Magic is a standard system in RPGs to go along with melee-based combat. For example, most Final Fantasy games have some sort of mage or magic user on hand to slay monsters and enemies with fire, wind, or ice spells. There aren’t many games that are just about magic, except for maybe Hogwarts Legacy, which is one of the more recent examples that Harry Potter fans are still excited about.
Wizard of Legend and its sequel are two smaller examples, but they’re still fun roguelikes regardless. For any games who like using magic, and only magic, in their games, these are the upcoming releases to wishlist on their preferred platform. Hopefully, they will come out sooner rather than later.
Never Grave: The Witch And The Curse
A Witch’s Odyssey
- Developer: Frontside 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 or ability progression of Metroidvanias. Players are a young witch character who will primarily attack enemies with spells, although it seems like there is melee combat too. The art style is reminiscent of Hollow Knight, as everything has a hand-drawn aesthetic.
Even cooler than the spells, players can throw their hat on downed enemies to possess them temporarily, sort of like a more demonic Cappy from Super Mario Odyssey. It seems like the game will launch first on PC, PS4, and PS5, as the links to the Switch and Xbox pages aren’t active, so it’s not known when or if the game will launch on the current Nintendo and Microsoft consoles.
Spellcasters Chronicles
A Surprise Announcement
- Developer: Quantic Dream SA
- Publisher: Quantic Dream SA
- Planned Release Date: TBA
- Planned Systems: PC
The reveal of Spellcasters Chronicles 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 their adventure games with branching storylines like Detroit: Become Human. This upcoming game seems to be a magic-based splicing of MOBA and team shooter experiences, as two teams of three will duke it out in arenas.
These teams have access to spells, but players can create decks of monsters to summon too. Spellcasters Chronicles will be free to play, and the beta is supposed to launch before the end of 2025, so it will be interesting to see what the studio has cooked up.
Timespinner 2: 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 Timespinner, which was released in 2018. In it, players could collect orbs, which each produced various spells, and then create combos by combining two orbs, which made combat more engaging than most Metroidvanias.
The combat in its indirect sequel, Timespinner 2: Unwoven Dream, looks to follow the same formula, which is a good thing for fans of the original. Another element that looks to be carried over is the magical familiars that players can summon to aid them in battle or exploration.
UnderMire
Dual-Wielding With Friends
- Developer: Table Knight Games
- Publisher: Table Knight Games
- Planned Release Date: TBA
- Planned Systems: PC
UnderMire is a great-looking spell casting experience for anyone who likes to dual-wield in games. Players can learn spells, find books, and employ gadgets to aid them in combat. There will even be a crafting station, which will presumably let players create more ways to use magic and magical items in the game.
It is a roguelike, so how progression works is not currently known, but one other detail to look forward to is the co-op. Up to four players can join in on a run together, similar to another great magical roguelike, Wizard of Legend.
Witchbrook
A School For Mages
- Planned Release Date: 2026
- Planned Systems: PC, Switch, Switch 2, and Xbox Series X
Witchbrook is a more chill witching experience than most of the upcoming games on this list. It’s more of a life sim, as players can meet friends and attend classes at a magical academy not unlike Hogwarts Legacy, but in a more pixelated fashion.
This is another game with four-player co-op, although how that will work is a bit more mysterious since it doesn’t seem like combat is a big focus. Witchbrook may be a good companion to Stardew Valley if anyone is getting tired of playing through that game for the millionth time.
Wizard Cats
Abra Ca-Meow!
- Developer: BigFrogg Studios
- Publisher: BigFrogg Studios
- Planned Release Date: TBA
- Planned Systems: PC
Wizard Cats is a great name for an adorable top-down roguelike experience that almost looks like a tactical game thanks to the tile designs. As a cat, players will acquire magical powers from runes that they can craft with a skill tree on their runs.
The game boasts that there will be a near infinite amount of skills to craft, from ice mountains to lightning bolts, which could be appealing to the Borderlands crowd as those games have a near limitless amount of guns. How many different fire spells could 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 to follow in the footsteps of chaos simulators like GOAT Simulator, made for the steaming co-op crowd. Six players can join together for a match where they explore a wizarding tower that is different every time they enter.
Players can learn basic spells as they explore, like fire magic, and building spell chains with friends is probably half the fun. Imagine if Mickey in the Fantasia movie was more of a stinker and entered a creepier tower filled with looming monsters and cloaked demons that wanted to kill him. That’s basically YAPYAP in a nutshell.
