Reclaim your right to the throne.
Find the cure to the disease that ravages you.
Put on your superhero costume and battle evil.
These are just a few of the adventures you will embark on in these upcoming RPG titles of 2016. So grab your weapon, assemble your team, and make a name for yourself!
11. Torment: Tides of Numenera
Torment: Tides of Numenera video
An ancient man’s desire for immortality through the use of passing his consciousness from numenera, ancient artifacts from a past flourishing civilization, has left behind shells of his former consciousness in the vessels he once possessed. They bring pain and suffering and this has caused another ancient being to be awakened. Known as the Sorrow, this being is hunting the broken vessels and destroying them until he finds the source.
You are the Last Castoff, the most recently abandoned vessel of an entity known as the Changing God. You have a sense of what happened when he was part of you, as you were also part of him. You also feel something, deeper and darker than anything, and you know that its coming for you.
In order escape the Sorrow, you must find your former sire, your creator, before he finds you. Along the way you will make friends and enemies and search for the answer to one question.
“What does one life matter?”
Watch your back! They’re coming for you!
Torment: Tides of Numenera is based on Monte Cook’s tabletop RPG. The game itself will adapt the original ruleset of the tabletop game. With a huge emphasis on storytelling, you will explore the Ninth World setting as the Last Castoff.
You will have the choice to play as either male or female, though the extent of customization is not yet known. Three character classes, Glaive (warrior), Jack (rogue), and Nano (wizard) will allow you to choose which playstyle class is best for you.
The narrative part of the game, as mentioned, is expected to be rich and fulfilling with complex character interaction through a dialogue tree system, something that has become quite common in RPG games.
Torment: Tides of Numenera is expected to release in 2016
A world full of discoveries.
10. Deus Ex: Mankind Divided
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided gameplay trailer
In a world where the Illuminati has too much control, a group of people are being persecuted. Adam Jensen must work with an international coalition to stop terrorist attacks.
In Deus Ex: Mankind Divided, Adam Jensen is dealing with the aftermath of the Panchaea Incident. Now he is working for Task Force 29, an Interpol funded anti-terrorist organization whose goal is stop augmented terrorists.
His trust in them is stretched thin and is split between another group called the Juggernaut Collective. With the help of both of these groups, Jensen’s goal is to shut down the Illuminati.
Augments can be used for good. Defeating enemies is good right?
Deus Ex: Mankind Divided is a first-person shooter, with RPG and stealth gameplay elements embedded into the game. This weaves in a wide variety of gameplay that can have several outcomes over different missions. How you choose to play is up to you.
You can pre-order the game now and it will be released on August 23, 2016.
9. Dark Souls III
Dark Souls 3: Gameplay theatrical trailer
In a dark apocalyptic world, one hero must fight for hope when hope is almost lost. Will this be the end or will there be light at the end of the darkness?
Not much is truly known yet about the story that will fuel Dark Souls III, but it is expected that it will contain the darkest story to date. With new monsters to fight and new lands to explore, players will find a way to uncover the secrets and mysteries behind the story.
The gameplay looks to be similar to its predecessor Dark Souls II, with perhaps a few upgrades. There will be a new system called battle arts, which is a new set of powerful moves for each weapon you possess. Some weapons may contain only one battle art while others may contain more.
Another scary thought is the idea that bosses may be somewhat unpredictable. Though some bosses in previous games had this mechanic, it appears it has been programmed for all bosses. So get ready for even more of a challenge!
Finally, though it’s not 100% clear, it appears that Darks Souls III will bring certain aspects of the series thus far to a close. It will give an end to some of the stories that we don’t know the answer to yet.
Darks Souls III will be out on April 12, 2016.
This foe is strong.
8. Tom Clancy’s: The Division
Tom Clancy’s: The Division gameplay
On Black Friday a pandemic causes the United States Government to collapse. The Strategic Homeland Division is the country’s last resort in a time of crisis. They must do whatever it takes to salvage society and rebuild it.
Filled with conspiracy and disease, Tom Clancy’s: The Division is a fast paced third-person shooter. You take on the role of a SHD agent and it is your job to restore order to New York City by finding the source of the virus. You will team up with other Division agents to get this job done.
The game mechanics are similar to other games of the same genre. Characters can carry three weapons as well as smaller items such as bombs. You can take cover behind objects to avoid taking damage or sneak around to get an advantage on enemies.
The game will also have a system in which you earn experience points and level. You can customize your character, level your weapons and gear, and learn abilities and skills to improve your character.
You can expect to see Tom Clancy’s: The Division on March 8, 2016.
Save the world, save humanity.
7. Dead Island 2
Dead Island 2 gameplay
Sand, sun, surf, and… zombies?! California has seen better days. Now under quarantine, it’s fight to survive, or die.
Just like Dead Island, it’s sequel is a fast paced, action, role-playing, survival horror game in which you take on the role of a survivor. Dead Island 2 will feature four new survivors who seem to be immune to the deadly plague that has hit California. Choose between a berserker named Ryan, a huntress named Ashley, a bishop named John, or a speeder named Dani.
Though Deep Silver parted ways with Yager Development, they are still planning to release the game. Originally set to come out in 2015, the game now has a release date of 2016.
The vacation didn’t go as planned.
6. Dishonored 2
Dishonored 2 Trailer
Dethroned and an outlaw to society, Empress Emily Kaldwin vows to reclaim her rightful place. With the help of her protector, she trains to become an assassin.
Dishonored 2 takes place 15 years after the Dunwall Plague. How you choose to play the game will be up to you. You may choose to play as Emily herself or as the predecessors’ protagonist, Corvo Attano. Each character will go through the same missions, but each will have their own understanding and view.
Though Emily trains to be an assassin under Corvo to take back her rightful place on the throne, the game can be played entirely in stealth without actually ever having to kill anyone. The choice is up to you.
Corvo retains his powers from the original game though we are likely to see upgraded versions. Emily will gain powers such as ‘Far Reach’. This power allows her to travel without physical movement. In the trailer, it appears almost as a supernatural grappling gun.
Look for Dishonored 2 on the shelves sometime during mid-2016.
A new and improved Emily.
5. The Technomancer
The Technomancer trailer with gameplay
Running from the secret police on a human colonized Mars, Zachariah must travel from town to town to survive.
Not much is currently known about The Technomancer, but it looks really cool. Technomancers are cybernetically enhanced warriors that focus on magical power.
Set 200 years into the future on a colonized Mars, you are Zachariah, a technomancer who is on the run from the secret police.
An action packed RPG with cyberpunk feel can give players a taste of what it might be like to live on Mars. You will fight Mars’ deadly wildlife and solve questions about your past.
Players can undoubtedly expect the gameplay to be similar of those of an action packed RPG, with customizations of characters, weapons, and abilities.
The Technomancer is slated for delivery in 2016.
The end of the line.
4. Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord teaser play
In the Calradic Empire, three factions are all vying for power after the Emperor has died with no heir to the throne. Only one hero can unite this empire, or worse, cause it to crash to the ground.
Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is the prequel to Mount & Blade: Warband. It takes place nearly 200 years before the events of its predecessor. During this time the Calradic Empire is in decline.
You take on the role of a hero, who will specialize in combat and bring victory or failure to the empire. As with any RPG, the choices you make will affect how the game plays out. The game’s developers are boasting that they are implementing many requests from fans, including up close and personal medieval combat, with bigger and bloodier battles.
Players can also expect upgraded features based on user feedback such as an upgraded siege system. The graphics are also getting an improvement, with better detail models and shading and animations created with motion capture technology.
And if you’re a fan of modding your games, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord will also support the use of mods just like in the previous series.
We can expect to see Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord sometime during Q3 of 2016.
Charge!
3. South Park: The Fractured But Whole
South Park: The Fractured But Whole teaser and gameplay trailer
The new kid in South Park has to join up with the dysfunctional superheroes to save the town from evil.
Sequel to South Parks: The Stick of Truth, you once again take on the role of the new kid. Befriended by South Park’s finest residents, you will fight crime beside them to become one of the best bands of superheroes South Park has ever seen.
The Fractured But Whole’s first game, South Park: The Stick of Truth was one of the most disturbingly funny games I have ever played. It looks to me that players can expect the same hilarity out of this game as well.
From watching a couple of gameplay videos it also appears that players can expect a similar play style in this game, just with a different plot and different brand of heroes.
Cartman and his crime fighting crew will bust down your door in 2016.
Crime fighters unite!
2. Hyper Light Drifter
Hyper Light Drifter trailer
While fighting monsters in a world of ruins, the Drifter must search for a cure to an illness he carries.
Paying homage to the best 8-bit and 16-bit classics, Hyper Light Drifter is a 2D action RPG that delivers modern mechanics. It is a Kickstarter campaign created by Heart Machine that raised over 640k in profit with 24,150 backers.
You play as a Drifter, who is a collector of lost technologies, forgotten knowledge, and broken histories. But you also have an illness that you need to cure. This leads to your exploration of the lands of Buried Time.
For anyone who loves the old school feel to a game but wants refreshing game mechanics, story, and music will find Hyper Light Drifter to be a treat. As you progress through the game it becomes more difficult, the enemies more ruthless and the terrain unforgiving.
Will you find your cure? Find out in 2016.
What lies beyond this entrance?
1. Kingdom Come: Deliverance
The old king has died and the new king’s brother kidnaps the king and wreaks havoc on his lands. In the midst of it all the son of a blacksmith’s family is murdered. He must go out and seek revenge for his family and restore order to the lands.
Set in the 15th century, this first person RPG is an open-world adventure game. However, it does not feature any magic or fantasy elements. It has a successfully funded Kickstarter and is expected to release in 2016. You can pre-order the game and participate in the alpha of the game through the website.
The game will have three acts that will take us through our protagonist’s journey to get revenge for his family. On your quest you will be faced with situations that will give you many different choices to choose from. These choices are final so choose carefully.
Get revenge for your family and restore balance to the kingdom in 2016.
Avenge your family and restore the kingdom.
Looking for other RPGs to play? Read up on some other games in these articles:
Darkest Dungeon Gameplay: 10 Interesting Facts About the Awesome Dungeon Crawler
Torment: Tides of Numenera Gameplay
All Dragon Age Games Ranked Best to Worst
10 Best MMORPGS Worth Playing in 2015
South Park: Fractured but Whole: Top 5 Awesome Things You'll Love About The New South Park Game
