TheEpic Games Store, home to titles such asFortniteand thousands of other great games, holds a weekly promotion where it offers one or two games to users at no extra charge. These games are made available every Thursday at 10 AM CT, and the next week’s game is revealed early alongside it. August 31 was yet another day in which this tradition was upheld, and plenty ofEpic Games Storeplayers checked the page to see what was up for grabs.
Currently, gamers can get the remake of aclassic Metroidvania gameCave Story+for free, and as that title is very highly critically acclaimed, it’s certain to be worth many players' time. Meanwhile, the free game for September 7 has been announced, and it sits on the more obscure side of things. Tactical RPG fans may be in for an interesting time next week as Free Range Games’Spelldrifteris next in line.
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Epic Games Store Free Game Spelldrifter Explained
Originally funded on Kickstarter as a game known as “Labyrinth,“Spelldriftertakes some of the best parts of its predecessor and improves upon it for its re-release exclusively on Apple Arcade. It was eventually released onto Steam and, of course, the Epic Games Store.Spelldrifterdescribes itself as atactical turn-based RPGwith attacks dictated by a card battle deck players assemble during their playthrough.
Right away, once players hop intoSpelldrifter’sbattles, they may be familiar with how the game works as it’s reminiscent of a few other RPGs that are already fairly well known.Fire Emblemfans are almost guaranteed to feel at home withSpelldrifter’smap and movement system as the characters in both games function in similar ways. However, the way the battles play out may remind fans ofKingdom Hearts: Chain of Memories’card battlesmade easy.
Spelldrifterasks players to assemble a deck of cards that are used before or after a unit moves across the field, and can either help them guard or attack enemies. Defeating the maps and enemies therein will allow players to earn new cards and strengthen their deck for future threats. It serves as a unique approach to both genres that gave a relaxing yet action-packed experience that manyApple Arcade early adoptersseemed to personally enjoy.
However, it could easily be said thatSpelldrifter’spresentation is held back somewhat by its original Apple Arcade exclusivity.Spelldrifterdoes have some rough edges that feel like they’d be more expected in a mobile game rather than a full-fledged release onSteam and the Epic Games Store. Despite these shortcomings, what’s been said about Free Range Games' work has been relatively positive, meaning fans will likely enjoy themselves if they give the game a chance.
It’s understandable as to why some players may be hesitant to pickSpelldrifterup as card-based battles in RPGs tend to be hit or miss with players. However, Free Range Games has used turn-based RPGs to its advantage asSpelldriftermakes its system easy to learn against the time between player and enemy moves, making it feel more likeFire EmblemwithBaten Kaitos’battle systemthan anything that proved to be too demanding on players.
As always with Epic Games Store’s free game promotions, if gamers aren’t interested in the title that comes out that specific Thursday, then there’s always the next week to look forward to if they don’t change their mind before the deal ends. It may be a bit disappointing when theEpic Games Store’s offeringsdon’t suit players, but it’s always great to see variety in the deals as it gives tons of gamers the chance to find a diamond in the rough that they might have never checked out otherwise, all because theEpic Games Storeoffered it at no cost for trying.
