroview Ultima VII is a game that is revered by its fans, at least the PC version is. Ryan Radcliff discovers that the SNES adaptation of The Black Gate is a condensed, inferior, clunky game that is a blight upon the series’ legacy. People of Note Interview Iridium Studios’ People of Note sees pop-star Cadence journey across the land of Note to form a contest-winning band with a new, fresh sound. Director Jason Wishnov answered some questions from RPGamer's Jordan McClain about the game and its creation. Aether & Iron Interview with Christopher Tin and Alex Williamson Decopunk narrative RPG Aether & Iron is available now on Steam. Alex Fuller was able to put some questions to composers Christopher Tin and Alex Williamson about creating the music for the game. Voidling Bound Interview The monster taming subgenre expands into the third-person action shooter subgenre with Voidling Bound . Ryan Costa puts various questions about the game to Hatchery Games's Creative Director Jonathan Rancourt. Neverway Demo Impression A prologue demo introduces players to the horror life-sim of Neverway . Michael Baker was able to get an early look at the demo. Translating Genres: Arknights and Endfield Arknights: Endfield took a different tack to the original strategy mobile game. Kay Vandivert examines how Gryphline and Mountain Contour created a different gameplay experience while keeping the spirit of Arknights . Major News Snack World: Reloaded Announced Level-5 announced a remake of Switch title Snack World: The Dungeon Crawl Gold . Snack World: Reloaded will include revamped gameplay and controls, additional story, and an extra mode. Alabaster Dawn Releasing on Steam Early Access in May Radical Fish Games announced that Alabaster Dawn will arrive on Steam Early Access in around a month. The latest title from the CrossCode developer is not expected to fully release for at least two years. Neverway Releasing in October, Prologue Demo Out Now Coldblood and Outersloth announced an October release window for horror life sim RPG Neverway . In addition, a prologue demo is available now on Steam. Koshmar: The Last Reverie Announced Developer Purple Ray Studio announced dark fantasy game Koshmar: The Last Reverie . In development for PC and consoles, it blends action adventure, roguelite, and RPG elements. Town of Zoz Out Now on PC Balor Games and Studio Pixanoh’s Town of Zoz is out now on PC via Steam. The cooking action RPG draws from Latin American culture and 2000s JRPGs. Arcadia Fallen II Released on PC, Consoles Galdra Studios has released Arcadia Fallen II . Its follow-up to the 2021 role-playing visual novel is available on PC and all recent consoles. Another Eden Begins Releasing in September Wright Flyer Studios announced that Another Eden Begins is coming to PC and Switch consoles in September. The game offers a reworking of the free-to-play turn-based RPG Another Eden: The Cat Beyond Time and Space . Bylina Releasing on PC This Month Digital Vortex Entertainment and Far Far Games announced that Bylina will release in a couple of weeks. The Slavic-themed isometric action adventure title will be available for PC via Steam. Other News Fuga: Melodies of Steel Coming to Mobile This Summer Fantasy Life i: The Girl Who Steals Time Coming to Mobile The Relic: First Guardian Pushed to Summer Pillars of Eternity Turn-Based Mode Released Genesis RPG Traysia Coming to PC, Consoles Ninja Cats: Tactics Coming to Steam Early Access This Month Colony Management Action RPG Impurity Announced Oceanhorn 3: Legend of the Shadow Sea Receives Gone Fishing Chronicles Update Diorama Break Demo Released, Kickstarter Campaign Beginning This Month Cyberpunk 2077 Receives PS5 Pro Update Level-5 Provides Inazuma Eleven RE, Decapolice, Holy Horror Mansion Platform Updates and Teases Absolum Switch 2 Release Announced Asterfel Playtest Starting Next Week Valor Mortis Gets Gameplay Trailer, Fall Release Window Alkahest Receives Debut Gameplay Trailer Mongil: Star Dive Shows Gameplay New Release Round-Up (April 9, 2026) Podcasts RPG Cast – Episode 808: “Crafting Makes Me Feel Good” Chris kicks Tidus into the ocean. Kelly is looking forward to taming an army of cats. Robert lauds the efforts of the 2D waifu union. And Ryan is practicing his Smash freeze cheese. The post RPGamer Round-Up: April 5 – April 12 appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerApr 12

Arknights: Endfield Version 1.2 Update Continues Wuling Storyline Next Week Gryphline announced that its version 1.2 update for free-to-play 3D strategy RPG Arknights: Endfield will release on April 17, 2026. The update, titled "At the Wake of Spring", focuses on the core chapter of the Wuling storyline, seeing players having their first direct battle with Nefarith. It adds the electric-based Zhuang Fangyi as a new playable character, as well as additional map and exploration content in Wuling, plus gameplay and quality-of-life improvements. Developed by Mountain Contour, Arknights: Endfield is based on the popular Arknights mobile RPG/tower defence title, but tells a separate story. Players are tasked with surveying the unexplored wildlands outside of the colonies that are home to dangers and secrets while undertaking missions with real-time combat using a party made up of operators from the Protocol Field Recovery Department. The game is currently available on PC, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android. Those looking to read more about the game can check out Kay Vandivert's editorial examining the translation of genres between Arknights: Endfield and the original Arknights game. [foogallery id="188886"] The post Arknights: Endfield Version 1.2 Update Continues Wuling Storyline Next Week appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerApr 12

Honkai: Star Rail Anniversary Version 4.2 Update Arriving This Month HoYoverse announced that its version 4.2 update for Honkai: Star Rail will release on April 22, 2026. It is the game's third anniversary update, titled "So Laughed the Masses", and will include various special events, gifts, and special store items to mark the anniversary. The update's main story content continues the Phantasmoon Games as it is revealed that the victor will become the permanent Aeon of Elation. It includes two new playable 5-star characters: Silver Wolf LV.999 and Evanescia. Silver Wolf LV.999 is a new version of familiar character Silver Wolf after she attains level 999 and evolves into a "Godmode Player." She is a 5-star Imaginary-type character following the Path of Elation. Evanescia is a Special Observer of the Phantasmoon Games, with the reveal of her true identity forming part of the story. She is a 5-star Physical-type character also following the Path of Elation. In addition, the update will see the Trailblazer on the Path of Elation using a glow stick weapon that can transform into a light blade and nunchucks. Other parts of the update include reruns for limited 5-star characters The Dahlia, Castorice, and Firefly in the first half and Tribbie, Sunday, and Feixiao in the second half of the update as Warp events. Firefly, Huohuo, Seele, and Welt will also receive character buffs. Further event content includes the arrival of "Cosmic Data Roaming", which lets players by broadcasting their best combat moments; an expansion to Currency Wars game mode; a Version 2.0 update for the Cosmicon Collective card game; and more. Honkai: Star Rail tells its own standalone story in the Honkai universe and is available on PC, PlayStation 5, iOS, and Android. The setting features Aeons, incarnations of universal principles that can freely travel between its worlds and apply their principles to them. Players embark on a journey on the Astral Express alongside other passengers looking to explore the universe and find out its secrets. [foogallery id="188898"] The post Honkai: Star Rail Anniversary Version 4.2 Update Arriving This Month appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerApr 12

RPG Cast – Episode 808: “Crafting Makes Me Feel Good” Chris kicks Tidus into the ocean. Kelly is looking forward to taming an army of cats. Robert lauds the efforts of the 2D Waifu union. And Ryan is practicing his Smash freeze cheese. Question of the Week What is your comfort game if you're sick or not feeling great? Check out the show notes here! The post RPG Cast – Episode 808: “Crafting Makes Me Feel Good” appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerApr 11

Ultima VII: The Black Gate Retroview Ultimately Dreadful Well before my days writing and streaming for RPGamer, I was part of an RPG book club. A group of RPG enthusiasts voted on what to collectively play so we could discuss our journeys through these games. Two such games ended up being on the SNES, and both were series I had yet to experience. Ultima VII: The Black Gate was one of those games, and while it was recommended to avoid the SNES port and play the PC version, I did not. Eventually, I stumbled my way through the clunky mess, and ultimately, it left a bad impression of the series, as it is still the only Ultima game I have played. The Black Gate has players taking the role of the Avatar, a hero who has saved the realm of Britannia numerous times before, but this time it has been 200 years since his last visit. A string of kidnappings has caused citizens concern. All the while, a newly found religion known as the Fellowship has taken root across Britannia. Lord British, the benevolent ruler of Britannia, asks the Avatar for assistance in solving these matters. It is obvious to the player from the start that this group is hiding a nefarious agenda, but the Avatar must find concrete proof of wrongdoing before they are able to make any connections. Finding the Fellowship guilty is done by a string of seemingly never-ending fetch quests, where NPCs in the different towns will give the Avatar what he needs, but only after he ventures to a local dungeon to retrieve the requested item. The graphics in The Black Gate are forgettable. The Avatar and Lord British stand out, but every other NPC falls into a small group of reused sprites, and the locations all end up looking very similar. Most NPCs have unique faces when interacting with them, and this is how the Avatar will gather most of his intel. The game offers a set of questions the Avatar can ask NPCs, with each response opening new conversation branches that point the player to the next point of interest. There is also the central antagonist, known as The Guardian, who will chime in every now and then during the Avatar's journey. Initially, it seems The Guardian pops up randomly, but in actuality, he pops up when the player is heading in the right direction, usually trying to dissuade the Avatar from continuing his journey. [caption id="attachment_188663" align="aligncenter" width="412"] This guy secretly helps players![/caption] Ultima VII has an action RPG battle system. The Avatar can equip weapons and smack enemies in front of him. As enemies charge towards the Avatar, he basically stands his ground to battle the oncoming attackers. It's not great, and if the player moves around too much, they can get cornered or stun locked to death. Most enemies will get slightly knocked back when hit, so it makes sense to stay put and wail on foes until they turn to puffs of smoke. Unfortunately, monsters only carry junk and, at best, dungeon keys after being defeated. In fact, much of the game will be spent managing the Avatar's inventory. There are tons of treasure chests and loot to collect in the game, but most of it is useless and will only serve to fill a limited inventory system. If the Avatar walks over a loose item, it will automatically go into his inventory. There are also skeleton keys, which are stored separately, and special keys that take up inventory space as well. Players will be battling micromanagement as much as enemies in this game. The Avatar can gain up to eight levels in this game, and as they level up, new spells are acquired. Spells can be configured to be used with the L and R buttons, and for the rest, the Avatar will have to go into his spell book to manually trigger each spell. Spells cost Ankh points, and players can restore these with potions or by being idle. Many locations have numerous areas that will require spell usage, like unlocking magical doors. If not prepared in advance, the player will have to wait for their spell energy to restore before continuing. This poorly implemented bloat unjustly inflates the game's run time. [caption id="attachment_188664" align="aligncenter" width="411"] Bad guy go poof![/caption] Even using the very expensive, very necessary, magical boat costs magic to activate. There is one spell that costs no magic to use called Kal Lor. It is easy to get lost in this game. This spell will teleport the player, wherever they are, back to Lord British. The only drawback to using this spell is that it drains the Avatar of his gained experience, usually costing one level per use, and takes half of his gold from his person. Use this spell with extreme caution. There is a distinct lack of musical tracks in The Black Gate . The outdoors, dungeon, and enemy encounter tunes take up the majority of what players will hear during the game. None of these melodies are noteworthy for good reasons. Ultima VII: The Black Gate for the SNES is not a good port. It's hard to compare it with the PC version, but most people would say that adaptation is the way to experience and appreciate Ultima VII . The Black Gate on the PC also has a few expansions that the SNES version did not implement. The SNES limitations are evident as the graphics, story, battles, magic system, and music are all lacking. This is not a game I plan to play again, at least not on the SNES. Disclosure: This review is purely comparing this game to other SNES RPGs. The post Ultima VII: The Black Gate Retroview appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerApr 11

Voidling Bound Interview The monster taming subgenre has seen a lot of reinvention lately. What used to be just turn-based battling has turned into different ways to showcase creatures in a variety of gameplay styles. With Voidling Bound , developer Hatchery Games looks to take their cute critters into a third person action shooter as a space wrangler to help these Voidlings take back their home planets from the pollutants of an agressive parasite species. Joining RPGamer today is Jonathan Rancourt, the Creative Director at Hatchery Games. Today, we'll discuss more about the Voidlings and how the player interacts with the sci-fi planets to prepare fans for when the game launches for Steam on June 9, 2026 with PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 versions planned to follow at a later date. Ryan Costa (RPGamer): Do the evolutionary paths of the Voidlings intersect after a time or does each Voidling have their own possibilities? Jonathan Rancourt : Each Voidling has its own evolution tree that allows it to evolve into 31 possible forms. Every evolution allows you to make unique discoveries, change its element, uncover new abilities or powerful perks that change how each creature plays in combat. RPGamer: Are Voidling eggs rare to find while on missions? JR : During missions you can find multiple common eggs, but some locations have golden eggs from which you can hatch unique Voidlings that have genes otherwise inaccessible through the evolution system, granting you new possibilities in the Splicing Station where you mix and match your genes to craft your own specimens. RPGamer: How challenging was it to balance the melee and shooter sides of the combat? JR : In the development team and amongst our community, each player has their own playstyle, so we end up with advocates for a wide range of playstyles and each creature. These advocates provide valuable feedback that is essential to the balancing of the game. We listen to their input and make sure the experience is enjoyable across both melee and ranged characters. Each new Voidling that gets added to the game brings forth new unique gameplay abilities that we need to account for while designing levels and enemies. A character like Nimiod, that can hover above the ground, has created some pretty interesting design solutions to allow him to melee creatures in a way that feels rewarding. RPGamer: Can you explain how the enemy factions differ from one another? JR : Each faction brings a unique twist to the gameplay, asking the player to play differently or adapt their Voidling selection. In the demo, players got to experience the Bulbous, which are all about swarming you with numbers, and they’ve also experienced the GenBots, which turn the game into a bullet hell, asking you to manoeuver around their walls and projectiles. The other upcoming factions each have their own twist that keeps the gameplay interesting. RPGamer: With Voidling Bound being shooter-based, how challenging was it to make the branching paths feel different during gameplay? JR : Creating branching evolution is one of the places where we really get to be creative. We aim for each step to offer players a choice that is instantly noticeable both visually and in game feel. When you unlock a new primary ability, it’s like changing weapon type in a classic shooter, but with the creature evolution angle we get to open up the possibilities drastically. As an example, Kerapin starts out with a Burst Rifle, but it can evolve into a Bolla Blast that knocks back enemies or a Snow Sling that explodes and freezes them once you stack enough projectiles on them. RPGamer: Cleansing the lesions causes such an immediately satisfying visual as the plants spring back to life. Can you explain the design thoughts behind the fast-acting animations? JR : We wanted the players to feel the satisfaction of cleansing the world of corruption and to get an instant reward from the nature springing back up. From the pop of the corruption to the animation of plants sprouting, each step is carefully crafted to be instantly gratifying. RPGamer: Will there be a higher chance at getting some Voidlings compared to others, or will it be the same rates across the board? JR : The players get to discover each Voidling species throughout the story of the game. Some lucky players will also get to uncover unique natures and variants hidden in rare golden and silver eggs. RPGamer: Will Voidlings be restricted to specific planets, or can they be used anywhere? JR : Voidlings can be used anywhere, but some activities will favor specific Voidlings. Each enemy faction has their elemental weaknesses, asking you to pick the right Voidling for each activity. You also need to make sure your Voidling is strong enough to take on the challenge, so you might want to train it beforehand. RPGamer: How does the Space Wrangler's ship evolve as the story progresses? JR : As you progress, you unlock new rooms and stations that allow you to breed, train, and splice creatures, expanding your capacity as a space wrangler. Breeding will allow you to transfer attributes and natures to offspring, allowing each generation to grow in strength. In the training room, you’ll get to assign creatures for them to level up while you complete missions; this way, no one gets left behind. RPGamer: What additions will splicing bring to the Voidlings players can create? JR : This is where players will get to really go wild and unlock their creativity. In the Splicing Station, each gene discovered through your evolution expands your capacity to craft your perfect specimen, combining perks to discover powerful new synergies or dual-wielding elements to face multiple factions at once. RPGamer: Is there anything that you would love to share about the game not mentioned yet? JR : We have more to reveal on the road to our June 9th release stay tuned for more! RPGamer would like to thank Jonathan Rancourt for their time answering these questions about Voidling Bound , as well as Sarah Blackwell and Stride PR for making it all happen. Those looking forward to raising their own Voidlings to save their planets can look forward to it releasing June 9, 2026, on Steam with PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and Nintendo Switch 2 versions planned to follow at a later date. The post Voidling Bound Interview appeared first on RPGamer .

RPGamerApr 11