New Release Round-Up (January 26, 2023)

Welcome to RPGamer’s new release round-up. In this column we look to provide our readers with details on all of the RPGs released over the week. Please note we do not currently include Early Access releases where the game is still in development.

ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree

Puzzle and rhythm RPG ATONE: Heart of the Elder Tree is set in a world abandoned by the gods, leaving mortals to fend for themselves and the sacred Elder Tree is left open to manipulation. Players control Estra, the daughter of mankind’s last great leader and its remaining hope, through incrementally challenging puzzles. The game’s combat is inspired by rhythm games, with each fight’s unique music track playing an important role, though combat is entirely skippable in the game’s story mode.

Forspoken

Action RPG Forspoken sees New York City resident Frey Holland transported to the world of Athia, where she learns she has mystical abilities. Athia previously flourished under the reign of its matriarchs, called Tantas, before it became afflicted by the Break, which has driven the Tantas to madness.

Mahokenshi

Mahokenshi is a strategic deckbuilder where players attempt to protect the floating Celestial Islands from corrupting forces. The game is inspired by Japanese mythology and sees players selecting one of four samurai houses, each with its own play style. It features over 200 available cards, with its map rendered in full 3D.

Neptunia: Sisters vs. Sisters

Neptunia: Sisters vs. Sisters is a spin-off to the mainline Neptunia series with real-time combat and sees the four younger Goddess Candidates awakening to find that a new smartphone model, the rPhone, has taken over their share of the games market. Nepgear’s older sister Neptune is now missing, while Trendi Outbreaks cause large groups of monsters to appear.

Power Chord

Power Chord is a roguelike deckbuilder. Players assemble a band from the planet’s mightiest musicians to take on the hordes of demons from Helmoth. There are multiple characters to choose from, each with their own cards and play styles.

Risen

Action RPG Risen is set on the fantasy island of Faranga. Players control a stowaway who is shipwrecked on the island by a Titan. While exploring the island, they align with one of the game’s factions and become caught up in the machinations of the island’s ruler Mendoza. Along with the new console release, the game’s PC version received an update to add gamepad support. The game produced two sequels: Risen 2: Dark Waters and Risen 3: Titan Lords.

Various Daylife

Various Daylife is a turn-based fantasy RPG created by some of the development staff behind Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler. The game sees players joining an exploration team on a newly-populated continent and undertaking various missions. It originally released on Apple Arcade in 2019, before launching on PC, Nintendo Switch, and PlayStation 4 in 2022. Those looking to read more about Various Daylife can check out Anna Marie Privitere’s review of its Apple Arcade version.

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