There are many great RPG games that will be releasing in the second half of 2022, including Dragon Quest Treasures. Though they're far from the only ones, they are some of the biggest and most highly-anticipated. The release dates for these games vary, but there are only four months left in the year, so none of them should take too long to come out.
Many exciting RPGs have already released in 2022, such as Pokémon Legends: Arceus early in the year, which introduced new elements to the Pokémon franchise, and the critically-acclaimed Elden Ring, which became almost an instant hit. Others such as Forspoken and Bethesda's newest IP, Starfield, were scheduled to release in 2022, but have sadly been delayed out of the year for various reasons. There are also rumors that God of War Ragnarök will be delayed to 2023, though this is unconfirmed. Delays are also possible for any other video game that's yet to release this year, but hopefully there won't be any more and 2022's titles will come out as expected.
Although the full details of the big RPG games coming in 2022 are not known yet, they look to be fun and exciting, and will hopefully live up to the hype that fans and developers are building around them. Some come from series well-known for RPGs, while others are from those just venturing into RPG territory. In addition to those coming later in the year, there are many exciting RPGs releasing in 2023 and beyond, such as The Outer Worlds 2, and Final Fantasy 16.
Pokémon Scarlet & Violet Will Release On November 18, 2022
The next entry in the Pokémon series is the Generation 9 games, Pokémon Scarlet and Violet. A number of details have been revealed for them, such as the fact that players will explore the Paldea region with the help of one of the Legendary Pokémon, Koraidon or Miraidon, depending on which version of the game they play. Other reveals include new Pokémon such as the beloved Lechonk and Fidough, along with new versions of returning monsters like Wooper. There have also been leaks and rumors surrounding other aspects of the games almost since before Pokémon SV's announcement, such as the unconfirmed Paradox Forms. The veracity of these should be taken with a grain of salt, but most of the prominent online leakers seem to agree on them, so hopefully they have some measure of truth.
Pokémon's mainline games have long had RPG aspects, with its creature collection gameplay leading to the party formation often seen in the genre. Pokémon SV will improve on those Legends: Arceus featured while introducing their own.
Dragon Quest Treasures Releases December 9, 2022
Dragon Quest Treasures is a spin-off prequel of DQ11, the latest game in the Dragon Quest series. In it, returning main character Erik will journey to the island of Draconia with his sister Mia - who also featured in DQ11 as a secondary character - as well as two creatures named Purrsula and Porcus. Together, they will explore Draconia, tame monsters, and become treasure hunters in order to fulfill Erik and Mia's shared dream. The treasure they collect will be used to upgrade their base of operations, and can be found both with Erik and Mia's innate skills and the help of their tamed monsters, who will give them a variety of traversal options such as gliding through the air or springing up to reach high up areas. Other games in the series besides Dragon Quest Treasures have had recruitable monsters, but haven't used them for traversal, so it looks like its creature collection aspects will be different.
Dragon Quest Treasures has already revealed several RPG aspects. Seemingly the entire goal of the game is gathering as much treasure and loot as possible, which is a staple of the RPG genre. Players will also engage in combat, another core aspect of many RPGs, against wild monsters alongside the ones they tame. Others haven't been explicitly revealed, but have been hinted at; the June trailer from Nintendo on YouTube mentions a "treasure hunting level," so players should be able to level up and grow stronger like in most RPGs.
More aspects can be inferred from the rest of the series. Dragon Quest games almost always have a variety of spells, special moves, weapons, and equipment for players to use in-game, so DQT will presumably have them as well. They can even connect Dragon Quest Treasures to past games by having prominent items from previous titles appear as the treasure players will collect.
Star Ocean: The Divine Force Will Release On October 27, 2022
Star Ocean: The Divine Force is an JRPG developed by Square Enix, and is the seventh entry in the Star Ocean series. Players will control two main characters, Raymond Lawrence and Princess Laeticia, along with a variety of others, as they fight off the Pangalactic Federation and the Vey'l Empire. It mostly takes place on the underdeveloped planet known as Aster IV, which is home to many countries and kingdoms such as Aucerius and Larcasse Weld. The game blends sci-fi with fantasy by giving players the ability to both cast magical spells and use advanced technology. Star Ocean: Divine Force's release date of October 27 means that it should arrive soon, and hopefully won't suffer any delays.
Divine Force has revealed several RPG elements. The game's combat is fast-paced and seamless, and works in real time without any arenas or turns. Players will be able to use up to four characters at a time, each with a variety of skills as well as Divine Force's different types of magic, such as semiomany and iatrimancy, and switch between them freely. They'll also be able to utilize Stop Mode, which they can use to stop combat in order to plan their strategy and direct their party . Perhaps the most exciting aspect is that players will be able to fully explore the environment, on the land and in the air; each character will be able to fly, giving almost total traversal freedom.
Valkyrie Elysium Is Releasing On September 29, 2022 On Console And November 11, 2022 On PC
Valkyrie Elysium is a sequel to Valkyrie Profile, another Square Enix title. Long before the events of the game, Odin, the All-Father of Nordic mythology, used the last of his power in order to create the Valkyrie. Her mission is to uncover the cause of the looming Norse apocalypse, Ragnarök, and stop it. During their quest, players will be able to recruit a number of Einherjar - warriors who have fallen in battle - though they will fight autonomously instead of being under player control as they were in previous Valkyrie titles.
RPG elements in Valkyrie Elysium include fast-paced combat with real-time action, a first for the Valkyrie series. Players will be able to use different weapons and abilities to fight their foes, as well as finishing moves and attack combos. This combat system looks to be very exciting, and should help make Valkyrie Elysium one of 2022's biggest JRPG releases. The Einherjar shown in the recent trailer on PlayStation's YouTube channel appear to be an eclectic and diverse group, and though they're not party in the traditional sense, they should still add depth to Valkyrie Elysium with engaging backstories and compelling arcs.
Pokémon Scarlet and Violet, Dragon Quest Treasures, Star Ocean: The Divine Force, and Valkyrie Elysium are all currently scheduled to release in 2022 as the year's largest remaining RPGs.
Source: Nintendo/YouTube, PlayStation/YouTube
