Sci-fi tactical RPG Vaunted announced for PC

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Hooded Horse and Lost Lake Games, a development team with experience on popular titles like StarCraft and Guild Wars, have revealed Vaunted, a sci-fi tactical RPG. The game is scheduled to enter Early Access on PC (via Steam, the Epic Games Store, and the Microsoft Store) in 2026, and will also be available through Xbox Game Pass.

Hooded Horse CEO Tim Bender praised the new game Vaunted, calling it another masterpiece from James Phinney and his team. In a press release, Bender said he was impressed with the game even a year ago when Hooded Horse first took it on as publisher, and it has only improved since then, bringing fresh ideas to the RPG and tactical game genres.

James Phinney, CEO and co-founder of Lost Lake Games, expressed his excitement about the partnership with Hooded Horse. He said that as a developer, the best feeling is seeing players enjoy their work, and that Lost Lake’s focus on connecting with players aligns perfectly with Hooded Horse’s own passion.

Here is an overview of the game, via Hooded Horse:

About

A thousand years after the last great galactic empire collapsed, the galaxy is a chaotic place. Fortune seekers and mercenaries roam the stars, searching ancient ruins for valuable relics. They face dangerous enemies – fierce rivals, terrifying aliens, and massive robots – all hoping to strike it rich. When three unlikely partners return from a failed mission with nothing to show for it, the powerful organization that paid for their expedition wants an explanation.

Vaunted is a strategy RPG that blends careful planning with fast-paced action. During battles, you’ll switch between turn-based tactics and real-time combat, creating exciting possibilities. You can take cover to avoid attacks, set up advantageous positions to strike back when enemies move, or use explosives to disrupt and damage them before they can react.

The story starts with your capture by a wealthy investor who wants to know what happened to his money and sends armed enforcers to find out. You’ll uncover the truth about a disastrous expedition through the unreliable accounts of three different storytellers. Every lie and hidden truth you reveal will change the narrative, letting you switch between their viewpoints and experience drastically different results each time you play.

  • Dyse is an incorrigible liar, thief, and con artist with a list of enemies too long to count. An excellent flanker, a mastermind at finding loot, and quick to make friends with Scientists and Outsiders, Dyse always finds the shortest path to the richest treasure.
  • Gendril is a tough-talking mercenary with deep underworld contacts and the arsenal to take on any foe. A battle-scarred Fighter and consummate Professional, he knows that, in this business, violence is usually the answer.
  • Kyvaath is a powerful young warlock, and the last of her kind. Hailing from a destroyed world, and empowered by cybernetic enhancements, she wields a kind of magic not seen for a millennium. Utterly ruthless and driven equally by ambition and vengeance, she views others as a means to an end.

With Friends Like These…

Facing desperate circumstances, three dangerous criminals will do anything – even turn on each other – to survive.

You’ll team up with a crew of criminals, mercenaries, and bounty hunters as you fight to survive. Learn about their pasts and how they ended up with you, then equip them with powerful gear like turrets, jetpacks, and various weapons. Building strong relationships and a good reputation could be the key to staying alive.

Build a team suited for each mission and watch your heroes and companions grow stronger as they gain experience. Each character improves at their own pace, depending on how well they fight. Experiment with different character builds, unlock powerful upgrades, and discover unique combinations to create a fresh experience every time you play.

Say That Again, I Dare You

Each of the three heroes offers a unique take on the story. While the adventure goes on even if a hero falls, their death lets you replay the current events from a fresh viewpoint. Each hero brings different situations and opens up new conversations, along with new items, abilities, and hidden lore within a vast collection of both randomly generated and carefully designed missions. Will you bravely fight through a difficult encounter as one hero, or choose another where you avoid the trap altogether and take out your enemies from a distance? Every conversation and decision you make – and who makes it – can alter the story’s path, leading to different outcomes.

Almost Believable

Your heroes leave a lasting legacy, even after they fall. The choices you make shape their reputation, influencing how others react and opening up new possibilities. As your story unfolds, it gains credibility. You can use this credibility, earned with each death, to unlock special benefits unique to each hero—like carrying more explosives, maintaining weapon functionality for longer, enhancing status effects, and generally improving your ability to forge alliances and defeat your foes.

Violence is Inevitable

No matter what challenges you face – whether it’s battling the Syndicate, rival treasure hunters, strange aliens, or huge robots with flamethrowers – you’ll probably need to fight. Vaunted combines strategic turn-based combat with fast-paced, real-time action, giving you plenty of ways to respond when things get chaotic. You’ll need to dodge attacks, find cover, aim carefully, and eliminate enemies. To keep your team alive, react to what your opponents do, lure them into traps, and adapt to changing circumstances.

You decide when your units act, switching turns with the opponent until the fight is over. Use everything around you – not just for hiding – but to create opportunities, sneak around, and launch surprise attacks. Smartly use special abilities, grenades, and spells while moving and taking cover. Find your enemies’ weak spots and aim carefully to defeat them quickly and keep the action moving.

Vaunted combines the fast-paced action of a shooter with the strategic thinking of a turn-based RPG. You control three flawed characters recounting a disastrous expedition, making every decision and story twist crucial.

Watch the announcement trailer below. View the first screenshots at the gallery.

Announce Trailer

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2026-03-26 22:17