CRPGs Archives

AppWizard

March 21, 2025

Clair Obscur: Expedition 33’s director was ‘starving for new turn-based RPGs,’ and figured if he wanted them, there would be others out there who’d want to play his game

During the 2025 Game Developers Conference, François Meurisse, producer of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 and COO of Sandfall Interactive, discussed the game's development, which began in early 2019 as a passion project by creative director Guillaume Broche. The game features a parry system and allows players to aim freely with ranged weapons. Broche's inspirations include FromSoftware titles like Sekiro and classic JRPGs such as Final Fantasy and Lost Odyssey, while Meurisse draws from Paper Mario and EarthBound. Meurisse described Expedition 33 as an homage to classic JRPGs rather than a groundbreaking innovator. The game is set to release on April 23, and players can wishlist it on Steam.

AppWizard

March 12, 2025

Cthulhu Keeper Revitalizes Classic PC Game Genres Through A Lovecraftian Lens

Certain hardcore PC game genres have seen a resurgence, with titles like Baldur's Gate 3 and Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 gaining popularity, while the stealth-tactics genre and dungeon management games have struggled. Kuuasema's Cthulhu Keeper is a real-time tactics game that combines cult base management with stealth missions, featuring gameplay mechanics that include commanding cultists and Lovecraftian monsters. The game includes story missions and mini-roguelite expeditions, requiring strategic planning and quick thinking. Players control Lilith West, who can harvest enemy corpses for strategic advantages. Cthulhu Keeper aims to appeal to both hardcore gamers and newcomers, with a public playtest scheduled for March 17.

AppWizard

March 10, 2025

At least it’s not NFTs this time: The new Wizardry RPG is a gacha game

The original Wizardry, released in 1981, was a pioneering title in party-based computer role-playing games (CRPGs) and inspired an anime adaptation. The franchise has seen a revival, including a faithful remake and unconventional offerings like a blockchain-based game and a gacha game. Wizardry Variants Daphne, available on mobile and Steam, features first-person dungeon-crawling and grid-based movement. Players can collect treasures, including bones of fallen adventurers, which can be revived with a randomized selection system. The game includes a complex economy with various currencies and season passes, and players can engage without spending, although there is an energy mechanic called Fortitude. Reviving characters with low Fortitude carries risks, but is less punishing than in the original game. The original anime adaptation reflects the game's themes and elements, and Wizardry has significantly influenced both CRPGs and JRPGs, inspiring contemporary titles.

AppWizard

December 20, 2024

Only 15% of all Steam users’ time was spent playing games released in 2024

Steam users played 50% fewer games in 2024 compared to the previous year, influenced by Game Pass, emulation, and the Nintendo 3DS XL. Only 15% of total gaming time was spent on titles launched in 2024, while 47% was dedicated to games released in the last one to seven years, and 37% to titles over eight years old. The free-to-play game Banana gained significant attention, and the action-adventure game Black Myth: Wukong led in single-player concurrent players. Long-standing games like Counter-Strike, Dota 2, and PUBG dominated the Most Played charts, making it challenging for new live service games to succeed. Steam offers over 200,000 titles, with around 18,000 released in 2024, making the 15% of playtime on new games seem reasonable.

AppWizard

November 27, 2024

Even if Avowed does well, it doesn’t sound like we’ll get Pillars of Eternity 3, at least not from Josh Sawyer: ‘I am more interested in doing original IP’

Pillars of Eternity 2: Deadfire was inspired by the Infinity Engine games and explored themes like colonialism through a pirate adventure but did not perform well commercially, disappointing game director Josh Sawyer. He reflected on the crowdfunding model that influenced Obsidian's cautious approach. Sawyer mentioned his advisory role in Avowed, contributing some writing and system design. Despite the lack of success for Pillars 2, the idea of a Pillars 3 persists, but Sawyer's enthusiasm has waned, suggesting that the Pillars universe may evolve into Avowed. He also expressed interest in creating original intellectual properties rather than revisiting established ones.