RPGs Coming This Week, 10/1/23

Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless – October 3rd (PS5, PS4, Switch, Windows)

If there’s one thing you can count on NIS for, it’s Disgaea. We do largely get remasters of older titles, but they’ve consistently been putting out new stuff too. Here comes Disgaea 7: Vows of the Virtueless just two years after Disgaea 6: Defiance of Destiny, and I just adore the Dragon Quest-style alliterations.

Disgaea 7 comes with new twists on the series’ strategy RPG formula, like the slightly fetishistic “jumbification” mechanic. I’m only kidding about it being fetishistic; Director Shunsuke Minowa told us jumbification is really part of an ongoing effort to simplify movement in the games. As someone who has found Disgaea hard to penetrate in the past, I’m glad to know NIS is throwing us newbies a bone.

In addition to our interview with Disgaea 7‘s director, you also want to check out our hands-on impressions by Kiyan Mullen. It’s an excellent overview of the game’s combat, class mechanics, aesthetics and more.

by Gio Castillo

The Lamplighters League – October 3rd (XSX, XB1, Windows)

X-COM likers, take notice! The Lamplighters League is the latest big-brained scheme by Harebrained Schemes (the studio behind BattleTech and the recent Shadowrun games), and it looks to be just as solid if early reviews are any indication.

Set in an alternate version of the 1930s, the game puts you in control of a rag-tag group of agents whose goal is to take down a shadowy cult bent on taking over the world. You start with just three people on the team, but there are many characters to recruit along the way. It doesn’t play exactly like X-COM, really; there’s a larger focus on stealth/infiltration to complete missions.

The Lamplighters League is coming this week to Xbox Game Pass on day one, and there’s already a demo up. Also worth noting: it’s verified for Steam Deck.

by Gio Castillo

Silent Hope – October 3rd (Switch, Windows)

The spirit of the Nintendo 3DS is alive and well with the newest action RPG from Marvelous. Like FuRyu’s Trinity Trigger a few months ago, Silent Hope exudes this simple, low-fidelity energy that was so pervasive on handheld RPGs not even 10 years ago, no doubt due to smaller teams and smaller budgets. I don’t know, I’m just happy that the likes of Marvelous haven’t stopped putting out pick-up-and-play titles in a world of Final Fantasy XVIs and Persona 5s.

Silent Hope has a simple but effective gameplay loop: advance through a dungeon of procedurally generated floors then use your spoils to acquire stronger equipment to help you progress further. It doesn’t do anything you haven’t seen before, but it’s a good time if you have the itch it’s designed to scratch. Our own Izzy Parsons had more to say about Silent Hope‘s addictive nature in his review.

One last thing: Silent Hope is set in the Rune Factory universe. Did you know this? I didn’t until Izzy mentioned it in his review.

by Gio Castillo

Front Mission 2: Remake – October 5th (Switch)

Front Mission 2: Remake is coming this week to the Nintendo Switch eShop on October 5th. Nintendo had announced back in early 2022 that the first two games in the Front Mission series would be remade. Now, that promise comes to fruition as the second game follows its predecessor—Front Mission 1st: Remake—onto the Switch. 

The story of Front Mission 2 takes place 12 years after the events of the first. Players can expect a classic tactical RPG full of military strategy and political intrigue. Between story points and missions, players can spend time customizing their Wanzers (Front Mission‘s mechas) and preparing for upcoming battles. The story will differ from the prior game in that it rotates between three different main characters. If Front Mission 1st: Remake is any indication of quality, then SRPG fans should definitely give this game a look.

by Jimmy Turner

Wargroove 2 – October 5th (Switch, Windows)

Rounding out the Week of Tactics is Wargroove 2, a meaty follow-up to 2019’s Wargroove promising more Advance Wars-like strategizing executed with a charming and vivid pixel art look and an intricate, three-campaign story. And if that wasn’t enough, there’s Conquest, a roguelike mode for the folks who want an endless series of skirmishes.

Mechanically, Wargroove 2 doesn’t seem to stray much from its predecessor, but the Commander units do have “Grooves”, new abilities that either hit really hard or let you mess with unit placement. Interesting…

Wargroove 2 is coming this week to the Switch eShop and PC via Steam. It’s purely digital so far with no word from Chucklefish on a physical version. Bit of a shame, considering the first game’s disc/cartridge release was so snazzy.

by Gio Castillo

Detective Pikachu Returns – October 6th (Switch)

I don’t know why Detective Pikachu works. Giving the little guy a gruff hard-boiled detective voice with a relatable love for a cup o’ Joe is silly, even for a series that invites you to fill your pockets (and local storage facilities) with monsters. But now, seven years and one Ryan Reynolds movie later, Detective Pikachu Returns in… wait, that’s the name of the game.

This time around, Tim Goodman and Detective Pikachu are scouring Ryme City to learn about Tim’s missing father, with the help of both city folk and the local Pokémon. Some of the abilities the other Pokémon can use to help Tim and Pikachu look adorable (and helpful), from Growlithe’s great sense of smell, to Slowpoke’s fedora. Okay, that second one is not an ability, but ‘Poke is looking pretty stylish.

I have to admit I missed out on the original game. Still, Detective Pikachu Returns looks charming, and hopefully builds on the strengths of the 3DS game but ups the challenge a bit, but hopefully, despite the inclusion of Mewtwo, it doesn’t veer into too dark territory.

by Mike Salbato

Horizon Forbidden West: Complete Edition – October 6th (PS5)

Just like its predecessor Horizon Zero Dawn, Horizon Forbidden West is coming this week in a bundled complete edition that will include the Burning Shores DLC. The sequel’s story continues six months after Aloy saved the degrading world in Zero Dawn. She and her companions race against time to fight a new threat: a mysterious plague guaranteed to kill everyone it infects.  

I personally enjoyed my time last year in Forbidden West and would say that I had a better post-apocalyptic hunting experience than I had in its prequel. If you haven’t played it yet and you’re still undecided, we’ve got you covered with our PS5 review of the base game and the expansion.

Also, Aloy’s journey in Forbidden West will soon no longer be locked to PS5 users; Sony announced that it will also arrive on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store in early 2024.

by Tin Manuel

Sword Art Online: Last Recollection – October 6th (PS5, XSX, PS4, XB1, Windows)

Is Sword Art Online: Last Recollection the last game in the series? Bandai Namco describes it on Steam as the “culmination” of the franchise with the most playable characters and scenarios of them all, so, taken altogether, there’s a sense of finality to this one.

The general sentiment online seems to be that the SAO games generally get better with each new entry, at least in terms of polish. Iterating on a formula will do that, I suppose. As they say, seeing is believing, and there’s a demo out on every platform Sword Art Online: Last Recollection is launching on if you want to personally experience the strides the series has made.

by Gio Castillo