The first recap of February is here, covering all the latest releases in turn-based RPGs and strategy games, and there’s plenty worth checking out.
This week was undeniably dominated by the remake of Square’s iconic JRPG, but it also brought the debut of a brand-new sci-fi turn-based strategy game from Overhype Studios, yes, the team behind the now well-known Battle Brothers, which has just launched in early access. And that’s not all: there’s also a demo to try from another legendary monster-collecting series set to release in March.
On top of that, there’s a strong lineup of pure indie projects to test and support, with some entering early access and others finally leaving development behind to arrive in their full 1.0 release. In short, there’s a lot on the table, and I can’t wait to show you what’s worth your time.
Dragon Quest VII Reimagined
- Developers: Square Enix, HEXADRIVE Inc.
- Platforms: PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
- Release Date: February 5, 2026
- Steam Page
The curtain rises on my new-release recap with trumpets and drums for the reimagined version of Dragon Quest VII. Out now on modern platforms, rebuilding the 2000 PlayStation JRPG with a diorama-style 3D look that keeps Akira Toriyama’s character designs front and center.
The story still starts on the island kingdom of Estard, where a young fisherman’s son and his friends uncover the Shrine of Mysteries, get thrown into the past, then chase scattered stone fragments that reopen sealed lands across different eras.
Combat stays classic, but the remake smooths the pacing with battle speed options, auto battle tactics, new vocation perks, and a Moonlighting system that lets a character train two vocations at the same time to widen their skill access.
During explorations, it also enables faster encounters, with preemptive strikes and instant victories against weaker monsters. There’s also a demo available.
ACE: Strategy; Mecha Nova (Demo)
- Developers: EMINA STUDIO
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: Q1, 2026
- Steam Page
It often happens that I get updates for games that were sitting on my wishlist and that I’ve completely forgotten about, and one of those is ACE Strategy: Mecha Nova, which this week launched with a free demo slice. EMINA STUDIO’s tactical roguelite deckbuilder, built around short, decisive fights on a 3×3 grid where positioning is the whole point.
You pilot a mech, recruit elite pilots, deploy drones as extra units, then spend command cards to convert plans into actions, with turns focused on lining up synergies.
Between battles, chip cards act as long-term upgrades for your mech, while item cards let you adapt to whatever the run throws at you, so your build can swing from defensive control to aggressive tempo depending on what you draft.
The demo includes about an hour of campaign content starring the ACE 001 White Dwarf, which is enough time to understand how unit placement, circuit abilities, and card economy interact when the grid is this tight. The full game is expected to be released in Q1 2026.
MENACE
- Developers: Overhype Studios
- Platforms: PC (Steam)
- Release Date: February 5, 2026 (Early Access)
- Steam Page
I started playing it last night and wrapped up the first set of missions with solid results, and I have to say the combat system is pure gold. Now it’s time to dig in and see just how deep its strategic layer really goes.
I’m talking about MENACE, which is now in Early Access, and it is Overhype Studios taking the Battle Brothers mindset into a sci-fi campaign where you run a mobile strike force responding to distress calls across multiple worlds.
You build squads around infantry plus heavier hardware like tanks and mechs, then play out missions as tight, turn-based fights with cover, angles, and positioning doing a lot of the work.
The current Early Access version leans on procedural operations built from 50 mission types across three planets and biomes, with four enemy factions to learn and counter, so the loop is about adapting loadouts and tactics as the campaign throws new situations at your roster.
Between deployments, you upgrade the HQ, shop for gear through systems like the Black Market, and hire squad leaders from a larger pool, each with their own attributes and perk trees that shape how a team performs over a longer run. Here you can find our early impressions from Brad.
Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection – Trial Version
- Developers: CAPCOM Co., Ltd.
- Platforms: PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S
- Release Date: March 13, 2026
- Steam Page
The free Trial Version for Monster Hunter Stories 3: Twisted Reflection is live, and it lets you play the opening portion with save data that carries over to the full game.
It sets up the new Riders story around Azuria and Vermeil, two nations sliding back toward war after an egg turns up containing twin Rathalos tied to a civil conflict from 200 years earlier.
The trial has a few limits, including a single save slot, but it is enough time to get a feel for its exploration loop, Monstie collecting, and the series’ turn-based battle flow before the full release on March 13, 2026.
The Bell Echoes (E.A.)
- Developers: 七颗枚
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: February 5, 2026
- Steam Page
I introduced The Bell Echoes on my pages just yesterday. I’m talking about an intriguing SRPG that arrives in Early Access, mixing chapter-based story progression with a run structure built around high-density 8×8 grid fights.
You run a three-person squad, each character carrying up to seven skills, then try to cash out a whole turn as a combo, with movement plus crowd control plus follow-up hits stacking into one plan.
The tactics rely on elevation, cover, and knockback collisions to inflict chain damage, so a good turn can come from a single shove that ripples across the grid. There’s also a stress mechanic where pushing too far can drop a unit into Despair or trigger Meditation in a crisis.
Runs layer in talents, skill variants, equipment, and gems, while the story frames the conflict around “Project Black Needle” and a world squeezed between the Imperial Army, Marauders, and former allies.
Queen Slayer (Out Of E.A.)
- Developers: Mantaray161
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: February 2, 2026
- Steam Page
After an early access phase, Queen Slayer is finally available in its 1.0 version. The game is a compact turn-based roguelite RPG built around a simple promise.
Every fight is a boss fight. Each run asks you to assemble a four-unit party from a pool of 15 mercenaries, then push through eight corrupted queens that each lean on their own gimmicks and damage types.
The game is tuned for short sessions, with a full clear pitched at around two to three hours, so the pressure comes from turn efficiency and party synergy more than long-term grinding.
Hermit and Pig
- Developers: Heavy Lunch Studio LLC
- Platforms: PC (Steam) (Windows, Mac)
- Release Date: February 5, 2026
- Steam Page
Hermit and Pig is a story-rich, turn-based RPG about a hermit who just wants quiet mornings in the woods, plus his truffle-hunting pig, who keeps pulling him into trouble.
The hook is how it treats everyday awkwardness like a real obstacle, with anxiety-loaded conversations and a mystery that spirals into a corporate conspiracy.
Combat is time-sensitive and leans on player execution, so fights feel like quick tests of timing and decision-making. Between scuffles, the game pushes foraging and exploration, including dozens of mushrooms that can feed into healing, buffs, and bartering while you follow clues through a strange little community.
Master Of Piece (E.A.)
- Developers: I M GAME, I M fine.
- Platforms: PC (Steam) (Windows, macOS).
- Release Date: February 4, 2026.
- Steam Page
Another title I feel comfortable recommending, and that’s definitely worth trying, is Master Of Piece, which is now in Early Access with a board game-flavored roguelite loop where each round starts in deployment, spending action points to place mercenary pieces, then watching them execute automatically in Speed order once the fight kicks off.
Traits are the core of the build game, since mercenaries can combine up to two traits for tighter synergies, with relics and status effects pushing outcomes in ways that reward planning over reflexes.
Runs also have choice-driven event cards on the road, then a longer arc of progression through an outpost building system that turns failed expeditions into permanent upgrades, plus a big pool of content to cycle through, including over 100 mercenaries and traits, 30 relics, and 20 cards. There’s also a demo and a prologue to try.
Dead Grid (Out Of E.A.)
- Developers: Atom Void
- Platforms: PC
- Release Date: February 4, 2026
- Steam Page
Dead Grid hits full release after its Early Access run, landing as a turn-based strategy game about running a merc squad through a zombie wrecked wasteland with a strong 80s mood.
Missions play out on tactical maps where you can keep things quiet and pick enemies off, or go loud with guns and explosives and deal with the noise you create, and the overworld is framed through a card system that reveals the 3D world as you push forward.
Progress comes from building a roster across five classes and a big skill pool, then reshaping builds thanks freely to unlimited respecs, while scavenged weapons, gadgets, and consumables push each merc into a different lane.
Between fights, survivors can join your camp to support future runs, side missions add extra objectives, and there is even a Revenant class that lets you bring the dead back in a new form.
Monster Train 2: Destiny of the Railforged
- Developers: Shiny Shoe
- Platforms: PC (Steam)
- Release Date: February 2, 2026
- Steam Page
And let’s close with Destiny of the Railforged. The first DLC for Monster Train 2, and it is built around two big additions that change how a run develops.
The Railforged clan joins the roster with a Forge mechanic that lets you build up units and equipment mid-fight, leaning into steward swarms, turrets, and machine-style board control on the train’s three floors.
It also adds Soul Savior, a new run type set in the Soulstream where you free Souls from the Lifemother and her corrupted children, then equip those Souls as upgrades on cards and level them up over time so you can keep pace with the mode’s scaling threats.
Alongside that, the expansion adds new artifacts and enemies, and it requires the base game on Steam to play.
Another recap comes to a close. In the meantime, I’m diving headfirst into my very first campaign of MENACE, so wish me luck and let me know what you’re playing, or if you plan to jump into any of the titles mentioned above.
You can find me on my social pages or over on the Reddit channel, which has been getting pretty busy lately. Have a great weekend. Ciao
