Hands-on: Shadow of the Road is a turn-based RPG with style

A genre of game that I never saw myself enjoying, but have found myself falling in love with in recent years is the action-economy RPG. If you aren’t familiar, think games like X-Com and Valkyria Chronicles. Basically, it takes the traditional turn-based RPG and assigns costs to certain actions (moving, fighting, etc).

Now, at PAX East 2020, a new RPG of this style is being shown off and it takes place in Japan. I had the chance to experience some of the fighting elements of the title and was impressed with some of the unique approaches the developers took with the title.

While not too much was playable at PAX East, the team was able to show off the rather beautiful setting and a single battle where you can control a team of five. To really get an idea of the game, make sure to watch the video above.

While the gameplay was somewhat straightforward, a few of the characters had some truly unique movies and made the action much more engaging. To give but one example, one character can literally transform into a giant spider, giving herself new moves and a larger footprint on the battleground grid.

Overall, it was an enjoyable experience. There is definitely still work to do, but that’s ok, as the game isn’t scheduled for release until Q1 2022.

What do you think? Is Shadow of the Road something you are interested in? Let us know down below in the comments or carry the discussion over to our Twitter or Facebook.

Editors’ Recommendations:

• Hands-on: Streets of Rage 4 – PAX East 2020
• Hands-on: Animal Crossing: New Horizons is an absolute treat
• Circadian City is a life-sim game where you even control your dreams
• Hands-on: MisBits is a wild game where you steal bodies to give yourself abilities

Josiah Motley

Former KnowTechie editor.