Upcoming RPGs of 2014: Day 4
Here is Day 4 of our "Upcoming RPGs of 2014" coverage!
I tried to find and post every single RPG that I could find that has either been confirmed for 2014, is seeking a full release in 2014 (in regards to games currently on services like Steam's Early Access or in an alpha or beta state), or slated to appear later this year.
The dates listed are their earliest confirmed dates, either being for Europe or North America. Note that we will be going through these titles in alphabetical order, and all release dates are obviously subject to change.
Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Five
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor (PC/PS3/PS4/360/XBO)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: Monolith Productions
An open-world action RPG set in Tolkien's Lord of the Rings universe featuring something called the Nemesis System, where an enemy is able to remember your character's actions from a previous encounter and react accordingly, and even a way to hold dominion over a character by having them pursue different tasks such as assassinating their boss or go on a spy mission for you. These baddies are also procedurally-generated, making it so that no two characters are the same, and every encounter is different, making every situation dynamic. The gameplay looks like a combination of Assassin's Creed and Batman: Arkham Asylum with some very interesting new ideas to keep the experience fresh.
Might & Magic X: Legacy (PC)
Release Date: January 23rd, 2014
Developer: Limbic Entertainment
Speaking of Might & Magic, the newest entry in this storied franchise will finally makes its return more than ten years after its previous mainline title. It may be lower budget, but the class-based gameplay looks fun and the inclusion of a modding kit will allow fans to create content for this anticipated sequel. The game has been in Early Access on Steam since last Summer, but will see a proper release this year.
Mighty Quest for Epic Loot (PC)
Release Date: TBA 2014 (currently on Steam Early Access)
Developer: Ubisoft Montreal
A free-to-play dungeon builder and dungeon crawler , the goal of the game is for playesr to create their own complex dungeons in order to protect all of their treasure while in going out and stealing the loot of others. It’s a neat twist on the Tower Defense genre,
Mind Zero (Vita)
Release Date: May 27th, 2014
Developer: Acquire
A dungeon crawler RPG that can’t help but draw heavy comparison to a certain other title, players take control of a young high school student named Kei who can take control of a being known as a MIND (Mental Inside Nobody Doll) that lets them use otherworldly powers that take the form of a persona. Along with a group of friends that the player can switch in and out of battle, the story focuses in on two different worlds: the real and the spiritual, separate planes that players will venture in and out of in an RPG boasting dozens of hours of story content.
Moments of Silence (PC)
Release Date: November 2014
Developer: myformerselves
A unique Action/Adventure RPG that looks like a Terry Gilliam cartoon come to life, this fever dream of a game has a heavily abstract aesthetic - decisions have consequences, and the focus is not so much to overwhelm the player with its look but to wrap themselves into an experience where they can pull from all of these visuals and interpret them inside the game.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (PC)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: TaleWorlds Entertainment
I soaked a ton of hours into the original Mount & Blade, building my army from a scant few soldiers into a giant mass of bodies storming towns and castles in an overwhelming fashion. The sequel to the military-building simulation RPG will put a heavier emphasis on the campaign, with bigger and bloodier battles, a focus on the drama around these skirmishes, and a lot more exploration.
Mugen Souls Z (PS3)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: Compile Heart
After covering Mugen Souls, I could definitely see the potential in this game. Sure, it was weighed down by its multitude of gameplay systems and the mechanics could be really confusing at times, but there was a lot of depth to be had there. The sequel takes place directly after the events of the original, with action way more over-the-top than before; a different main character in the Ultimate Goddess Shirma; and a bigger platforming element while roaming outside of combat including jumping, swimming, flying, and more.
Nuclear Union (PC)
Release Date: Q2 2014
Developer: Best Way
Nuclear Union is a post-apocalyptic RPG (if you couldn't already tell) set in an alternate reality where the Cuban Missile Crisis wasn't avoided and the event led to an all-out atomic world war, with the story taking place in a modern-day Soviet Union. The developer, Best Way, also created 'Men of War' and 'Soldiers: Heroes of WWII', two strong titles.
Pathfinder Online (PC)
Release Date: Fall 2014
Developer: GoblinWorks
A free-to-play (with subscriptions available) MMORPG that is part sandbox, part Theme Park-style design, Pathfinder Online allows players complete control over the game's economy allowing a deep trading system and the ability to craft and sell items. Players will also be able to create their own settlements and fortifications that can grow into enormous kingdoms. It is how these kingdoms grow that will determine what randomly generated encounters and resources that will appear in the surrounding wilderness.
Phantasy Star Online 2 (PC, Vita)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: Sega
With all of the recent news about Sega likely calling on the forces of Relic Entertainment to help localize this game, it seems more likely than ever that we may see this title release this year. Phantasy Star Online 2 builds upon the massive success of the original by offering an entirely new story, areas, quests, characters, and much more. Players will be able to choose between three different main character classes: the Hunter, a melee class that thrives in close combat; the Ranger, a ranged class that relies on long-distance damage through the use of rifles and launchers; and Force, the mage of the group that employs magical abilities and relies both offensive defensive spells to help in battle. Although it relies on the use of microtransactions to support itself, Sega has promised that any payable content is only cosmetic in nature and doesn’t give one player an advantage over the other during actual combat.
Pillars of Eternity (PC/Mac/Linux)
Release Date: Late 2014
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Formerly Project Eternity, Obsidian’s upcoming isometric, party-based RPG looking to bring back all the things that made those old Western RPGs like Baldur’s Gate and Planescape: Torment, and it helps that the developers are made up of some of the key creators of those games. The game will including many exciting features including a highly customizable main character that can be the most good or most evil person the player wants them to be. There will be a wide variety of environments to peruse, and many towns and dungeons to explore.
Radio the Universe (PC)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: 6e6e6e
It feels like I have been excited for this game forever. There hasn’t been a lot of information about this title outside of the monthly Kickstarter backer updates, but much like Hyper Light Drifter, the true appeal is the look of this game. Looking like a cyberpunk Legend of Zelda, the true challenge in this game is the environment: there are a lot of traps to avoid and hazards to endure. The world inside the game is expansive and cohesive, allowing players to advance through it in multiple ways. Those hand-drawn cutscenes look beautiful.
Ragnarok Odyssey ACE (Vita)
Release Date: Spring 2014
Developer: Game Arts
An enhanced version of the Ragnarok Online-derived action RPG, ACE introduces plenty of new content to keep the experience fresh, including a challenge realm called the Tower of Yggdrasil, a randomly-generated dungeon that will include a boss-rush mode of all of the baddies featured in the original game. People seemed to have an issue with the vanilla version with its lackluster story and moments of pure tedium, but I as a big RO fan, I’m looking to give this game a try.
Ragnarok Zero (PC)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: Dream2
With the goal of bringing Ragnarok Online to your web browser, players must take on the call of protecting the Kingdom of Prontera from oncoming threats of demons such as the dreaded Poring. The game will be online allowing players to team up and will include instanced dungeons along with towns filled with NPCs and quests/missions to take on. The game seems to be hitting all of the same notes as its popular relative, especially with its art style, so it may it be worth a look since it will be free-to-play.
Rainbow Skies (PS3/Vita)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: EastAsiaSoft
The spiritual sequel to the very well-received indie tactical RPG Rainbow Moon comes this brand new title that has been built from the ground up to fix the problems that the original had with a lot of work put into the look and sound of the game. It will also feature a monster taming system a turn-based battle system that emphasizes combo attacks, and overall just a much deeper adventure that a bigger budget can bring.
Sacred 3 (PC/PS3/Vita/360)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: Keen Studios
In the third major entry in the series, players are tasked to rise up and defeat Zane Ashen, the authoritarian ruler of the Ashen Empire, before he is able to locate and obtain a powerful artifact known as the Heart of Ancaria. The game will focus on four-player cooperative play where your player and three other members will be around at all times. Each person wields a class-specific set of abilities to assist the party. Originally slated for 2013, the game hasn’t had a lot of information released lately.
Shadowrun: Dragonfall (PC/Mac/Linux/Mobile)
Release Date: February 27th, 2014
Developer: Harebrained Schemes
Shadowrun Returns did fairly well for itself after making a big splash on Kickstarter and making its way to Steam last July. Capitalizing off of that success, Harebrained Schemes will be releasing an expansion pack that will look to provide a brand new campaign that will open up the game quite a bit to give players more freedom with their exploration, while also adding the ability to save anywhere (thank god) and a more robust game editor.
Shroud of the Avatar: Forsaken Virtues (PC/Mac/Linux)
Release Date: October 2014
Developer: Portalarium
The creator of Ultima, Richard Garriott, has a new game coming out this year that harkens back to his early years. Written by Tracy Hickman, author of the Dragonlance series of books, the focus here is on exploration: players will be able to travel a giant world teeming with activity and opportunity mapping out their own experience, whether that is settling down in their gigantic castles, or venture out and creating their own story that affects the world inside the game. Fans of Ultima Online will find plenty to enjoy here.
Soul Saga (PC/Mac/Linux/PS4/Vita/WiiU)
Release Date: Late 2014
Developer: Disastercake
Described as a “love letter to JRPG classics from the Playstation era”, the player takes on the role of Mithos who endeavors to become the greatest Guild Master that ever lived. While originally using chibi-like character models, lately the models have been redesigned to have more normal features. The game will also feature full voice acting, airship battles, and traditional turn-based combat.
South Park: The Stick of Truth (PC/PS3/360)
Release Date: March 4th 2014
Developer: Obsidian Entertainment
Playing the role of a new kid in town looking to find and make friends, the town of South Park is locked in a city-wide, live-action-role-playing game, casting imaginary spells and swinging fake swords. What begins as a simple children's game escalates into a battle of good and evil that threatens to consume the world. With weapons of legend at your disposal, you will come across crab people, underpants gnomes, hippies and other minions of darkness. You must locate the lost Stick of Truth and earn your place at the side of Stan, Kyle, Cartman and Kenny as their new friend, cementing your social status at South Park Elementary. South Park: The Stick of Truth will feature turn-based combat; heavily customizable equipment, clothing and characters; and a story written by the series’ creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. The game is slated to arrive a year after its original intended release date.
Styx: Master of Shadows (PC)
Release Date: Late 2014
Developer: Cyanide Studio
The goal in this game from the creators of Of Orcs and Men is to climb a giant tower for wealth, glory, and understanding, solving puzzles and fighting different baddies along the way. Each level of the tower will have multiple means of completion, allowing players to come up with their own methods of getting through and surviving. A variety of magic, skills, and equipment can be used at one’s disposal.
Tomorrow is our final day of coverage and it includes some of the biggest titles in this whole collection, so make sure you check back with us!