The Turn Based Lovers checked out the card based roguelike Graphite:

Graphite: A Unique Pencil-Drawn Roguelite RPG With a Deep Timeline-Based Combat system

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of trying out a fascinating roguelite RPG featuring an engaging and deep combat system. In this game, our pencil-drawn characters must strategically manage the timeline to succeed in battles. The title is Graphite, developed by the Colombian indie studio Estraiti and below are some details about it.

Let’s start by saying that Graphite is set across two interconnected realms: a fantasy world brimming with rich lore and a contemporary school environment where the game unfolds. Characters are whimsical pencil-drawn stick figures, while everyday objects serve as stand-ins for monsters and treasures, adding a playful touch to its design.

[...]

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Couchpotato the Solasta II Community Stream #03 on Twitch TV.

Ye Old Entertainment reviewed card based RPG Black Book:

Black Book videogame review. An excellent RPG based on Russian Folklore

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The Scribe RPG has been annunced:

Scribe RPG Development Update

Breaking the Radio Silence

After a long period of radio silence - when we were fully focused on development - we’re excited to say we’re back up to full speed! Our goal is to release a playable demo of the game soon for all of you to check out and, hopefully, enjoy.

What we have:

The entire demo and all its content are already in place! We’re now fine-tuning the writing, quests, and other gameplay elements, as well as finalizing the graphics and sound.

What we are working on:

We’re wrapping up and fine-tuning our combat mechanics, and most importantly, we’re implementing a robust navigation system for our NPCs. Originally, this wasn’t something we had planned for the game. However, NPCs patrolling the world or actively chasing the player - using everything the player can, like ropes, ladders, platforms, and ledges - felt like a must-have. We believe it greatly enhances gameplay versatility.

Please stay tuned much more will come soon :)

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Henriquejr spotted dev update #03 for Solasta II:

Dev Update #03 - Show me your game face!

Hey hey people,

Once again, happy new year! Now that 2025 is on its way, we’re back in the studio to share more about Solasta II. Hope you managed to get a good long rest off, because the train ain’t stopping any time soon! 

[Cat Picture] ]We humans have to get back to work, you adorable little freeloader!

Before we start, don't forget to wishlist Solasta II on Steam - it helps us a ton!

Show me that face!

Let’s be honest, one of the weaker parts of Solasta I was our character models, which were the first things people saw when they started playing. In fact, even in positive reviews some of you said that they were apprehensive about getting the game at first because of how the characters looked. 

Now, we explained quite a few times that we unfortunately couldn’t update them in Solasta I because of the entire pipeline already being built for that game. But you know what doing a whole new game in a different game engine allows us to do? That’s right, exactly that! Now, without further ado let me show you in-game screenshots showing currently implemented characters.

[...]

Splattercatgaming checked out the tactical RPG Lost in the Open:

Lost in the Open - A Deadly Low Fantasy Squad Strategy RPG

The Early Access title Stellar Tactics got a holiday patch:

Holiday Patch

I'm patching a few things into the game as I continue working on Chapter 3
Hi all. I decided to branch away from the chapter 3 content so I could post an update that includes a few things I think you might like for the holidays.

First, this build does not include chapter 3. I am still working on that and it is moving along (finally) at a reasonable pace. Instead, I am releasing a smaller update with the following main features:

Updated icons – The new icons are simplified and designed so you can easily visualize object types (weapons, armor etc.) and their quality levels at a glance. These icons are now the default icons for the game. You can revert to the original icons in the options menu in the video panel by selecting “Vivid Icons”. You can do this in-game and open the inventory and then exit to instantiate the changes. I’m still looking into icons for the various perks.

New crew portraits - By default, updated portraits will be assigned to your crew. If you preferred the old portraits, they are still available by entering the inventory or character info screens, selecting the crew member you want to adjust and then clicking the portrait. The portrait/voice UI will be displayed. Scroll past the new portraits, and you will see that the old portraits are available for selection. Note that you can also open the crew manager, select a crew member, select “REVIEW CREW MEMBER” and adjust the portraits. When starting a new game, the old portraits are not available – though they can be assigned once you are in the game.

Custom portraits – You can now add custom portraits to the game. Detailed instructions are provided in the new “PLAYER_PORTRAITS” folder in the install directory. Here are the basic steps.

[...]

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Couchpotato spotted a new trailer for The Bustling World:

The Bustling World - Official Trailer #2

Couchpotato spotted a community stream 1 & 2 recap for Solasta II:

Goodbye 2024! Community Stream 1 & 2 Recap

Couldn’t find the time to watch the Community Streams or prefer reading instead? We got you covered!
Hello there people!

New year is right around the corner, bringing us ever closer to the release of Solasta II! We hope you had a fantastic year - and if not, don’t worry - may you be blessed with better rolls in 2025. Cover yourself well and head into the next year with gusto and courage! 

[...]

Community Streams #01 & #02 Recap
As not everyone can tune into the Community Streams (or want to, some people prefer reading and that’s all good) and since you were many to ask for a recap, we’re closing the year by answering your wishes! We know this won’t prevent people from coming to ask “2024 or 2014 ruleset?” for the eighteenth time in an hour in Twitch chat, but hopefully we can cut it down to a single digit number. Here are some of the most asked questions.

Remember, Solasta II is still very much under development, meaning anything we’re saying here may be subject to change in the future, just as our wording implies.

Question: Is Solasta II still grid-based?
Yes, Solasta II is still grid-based during combat. This question was asked because some sharp-eyed viewer noticed one character ending their turn with 2 feet of movement in the trailer (instead of 5’ or 0’). This difference is due to how pathfinding works in Unreal Engine 5 - characters no longer have to go through the center of each tile they’re moving through (which made their movement look a little robotic in Solasta I), instead taking the shortest path to their destination.

This means in the current implementation, you will often end with less than 5’ of movement after moving, as you still need to end your movement on a tile of the grid. You will also still be able to see which tiles are valid before moving just like in our previous game.

[...]

MMORPG interviewed Creative Director Chris Perkins about Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen:

Interview: Talking Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen's Early Access Launch With Creative Director Chris Perkins

Earlier this month, Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen launched into Early Access. The release is momentous: having been in development for ten years with a few restarts and tragedies along the way, Pantheon finally launching in some way is a good thing, regardless of your views on early access.

Yet, the road doesn’t end here. Pantheon is still very much in active development, with more work to be done before they can call the MMO ready for its 1.0 full release. With classes yet to be added, zones, and crucially important gameplay systems still to come, Pantheon feels like it’s just getting started.

From the jump, Pantheon hearkens back to the classic era of MMORPGs, something our reviewer thinks Visionary Realms has really nailed in how Rise of the Fallen plays even in this early stage. Speaking with MMORPG.com after the first weekend of Early Access, creative director Chris “Joppa” Perkins tells us that the team is actually trying to do more than just feel like classic EverQuest, rather they are trying to thread the needle between EverQuest and vanilla World of Warcraft, as if there was a third game in the mix back in the day.

“I think we are on track to really nailing what we’re trying to nail,” Perkins explained when asked about the style of MMO Pantheon is trying to achieve. He continued, “And to the casual observer, that might sound like a clone or direct throwback to EverQuest pacing and mechanics and things like that. But the reality is, we’re actually trying to walk this line inbetween these two major categories, which would be classic EverQuest, which I would define as the original trilogy, and classic World of Warcraft as it launched initially, or very similar to the current Classic experience. 

[...]

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Gematsu reports that a HD version of Recettear: An Item Shop's Tale is currently in development.

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Couchpotato spotted an update for Dead Monarchy and the standalone expansion Arena Monarchy:

General Update #29: (Arena Monarchy, Discord Channel, Future Update Changes)

Future Teaser

New Game Announcement:

I hope you all had a great holiday season. As it is the start of a new year, I thought it would be the perfect time to announce my new game! Arena Monarchy is a standalone expansion to Dead Monarchy and in some ways, you can consider it a spin-off title. In Arena Monarchy you are put in charge of a ludus and must train up a stable of gladiators to defeat the legendary champions of the arena. The premise is simple but as with Dead Monarchy, the meat of the game revolves around the combat system and in Arena Monarchy, the combat system has been vastly expanded.

[...]

Couchpotato spotted a new devlog for Monomyth:

MONOMYTH DEVLOG / 16.0 - Tools, Mines & Redesigns

Couchpotato spotted a devlog for the dungeon crawler Neverlooted Dungeon:

2024 Review Devlog

Hello looters, here is the news from the dungeon’s depths.

Merry Christmas

First of all, let me wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year, and most of all an Happy Dungeon Looting.

Release date

The sound of hammers echoes in the depths of the dungeon, where I continue to work hard to prepare for the release of Neverlooted Dungeon. You probably already guessed it from the current date, the game will not be released in 2024 as I had planned. But I have not been idle, the game has progressed well. I even played last year’s version before writing this post, and the gain in quality is palpable. I tell you again, it would have been a shame to release the game last year, without these improvements.

In this end-of-the-year devlog, let’s review some of the major work accomplished in 2024 and discover my latest work.

Texture work

This spring, I created a lot of new textures, using the amazing Material Maker software. I created a large number of textures for floors, walls, tapestries, stained glass windows, paintings, sculptures, and other decorative elements. This decorative and narrative elements really make the game more interesting to explore.

[...]

The Turn Based Lovers checked out Prisma:

Discover Prisma: A Stunning New JRPG Inspired by Latin American Folklore

I’m a bit late to the party on this news, but here’s everything you need to know about this exciting new and very intriguing JRPG from Dreams Uncorporated, the creative team behind the critically acclaimed Cris Tales. Prisma, a single-player turn-based JRPG announced during the Latin American Games Showcase, introduces players to Alma, a journalist who embarks on a journey to uncover truths hidden within a magical, Latin American-inspired world called Domacon.

• Background Story and Game World
• Combat System
• Vision Behind the Game And Launch Plans
• Overview
• Gameplay Trailer

Background Story and Game World
Prisma follows Alma’s quest to navigate the enigmatic Domacon after being transported by a mysterious Prism Shard. In this world, Alma encounters other versions of herself from alternate universes, some of whom serve as allies while others become rivals. Players must assemble a party of Almas, forge bonds, tackle challenging enemies, and unlock side quests, all while shaping Alma’s experiences and destiny. You must outmaneuver rival Almas, who are also in pursuit of the coveted Prism Shards, which hold the key to returning home.

The game world of Prisma is populated by vibrant characters, including talking animals, unpredictable NPCs, and enemies inspired by Latin American folklore. Alma’s camera serves as her most crucial tool, revealing the true nature of her surroundings and influencing her interactions. Decisions you make affect the relationships the main character builds, the quests she undertakes, and the outcomes of her journey, making player choice a central feature of the game.

[...]

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Splattercatgaming checked out Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen:

I've Been Absolutely No Lifing a New MMORPG - Pantheon Rise of the Fallen

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The DLC Wartales: The Skelmar Invasion gets positive reviews on Steam:

The Skelmar Invasion & Winter Sale

Greetings Mercenaries,

Our goal was to craft an authentic Wartales experience, and we’re proud to say that the feedback from both the Closed Beta and the wider community played a pivotal role in shaping the DLC. The Beta allowed us to gather invaluable insights from a diverse range of players, helping us fine-tune the new features and gameplay mechanics to ensure we provided you with the best possible experience.

As of now, The Skelmar Invasion boasts very positive reviews on Steam, a testament to the dedication of our team and your support. We couldn’t be happier to close out the year on such a high note!

As a thank you we're extending the sale that began a few weeks ago, carrying it into the Steam Winter Sale! You can pick up Wartales and its DLC for up to 50% off.

Thank you for your continued support, and we can’t wait to share our plans for next year. In the meantime we wish you all happy holidays (unless you're a Skelmar)!

- Shiro Games

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Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen has been released into Early Access:

Early Access is now live on Steam! Join the test!

Pantheon: Rise of the Fallen is available on Steam and Early Access is now in full swing. Join the thousands that are already checking out the game. Get in early to test, help shape this classically-inspired MMORPG, and forge your place in the community.

Welcome Steam and thank you for having us!

Couchpotato spotted a new roadmap for Death Trash:

Roadmap Update - End of 2024

I am sorry. We made progress this year, but not as much as I had hoped. The projected dates for the next updates did not work out as planned.

We are focusing on the content of the game at the moment. That is slow work, as we are still somewhat inexperienced in this. (And it seems to me that working on story-based content will never be a straightforward process to begin with.)

I appeal here to your understanding of the situation, and therefore will lay out what this current situation consists of.

Situation

We are a small team. Two core members at the moment, working full-time on Death Trash. We will look at potentially getting additional help after the city content update is done.

This is our first game. We are still learning and mistakes will be made along the way, but we are willing to learn from them.

Our main goals with this project are the following:
1. To create a game with soul and personality. Reminiscent of the role-playing classics, but a thing of its own.
2. To stay independent. To keep control over all parts of the game and to fully understand all the bits that go into making a game like this. Which means working on most parts of it ourselves.
Or, to put it another way: working on something idiosyncratic in a personal way, staying close to the full process of creation.

We have sufficient funds to finish the development. We have enough motivation. This game will get done, no matter what.

Our communication this year was flawed. I think I responded often enough and in a transparent way, but I failed at showing where we are, at showing the progress, and at explaining the challenges of the project and its bottlenecks. I talk of helpful tools but I don't show what they are. I talk of the complexity of the project but I don't talk about the details. I get frustrated when pixelart games are lumped into some 'easy-to-make' category, but I don't outline the flaws in that argument. We need to do better.

Next steps

Removing the dates from the roadmap.
To avoid confusion and unfulfilled promises, we have decided to remove dates from the roadmap for now. More concrete timeframes will return once we make more progress on the content and can better estimate the remaining effort.

Regular update with improvements
We’ll publish a regular update in January that will contain improvements made over the last year which were originally to go alongside the next content update. These improvements include better inventory handling, which in our own test-playing fixes the recurring issue of the limited space inventory filling up too quickly.

City content on beta branch
Around that same time, we will publish the work-in-progress city content on the beta branch. (This will be unfinished and will be separated from the main game still, accessible only through a jump start from the main menu into the city. It's rough in parts and contains placeholders, but we could already use some feedback on dialogue, aesthetics, level design etc.)

Development Insight
From January on, after a short vacation, we will give continuous insight to the development process.
I am not sure yet in what form this will end up eventually, but I would like to start out by making some short non-spoiler notes every day I am at work, probably in its own forum thread, and this journaling then might lead to questions which I could tackle in more long-form. Let me know what you would be interested in.

Conclusion

I hope you'll have a great 2025, and I hope that Death Trash has a great year, too.
Thank you to everyone who supported us, and that includes all the small moments of friendly words and gestures.

- Stephan

These are the development goals for 2025 of the Archaelund developer:

Merry Christmas and happy 2025 to everyone!

Just a brief post to let you know about the upcoming improvements and my general plan for 2025

Hello everyone! I’d like to wish you all a joyful holiday season and an incredible New Year.

It’s been a while since the last update, 0.8.2, in November, and I haven’t been very active in the community since then. The reason? I’ve been working nonstop on the next big update! Once more, it's a big one that can't be released in small installments. While I’d hoped to deliver it as a Christmas surprise or in celebration of the Early Access anniversary this January, it’s definitely going to take longer; at least until late February.

Here are my main development goals for 2025:

Release Update 0.8.3: This will introduce a new map area, an increased level cap, and many QoL improvements (like inventory sorting, quest search filtering, and more). Similar to the previous map expansion, some areas and dungeons will remain inaccessible for now.

Reaching Version 0.9: Targeting a spring release, this update will bring the conclusion of the second main quest chapter, open some inaccessible dungeons, and gameplay improvements like dual wielding and new careers.

Second Half of 2025: updates will expand the playable area further, increase the level cap, and add a new main quest chapter. Alongside this, I’ll work on making the world more dynamic and alive, polishing graphics and animations, and introducing other improvements to elevate the game.

That’s the plan! Of course, these goals are subject to change, but you already know that. I deeply appreciate your patience and support; it means the world to me.

Here’s to another fantastic year of adventuring together!

--
David

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Couchpotato spotted devlog #9 for Tenebris: Terra Incognita:

Devlog #9

Dear friends, in this diary we will tell you about our work on Tenebris: Terra Incognita.

But first of all we want to wish you Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! May the next year bring us all more luck and success!

As you know, Tenebris went into Early Access on September 30, and by December we fixed 99% of all bugs, made changes to the balance of the game and other improvements.
We've been going through all of your feedback and suggestions on the game, there was a huge amount of them. Many ideas turned out to be very useful, and we took them into work!
Now we have turned our attention to creating new content for the game. The next global update will be in spring, and we want to tell you more about what will be waiting for you in it.

New enemies
In the global update called “Heavy Weight” you will get both reinforcements in the ranks of bugs and a brand new class of enemies. The Misty Wastes bug swarm will be expanded with two species - Regenus and Carabid.

[...]

Couchpotato spotted devlog #9 and a demo of Underrail: Infusion:

Dev Log 9: New Combat System

Hi guys,

As I mentioned in the previous dev log, our next goal with Infusion was to produce a short gameplay video that would feature some exploration and combat. The said video is finally here. This is a big milestone for us as the game is finally in a good enough state to be seen in motion, but also with this video we're revealing probably the biggest (and potentially the most controversial) change - the new combat system. Check out the video below.

Before I get into the details of the new combat system, I would like to say a few words about the state of the engine and Infusion's development in general.

I think we are finally at the point where we have all the fundamental visual and gameplay features in a stable and robust state, ready to have the content piled on top of them. Of course, many smaller secondary systems are yet to be migrated from the previous game or re-implemented completely, but these are much easier and faster to develop.

For example, this year I spent a lot of time transitioning the engine from tile-based to voxel-based space, allowing for true verticality, which in turn allowed for free-form movement in 3D space for player, creatures and objects. So now we can have platforms above and below, flying (and maybe later swimming/diving) enemies, dynamic climbing and falling, etc.

[...]

The Community Stream #02 starts on December 27, 6 pm CET:

Happy Holidays, Adventurers

Rest your weary soles by the fire

And best wish(lists), hohoho!

Community Stream #02
For those of you who are still around, join me for a cozy Community Stream on Friday 27th - where I will be sharing development anecdotes and answer more questions from viewers. Grab a cup of hot cocoa, wrap yourself in a blanket and let’s have a little chat!

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Learn more about the modding toolkit of Black Geyser:

Steam Workshop, Modding, Flails And More

New item type, modding support with new toolkit & mod manager

Ho there, adventurers,

We're excited to announce that flail items, user-friendly modding, and Steam Workshop support have finally arrived, allowing players to enhance their gaming experience like never before! For modding support, we summarize the most important features below:

• Mod Manager with Steam Workshop support: Easily manage your mods with our new Mod Manager, which includes seamless Steam Workshop support for hassle-free downloads and updates.
• Modding Toolkit: Access an amazing mod toolkit featuring a generic form editor, asset browser, creature editor, item editor, and spell editor to bring your creative ideas to life.
• Asset Browser: Use your own images and sounds in your mods with our intuitive asset browser, allowing for a personalized touch to your creations.
• In-Game Editing Mode: Press F9 in the game to activate Editing Mode, enabling you to easily place position markers and spawn points in game areas.
• Simple Mod Publishing: Upload and publish your mod on the Steam Workshop with just a few clicks, making it easy to share your creations with the community.
• Additional Tools in Development: Stay tuned for more exciting features, including a dialogue and quest editor, currently under development.

Dive in now and start creating your own mods to share with the community!

[...]

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The strategy RPG Years of Division has been announced:

Years of Division

For a thousand years the Kingdoms of Kaylia and Darakma were united in a war against their neighbor, the Sovereignty of Devess. Now, only a dozen years after the truce that brought peace to the land, war returns. The new king of Darakma launches a surprise attack on Kaylia in the name of his god, and all who live on the continent of Yelos brace themselves for the fallout of his actions. Alliances are broken, families separated, and lovers turned to enemies as the two closely joined lands are divided for the first time in history.

Annaka and Arcett, the princess and prince of Kaylia, are caught up in the conflict. Rally a team to their sides and do battle with bandits, soldiers, and maybe worse to find the truth and perhaps reunite this broken land.

TACTICS ARE YOUR KEY TO VICTORY

• Fight your way through a series of turn-based tactical battles and uncover a plot of betrayal, intrigue, and mystery.
• Wield powerful and flexible magic. Heal and buff your allies, change the terrain, rain down destruction, transport units across the map, and more!
• Accumulate power and unleash remarkable Critical attacks when the moment is right.
• Prepare devastating counter-attacks with a Reflexes build or press the attack by developing Haste. New tactics are opened up to you by your choice.

DESIGN YOUR TEAM TO ENABLE YOUR STRATEGY

• Build your units exactly as you wish. Your character's stats are determined by your choices, not random growths.
• Plan your team's collective capabilities by choosing each character's path and determining their abilities. Will you dabble in magic? Pick up a second weapon? Or stick to what you know best?
• Collect treasure and assign it to your units to bolster their combat effectiveness.
• Play the way you prefer with modular difficulty settings. Prefer fewer stronger enemies? Or do you hate to let any ally die? Design the perfect difficulty setup for your play style.

EXPLORE A FANTASY WORLD AT WAR

• Gather a team of fighters from across the world of Yelos.
• Forge bonds between your allies and gain buffs based on their personalities.
• Discover the truth that cast the world back into war!

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Couchpotato spotted a trailer for the new Vagrus: The Riven Realms DLC:

‘At the Heart of Ruin’ DLC Reveal Trailer & Holiday Deals

Vagri! We’re sure many of you’ve been waiting for more information about our next DLC (shaping up to be expansion-sized once again) and the time has come to deliver just that – in the form of a special story trailer we’re excited to share:

[...]

Couchpotato spotted dev update #2 for Solasta II:

Dev Update #02 - How was Solasta II created?

From Crown of the Magister to Solasta II, the path was not as linear as one might think!

Heya there folks,

It’s getting a little cold, isn’t it? Hope you’re wearing warm clothes, or you’ll soon be rolling constitution saving throws to avoid all sorts of nasty conditions. It’s also time to start to follow the Solasta tradition again… and feature fluffy friends in the intro!

It was summer 2021…
Solasta: Crown of the Magister just launched in 1.0 on Steam with the free Sorcerer update in tow shortly after as promised during our Kickstarter. At that time, we were hard at work implementing the Barbarian and Druid classes for the Primal Calling DLC, meanwhile our level designers were already populating the dense jungles of Lost Valley. By the way, let me tell you that Druids were a real pain in the butt to implement with their Wild Shape. QA was finding new ways to break the game every day.

While the team was busy preparing the upcoming content, our leads were already starting to look ahead - what were we going to do next? Some of you may think that it was obviously going to be Solasta II, but did you know that we had several other ideas before that?

We thought about trying out a shorter, much more narrative Solasta spin-off with a set team of heroes shortly after the Cataclysm. We explored the idea of a sci-fi roguelite tactical RPG inside an ever-shifting derelict spaceship. Such ideas were shared with the rest of the team for discussion, debate, disagreements. At its core, one burning question - do we believe in the project?

[...]