Upcoming RPGs in 2023
Welcome to the inevitable end of year 2022, which was a bit underwhelming when it comes to gaming. Some things bombed and some things were brilliant, but we have another year of awesome stuff coming up. So let’s take a seat and look into the future of the best RPG games coming in 2023. Roll the intro music.
Now, before we officially begin, let me just note that depending on when you’re watching this, some of the dates might no longer be correct due to delays, and some games might not have a specific release date announced yet. At least, not right now. This, however, is the best time frame that’s available in December 2022, right after all the announcements done during The Game Awards. Since this turned out to be a long video, I divided everything into chapters. Hopefully, this will make it easier for you to navigate. Let’s begin.
Number one: Forspoken. Back in 2020, Sony announced Project Afia, a timed exclusive for PS5 and PC from the studio behind Final Fantasy XV. A year later, the game was renamed to Forespoken and given a release date. However, after two delays, it is now expected to release on January 24th.
What can you expect from Forspoken? As the studio promotes it, the game follows the story of Frey Holland, a New Yorker who is transported to the land of Athia in search of a way home. She will use magic obtained through a sentient bracelet named Cuff to travel across the land and battle monsters. Square Enix describes forspoken as a narrative-driven adventure, whereas the director highlights that the gameplay will be focused on terrain traversal, speed, and fluidity.
What strikes me as the most interesting and unusual is the upgrade system in Forspoken. You will improve Frey’s powers by upgrading the quote that you have, and special abilities and buffs will be applied by putting on magical nail polish. Now, that’s something I’m not sure I’ve seen before. We’ll see how it all works out when the game comes out in January. If you feel like trying it out, it was announced that the demo of the game has gone live on PlayStation consoles. Let me know in the comments how you liked it if you played it.
Number two: Hogwarts Legacy. The game probably requires no introduction, but just in case, I will give you some background info. Hogwarts Legacy is the first AAA game in the Harry Potter franchise that is being made in a really long time. It is set about 100 years before the events of JK Rowling’s books, but the castle will definitely feel familiar. You’ll get to become a student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, develop your magical skills, brew potions, harvest plants, and tame magical beasts. Unfortunately, no Quidditch players will have a chance to solve the mystery of the dark arts, make meaningful choices, and fight lots of evil witches, creatures, and probably even goblins who planned the rebellion. You’ll get to fly using the broom or magical beasts, you’ll get to explore Hogsmead, and basically live out the fantasy of attending a magical school.
I’ll be thoroughly disappointed if young Dumbledore doesn’t make an appearance in the game. To be honest, the game was originally planned for 2022, but it got delayed to February 10, 2023. However, if you get the deluxe or collector’s edition, you’ll get to hop into Hogwarts 3 days early, on February 7th. For now, you can connect your Harry Potter fan club account with Warner Bros. Games account to transfer your chosen house and one straight into the game and get some additional cosmetics for your character. Neat.
Number four is Wulong Fallen Dynasty. Team Ninja, the people behind Dead or Alive, Ninja Gaiden, and Neo, are now working on Wulong Fallen Dynasty, a game set in 184 A.D. The Steam page description mentions the game’s story following a nameless militia soldier fighting for survival in a dark fantasy version of the Later Han Dynasty, where demons plague the Three Kingdoms. If you played Neo, you know what to expect more or less, but this time the devs want to focus more on pure action with equipment not playing such a crucial role. Even though the game will take place in more closed spaces, those locations are supposed to give players more freedom than what Neo did in their previous series. You can expect to take part in real historical battles alongside famous people from that era, although there will be a lot of fantasy vibes, especially with demons lurking around. Fans of previous Team Ninja games should be content with what the devs have in stock for March 5th’s Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn. Deaths from A44 Games are coming up with a really nice looking action RPG called Flintlock: The Siege of Dawn, which aims to put gods and guns in one world in a very God of War manner. Our aim seems to be to make a stand and lay one final siege on the gods. The Steam page presents the world as follows: “The door to the afterlife has been opened, allowing the old gods’ army of the undead to escape. The living are on the brink of extinction. It’s time for the Coalition Army to retake their world.” We can expect a blend of combat using axes, guns, magic, and apparently more than that, even though visually the game doesn’t seem to be the most original. The whole premise behind it seems at least a little bit appealing. The team behind Flintlock doesn’t really have the best record; their previous game, Ashen, even though appreciated by the critics, sits with a 6.0 user score on Metacritic. Can’t say I’m not intrigued though, we’ll see what happens when it launches.
Number six is Horizon: Forbidden West – Burning Shores. During the Game Awards 2022, it was announced that the latest Horizon: Forbidden West is getting an expansion. No surprise here – the story of Eloy will continue in Burning Shores, an expansion that will take us to Los Angeles, which we could easily pinpoint as the game’s setting thanks to the huge Hollywood sign. Let me quote the Playstation blog on some details: “It’s an overgrown and fractured city that can be fully explored via the water and flying on the back of a sun wing. A massive machine threat lurks in its shadows, a huge challenge that Eloy must overcome by using all of her skills and abilities.” What’s important to note is that, contrary to the base game, this expansion will only be coming to the PS5. As mentioned by the game director, Matthias DeYoung, to achieve the game’s grand vision technically and creatively, they had to make the difficult decision to abandon preparing this story for last gen. Gotta admit I’m excited. While Horizon Zero Dawn didn’t really grow on me, I liked Forbidden West much more, and can’t wait to explore the Burning Shores.
