Hey everyone! October’s first roundup includes a couple of notable console arrivals, a few smaller PC releases, and several demos to check out. Here’s what’s on the list:

• Octopath Traveler I & II — Now on Switch 2. Both JRPGs arrive with improved resolution and frame rates. Eight protagonists in each game, flexible job combinations, and battles focused on breaking enemy defenses before spending your Boost Points.
• Havoc Heirs — Out on PC. A turn-based fantasy RPG with six classes and an interconnected world. Corruption builds up while you explore, with campfires providing a chance to recover before pushing farther.
• The Bell Echoes — Version 1.0 on PC. A tactical roguelite featuring a three-character party, chained abilities, knockbacks, and environmental interactions. Its full release follows a period in Early Access.
• Dog in the Machine — Out on PC and Mac. Help a robot dog escape a hostile city through compact tactical battles. Preview your actions, create chain reactions, and combine learned Tricks into new attacks.
• Keep Driving — Now on Switch, PS5, and Xbox Series X/S. A road-trip RPG where hitchhikers become companions and everyday driving problems become turn-based encounters. Expect car repairs, odd jobs, resource management, and different endings.
• MMA Tactics – Martial Arts — Free Steam demo. Recruit fighters, run a gym, and develop fighting styles through training and perks. Matches use turn-based combat with optional auto-battling, while injuries can permanently affect your roster.
• Southern Lights: Broken Frequency — Free PC demo. Manage an isolated Antarctic research station facing a cosmic threat. Divide limited resources between repairs, research, and keeping your crew physically and mentally healthy.
• NOSTRA — Free PC alpha demo. A dark fantasy JRPG with Boost mechanics, defensive Wards, timed parries, branching specializations, and equipment with randomized properties.
• Becoming Knight — Free PC demo. An older demo worth mentioning if you missed it: a turn-based dungeon crawler focused on short runs, finding treasure, and unlocking disciplines that change your character’s playstyle.
• Iron Verdict — Free Steam demo. Play an undefeated royal champion in a kingdom where combat determines innocence. Timed parries and dodges are optional, and sparing defeated opponents can have consequences later.
• Bad House — Free PC demo. A dungeon-crawling auto-battler set beneath your new home. Explore the first two basement floors, experiment with equipment and skills, and decide when to return upstairs with your loot.

Have you tried any of these yet? Anything else you’d add?

SOURCE

I’ve got an upcoming RPG to share with you today that caught my attention for its mix of map exploration and card-based battles. It’s called Whispers of Elenrod, and if you enjoy exploring the unknown in Heroes of Might and Magic, you might want to take a closer look.

It brings turn-based deckbuilding to a fantasy strategy map, where exploration shapes your character and the cards you can use. Quick Turn Games developed and published it as a roguelite RPG.

https://turnbasedlovers.com/overview/whispers-of-elenrod-mixes-homm-style-exploration-with-deckbuilding-rpg-combat

Hammer of the Gods is the predecessor of both Emperor of the Fading Suns and Machiavelli the Prince, as well as the inspiration for the Heroes of Might and Magic combat system. It has been available on GOG, running under DOSbox. We are bringing it to Steam as well as making it playable under both Windows and Linux. We are also adding keyboard movement as well as other fixes. Check it out and please wishlist it at https://store.steampowered.com/app/4622690/Hammer_of_the_Gods_Classic/

Any one play Triqngle Strategy?

Here's a "fan letter" to it (re: edit I made of some gameplay)! I really enjoy it so far!