Shadow of the Road

Shadow of the Road is a story driven, turn based RPG developed by Another Angle Games and published by Owlcat Games. Steam lists it for March 10, 2027. It takes place in 1868, in a Japan split by civil war between the traditionalist forces of Shogun Tokugawa and the Emperor's army, which has better technology and the backing of a British trading company.

How it plays

You put together a team from a varied cast and take it into turn based battles against yokai and steam driven contraptions. The setting mixes magic with machinery, and the store page says you carve your own path through the story and can change the fate of the Empire. It is a single player game.

The good side

There is a demo on Steam, so you can test the battles yourself. The setting is rarely used in this genre, and old temples standing beside steam towers give it a look of its own. Full controller support is listed. Owlcat's name as publisher suggests care for the role playing side.

The watch-outs

The PC requirements on the store page are empty apart from needing a 64 bit system. There is no price yet. Voice audio is English only, which is a pity for a game set in Japan. The page warns of violence, blood and gore, sexual content and strong language.

For players in Asia

Simplified Chinese is supported in text. Japanese, Korean and Traditional Chinese are not listed. Steam gives a date only, so the unlock hour in Asia time (GMT+8) is not confirmed.

NEXTARCA's take

Try the demo. A turn based RPG lives or dies on its battles, and this one lets you find out for free. The missing Japanese language is the detail we would most like to see added before launch.