Looking Ahead
Summer is always an interesting time for game releases, aside from a few big releases, It sometimes feels like a dead zone. Thanks to E3 or now Summer Game Fest, there tends to be the occasional surprise release, but often summer just feels like trying to get you excited for the rest of the year, or even beyond.
Last year, we had Final Fantasy 16, Street Fighter 6, and Baldur's Gate 3 releasing over the summer months. Three pretty major game releases, so it makes sense that this summer feels a little slim by comparison. Other than the DLC for Elden Ring, Shadow of the Erdtree, it feels a little quiet.
I’m still enjoying Zenless Zone Zero, and will hopefully get back to Trails Through Daybreak sometime. Visions of Mana comes out at the end of August, which seems like it could be pretty fun. Really though, it’s when I’m looking further out into the release calendar that I get a little bit more excited.
Demonschool
This game was a bit of a surprise, but after hearing about it during Summer Games Fest, it quickly became something to look forward to. Anything Persona inspired, on more than a surface level anyways, at least catches my eye. Fighting demons in a school setting where you can bond with your allies and engage in tactical combat? Sign me up.
Like all the games on this list, I don’t want to pass judgment until I play, but I don’t want to let my hopes get too high. If executed well, this could be a really fun game, with dynamic movement based tactical combat and solid characters. If not, it might just feel like an indie Persona clone, but would that really be so bad?
Fantasy Life I
Honestly, I thought this series was dead. After a charming entry on the 3DS which came to North America 2 years after release in Japan, the series seemed to go dormant. A sequel for mobile devices had a number of setbacks before being rebranded and eventually released. This also took a while to come to North America, and I think I tried it, but didn’t get into it like I did the original game.
Finally, in 2024 we should be getting our hands on a proper sequel. Fantasy slice of life or cozy games aren’t as rare as they used to be, but if my memory holds, Fantasy Life does it in a way I really enjoyed. You can gather, craft, and fight monsters, all in a satisfying loop that feeds back into itself. I’m eager to see if they can recapture that bit of magic I felt all those years ago.
Metaphor: ReFantazio
Let’s just say it now, this is the one I’m most excited about. SMT5 was good, but left me a bit wanting in the story department, and I want them to take as much time as they need for another Persona game. A brand new IP from a team I really respect is exactly what I was hoping for. It gives them a playground to experiment with new ideas, themes, and more.
A recent trend in RPGs is blending action and turn based combat, and I’m looking forward to seeing their take on that idea. So far, everything about this game seems promising, the combat, the characters, the setting, it all has a lot of potential. I can’t imagine myself being too let down, but I’m really hoping they knock this one out of the park.
Romancing SaGa 2: Revenge of the Seven
Another Summer Game Fest surprise, more SaGa games! Maybe this is gonna be the SaGa game that finally clicks for me. It looks a lot higher budget than Emerald Beyond at least, maybe there will be actual dungeons in this one! Continually trying to play Saga games almost feels like a running bit at this point, but it’s enjoyable, so might as well keep trying!
Mario & Luigi Brothership
I’d been rather hopeful that there would be more Mario RPGs in the future after the recent Remake and Remaster of Super Mario RPG and Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door. When AlphaDream, the creators of the Mario & Luigi series, went bankrupt, it felt like a real loss. I loved those games, they were funny, clever, and fun to play.
Rising from the dead, the Mario & Luigi series returns for the first time since 2015! I’m sad the original team won’t be involved in its creation, but maybe that gives it a chance to take some new risks and go in a slightly different direction. As long as the writing is sharp and it has a good sense of humor, I think I’m in for a good time.
Dragon Quest 3 HD-2D Remake
Last but not least, we’re finally getting our hands on the Dragon Quest 3 Remake. This is the game on this list we’ve known about for the longest time, but it almost felt like an open secret. Maybe that’s in part because not only are they remaking Dragon Quest 3, but also 1 & 2! I never played these titles, 5 is the oldest title I’ve played, and while I put in a lot of time, I never finished it.
Those games are classics, but they feel a little dated to play. Even Dragon Quest 11 felt like a very old school game even when it came out. I’m excited to see what they do with an older game that likely feels barebones by today’s standards. Dragon Quest is far more popular in Japan than in the west, so being able to play a new (old) Dragon Quest game in Japan feels a little special.
Can’t Wait!
That’s a pretty promising line-up for the rest of the year, and there’s more games I took off my list, and probably even more I forgot about! Just because there’s a bit of a break in the release calendar right now, that doesn’t mean I have any shortage of games to play. There’s still plenty of past releases I could return to, and some that I haven’t even gotten to yet!
While we may not have the huge summer games like last year, there’s still plenty to look forward to. Are there any games you can’t wait to play? Let me know in the comments! I’m sure I’ll talk more about each of these games when they release and discuss the ways they fail, or hopefully exceed my expectations!
