Avowed

Avowed Review

Corwin reviewed Obsidian Entertainment's Avowed.

Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.4 will be released on November 26:

Zenless Zone Zero Version 2.4 "On the Precipice of the Abyss" Special Program

DSOGaming reports that Immortals Fenyx Rising is free to keep until December 2.

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Learn more about Luna, Rin and Bo on Gematsu:

Threads of Time introduces Luna, Rin, and Bo

Meet some of the game's time-leaping heroes.

Publisher Humble Games and developer Riyo Games have released new information for turn-based RPG Threads of Time introducing time-leaping heroes Luna, Rin, and Bo.

In Threads of Time, the characters you meet come from varying points in time and all walks of life. You’ve got warriors, mages, heroes with animal-like characteristics, and so much more. Riyo Games is excited to reveal a first in-depth look at some of the characters players will be traveling through time with in this highly anticipated JRPG.

When you venture from century to century trying to stop a plot to unravel the past, present, and future, the heroes in Threads of Time are who you’ll rely on. From Luna the apprentice to Rin the kitsune, and even a Viking dino vet named Bo, the party members are the unique backbone of the story that spans millennia.

[...]

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The strategy game RuneQuest: Warlords launches on December 9:

RuneQuest: Warlords | Release Date Announcement

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The Turn Based Lovers report that Trails in the Sky 2nd Chapter will launch in 2026.

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Wccftech reports that remasters for Fallout 3 and Fallout: New Vegas are in the works.

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COG reviewed Where Winds Meet:

Where Winds Meet Review – Technical Turbulence in a Wuxia Dreamscape

Where Winds Meet is an incredibly ambitious open-world, free-to-play Wuxia action RPG. It’s also broken in places and incoherent in others. Where Winds Meet desperately tries to make the player feel rewarded and engaged by something, anything, all the time. Not unlike the world in which we live, there’s so much going on it’s hard to know what’s important. Where Winds Meet is not necessarily a complicated game, but making sense of it can be a challenge.

[...]

So Close
Where Winds Meet is over-ambitious, messy, opaque, and inconsistent. It has too many gears that don’t mesh, a lot that’s poorly explained, and it refuses to give the player a moment of unproductive time, even at the cost of coherence and comprehensibility. For all that, Where Winds Meet is a lot of fun. It often looks incredible and the world is certainly filled with content, whether for a single player or in a group. Even without touching the cash shop, Where Winds Meet provides a huge amount of free game play. Right now, Where Winds Meet is a little shy of greatness, but with some technical improvements and time it could get there.

Score: 78/100

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Couchpotato spotted two previews for Octopath Traveler 0:

Nerdstash: Octopath Traveler 0 Preview – A New Beginning

Console Creatures: Octopath Traveler 0 Preview - Back to Orsterra We Go

Learn more about the gameplay of The Blood of Dawnwalker:

The Blood of Dawnwalker - Gameplay Overview (Part II)

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Couchpotato spotted two new videos from Tim Cain:

Arcanum Magick Design

RPG Features Nobody Asked For

Fextralife checked out Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows:

Nightreign DLC THE FORSAKEN HOLLOWS - EVERYTHING We Know So Far

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Where Winds Meet will be released today:

Where Winds Meet

Where Winds Meet is an epic Wuxia open-world action-adventure RPG set in ancient China at the tenth century. Players will assume the role of a young sword master as they embark on a journey to uncover the mysteries of their own identity. Let the wind carry your legend on an epic journey to the East!

IGN reviewed Rue Valley:

Rue Valley review

Narrative time loop RPG Rue Valley fails to do anything with its potent metaphor for depression.

Have you ever been bored? Have you ever been like, really bored, bored in the way where it feels like you've been removed from participating in the rest of the world, like time is moving differently for you than it's moving for other people? How about depressed? Have you ever felt like everything you do is meaningless, like nothing ever changes, like every moment you're living has happened before and will happen again, endlessly?

Let me tell you about this game called Rue Valley.

You play Eugene Harrow, a man fresh off a mental breakdown who's been carted off to a motel in the middle of nowhere for some probably necessary but not very voluntary therapy and ends up stuck in a 47 minute time loop. This has the effect on his mental health that you might expect. As he explores the time he's allotted, he discovers the secrets of the loop, learns about the community he's found himself in, and figures out how to make it out in one piece.

[...]

The Verdict:
There are some good ideas in Rue Valley's depressioncore time loop, but the execution makes it feel more like a chore than a charm.

Score: 62/100

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II sold 4 million copies already.

Congratulations!

RPGamer checked out the sci-fi RPG Starbites:

Starbites Preview

"The game certainly has the elements needed to attract plenty of classic JRPG fans, while its setting and cast offer plenty of opportunity to engage players."

IKINAGAMES’s Starbites is a turn-based mech RPG that aims to evoke the feeling and build upon the popularity of classic JRPGs. Released in Japan last month, the game is set to arrive in North America and Europe in early 2026 on PC, PlayStation 5, Nintendo Switch, and Nintendo Switch 2, courtesy of publisher NIS America. RPGamer was given the opportunity to learn more about the game from NIS America and IKINAGAMES’s founder and president Junho Bae and see its gameplay in action.

Starbites is set on the war-torn planet of Bitter, which was previously known to be a prosperous refuge for wanderers, until it was caught up in an intergalactic war. The game’s story follows rookie scavenger Lukida, who is based in tower-shaped Delight City and seeks to escape the planet. Her life changes after encountering a being called the Oracle, with the story said to be themed around regrets of the past and hope for the future. Lukida and her allies, including friends Gwendoll and Badger, pilot their own unique individual mechs called Motorbots as they uncover the secrets of Bitter.

[...]

A demo is now available for Octopath Traveler 0:

OCTOPATH TRAVELER 0 Prologue Demo available now!

Start from zero and discover the newest entry in the OCTOPATH TRAVELER series.

A free demo is now available! You can create your own character, play for three hours, and carry over your saved game to the full game. Travel beyond starting areas is restricted, but you can explore those corners of Orsterra as you wish. Play through the story, build your town, or search for allies to accompany you. Embark on an adventure of your own creation.

Key Features

• You are the protagonist of the story. Choose your appearance, voice, motions, and favorite dish with the new character creation feature!
• Restore your hometown through town building. Invite companions and allies to live in a town of your creation!
• Engage in exhilarating and strategic command battles. Choose from over 30 allies to form a party comprised of up to eight characters!
• Use Path Actions to invite people to your town, engage in battle, and obtain items. Where you go and what you do is entirely up to you.
• Equip action skills with the new skill system. These skills can be learned by allies and passed on to others.

Where Winds Meet launches tomorrow:

Where Winds Meet - Official Live Action Trailer

The dungeon crawler Shadows Of Thornkeep has been released into Early Access:

Shadows Of Thornkeep EARLY ACCESS trailer

A dark fantasy, grid-based dungeon crawler where every step hides peril. Loot, adapt, and survive in turn-based battles as you lead lost souls through cursed halls in this rogue-lite descent into madness.

Sacred 2 Remaster has been released:

Sacred 2 Remaster

Step into the world of Ancaria as one of seven heroes. Explore a massive open world and master combat arts and spells for epic loot. This remaster brings a fan-favorite back to life — with hi-res textures, better combat and bugfixes, for longtime fans and newcomers alike.

Some reviews for the free RPG Where Winds Meet:

IGN: Where Winds Meet Review

GaminBolt:Where Winds Meet Review - A Stunning Open World Action RPG

Andre Harris: Where Winds Meet Review – The Free RPG That Actually Deserves the Hype

Where Winds Meet launches in two days:

Global Launch Preview Stream

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Couchpotato spotted a new devlog for Of Ash and Steel:

Devlog #04: Story and Lore

From the Capital Island of Astarta to the forgotten lands of Grayshaft—here's a sneak peek at the game's lore

Greetings, adventurers.
In our previous devlogs, we have covered some gameplay mechanics, like combat, crafting, and character progression. Today, as we are mere days away from the November 24th launch, it is time to discuss one of the most vital aspects of Of Ash and Steel: Story and lore. Grab a cup of tisane (or mead), sit back, relax, and let us begin.

PREMISE
The Kingdom of the Seven, once a thriving archipelagic state, is now facing uncertainty. The Order that rules the seven islands has been losing its hold on the lands. Rumors are going around that some provinces have decided to withdraw from the union; scruple and dubiety have lodged themselves in the hearts of the king's folk.

You take on the role of an ordinary cartographer by the name of Tristan. Your peaceful life on the capital island of Astarta takes an unexpected turn when you receive an assignment of great importance—sail to the fifth island, Grayshaft, and refine the maps of the region—namely, review locations with reefs notorious for their perilous nature.

[...]

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The Turn Based Lovers reviewed Rue Valley:

Rue Valley Review – A Psychological Time-Loop Journey

Introduction
Some games test your reflexes. Others test your heart. Rue Valley is one of those rare games that goes deep into the human mind instead of focusing on action or combat.

This semi-isometric RPG tells the story of a man stuck in a strange time loop, forced to attend therapy in an old, broken motel in the middle of nowhere. The people around him are just as
lost, each trapped by their own past. As you explore, you uncover the secrets of Rue Valley, learn what causes the loop, and try to break free from it both physically and emotionally.

[...]

Final Thoughts
Rue Valley is not your typical RPG. It doesn’t give you enemies to defeat or levels to grind. It gives you something far more personal, the chance to look inside yourself.

The writing is beautiful, the choices are meaningful, and the atmosphere is unforgettable. Every decision you make reveals something new about the story, and maybe even about you.

It’s a slow, thoughtful experience filled with emotion, humor, and pain. It’s the kind of game that stays with you long after the credits roll.

If Disco Elysium showed how the world can break you, Rue Valley shows how you can start to heal. It’s powerful, honest, and full of soul.

Score: 9/10 – A moving story about regret, healing, and self-discovery. Rue Valley is a masterpiece of emotional storytelling, not just a game, but an experience.

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A new DLC called Castle of Lost Souls has beenannounced for Fabled Lands:

Big News! New DLC Announcement - Castle of Lost Souls

The Arch-fiend Slank stalks the land!

Beyond the hills and haunted swamps, within the foul underworld where the sun never rises, lies the grim castle of the demon lord Slank. For centuries this infernal monster has plundered the souls of mortal beings, gathering them to his terrible abode to dwell in eternal torment.

Now, the secret magic that can destroy Slank is known at last. You agree to undertake this perilous adventure - but can you rid the world of the demon’s evil shadow, or are you merely destined to become the next of his victims?

The Underworld Opens At Last

For the first time ever in Fabled Lands, you’ll be able to step into the Underworld – a realm that was originally intended to appear in the never-published Book 12, but only existed as a tantalising “one day…” in the lore.

In this DLC, that “one day” finally arrives.

Beneath the familiar fields of Golnir lies the Sodden Blight and the plains of ash, the sunless domain of the arch-fiend Slank and his Castle of Lost Souls. This new questline takes you from the surface world you know into a completely new layer of the setting – and back again, if you live long enough.

[...]

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Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for DRAGON QUEST VII Reimagined:

Dragon Quest VII Reimagined - Follow-Up Trailer | PS5 Games

RPGFan checked out Octopath Traveler 0:

Octopath Traveler 0 Hands-on Preview: Stories Renewed

Thanks to the wonderful team at Square Enix, I had the privilege of playing Octopath Traveler 0 ahead of release, and it didn’t take long to realize this is far more than a side story. Built on the foundation of Octopath Traveler: Champions of the Continent but crafted for fans craving a full traditional JRPG, Octopath Traveler 0 expands and refines nearly every system it inherits.

The prologue wastes no time easing you in. Within minutes, I was in combat, meeting future allies and enemies, and watching the shape of the world take form. The developers clearly trust the player to keep up rather than over-explain everything. In just a short stretch, the game establishes stakes and tension while hinting at a larger narrative, making the opening feel dense without being overwhelming. Pacing is always critical in a story-driven RPG, and based on what I’ve played so far, Octopath Traveler 0 seems to understand that balance well.

Once the prologue wraps, you choose between three narrative paths — Wealth, Power, and Fame — each offering a different lens on the world and its politics. The structure comes from Champions of the Continent, but it’s rebuilt for a traditional RPG rather than a mobile game. Gone are the rubies, the monetization hooks, and the feeling that you are playing a spreadsheet. Town-building and resource management are now straightforward and meaningful, and supplies are easy to obtain early on. Progression feels fluid, not forced, which immediately makes the game feel more cohesive.

[...]

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DSOGaming reports that The Outer Worlds 2 - Patch 1.0.5.0 has been released.

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Mortismal Gaming checked out Fallout 4 - Anniversary Edition:

Fallout 4: Anniversary Edition Update

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IGN checked out Enshrouded:

Enshrouded - 10 Things You Need to Know

Age of Wonders 4: Thrones of Blood has been released:

Age of Wonders 4: Thrones of Blood OUT NOW! | Release trailer

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Nightreign: The Forsaken Hollows launches on December 4, 2025:

ELDEN RING NIGHTREIGN The Forsaken Hollows | Official Gameplay Reveal Trailer

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The Royal Edition of Kingdom Come: Deliverance II is out now:

Kingdom Come: Deliverance II Royal Edition - Official Launch Trailer

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Console Creatures reviewed Rue Valley:

Rue Valley Review — Time Loops And Therapy

The first thing you feel is the chair underneath you. Familiar, cold, but always there. Always back. A voice pulls you from the dark recesses of your mind, one that you’ve heard countless times at this point. It’s the same conversation, the same edge of worry in their voice – it’s all the same. Except it isn’t. You recall the last phone call you had, when a critical new piece of information was learned. You get up to go follow up, knowing that no matter what happens, you’ll be back in this same chair before long. It’s 8:00 pm. You have 47 minutes until the sky swallows you whole.

Rue Valley, the new narrative RPG from developer Emotion Spark Studio and publisher Owl Cat Games, is largely great. The core gameplay loop is addictive and engrossing, as you work through loop after loop, trying to figure out what’s going on. The writing is fantastic, the characters are complicated and memorable, and the presentation is gorgeous. While there are some technical issues, specifically on the Steam Deck, Rue Valley will grab you and not let go.

[...]

Verdict
Rue Valley is a fantastic adventure from start to finish, with great characters, a captivating story, and gorgeous graphics. It employs a time loop to create interesting moments and solutions to problems, allowing the player to explore the 47 minutes and chase leads. While performance can be an issue on the Steam Deck, it’s never game-breaking. Rue Valley is worth the adventure, time and time again.

Score: 8/10

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Couchpotato spotted a new development update for Xenonauts 2:

Xenonauts 2 Monthly Development Update!

Hello everyone - it's time for our monthly progress update. I'll be keeping things brief this month!

Milestone 6 & 7
We had hoped to release Milestone 6 onto the public branch last month, but unfortunately we've been dealing with a couple of rather thorny UFO-related bugs in the shroud / line of sight system. These are now fixed and what we hope will be the public release of Milestone 6 has been compiled and released onto the Experimental branch. Assuming no serious bugs are found over the weekend, we'll then release it onto the standard branches next week.

We'll probably continue to patch Milestone 6 for another week or two, as there's a couple of annoying visual bugs in the game that we still want to fix (such as certain tiles incorrectly drawing under the shroud, etc). We'll also make it a priority to fix any bugs that are reported by the community after the public release.

Aside from the programmer working on fixing those key bugs, most of our team moved on to Milestone 7 towards the end of last month. That update will be the final launch update for Xenonauts 2, and we'll be focusing primarily on polish and performance - however, we are still planning to add some extra content to the game in the update, and we've started by working on that.

Strategy UI Background Updates
The most noticeable piece of new content will be the strategy UI background illustrations changing and updating as the game progresses and the player unlocks new technology. This feature existed in the original Xenonauts and was very well received; players felt it made the game feel much more reactive and immersive to get to see how the new technology impacted the day-to-day life of the Xenonauts.

We've actually been working on these in the background for several months now. The artwork is already complete for the Research and Engineering screen backgrounds / characters, but the work of integrating them into the game only began at the start of this month. We still have to finish the new background illustrations for the Base Stores and the Soldier screens (which are the other two that upgrade), but we're expecting to have everything wrapped up in the next couple of months.

Aircraft Equipment Visualisation
In a similar vein to the background illustrations, we've been working on a proper "paperdoll" system for the Aircraft screen. The idea here is simple - the artwork for your interceptors should accurately reflect the equipment and upgrades that you've chosen for them. If you're equipping them with missiles, you see missiles appearing under the wings. If you've run the engineering upgrade project to give it improved engines, the artwork for the interceptor updates to show a more advanced engine, etc.

We started working on the art assets for this task last month, and we'll be starting on the code implementation for it this month.

Balancing Playthrough
Last month I did another campaign balancing / testing session. As always, this was rather time-consuming - the campaign I completed took about 35 hours, and there were also a couple of other shorter campaigns before that that were ended by serious bugs. Nonetheless, it was time well spent. We identified a lot of minor polish and balancing issues that we were able to fix relatively quickly and roll into the Milestone 6 builds.

However, we also pushed a number of tasks back into Milestone 7, and we've been busy working on those over the past couple of weeks. Some of these were bugfixes that we didn't want to include in Milestone 6 because they risked introducing new bugs or breaking save game compatibility, whereas others were larger balancing changes that we'll implement as a group before we start our Milestone 7 playthroughs.

Finally, playing the game for an extended period of time has been valuable for our planning process. There's only so much development time remaining before we leave Early Access, and we're not going to have time to polish or improve everything we'd like - so having a better understanding of how much each individual issue affects gameplay makes it much easier to make sensible decisions about what we should prioritise.

Additional Maps
Another thing that has become obvious after repeated playtesting campaigns is that the game needs some additional maps for the early-game UFOs. There's currently three maps per biome for the small UFOs (Scout, Destroyer, Observer), which is enough that you shouldn't see repeats within a single campaign - but many users will restart the campaign at least once, and will therefore end up playing the early-game content multiple times.

We've already started work on two extra maps per biome for the small UFOs, which should hopefully address the problem. We're hoping these new maps will all be complete by the time we release the first test versions of Milestone 7, which will probably be early in the new year.

I think that covers everything we did last month. As always, thanks for reading, and I'll write another update in a few weeks!

Couchpotato spotted a new update for Swordhaven: Iron Conspiracy:

0.9.5 + Steam Deck Update

Greetings, friends!

Time for a new content update for Swordhaven. This time around we've been focusing on hunting down small mistakes, fixing bugs, adding new interactions with the environment, changing up how the Damage Threshold formula works, and most of all - making the city of Swordhaven feel more lived in.

The Steam Deck version has also improved, and was sent for a follow-up review to get the Verified status.

Travelling through Swordhaven you will now find more guard, dweller and visitor varieties, like the monk guard in the Chapel, warehouse guard in the Docks, visitors in the Slums inn, beggars on the streets, etc.

Some new NPCs have also appeared, with more to come. You can find a new character in the Chapel, in the Apothecary and in the Docks. Already existing NPCs received new dialogue, like the Commander who now has the third part of his dialogue active, or dialogue-related fixes like Sulanis who kept moving during his dialogue, Kaus and Lumger who's fight sometimes broke the game, etc.

Many quality of life updates added this time include fixes for minimaps; updated enemy logic; an improved level up icon that keeps reminding the player their character levelled up; an updated battle mode switch button, updated crafting recipes that now include new ingredients found all over the world, new awesome character portraits; new icons; crafting icons that better represent the final product; color variations for potion use effects and much more you will hopefully discover for a pleasant surprise!

Updated locations like the first level of the Mines dungeon received new logic, as did the Hero Base where the cats now behave properly and the plant-related issues are solved.

Mines now also feature new interactive objects that don't really do anything, but liven up the environment. A good example of this is the canary added to the Mines dungeon.

Weapons of all sorts were a little bit rebalanced, now getting extra bonuses on every hit. For example, daggers and spears are more likely to go through armour for a Pierce effect, mauls and maces have a small percentage chance of laming or knocking foes down, one-handed swords can Parry some blows, and more.

Last but not least, the DT system. What was a solid number, which ended up with all combatants attacking for 0 HP half of the time in late game, is now a percentage. Every 1 DT you get with your gear lowers incoming damage by 3% in this version, and seeing how 33 DT is the maximum you can get by collecting the best pieces of kit in the game, and drinking the best potions simultaneously, you *can* get to the "You received 0 Damage" stage, but it'll take some dedication. Also, Piercing is now much more viable, as it still negates all defenses when it succeeds. We are still working on how to best represent this formula without writing the actual DT formula in the pop-up, so any and all suggestions are most welcome!

We hope you will enjoy this update. The release of 1.0 is coming very soon and we are as excited as we are anxious to see what you guys think!

Can't wait for your feedback on this one!

Adam Orth chats with Jeff Gardiner from Something Wicked Games about RPG development:

The Development World of RPGs with Jeff Gardiner | Game Maker's Notebook Podcast

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Slandered Gaming talks about Baldur's Gate 2 with David Gaider, Trent Oster and Ed Greenwood:

Celebrating 25 Years Of Baldur's Gate 2: Part 1

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Couchpotato spotted two Enshrouded trailers:

Enshrouded - Official 'Wake of the Water' Cinematic Update Trailer

Enshrouded - Official 'Wake of the Water' Update Overview Trailer

Learn more the vampire RPG The Blood of Dawnwalker:

Creating the World of The Blood of Dawnwalker - Dev Interview | UNPAC Podcast

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C4G reviewed the Sacred 2 Remaster:

Sacred 2 Remaster - My Brutally Honest Review

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Couchpotato spotted two reviews for the DLC Mysteria Ecclesiae:

GamingBolt: Kingdom Come Deliverance 2 Mysteria Ecclesiae DLC Review - The Final Verdict

Mortismal Gaming: KCD2: Mysteria Ecclesiae DLC Review