Secret of Mana Box Art

Secret of Mana

The upcoming Secret of Mana is a 3D remake of the 1993 SNES action RPG from Square Enix. It follows the adventures of a courageous young man Randi, who alongside a noblewoman Primm and a mischievous sprite Popoi take on a treacherous empire in an attempt to restore balance to the world.

Compared to the original, the remake features revamped visuals and controls, voiced characters, a rearranged soundtrack, and local multiplayer for up to three players.

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Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology Box Art

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology

Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology is a remake of the 2011 DS fantasy RPG, Radiant Historia. The original title was co-developed by Atlus and Headlock, and several of the staff returned to work on Perfect Chronology. The remake features refreshed visuals including redrawn character art, increased gameplay speed and new mechanics, as well as an additional game mode.

In Radiant Historia: Perfect Chronology, players step into the shoes of Stocke, an agent of one of the two nations warring for the Vainqueur continent. Armed with White Chronicle, a book which allows its owner to travel between alternate timelines, Stocke has to alter events throughout history and prevent the destruction of the world.

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Kingdom Come: Deliverance Box Art

Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an open-world action RPG developed by Czech company Warhorse Studios, and published by Deep Silver. It is set in 15th-century Bohemia, a part of the Holy Roman Empire, during the time of great upheaval following the death of emperor Charles IV. Players take on the role of Henry, the son of a humble blacksmith. After his family and entire village is massacred by an invading army, he is drafted into the service of lord Radzig Kobyla, who is leading the resistance.

The game boasts historically-accurate medieval combat: for example, sword blows against armor are deflected, so the player has to find and exploit weaknesses in the opponent’s defenses. A classless system is used for character advancement, and proficiency in different weapons as well as skills like lock-picking can be freely learned without restrictions to character archetypes.

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Monster Hunter World Box Art

Monster Hunter World

Monster Hunter World is an open-world action RPG developed and published by Capcom. As the fifth main entry in their highly successful Monster Hunter series, it introduces seamless transitions between zones, larger maps, and an online co-op for up to four players without region lock.

The game has the player take on the role of a hunter on a research expedition to a newly discovered continent. It offers fourteen varied weapon types, such as dual blades, greatsword, lance, and bow, each with unique attacks and status effects. Furthermore, it is possible to switch between weapons mid-quest.

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Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory Box Art

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory

Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker’s Memory is a role-playing game developed by Japanese company Media.Vision and published by Bandai Namco for PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. It shares locations and gameplay elements with the 2015 title Digimon Story: Cyber Sleuth, but features a new story and characters.

The protagonist of the game is Keisuke Amazawa, a boy who is blamed for a crime committed through his stolen Cyberspace EDEN account. He joins a hacker group called Hudie, and sets out to find the real culprit, befriending numerous Digimon along the way. Players can choose between Gotsumon, Betamon, or Tentomon as their partner at the beginning, and the game features 320 creatures in total.

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Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon Box Art

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon

Pokémon Ultra Sun and Pokémon Ultra Moon are paired games which expand heavily on the original installments, bringing the players back to the Alola region introduced in Sun and Moon.

According to Nintendo, there are new additions to the story, new amazing Pokémon to catch, more formidable foes, and the mystery of the Legendary Pokémon Solgaleo, Lunala, and Necrozma to uncover.

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Ittle Dew 2+ Box Art

Ittle Dew 2+

Ittle Dew 2 is a 3D action-adventure with RPG elements developed by indie studio Ludosity and published by Nicalis. It follows the titular adventurer Ittle and her flying fox companion Tippsie, who are stranded on a mysterious island filled with loot and puzzles, and have to find eight pieces of a raft that will take them home.

As the game is already out on Steam, Xbox One, and PS4, this article is concerned specifically with the upcoming Nintendo Switch release. According to the publisher, the Switch version (dubbed Ittle Dew 2+) includes an entirely new adventure, Dream World, with five puzzle-filled dungeons, a new boss, and 40 collectible cards.

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Summon Night 6: Lost Borders Box Art

Summon Night 6: Lost Borders

Summon Night 6: Lost Borders is a tactical RPG developed by Media.Vision, and published by Gaijinworks outside Japan. The game takes place in Fillujah, a Cocoon World enveloped by a mysterious barrier where the three main characters – Raj, Amu and Ist – live in virtual isolation. This changes when strangers from another worlds begin appearing from the sky.

The game is notable for its huge (50+) character cast, emotional story, and a fully 3D battle system. It is also the first installment in the Summon Night series to boast HD graphics.

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Assassin's Creed Origins Box Art

Assassin’s Creed Origins

Assassin’s Creed Origins is an open-world action RPG set in Ancient Egypt. Like its name suggests, the game depicts the beginnings of the Assassin Brotherhood. Its protagonist is Bayek, the last warrior of the Medjay order, who have served as agents of the pharaoh and protected Egypt from threats for centuries until the Greek dynasty of Ptolemies took over. His wife Aya is also playable in certain missions.

Unlike the previous Assassin’s Creed installments, Origins features a RPG-like skill tree divided into Warrior, Hunter, and Seer categories. Bayek can wield weapons like sickle swords, dual daggers, iron spears, maces and scepters, bows, and, naturally, the signature Hidden Blade. A crafting and customization system allows Bayek to improve his gear, and the Hidden Blade in particular receives many upgrades as he progresses through the story.

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Nights of Azure 2 Box Art

Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon

Nights of Azure 2: Bride of the New Moon is a fantasy action RPG developed by Gust and published by Koei Tecmo. The game’s storyline has been described as a “gothic fairy tale”. Alushe Anatoria, the protagonist of the first title, makes a return as a resurrected half-demon, and strives to rescue her childhood friend Liliana who was chosen to become the Bride of Time, a sacrifice to save the world from the evil Moon Queen. Aiding Alushe in her battles are “Lilies”, partners with whom she can build deeper bonds and awaken their latent abilities, as well as “Servans”, tamed demons with diverse and useful powers.

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South Park: The Fractured But Whole Box Art
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    Oct 17, 2017

South Park: The Fractured But Whole Pre-Order Bonuses

The Fractured But Whole is a sequel to the 2014 comedy RPG, The Stick of Truth. The New Kid returns as the protagonist, and this time the boys are playing superheroes. Players create their own hero, choosing from several classes and customizing their appearance, and join the Coon and Friends to fight crime which has been on the rise in the town. There is also a competing group, Freedom Pals, which split off from Cartman’s organization resulting in a civil war between the superheroes.

South Park: The Fractured But Whole makes the combat more complex by adding a tactical grid, which means the players now have to mind their positioning and use the environment to their advantage. Also new to the game is a crafting system which allows the players to create their own equipment.

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Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth Box Art

Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth

Etrian Odyssey V: Beyond the Myth is the latest installment in the Etrian Odyssey series of grid-based dungeon crawler RPGs for Nintendo handhelds. Players will build their character, create a party of up to five adventurers, and delve into the dungeons under the Yggdrasil Tree to face the fearsome enemies which dwell therein. There is a number of races and classes to choose from, each with their own set of unique skills, and like in the previous installments, multiclassing is available too.

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Middle-earth: Shadow of War Box Art

Middle-earth: Shadow of War Pre-Order Bonuses

Monolith Productions is working on a sequel to Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor, the award-winning action-adventure game set in Tolkien’s universe. Titled Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the upcoming game is set between the events in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings and features ranger Talion and wraith Celebrimbor, returning characters from the previous installment. Wielding a new Ring of Power, the two will confront Sauron and his Ringwraiths, and lead massive armies to conquer Mordor.

The game will be out on current-gen consoles and Steam. It is an Xbox Play Anywhere title, allowing Xbox One and Windows 10 gamers to play on both platforms with a single purchase.

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Blue Reflection Box Art
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    Sep 26, 2017

Blue Reflection

Blue Reflection is a role-playing game developed by Gust and published by Koei Tecmo. Set in an all-girls high-school in modern Japan, it follows Hinako Shirai, a ballet dancer whose career comes to an abrupt end due to a foot injury. Hinako grows cold and distant after this tragic event, but her life changes when she meets the magical Shijou twins, Yuzu and Lime, who grant her the power of a Reflector. Hinako gains the ability to shape and manipulate a parallel dimension known as “The Common”, but this other world is not without dangers of its own.

Blue Reflection follows a day cycle, which should be familiar to fans of JRPGs like Persona. In the morning, the player goes to school and interacts with their classmates, and after it ends, they can roam freely and choose different activities. Battles take place in The Common, and feature a party system with turn-based combat.

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Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA Box Art

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA

Ys VIII: Lacrimosa of DANA is an action RPG developed by Nihon Falcom and localized by NIS America for the Western markets. The game comes with dual audio, and includes English and French subtitles.

Like several other Ys games, it begins with the protagonist Adol Christin getting shipwrecked and stranded on a cursed island. Forming a village together with the other shipwrecked passengers, he sets out to unravel the secrets of the cursed isle and the blue-haired maiden Dana who haunts his dreams.

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Blackguards 2 Box Art

Blackguards 2

Blackguards 2 is a turn-based tactical RPG developed by German company Daedalic Entertainment and published by Kalypso Media. It takes place years after the events in the first game, and follows Cassia, a young noblewoman, on her quest to rally the Vanquishers of the Nine Hordes and claim the Shark Throne for herself. The player can choose spells and talents freely, developing a unique combat style, and recruit mercenaries, controlling up to 20 characters on the hex battlefield.

As Blackguards 2 is already out on Steam since 2015, this article is concerned specifically with the upcoming console versions of the game.

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Destiny 2 Box Art

Destiny 2 Pre-Order Bonuses

Destiny 2 is a multiplayer first-person shooter with RPG elements developed by Bungie and published by Activision. The sequel takes place one year after the events in the Destiny: Rise of Iron. The Red Legion of the Cabal, led by the towering commander Ghaul, has devastated the Last City and scattered its Guardians. The surviving heroes will need to venture into new worlds to discover powerful weapons and combat abilities, and rally to take back their home.

The game comes in several different editions: Standard, Expansion Pass Bundle, Digital Deluxe, Limited, and Collector’s. The contents of these are outlined below.

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Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth Box Art

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth

Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth is a tactical RPG / visual novel hybrid made by Aquaplus and localized by Atlus. As a direct sequel to Utawarerumono: Mask of Deception, it continues Haku’s journey and brings it to a climactic and thrilling conclusion. The upcoming title is said to offer 70+ hours of gameplay, enhanced battle mechanics, and an increased cast of fascinating characters.

In North America, Utawarerumono: Mask of Truth will be available in physical and digital formats for both PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. The game comes with the original Japanese voice acting and English subtitles.

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Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle Box Art
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    Aug 29, 2017

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle

Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle is a turn-based tactical RPG developed and published by Ubisoft exclusively for the Nintendo Switch. Like the name suggests, it is a crossover between Mario and Raving Rabbids franchises, and features four Rabbids heroes who are transported into the Mushroom Kingdom by a mysterious vortex. Joining forces with Mario, Luigi, Princess Peach, and Yoshi, they adventure through four different worlds filled with enemies and puzzles.

The game combines exploration with top-down, turn-based party combat. In addition to the single-player story, there is also a co-op mode with challenges for two players.

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Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age Box Art
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    Jul 11, 2017

Final Fantasy XII: The Zodiac Age

The Zodiac Age is a HD remaster of the Final Fantasy XII: International Zodiac Job System version, which was released in Japan back in 2007 but never ported West, contrary to its name. In addition to remastered character models and cutscenes, the upcoming release also includes a new trial mode which involves hunting monsters in 100 different maps, newly recorded background music, and support for trophies.

Originally launched in 2006 for PlayStation 2, Final Fantasy XII is widely acclaimed as one of the best Final Fantasy titles. The game is set in the magical world of Ivalice, and follows an energetic orphan Vaan on his journey to become a sky pirate.

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