The most anticipated role-playing games of 2022
As for driving games it is not difficult to eliminate them from the equation, partly because Forza Horizon 5 is already out and a bit because in this case the dominant genre is clearly another. Even removing extreme cases or provocative ideas, the list remains huge and forces us to make an arbitrary selection as well as inevitably missing those surprises that will undoubtedly arrive, over the next year.
Fortunately for us, the near horizon is populated by role-playing games, whether pure or not, which inevitably rise above others, both for the expectations and for the name they bear, saving us from doubts and the need for too many preambles. Even 2021, it must be said, has been a good year for this kind of experience, even considering the many shadows that have prevented some excellent titles from reaching the top, but 2022 promises to be a memorable year for those who love this now sprawling. macro-genre.
Starfield
Starfield promises variety, graphic opulence and an avalanche of lines of dialogue Starfield, the sci-fi debut of an RPG giant, can only be the first on this list, despite Bethesda's decision to show it to us with the dropper. In fact, after a short teaser, all we have are artwork, some images like those that have appeared in recent days and promises, a coin that has a strongly relative value these days. It is not surprising, therefore, a certain mistrust, fueled by the bad launch of Fallout 76, which is undoubtedly understandable.In this case, however, it is also necessary to take into account the importance that such a title has for a lot of people. On the other hand we are talking about the first real new IP of Bethesda in 25 years as well as one of the titles on which Microsoft has bet by buying Zenimax for something like 7.5 billion dollars. Enough to make the promises of Creation Engine 2 credible, however backed up by a robust teaser all created with a game engine this time designed exclusively for the latest generation of consoles available.
The quality is evident in the lighting , which includes realistic glows for the LEDs of the spaceship cockpit, but also in the quality of the blur, in the volumetric effects, in the transparency of the glass and in the rendering of the surrounding environment, presumably achieved with the use of photogrammetry or similar techniques. And it is from these things that we have a certain confidence in the next gen glance of a title that promises to put this visual quality at the service of the wide horizons of alien planets, space bases and underground cavities.
On the other hand, there are few doubts about the generous dimensions of Starfield. The formula will be true to Bethesda RPG philosophy, but the addition of exploration, 150,000 lines of dialogue and a year of refinement on a title explicitly designed to be played for hours and hours suggest a huge experience that we hope will be. also balanced and satisfying. And it is in function of this hope that we would have liked to see something of the combat and the animations of the actual game, but that, to be honest, does not worry us that much. With all its flaws, Skyrim is still one of the most popular RPGs ever and certainly not for the realism of the animations.
Dragon Age 4
Dragon Age 4 represents a crucial appointment for BioWare Another title that you can't forget when it comes to big shots coming in 2022 is Dragon Age 4. During the summer, it should be remembered, there were rumors of a possible delay to 2023 but, we talk about it a little further down, there is no need to take the postponement for granted. On the other hand, BioWare is in great need of a product with which to redeem itself from the flop of Anthem, a bad blow that has among other things led the team to completely cut the multiplayer sector, in order to concentrate efforts on a single player component. less extensive, but denser and more refined than that of Dragon Age: Inquisition.Unfortunately we have no way of weighing these promises as the material at our disposal is very limited. In fact, in our hands we have some possible clues about the protagonists of the story, a teaser not in the game and some shreds appeared in video roundups of new generation technologies. Furthermore, the development was marked by the abandonment of executives such as Casey Hudson and Mark Darrah which could have caused the interruption or even the cancellation on the works of Anthem 2.0. The manager of the latter, Christian Dailey, found himself having to abandon his project to plug the holes left by the fugitives.
And it is perhaps for this reason that, speaking of the launch, we are still firm on EA's statements on the possible release in 2022, with possible delays that we certainly cannot exclude given the management problems and the very little material shown. But, as we have already said, this is not something to be taken for granted. BioWare talked about a reveal in 2022, presumably at E3 in June, which would not rule out a launch by the end of the year at all. On the other hand, it is the same timing of the last Battlefield, in a market in which many developers, burned by the hype, have reduced the amount of time that passes between the actual presentation of the game, the one in which the gameplay is actually shown, and the launch. Furthermore, the renunciation of the multiplayer component and the decision to keep the Frostbite Engine instead of switching to the Unreal Engine could also be functional to the launch timing.
Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin
The Team Ninja explores the roots of Final Fantasy with Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin There are several elements that make Stranger of Paradise: Final Fantasy Origin special, the soulslike spin-off of Team Ninja, here our considerations on the demo, which on the one hand it looks to Nioh, but on the other it boasts strong ties to the origin of the series. Acting as the protagonist we find in fact the very first antagonist of Final Fantasy, that of the distant 1987. Inevitable therefore the interest of the fans in the genesis of a villain who is rather appreciated, despite the little space that was granted to him in the first Final Fantasy.In the meantime, however, interest has also grown in the game itself, already strong with valid gameplay and interesting additions to the Nioh formula in the first demo, but significantly improved with the second. In just four months we have seen clear steps forward both from a technical point of view, although the engine certainly does not aim to astonish, and from the point of view of artificial intelligence, not only drastically improved, but also enriched with an interesting new one. functionality that allows you to urge your companions to increase their effectiveness at a certain time.
Having said that, the technical sector remains tied to the old generation of soulslike, with all the typical baggage of problems related to the hitbox and the camera to obscure an otherwise excellent combat system. But we also expect some refinements in this sense, while not hoping for miracles. On the other hand, the graphics engine has obvious limits and the time left between now and the launch date, March 18, 2022, is short. But given the work done by Team Ninja in a few months, we are still betting on a tangible evolution of the title.
Elden Ring
The world of Elden Ring was also shaped by writer George R.R. Martin We know, it is another soulslike and therefore another action RPG more than a pure RPG, but Elden Ring, here our field test, cannot miss in any list dedicated to the most anticipated role-playing games of 2022 On the other hand, the spiritual sequel to Dark Souls promises to push the genre to which it belongs to new qualitative levels, both from the point of view of the gaming experience and from that of the narrative.The point in which it does not stand out that much from the past, let's say it immediately, is in the case of interpenetration and camera problems, now a constant of FromSoftware titles, but it goes into the territory of the most open maps , while not daring to aim directly at the open world without borders. The world of Elden Ring, in fact, is always divided into zones, this time however much wider and full of contents between optional dungeons, or secret catacombs with bosses and additional rewards, and dungeons inspired by those of the previous titles of Hidetaka Miyazaki and associates .
There should be everything you need, essentially, for an experience up to the cornerstones of the genre invented by FromSoftware which in this case has decided to enlist the help of George R.R. Martin, someone who understands the construction of fantasy worlds, by mythology and setting. Sure, let's hope it comes to better terms with the videogame medium than it did with the television medium for the Game of Thrones finale, but we're counting on some impact deaths to revive the plot.
Horizon Forbidden West
One of the monsters of Horizon Forbidden West Horizon Forbidden West is undoubtedly one of the most anticipated action RPGs of 2022. Scheduled for February 18 on PlayStation 4 and PS5, the new adventure of Aloy promises to expand the formula that made the first chapter of 2017 a success with critics and audiences. With the addition of a technical sector of the highest level, which promises to fully exploit the hardware of the PlayStation 5, although Sony has also announced an old-gen version in the race.In Horizon Forbidden West, Aloy will continue his journey west to discover a post-apocalyptic version of the USA. Crossing the territories that today are part of Nevada and California, the young warrior will face new, extraordinary dangers that will allow her to grow further, as well as to discover what has happened to her tribe and to all humanity.
Expected exclusively for PlayStation consoles, a possible landing of Horizon Forbidden West on PC is not excluded (sooner or later), given the great success achieved by the first chapter on Steam.
Broken Roads
Broken Roads promises a deep, raw experience worthy of the greatest RPGs ever. the return to the origins of a software house also born as a publisher and as a nursery for independent developers. The overall level of the offer is not yet comparable to that of a giant in this segment like Devolver Digital, but the ability to recognize worthy titles is certainly not lacking considering that the Team 17 library includes titles such as Overcooked, My Time at Portia, Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, Neon Abyss, Narita Boy and Hell Let Loose.Hence our attention to Broken Roads, also tickled by the vibrant previews, towards a game that is so ambitious that it is not try to hide his debts towards giants like Wasteland and Fallout, not only in the setting but also in the visceral nature and in the narrative depth. All seasoned with a much more complex moral system than that of a Fallout and a dialogue system that resembles that of Disco Elysium, another title that deserves lavish praise and that closes a hat-trick of sources of inspiration that together with what is already shown give us hope for the arrival of a great classic of the genre.
Special mentions
Triangle Strategy is a strategic role-playing game that promises to live up to the giants of the genre In 2022 we will not miss a good dose of Square Enix with the mega mobile project of Final Fantasy VII: Ever Crisis and the massive Forspoken, but the title of the publisher that piques our attention the most is another. The stable is the same, but the development team is that of Bravely Default and Octopath Traveler, once again struggling with an HD-2D style title that pays homage to the 16-bit era and specifically the titles to Final Fantasy Tactics . With Triangle Strategy, here the trailer released a couple of days ago, we are talking about a combination of turn-based strategy, intricate narrative and a system of choices that promises to significantly influence the evolution of the game world. Enough to grab the attention of strategic RPG fans as well as RPG purists.We talk instead of action RPG in mobile sauce with Diablo Immortal that despite the disputed presentation, the recent problems at Blizzard and the inevitable doubts related to micro-transactions remains a title to keep an eye on, which we did it by trying the closed beta recently, as well as one of the most interesting free-to-plays of next year. On the other hand, despite being free, it is a real Diablo, rich in content and paradoxically more attentive to the endgame of its predecessors. Hence a tangible interest, albeit tarnished by the lack of a PC version, which we hope Blizzard rewards by reserving more attention and more resources for the game servers.
Problems that cannot concern Darkest Dungeon 2, here the tried of the early access, sequel to a surprising turn-based roguelike that with this second and highly anticipated incarnation, always single player, turns towards the post-apocalyptic with more realistic characters and a decidedly enhanced technical sector. But they are not the only news. If the heart of the experience is what we know, the structure is not, with significant changes that highlight, already in early access, the team's desire to go beyond the classic more of the same. Some novelties have not satisfied everyone, but we are nevertheless facing a promising title that is still in the making.
Have you noticed any errors?
