Can you feel that familiar excitement, that buzz of anticipation that grips us at the turn of every new year? A brave new world awaits us in 2018. Before us lies a vast digital landscape of potential gaming experiences, some that will change our lives and others that will send us furiously rioting down the streets.
What better way to immerse ourselves in the pixelated essence of 2018 than forsaking reality for the fantastical adventures of role-playing games? Well, if you’re reading this, the chance is good you already know the answer: There is none. So let’s stop wasting time and get down to brass tacks. These are our most anticipated RPGs of 2018…
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Think we’ve missed a title? Or maybe you don’t agree with our choices? Then drop a comment below and let the digital battle of words begin!
Vampyr – Q2 2018
Vampyr takes place in a 1918 London ravaged by the flu (back then there was no cure so the flu was deadly) and, more terrifyingly, a string of Vampire attacks. You play as Dr. Jonathan Reid, a local medical doctor and recently turned vampire.
With this newfound, let’s call it an affliction, you will be constantly trapped in a moral struggle between saving the city from the flu outbreak and reluctantly feed on those you’ve vowed to help. Surprisingly, Vampyr is brought to us by Dontnod, the creators of the original Life is Strange series, so you can probably expect to make a lot of difficult and emotional decisions.
Monster Hunter World – 6 January 2018
Monster Hunter: World is the fifth title in the Monster Hunter franchise, which throws you into an open-world filled with (yes, you’ve guessed it) monsters. You will play as a ‘Hunter’ tasked by the ‘Research Commission’ to track, hunt, and usually kill a variety of bloodthirsty creatures. According to the developers, Capcom, this instalment will boast considerably larger maps than its predecessors, seamless transitions between zones, and a four player co-op option.
Pillars of Eternity: Deadfire – 2018
Pillars of Eternity: Deadfire, an isometric real-time strategy RPG by Obsidian Entertainment, follows on from the original Pillars of Eternity. Once again, you will be taking on the role of ‘The Watcher’, an individual that is able to read the memories of people and their past lives. The catalyst for this adventure is an attack on your stronghold by the reawakened Eothas, a god long believed to be dead.
After turning it into rubble and leaving you on the verge of death, you decide to seek out the god and plot your revenge. If you played the original, you might like to know that the decisions you made there will impact the world in Deadfire.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite – 2018
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite is brought to us by Niantic, the same studio that developed the global phenomenon, Pokémon GO. Taking the same approach as Pokémon GO, this title will be an augmented reality mobile game that allows you to take on the role of your very own Hogwarts student, an exciting prospect especially considering that previous Harry Potter games have only ever allowed you to play with characters from the films.
In a Niantic press release, the devs said that “by exploring real-world neighbourhoods and cities across the globe, players will go on adventures, learn and cast spells, discover mysterious artifacts, and encounter legendary beasts and iconic characters”.
Kingdom Come Deliverance – 13 February 2018
Kingdom Come Deliverance puts a strong emphasis on providing a realistic medieval experience. The game starts in 1403 and puts you in the role of a blacksmith’s son whose family has been slaughtered during a war in the Kingdom of Bohemia (present day Czech Republic) under the command of a usurper King.
Now you seek vengeance for this cruel act and to restore the rightful ruler to the throne. Almost all characters, weapons, and location have been created with strict historical accuracy in mind, echoing the dev’s intention to recreate an faithful-as-possible version of life in the Middle Ages.
Greedfall – 2018
Greedfall is being developed by Spiders, the same game studio that brought us the cyberpunk sci-fi RPG, Technomancer. You will be playing as a prince whose kingdom has become host to a magical plague. On your quest to save your kingdom, you will find eventually yourself in the middle of a war between two factions, one faction dedicated to the cold but calculated art of science, and the other to the natural magic of Mother Nature.
Although details on the time period are scarce, the game seems to take place somewhere in the 17th century, in a time when the first rays of the industrial revolution started to dawn on humanity, which would complement the theme of magic vs science extremely well.
Biomutant – 2018
Biomutant is definitely one of the more quirky tiles on this list, marrying the eccentricities of games such as Crash Bandicoot with a gritty mashup of the RPG, hack ‘n slash, and shooter genres. The game takes place in a post-apocalyptic world populated by mutated animals.
You play as one of these creatures and, according to the devs, can change its genetic structure to resemble certain animals and gain their respective abilities. The catalyst for Biomutant‘s branching story is a natural disaster that causes the Tree of Life to “bleed death from its roots”.
