Magic is a standard RPG system that lends itself to melee combat. For example, the majority Final Fantasy games have some kind of mage or magic user on hand to kill monsters and enemies with fire, wind or ice spells. There aren't many games that are all about magic, except maybe Hogwarts heritagewhich is one of the more recent examples that Harry Potter fans are still excited.
Wizard of legends and its sequel are two lesser examples, but are still fun roguelikes regardless. For all the games that like to use spells in their games, and only spells, this upcoming release is on the wish list on their preferred platform. Let's hope they come out sooner rather than later.
Never Grave: The Witch And The Curse
A witch's odyssey
- Developer: Front page 180
- Publisher: Pocketpair Publishing
- Planned release Date: TBA
- Planned systems: PC, PS4, PS5, Switch and Xbox
Never Grave: The Witch And The Curse is a “roguevania”, a cross between the randomized nature of roguelikes and the map progression or abilities of Metroidvanias. Players are a young witch who will primarily attack enemies with spells, although there appears to be melee combat as well. The art style resembles Hollow Knightbecause everything has a hand-drawn aesthetic.
Even cooler than spells, players can throw a hat at downed enemies and temporarily possess them, sort of like the more demonic Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey. It looks like the game will launch on PC, PS4 and PS5 first, as the links to the Switch and Xbox pages are down, so it's unknown when or if the game will launch on Nintendo and Microsoft's current consoles.
Chronicles of Wizards
Surprise announcement
- Developer: Quantic Dream SA
- Publisher: Quantic Dream SA
- Planned release Date: TBA
- Planned systems: PC
Disclosure Chronicles of Wizards is one of the most surprising announcements of the year, as it is being developed by a spinoff team from Quantic Dream, best known for its branching adventure games such as Detroit: Become Human. This upcoming game seems to be a magical fusion of MOBA and team shooter experiences as two teams of three battle it out in arenas.
These teams have access to spells, but players can create decks of monsters that they can also summon. Chronicles of Wizards it will be free to play and the beta is set to launch before the end of 2025, so it will be interesting to see what the studio has cooked up.
Timespinner 2: The Unwoven Dream
An unexpected sequel
- Developer: Lunar Ray Games
- Publisher: Lunar Ray Games
- Planned release date: TBA
- Planned systems: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Linux
One of the most underrated Metroidvanias is Timespinnerwhich was released in 2018. In it, players could collect orbs, each of which produced different spells, and then create combos by combining two orbs, making the combat more engaging than most Metroidvania.
The fight in its indirect continuation, Timespinner 2: The Unwoven Dreamit seems to follow the same formula, which is a good thing for fans of the original. Another element that seems to have been carried over are magical familiars that players can summon to aid them in battle or exploration.
UnderMire
Dual control with friends
- Developer: Table knight games
- Publisher: Table knight games
- Planned release date: TBA
- Planned systems: PC
UnderMire is a great looking spellcasting experience for anyone who enjoys dual wielding in games. Players can learn spells, search for books, and use gadgets to help them in battle. There will even be a crafting station, which will likely allow players to create more ways to use magic and magic items in the game.
It's a roguelike, so how progression works is currently unknown, but another detail to look forward to is co-op. Up to four players can join a co-op escape, much like the next big magical roguelike, Wizard of legends.
Witchbrook
School for mages
- Planned release date: 2026
- Planned systems: PC, Switch, Switch 2 and Xbox Series X
Witchbrook is a much more chilling wizarding experience than most of the upcoming games on this list. It's more of a life sim as players can meet up with friends and take classes in a magical academy not unlike Hogwarts heritagebut in a more pixelated way.
This is another four-player co-op game, though how that will work is a bit more of a mystery as there doesn't seem to be much emphasis on combat. Witchbrook can be a good companion Stardew Valley if anyone is tired of playing that game for the millionth time.
Magic cats
Abra Ca-Meow!
- Developer: BigFrogg Studios
- Publisher: BigFrogg Studios
- Planned release date: TBA
- Planned systems: PC
Magic cats is a great name for an adorable top-down roguelike experience that almost looks like a tactical game thanks to the tile design. As a cat, players will gain magical abilities from runes that they can create using the skill tree on their runs.
The game boasts that there will be an almost infinite number of skills available to craft, from icebergs to lightning bolts, which could be tempting for Border crowd because these games have almost unlimited weapons. How many different fire spells can one game have? It will be interesting to find out.
YAPYAP
Magical mischief
- Developer: Maison Bap
- Publisher: Maison Bap
- Planned release date: TBA
- Planned systems: PC
YAPYAP looks like it's following in the footsteps of chaos simulators like GOAT simulator, made for the suffocating co-op crowd. Six players can team up in a match to explore a magical tower that is different every time they enter.
Players can learn basic spells like fire magic while exploring, and building spell chains with friends is probably half the fun. Imagine that Mickey v Imagination the movie was rather stinky and he entered a more haunted tower filled with menacing monsters and masked demons who wanted to kill him. That's basically it YAPYAP in a nutshell.
