Trails of Cold Steel was a wonderful little surprise that dropped at the tail-end of 2015 courtesy of XSEED, offering a slightly more modern take on Falcom's long-running Trails saga that managed to preserve the expert storytelling and lovable characters that put the series on the map. Much like its predecessor Trails in the Sky, Cold Steel ended on a whopper of a cliffhanger. Fortunately, there's no question about the localization of Cold Steel II, so fans will get their big pay off before the year is out. If you miss the deep and sprawling JRPGs of the PS2 era, you owe it to yourself to give Cold Steel a shot.
View gallery
The Legend of Zelda series has been long overdue an entry on Nintendo's current-gen console, but it looks as though the next installment will be the Wii U's swansong. Very little is known about the game except that Nintendo have promised an open-world for Link and Epona to ride around and explore. However, if one thing is guaranteed, it's that it will be filled to the brim with all the 3D Zelda goodness that's kept players satisfied since Ocarina of Time.
View gallery
Despite its slow start, (which is blown way out of proportion) Twilight Princess is one of the best games in Nintendo's long running series. It has a large amount of dungeons and this HD remake is only adding more content like the amiibo unlocked challenge area. Being in 1080p lets you fully appreciate the aesthetic of this Lord of the Rings inspired piece of art. There is plenty new here for old fans to enjoy, and if you've never played Twilight Princess before, this is shaping up to be the definitive version.
View gallery
Nobody was thrilled with the ending of Mass Effect 3, but we absolutely loved the 150 or so hours of gameplay that led up to it, and we can't wait to jump back into that universe. Unfortunately, we've still got a while to wait, since Andromeda probably won't show up until late in the year. Still, BioWare's track record shows that we are likely right to be excited for that eventual release. And even if we aren't, we're going to keep being excited.
A complete surprise towards the end of 2015, Level 5 dropped this bombshell much to the delight of fans. The sequel returns with a new cast of characters lead by the boy king Evan who with the help of Roland, a visitor from another world, must prove his worthiness to the throne. Studio Ghibli return to provide their lush visuals and art to the game which will delight many. The first game did so much right, and it will be exciting to see whether the sequel can improve upon its impressive predecessor.
View gallery
The first NieR was an unexpected sleeper hit: the follow-up to director Taro Yoko's Drakengard series nixed its Dynasty Warriors template in favor of a postmodern adventure that bridged time, space and even genre, toying with player expectations and breaking the fourth wall in increasingly surprising ways. In NieR: Automata we can only hope for more of what made its prequel so special, but the added bonus of Platinum Games handling the nuts and bolts just means combat will be more frantic and frenetic than ever. It's a match made in heaven, and NieR: Automata is definitely one to keep your eye on.
View gallery
College drop-out/cat Mae returns to her hometown of Possum Springs to get her life back together and reconnect with her old pals, but she soon learns that you can never go home again. Sporting a fresh visual style that brings to mind comix zines, Night in the Woods takes the shape of a dialogue-driven side-scrolling adventure game as Mae and her friends traipse from sidewalk to treetop of Possum Springs and its surrounding woods. Promising knife fights, stargazing and a heapin' helpin' of post-punk ennui, what more could you ask for in an adventure?
It's no secret that Gust's Atelier, Ar Tonelico, and Mana Khemia series have made an impact on gamers with their robust item-crafting systems, traditional turn-based battling, and delightful charming characters. Nights of Azure aims to shake up the typical Gust formula by presenting more action-oriented combat and a darker plotline. We're excited to see how this experiment pans out.
View gallery
The original Odin Sphere on PlayStation 2 received an Editor's Choice award from us back in 2007. The game earned high marks for its art and story but was a bit lacking in terms of gameplay and control. Leifthrasir has completely revamped and fine-tuned gameplay to feel more like modern Vanillaware games like Dragon's Crown. This story-heavy 2D action RPG will be a welcome addition to the gaming landscape of 2016.
View gallery
If 2016 weren't looking like such an amazing year for RPGs, we could probably make a "most anticipated' list comprised solely of 50 entries of "Persona 5." We're huge fans of the series, and it would be impossible for us to have more hype for the upcoming entry than we actually have. We don't have a release date more specific than "2016" yet, but whatever the date is, it cannot come soon enough.
View gallery
Square-Enix have been careful to keep the latest entry in RPG auteur Akitoshi Kawazu's long-running SaGa series under wraps, but that doesn't mean we can't get hyped up on speculation! Set to be the first fully-fledged SaGa title in over a decade, Scarlet Grace is sure to bring us free-form quests in an open world, an endlessly complex battle system and gorgeous character art by Tomomi Kobayashi.
On a snow-bound island, there lies an ancient custom where a maiden must be sacrificed in order to quell the angry demons that traipse the land. Setsuna is chosen to be this sacrifice in the picturesque world of Setsuna of Snow and Sacrifice. If the luscious design doesn't grab your attention, then the Chrono-Trigger inspired battles will by evoking that long-lost 1990's style of RPG.
View gallery
2016 is proving to be a renaissance year for Atlus' flagship series, and fans of old-school MegaTen darkness are no doubt looking forward to this unexpected follow-up to 2013's Shin Megami Tensei 4. Don't be fooled by the name, FINAL is no expanded re-release but a fully-fledged sequel set after the events of the last game. This post-post-apocalypse boasts more demons, new faces, unfamiliar dungeons and a hard rockin' soundtrack by Ryota Koduka. Our hopes of a western 2016 release date may be a bit premature as a localization hasn't actually been announced yet, but when have Atlus ever let us devil summoners down?
View gallery
tri-Ace's flagship series returns after a 7 year break with this surprise. The series can happily claim to have one of the best combat systems in any RPG and Star Ocean 5 looks to continue that trend with seamless transitions from exploration to combat. Set between the second and third entries in the series, Fidel Camuze will be taken far and beyond where he ever expected. We're hoping Integrity and Faithlessness can right the wrongs of its predecessor and return the Star Ocean series to its former glory.
View gallery
Previously a Japan-only Xbox 360 exclusive, Experience have tarted up their 2014 dungeon crawler for its multi-platform western release with gorgeous new artwork, characters and quests. More Wizardry than Etrian Odyssey, Stranger of Sword City allows potential spelunkers the choice to ally with one of three opposing factions and embark on a challenging journey from the oldest of schools.
View gallery
The Tales series has been on a roll, and it looks to continue its stride with its 16th entry in the main series. Leading with the series' first female solo character, Velvet Crowe sails the seas of the Wasteland in the Midgand Sacred Kingdom as she tries to recover from the events of her past. Bandai Namco have released very little thus-far, but Berseria looks to be going in a slightly different direction than the rest of the series, and gives fans yet more to look forward to.
View gallery
In a return for a series that's been around for over 30 years now, Tokyo Xanadu brings the Xanadu games to post-apocalyptic Tokyo. It hasn't been announced for release in the West yet, but it was well-received in Japan, topping sales charts its first week. It sounds like it's got a fair amount in common with the Persona games, save for its use of a realtime battle system instead of one that's turn-based, and anything that does a good job of being like Persona is a good thing.
View gallery
As the spiritual successor to one of the greatest RPGs of all time (
Planescape: Torment), Tides of Numenera has some very big shoes to fill. It was released to Steam Early Access just recently, so if you just can't wait for the actual release to see if it lives up to its predecessor's legacy, you can jump in now. As for me, I'll wait for the final release to give them all the time possible to make it shine.
Valkyria Chronicles is held dearly here by many of our editors, and with the HD remaster of the first game coming this year, what better accompaniment than a new entry in the series. Azure Revolution is separate from the main series and moves away from the tactical style of gameplay, instead opting for a real-time system with strategy elements. War, conflict and death are surefire themes that will crop up with an emotional punch or two on the side. This series has been a surprise hit and it's exciting to see just where else Sega's series will venture.
View gallery
It's not every day that you see a game advertised by the developers as "The RPG Where Everyone Dies," but such is the description the developers have given to Vidar. It sort of sounds like the anti-Undertale. It's got a rogue-like style of randomization in both its puzzles and its story, and randomness can be quite the challenge. How will it turn out? Only time will tell, but we're definitely interested to find out.
This entry in the long-running series came as a surprise announcement last year, but an adorable one none-the-less. The game's design is an attempt to allow younger players to access the series, and it looks incredibly sweet. However, long-time fans will lap up the opportunity to join up with many fan favorite characters as they quest through the world of Grimoire. It looks to be a slightly different direction for Square Enix, but one that appears to be promising.
View gallery
Finally liberated from its inhibitive N-Gage shackles, XSEED have announced a localization for this forgotten chapter in Falcom's 30-year-old Xanadu series. Xanadu Next's somber fantasy throwback appears to combine the frenetic action of Ys with the deliberate character customization seen in Dragon Slayer and Brandish. Light on story but heavy on atmosphere, Xanadu Next looks like just the thing to scratch many a hack `n' slash dungeon crawl itch, and fans of Sound Team JDK are sure to delight in its rich soundtrack.
A colorful and quirky RPG set in `90s America, YIIK's story revolves around unravelling the secret behind a mysterious website. A little bit Earthbound, a little bit Wild Arms, YIIK will see players run and jump around mundane suburbs and disco-lighted dungeons, solving environmental puzzles and fighting wacky monsters, including (but not limited to) pandas, robots, and maybe robotic pandas. YIIK's multi-colored retro future is one setting we can't wait to get lost in.
No matter how you pronounce it, you probably know of the Ys series. It's been around for a long time, and this year's new entry promises to add even faster combat and more features to the series' winning formula. We'll happily join Adol for another adventure when it comes out later in 2016.
View gallery
Virtue's Last Reward taunted fans in 2012 by ending on jaw-dropping cliffhanger, so the shocking conclusion to Kotaru Uchikoshi's time-surfing Zero Escape trilogy can't come soon enough. So many questions in need of answers: Who is Brother? What does Free The Soul aim to achieve? Does Schrödinger's Cat prefer Friskies, or Dreamies? No matter what happens, the path towards the ultimate truth is sure to be perilous, philosophical and filled with puzzles.
View gallery
Trails of Cold Steel was a wonderful little surprise that dropped at the tail-end of 2015 courtesy of XSEED, offering a slightly more modern take on Falcom's long-running Trails saga that managed to preserve the expert storytelling and lovable characters that put the series on the map. Much like its predecessor Trails in the Sky, Cold Steel ended on a whopper of a cliffhanger. Fortunately, there's no question about the localization of Cold Steel II, so fans will get their big pay off before the year is out. If you miss the deep and sprawling JRPGs of the PS2 era, you owe it to yourself to give Cold Steel a shot.
