Upcoming RPGs of 2014: Day 5
This is Day 5 of our "Upcoming RPGs of 2014" coverage - our final day!
I tried to find and post every single RPG that I could find that has either been confirmed for 2014, is seeking a full release in 2014 (in regards to games currently on services like Steam's Early Access or in an alpha or beta state), or slated to appear later this year.
The dates listed are their earliest confirmed dates, either being for Europe or North America. Note that we will be going through these titles in alphabetical order, and all release dates are obviously subject to change.
Day One | Day Two | Day Three | Day Four
Sui Generis (PC/Mac)
Release Date: May 2014
Developer: Bare Mettle Entertainment
Making the rounds quite a bit last year, this Action RPG has amazed people with its high-fidelity physics and impressive focus on battles that truly matter with its robust combat system and fully interactive environment. Like the classic Western RPGs of old, players will be able to craft their own fully customizable character the way they want with a responsive world with complex characters that react to whatever happens around them. This is definitely one of the more impressive, inspired indie titles coming out this year.
Tales of Symphonia HD (PS3)
Release Date: February 25th, 2014
Developer: Namco Tales Studio
One of the most popular entries into the series, Tales of Symphonia still holds a lot of appeal many years later for its well-developed characters and beautiful cel-shaded world. In this remaster, players will not only get to check out the original classic in HD, but we Westerners will get to check out the Playstation 2 version that was never released over here. Also included is Tales of Symphonia: Dawn of the New World, almost remastered, new illustrations and costumes. and both games will feature dual audio to let one choose between either the English or Japanese voice tracks.
Tales of Xillia 2 (PS3)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: Namco Tales Studio
The sequel to one of the biggest JRPGs in years has a plot more mature than its predecessor. The combat is also more enjoyable, and the characters arguably more developed. I have personally not played many of the Tales games, having only completed Legendia and Graces f, but Xillia has that appeal that I am becoming increasingly drawn to and I fully plan on playing through it shortly. To learn more about this entry, you can check out our Import Review.
The Banner Saga
Release Date: January 14th, 2014
Developer: Stoic
A turn-based strategy RPG inspired by the old greats, players are tasked with keeping their roaming Viking caravan safe from marauders, bandits, and more. The conversations had with other characters may dramatically alter the path of the story, which is all written on the banner carried by your people that will be passed down through the generations (hence Banner Saga). The beautiful hand-drawn vistas and characters give this game an amazing look.
The Division (PC/PS4/XBO)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: Ubisoft Massive
After making a splash at Ubisoft’s press conference at E3 2013, this MMO title blends third-person tactical shooter and RPG elements together. The story tells of a fragile society where the United States has collapsed due to a deadly disease, and in order to survive in the aftermath, people band together in squads to take on different tasks such as gathering items from supply drops, all inside a realistic backdrop where players must play things strategically since a single wrong move can make a huge difference. The RPG elements come in with giving players a large variety of equipment to find and use; experience points to earn and level up off of; weapon and armor customization made available; and generally a very RPG structure to help driver the game’s persistence forward. Expect to be able to create your own character from the ground-up as well.
The Elder Scrolls Online (PC/Mac/PS4/XBO)
Release Date: April 4th, 2014
Developer: ZeniMax Online Studios
Featuring an all-new story set in Tamriel like all of the other Elder Scrolls games, The Elder Scrolls Online is set a thousand years before the events of Skyrim during what the game calls the "Age of Heroes". There is a giant battle going on that encompasses all of Tamriel, with three warring factions fighting over the middle nation of Cyrodil: the Daggerfall Covenant of Daggerfall; the Aldmeri Dominion of Hammerfall; and the Ebonheart Pact of Morrowind. Whoever controls the Imperial City can become emperor of the world. The Daedric Prince Molag Bal, who currently rules Cyrodil, has stolen your soul and now you need to save the world while attempting to retrieve it.
Offering a different take on the dungeon-exploring process, there are group instances where you and your buddies take part in your own battle; heroic dungeons that let you set the difficulty to challenge yourself and garner more experience and better loot; puzzle rooms, which offer things like arranging floor patterns in a specific sequence; and finally public dungeons, which aren't instanced and encourage people to help each other out to overcome challenging obstacles. PVP battles will contain hundreds of players who can utilize siege weaponry to capture territory.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails in the Sky SC (PSP/Vita/PC)
Release Date: Summer 2014
Developer: Nihon Falcom
Oh man. When this game was announced, it was huge to me. After reviewing the original Trails in the Sky for the site, I fell in love with the engaging story, very likable characters, and the unique grid-based combat system. We knew XSEED Games had plans to bring over the other two, but after years of waiting with bated breath, it’s great to finally see its release later this year. The plot left off on quite the cliffhanger, so I am really looking forward to seeing Joshua and Estelle again. Its predecessor, Trails in the Sky FC, will be launched on Steam in Spring of this year.
The Repopulation (PC)
Release Date: TBA 2014 (an alpha launches in March)
Developer: Above and Beyond Technologies
An upcoming sci-fi MMORPG that has high ambitions. Features such as city building, vehicle combat, and an open sandbox world are just some of the things that this title is promising. Players will be able to band together to create their own thriving civilizations complete with workshops, homes, wall defenses, and more. There will be a multitude of ways to advance in the game whether politically, militarily, or economically, with a clearly heavy focus on player-made content such as custom ranks that nations can bestow on their citizens.
The Witch and the Hundred Knight (PS3)
Release Date: March 21, 2014
Developer: Nippon Ichi Software
The Witch and the Hundred Knight tells the story of two witches that are locked in a vicious, hundred-year feud. You play the role of Metallia, the Swamp Witch whose goal is to defeat her rival, the Forest Witch, and turn the world into a marshland. In order to do so, she has the command of a powerful being known as the Hundred Knight to use at her disposal. However, in an interesting twist, players can refuse and even attack those same residents, and their treatment towards the player will change accordingly. This is based on a morality system where you can be either good or evil. Combat is hack-and-slash by design in an overhead perspective where you only control the Hundred Knight.
Toukiden: The Age of Demons (Vita)
Release Date: February 11th, 2014
Developer: Omega Force
Set in an era resembling feudal Japan and telling the story of of how humanity confronted the monstrous Oni that invaded the world. you play a member of the the Slayers: a group that stands between the Oni and humanity's downfall. Through a variety of story missions and side quests, players will encounter these beings of different sizes over the course of the game. With an extensive character creation system and customizable equipment, this title boasts some striking visuals that can be enjoyed either in single player or multiplayer via ad-hoc. Definitely one of the more intriguing Vita titles coming this year.
Transistor (PC/Mac/Linux/PS4)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: Supergiant Games
Supergiant Games has already made a big name for itself after only a single release with Bastion, and with their upcoming sci-fi title, there’s even more to be excited about. The main character this time is a young woman named Red who carries around a talking sword named Transistor in a world heavy with ambience. Combat this time is also far more strategic: action can be stopped and players can map out moves that they want to make. These steps can be linked together, such as telling Red to run over to one side of the area, attack a certain enemy, then run to the other end and hide behind some cover to avoid a boss, which is then activated with a press of a button. After getting a chance to play it at E3 last year, I’m really looking forward to this one.
Tree of Savior (PC)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: IMC Games
Originally titled Project R1 for the longest time, the long-in-development title is most known for being helmed by the "father of Ragnarok Online" Hakkyu Kim, who only played a small part in developing Ragnarok Online 2 for Gravity Interactive before parting ways with the developer before it was released. Featuring over 80 different classes and more than 200 monster types, Tree of Savior will take place in a large and expansive world with that same 2.5D look of its predecessor. It technically hasn’t been confirmed for the West, but this is a huge project grown from a game that was wildly popular here, so there’s a very high probability.
Underrail (PC)
Release Date: TBA 2014 (currently in alpha)
Developer: Stygian Software
An isometric indie RPG that delves deep into exploration and combat drawing inspiration from the old greats like Arcanum and Neverwinter Nights, the world has been devastated from a nuclear fallout, and now the remnants of society are stuck underground in a society divided by nation-states living out the rest of their days in near-seclusion. With highly customizable characters, tactical turn-based combat, and plenty of places to visit, this definitely looks to be the title to scratch the itch of people looking for that old-school style.
UnderTale (PC/Mac)
Release Date: August 2014
Developer: Toby Fox
Taking place in an underground world teeming with monsters, everything is one big unknown in this mysterious land. Trying to make out who is hostile and who is friendly is part of the challenge in this game that features beautiful hand-drawn cutscenes, fascinating puzzles, and solid writing. In every encounter, players will be given the opportunity to fight, show mercy, or perform different acts to sway their inclination and negotiate your way out of a bad situation. This twist on the genre by making combat itself entirely avoidable is a captivating one, to be sure.
Wasteland 2 (PC/Mac/Linux)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: InXile Entertainment
With a setting is identical to that of the original Wasteland, the world is recovering from a nuclear war that took place in the alternate-history year of 1998, and a group of self-named Desert Rangers made up of former U.S. Army Engineers have taken over a death row prison facility and turned it into a base. They have vowed to find and rescue as many survivors they can while exploring the mutated environment. Survival is key here, with untold monstrosities and extremely dangerous situations around every corner. The interactions between the players is the most important of all, with each party member having their own distinct personality, along with their own strengths and weaknesses in every fight. It was delayed from its original release of late 2013.
WildStar (PC)
Release Date: Sumer 2014
Developer: NCSoft
The universe is yours to explore in this sci-fi MMORPG that blends the combat of Borderlands and the look of Ratchet & Clank. With multiple races to play as and the chance to play as an Explorer, Settler, Scientist, or Soldier, each with their own branching paths, the ability to become exactly the player you want to be is apparently critical here. The questing system is cohesive and dynamic - instead of having to run all the way back to a quest giver to receive updates, nearby NPCs can take on that role instead to avoid that headache. Speaking of which, quests will come in multiple layers that can either be completed all at once for bigger rewards or one-by-one for the same rewards but at the cost of time. The experience is also unique to whatever combination of characteristics and alignments players find themselves in.
Witcher 3: Wild Hunt (PC/PS4/XBO)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: CD Projekt RED
After seeing what Skyrim was able to accomplish in terms of open-world RPGs, CD Projekt RED is looking to create a far more robust open-world RPG where every corner of the map was overflowing with content. Announced as the final chapter in the saga, the game looks absolutely stunning. Not only did the rich, hand-crafted world look completely immersive, but every facet of the game is non-linear. Main storyline missions and side quests went together so cohesively you could barely tell the difference between the two. Boasted by the developers to include over 100 hours of normal gameplay and over 80 different monsters to encounter, The Witcher 3 is already shaping up to be the next great Western RPG.
Witchmarsh (PC)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: Lou Sgarbi and Joe Conway
An investigative RPG set during 1920’s Massachusetts, you and a group of characters set out into the dangerous wilderness to try and solve the mystery around a string of mass murders (I can already taste the Lovecraft in the air). The game will feature a blend of platforming and real-time elements inspired by games like Dark Souls and structured like Baldur’s Gate. There’s no guarantee this game will arrive this year, but I’m very hopeful.
World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor (PC/Mac)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: Blizzard Entertainment
The newest expansion for this ridiculously popular MMORPG that recently cleared its 100 millionth user takes place after the events of Mists of Pandaria and focuses on the world of Draenor, the original home of the orcs, in the moments preceding its destruction. A villain from the Pandaria expansion looks to lead the army of orcs to Azeroth and cause its destruction. Some of the new features in this update include raising the level cap to 100, updated character models and graphics, the ability to build and upgrade your own home, and much more.
X (WiiU)
Release Date: TBA 2014
Developer: Monolith Soft
I wish I could fill this blurb with some actual detail about what this game is about, but Nintendo and Monolith Soft have barely given us anything at this point. All we can go off of are the trailers revealed so far. The game apparently takes place in a very expansive, futuristic world where one travel is done with the help of mechs (called “Dolls”) that can transform into different vehicles like tanks or motorcycles This along with a combat system heavy on the action much like Xenoblade was against monsters on a massive scale.
There you have it, everyone! 100 RPGs that are either slated or expected to come out sometime this year! There are a few I took liberty with, but suffice to say what we already know is coming and what may be announced for the year, this may be one of the biggest years for the genre yet.
Let us know in the comments that games you are most excited for!