One of XCOM 2’s greatest magic tricks is how it transforms numbers, statistics, and menus into high-stakes tension. Think of the most spectacular and explosive videogame in recent memory – something like Cyberpunk 2077 or Battlefield – and even at their dramatic heights, they struggle to match the fear and pressure of a single XCOM turn. Inspired by that same, pseudo-isometric, tactical combat, Shadow of the Road feels like a neat companion piece to Assassin’s Creed Shadows. If you want more samurai and warring factions, but this time with a steampunk twist, you can try it right now.
It’s 1868 and the forces of Shōgun Tokugawa are at war with Emperor Mutsuhito. History, however, is only a backdrop in Shadow of the Road – this is a fantasy and steampunk RPG with hulking machines, magic, and mysticism. You’re the commander of a small group of spies and mercenaries. Your charge is a young boy with mysterious but immense powers, who you need to escort from one end of the country to the other.
Combat is turn and class-based – your squad is a mix of ronin, warriors, and mages, and, like XCOM, you need to choose their positioning and their attacks to complement one another. Rather than hopping from one mission straight into another, however, Shadow of the Road also presents you with narrative choices, and whatever you choose to do at key moments of the story will affect everything that follows.
Though we’re still waiting for a release date, Shadow of the Road has just launched a playable alpha. If you want to give it a shot, all you need to do is head to the Steam page and submit a ticket. Places may be limited, but if you put a request in now, hopefully you’ll get access. You can sign up here.
Alternatively, you might want to try some of the best strategy games, or maybe the best turn-based strategy games available on PC today.
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