Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire has taken Obsidian's formula of success and brought it to the new heights.
Recent cRPG releases have revitalized the genre and proven that a great single-player game can gather a huge passionate playerbase, no microtransactions or live service elements needed. If you enjoy narrative-driven RPGs that feature deep roleplaying systems and a cast of great characters, you owe it to yourself to give Baldur’s Gate 3 a chance. I have not felt such a rush of emotions since Dragon Age: Origins.
Divinity: Original Sin 2 is one of the best story-driven CRPGs of late and the year has not been shy of them. For me, it hit certain marks that Tyranny or Tides of Numenera might have missed.
Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous is a bold, dark, epic saga, featuring an astonishing replayability value. The developers have experimented with Kingmaker, and have gone all-in with Wrath of the Righteous, creating one of the best story-driven CRPGs of late.
Expeditions: Rome is a masterpiece of a turn-based RPG, featuring an impressive web of interconnected systems and features.
Dungeons 4 marks the triumphant return of the series, offering a spectacular Dungeon manager/RTS that will keep players invested for hours. It never felt so good to be bad.
Mass Effect: Andromeda is a very solid game. BioWare had obviously taken their lessons both from original Mass Effect trilogy as well as Dragon Age series and mixed it with fair dose of experience of other AAA titles of late. It is not Inquisition in space, although the influence of it is clearly seen.
To sum it all up, Torment: Tides of Numenera is an amazing game set in a unique and easily recognizable setting. It has a very steep learning curve and a lot of complexity to the systems. Adding the sheer amount of information thrown at the Castoff, the game might be overwhelming for a new player. The companions are well written and varied in their behavior and reactions. Many NPCs are memorable and quest text quality is befitting of a book. In short, Numenera is a decent successor to Planescape: Torment and pays respects to the classic games of the genre.
Styx: Shards of Darkness is everything you could expect this game to be and more. It offers hardcore stealth gameplay for those who are interested in it while simultaneously lowering the skill cap for those who just want to finish the game and do not shy away from a messy slaughter or alarm or two. It is hard to resist Styx’s wits and cockiness even in the middle of situation he gets into. If you were waiting for a sign that Styx: Shards of Darkness is an amazing game worthy of your time, consider this to be just it.
Summary: SpellForce 3: Soul Harvest is an excellent RTS with RPG elements that smoothed out many rough edges of its predecessor. The developers put a great deal of effort into the expansion in order to improve the game in every aspect.
Total War: Warhammer 3 is a uniquely complex game, mildly overwhelming with the diversity of features and options it offers, each adding their own nuances to gameplay. Any strategy or RPG lover will find something to enjoy in this game, from memorable cast of characters to massive army battles and sieges.
Through the Ashes is a down-to-earth addition to Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous, offering players a different look at the events of Kenabres through the eyes of a new protagonist. The DLC utilizes new mechanics to keep the playthrough fresh and different from the adventures of the Commander in the main campaign.
Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader is a phenomenal roleplaying experience offering an immersive story and an impressive, highly-connected web of features and systems. The soundtrack, writing and voice over are all deliciously over the top, and gameplay provides a new step forward in a tactical cRPG genre, rewarding positioning, teamwork and attention to details. If you are new to the Warhammer franchise, the game can serve as a perfect stepping stone into the universe.
TimeMelters is a unique mix of Tower Defense and third-person action-adventure, offering a time-traveling experience like no other.
Much like its predecessor, the game comes in two parts. The first part is a tower defense game. The second part involves you carefully meandering your own boulder through all the traps the enemy has set down in part one, before hurtling yourself at the enemy gates.
Dungeons 3 is a solid Dungeon manager that will keep you entertained for many hours between the fun gameplay, loving the attention to the details and endless puns and jeers of Thalya and the Narrator towards each other and famous franchises. If you are tired of the paladins and people who play them, this is the game for you.
For the fans of the admittedly niche genre of turn-based RPGs, Wargroove is quite a find considering its price and the amount of content it offers. If you have ever wanted to bask in nostalgia and step back into the waters of classic turn-based titles, Wargroove can offer you a trip back in time and a couple of dozen happy hours.
SpellForce 3: Fallen God provides players with more SF3 goodness. The story, told from an unusual perspective, shows you a gripping tale of a dwindling tribe trying to survive as opposed to previous instances of Saving The World.
Assassin's Creed: Valhalla refined the new RPG formula started in Origins and improved in Odyssey. However, in an attempt to fix Odyssey's shortcomings, the developers went too far to the opposite extreme in terms of progression. Despite it, the game remains a treat both for the old fans and the newcomers to the series, bringing along a great protagonist, fantastic - if sometimes incoherent - story, living open world and refined gameplay.
The region of Mt. Komorebi itself is a gorgeous addition to the world of The Sims 4, a miniature Japanese Winter Wonderland getaway for everyone stuck at home. Snowy Escape provides players with a way to forget about everyday worries and enjoy being social and carefree. And, with the addition of Sentiments and Lifestyles, it has never been more interesting and important to be social than it is in Mt. Komorebi.