There were two little concepts that got me with Shadow of the Road: steampunk, and feudal Japan. Two very clashing aesthetics, the former is characterized by heavy metals and hulking machinery, where the latter champions tranquillity and wood-based structures. Developer Another Angle, however, has struck the balance perfectly, transporting traditional Japanese folklore into a heavy metal world gone mad and throwing in Baldur’s Gate 3-style combat for good measure. Safe to say, I can’t wait to get my hands on it.
This is 1868 Japan. The country has been ravaged by a violent civil war, where Emperor Mutsuhito’s hulking mechanical menaces are grappling with Shōgun Tokugawa’s traditionalist army and taking the whole country down with them. In Shadow of the Road, Owlcat Games and Alternate Angle’s new turn based RPG, Japan is at a turning point, and you are the one who dictates what its future will look like.
In the gameplay trailer showcased at the OTK Winter Expo, we see a whole variety of different, explorable landscapes. There are traditional Japanese villages and hamlets, then snow-capped, perilous mountains, all juxtaposed against what appears to be a corrupted forest pulsing with sinister energies. There’s even a cutscene that shows our heroes rushing onto a ship, and that sounds like a lot of fun.
While exploration is key, there’s a heavy focus on narrative decision making, too, akin to Baldur’s Gate 3. On your mission to protect your young, magical charge (a mysterious boy with a hazy history), you’ll recruit various allies to your cause, all with their own motivations. Your choices will affect your interpersonal relationships, potentially mending broken families, or, if you’re not careful, earning you a powerful enemy.
You can control each of the game’s characters, allowing you to build up a unique party that perfectly synergizes in battle. Each warrior has their own set of skills, and your relationship with them will determine how well encounters go in your party – so make sure you’re saying all of the right things.
For me, Shadow of the Road is absolutely perfect. It expertly fuses all of my favorite aesthetics with the gameplay that I love to create something truly unique. While there’s no sign of a Shadow of the Road release date just yet, it’s happily sitting at the top of my Steam wishlist, and I suggest you add it to yours, too.
In the meantime, however, if you love some turn-based chaos, here are some games like Baldur’s Gate 3 to pass the time with until Shadow of the Road arrives. Alternatively, if its a compelling narrative that you’re looking for, here’s a list of all the best story games.
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