Lord Captains!
If you enjoy travelling with a group of characters whose stories develop alongside your own, you might like Shadow of the Road - to be released on 12 November 2026.
The Koronus Expanse is upheld by the Imperium's vast and often incomprehensible machinery, whereas Shadow of the Road's Nippon is being transformed by the arrival of foreign technology and the ambitions of the East Nippon Company. In both cases, the cast of main characters find themselves moving through a world where the old order is no longer quite as stable as it once was.
Set in a fantastical reimagining of 1868 Japan, Shadow of the Road is a story-driven tactical RPG about a group of travellers crossing the nation of Nippon caught between tradition and rapid change. Along the way, the companions will grow closer, clash with one another, and react to the choices you make - while turn-based battles will put your positioning, abilities, and initiative management to the test.
While Shadow of the Road doesn't offer the same intensity of deep character-building as Rogue Trader, it is quite deliberate: rather than spending your journey calculating the most devastating combination of abilities, the focus is on mastering the combat and experiencing the story. There are options to build your party and experiment with their abilities - but the journey is more important.
As in Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, the party is more than just a collection of combatants. Each of the companions brings their own beliefs, personalities, ambitions, and baggage aboard, creating relationships that may fracture or deepen as the story unfolds. Your choices help shape those connections as they make their way through a country being transformed around them.
Both games also place their characters in worlds where the supernatural can intrude upon everyday life - although the scale is certainly different. In Rogue Trader, the Warp is overwhelmingly terrifying. In Shadow of the Road, yōkai bring a more mysterious and varied supernatural presence to Nippon, ranging from mischievous spirits to entities that are genuinely malicious and dangerous. That, in turn, allows the characters to interact with the supernatural a lot more closely - without being branded heretics!
If you enjoyed Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader for its memorable companions, story choices, and a world where your actions can leave a mark - perhaps it's time to gather another group and see where the road takes you.
The old world is fading, and new companions await you to take on the new road.
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1173980/Shadow_of_the_Road/
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