RPGamer Round-Up: December 20 – January 10

Welcome to the latest edition of RPGamer’s round-up column, where we take a look back at some of the articles that we have posted over the previous week. This article is designed to give reminders of some interesting content and stories that our less regular visitors might have missed. After taking a break for the holidays, we have a bumper three-week collection.

 


Editorial Content

Sam Wachter finds that Ikenfell is a game for those who love magic and whimsy. However, if it could conjure up a better combat system, that would be fantastic.

Sakuna: Of Rice and Ruin is a game made up of equal parts rice farming and trouncing baddies. Pascal Tekaia sees if it is fertile enough ground for a satisfying experience to take root or will players only reap the withered husks of disappointment.

Koei Tecmo’s Omega Force studio returns to Hyrule for a second time, this entry acting as a prequel to The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. Alex Fuller notes though some things have changed, there’s still a very familiar feeling.

Arcante revisits the first-person, party-based fantasy RPGs of the ’80s and ’90s. Elmon Dean Todd examines whether it revitalises the niche genre, or if its ambition falls short.

As a prelude to our annual awards, which as usual should hit at the end of January, the RPGamer staff picked out many of the upcoming titles that they are most looking forward to. We hope you enjoy reading about our most anticipated games, and please let us know which ones you are most excited for.

Sam Wachter is back with her final backloggin’ update. Find out how many games she completed, and her final thoughts.

Not sure where to start tackling a massive backlog? Here are six tips that have worked for one of our site owners to help increase the number of games she’s finishing every year.


Major News

Capcom held a digital event for the upcoming Monster Hunter Rise. The presentation introduced monsters, characters, and the new Wyvern Riding feature and provided details about the game’s imminent demo.

Grinding Gear Games revealed its latest Path of Exile expansion with an online presentation. Echoes of the Atlas launches very soon and brings new end-game content, plus a brand new Challenge League.

Outriders slips a couple of months into April. However, that doesn’t mean players won’t get a chance to try it out soon, as a demo will be available in February.

A PS4 demo for Ys IX: Monstrum Nox is now available in North America and Europe. The demo lets players explore a couple of areas in the game.

Top-down adventure RPG Ocean’s Heart has a release date. The game, from publisher Nordcurrent and developer Max Mraz, will launch for PC in a couple of weeks.

Sega held a new live stream for MMORPG Phantasy Star Online 2: New Genesis. The presentation covered many of the game’s story and gameplay basics.

Idea Factory International announced a Limited Edition for Neptunia Virtual Stars. The edition will be available to pre-order from the start of February.

 

 

Other Selected Stories

Podcasts

What happens when Japan’s most popular RPG decides to mimic the world’s most popular sandbox game? Find out along with guests Robert Albright and Anna Marie Privitere as we mine some slimes and craft a castle or two!

Three episodes of Q&A Quest cover a number of topics. First is discussion on Collection of SaGa and the Souls series, followed by the reveals of some favourites of the year, and finally plenty of new questions to answer and some chat about the Atelier series.

The RPG Cast gets both pre- and post-holiday episodes. Different guests join regulars Chris, Anna Marie, and Kelley to discuss what they’ve been playing and the latest RPG news.

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Alex Fuller

Alex joined RPGamer in 2011 as a Previewer before moving onto Reviews, News Director, and Managing Editor. Became Acting Editor-in-Chief in 2018.

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