As genres go, RPGs are probably the most stacked across their various guises, from huge MMO experiences, all the way down to choice-based text games. As such, it’s difficult not to compare new entrants into the fray with some of the biggest and best around, from The Legend of Zelda to Dark Souls.
Though many of those games aren’t actively trying to replicate exactly the types of products that those behemoths are, their influence on the genre is impossible to ignore. As such, a lot of new releases have at least some of their hallmarks, and a new entry on Steam has pretty classic roots to fall back on in its gameplay and design.
Minecraft Meets Zelda In This Curious New RPG
Over on Steam, you’ll find the store page for Soulscape, an upcoming sandbox RPG adventure. It comes packed with a ton of features, boasting everything from survival crafting mechanics, to dungeon exploration and army building (as well as all the usual melee and magic combat going).
The big thing that the developer wants to impress upon its audience is that Soulscape is very much a sandbox, in which you can very much play your own way. There are also some pretty neat mechanics that you won’t have seen in too many places before now.
Every time you kill an enemy, you can resurrect their soul and force them to join your army to take out more deadly foes. At the same time, you can build a base that will allow you and your fledgling army of friends to defend yourselves more readily against encroaching enemies.
Set in a huge fantasy world, there are hundreds of items available to craft so you can essentially make a little life for yourself in a dangerous world. Bosses also roam freely, serving as the major challenge for players to conquer in the game.
All of the above is rendered in a very pretty art style that should remind you of the early days of RPGs, only with the bells and whistles that modern players expect. It also has a free demo that’s available to play right now, with the full game to follow further down the line.
Steam Next Fest Is Live Now
Excitingly, Soulscape isn’t the only great game offering a free preview right now, with Steam Next Fest packed to the gills with exciting options. Whether you’re into horror, cosy games or anything else, there are far too many to cover here, so go and take a look for yourself before the event ends on March 2. That should give us plenty to do until Nintendo finally gives us another Zelda game.