Wartales has a charming look to it: the isometric perspective has a tilt-shifted appearance, making its grassy hills and stone inns look like parts of a model train diorama. But this open-world game is also about role-playing as a person without any magical superpowers – your band of grubby mercenaries is made up of largely normal people, who may or may not have to resort to cannibalism before all this is over.
Developer Shiro Games is also responsible for the charming but challenging Northgard, an RTS game that de-emphasises combat micromanagement and has an almost storybook look to it. So it's surprising to see the early hints of much darker themes in the opening hour or so of Wartales, which you can experience yourself in the free demo on Steam.
After the first tutorial fight, you can root through the valuables left behind by the bandits you've just killed. Their bodies can be carried with you, if you like – Shiro Games explains that with the right skill, your characters can use them for nourishment.
RELATED LINKS: The best tactical rpgs on PC, The best turn-based strategy games on PCOriginal Article
