Coming This Week, 12/9/19

Come one, come all, the feast is about to begin...

Hello, dear readers, and welcome to the latest installment of RPGFan's Coming This Week. This time around, we have a couple of notable Windows ports, as well as a new game based on beloved tabletop IP Vampire: The Masquerade. No, not Bloodlines 2, the other one! The other... other one. World of Darkness is weird, ok? Anyways, ready your fangs and don your cloaks, because things are about to get batty.

From developer Aurora44 Games, Ashen offers a unique spin on the Soulslike formula. The game, which was originally released for the Xbox One last year, tasks players with exploring a ruined world, fighting monsters and engaging in asynchronous multiplayer that's somewhat akin to Journey. Ashen will be journeying onto the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Windows PC platforms today.

By far the smallest and most visual novel-ist title this week. Earthshine is a short 1-2 hour experience set in a magical land and focused on two travelers as they cross the Desert to find the fabled Fields of Oblivion. Many stories are told of this land, but nobody knows how much of it is true. In addition to being a game you could finish in an afternoon, the price point makes Earthshine an easy buy if you want to play through a short fantasy tale.

It probably goes without saying, but we're big fans of Dragon Quest Builders 2 on this site. The game's Windows PC release is finally happening this Tuesday, allowing PC gamers to experience the enjoyable building experience that PS4 and Switch owners already have. Go forth and help rebuild the world!

Supergiant Games got some... attention when it initially launched its latest title, Hades, on the Epic Games Store. Now that a year has passed, that Epic exclusivity is being shed, as Hades makes its way into Early Access on Steam. Supergiant ambitiously wants Hades to combine the best elements of all its past titles in this slick roguelike dungeon crawler. With the full release not planned until late 2020, there's plenty of time for them to make it happen.

While all eyes are on the forthcoming sequel to the cult classic Vampire: The Masquerade - Bloodlines, developer Draw Distance is picking up the slack with a narrative adventure game set in the Vampire universe. Coteries of New York draws inspiration from the late Telltale Games in its approach to storytelling, as well as the Vampire source book New York by Night. Keep an eye out for a review from us in the near future.

From the man who Totally Hasn't Seen Blade Runner David Cage, comes this exciting tale of robot racism and rebellion that would make Phillip K. Dick blush. Regardless of your thoughts on the self-proclaimed auteur behind developer Quantic Dream, you have to admit that their games are, if nothing else, at least interesting. Detroit: Become Human is coming to the Epic Store this week. Be sure to check out Caitlin's PS4 review if this sounds like your jam.

Turn-based combat with real-time battle mechanics, excellent sprite work, decision-making, and bopping music seem to only be some highlights of Virgo Versus the Zodiac, the debut title of Moonana. A JRPG said to be inspired by not only Earthbound, but the Mario & Luigi RPGs, VVtZ also has a delightfully offbeat acronym. Seriously though, it looks to be unique amongst the offerings this week, so give it a look! We're working on a review of this one too, so we'll have more to say about it in the near future.

And that's all for now, folks! As always, keep an eye out for more RPG-related content from us. We'll catch you all next time.