Free League Announces Anime-Inspired Twilight Sword RPG

Free League Publishing has announced Twilight Sword, a new collaboration with Italian games studio Two Little Mice. The new game is a fantasy RPG inspired by video games like The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Ni No Kuni. Players explore the world of Radia in the game, exploring Landmarks and collecting Hope by defeating bosses. A 16-page preview of the game revealed five Kin that players can choose from, including the Huma, the cat-like Kedi, and the penguin-like Pengu. The preview did not reveal any details about the game system, but there appears to be a focus on exploration and defeating monsters.

One interesting part of this announcement is the collaboration with Two Little Mice. The Italian publisher was purchased by CMON back in 2021 to bolster that company's line of RPGs. However, CMON has had struggles this year, in part due to tariff uncertainty. CMON has sold off several IPs to other studios and has paused new game development to focus on current fulfillment, with many questioning about the publisher's future. Free League also partnered with Two Little Mice to publish Outgunned, so it's unclear whether Two Little Mice has gone independent once again or if this is an arrangement with CMON.

 

[stadi]

Their partnership with CMON was very short-lived, they became independent years ago. What was newer development is that they've bought back Broken Compass from CMON (which was the only 2LM IP that stayed with CMON)

 

[Cergorach]

Zelda want's it's main protagonist back!

 

[Christian Hoffer]

Their partnership with CMON was very short-lived, they became independent years ago. What was newer development is that they've bought back Broken Compass from CMON (which was the only 2LM IP that stayed with CMON)

Thanks for that information!

 

[Ruin Explorer]

The new game is a fantasy RPG inspired by video games like The Legend of Zelda, Final Fantasy, and Ni No Kuni.

One of these things is not like the others, I would suggest. Final Fantasy has very limited commonality with Zelda, whereas Zelda and Ni No Kuni at least are directed at somewhat similar audiences. I guess maybe they'll have early FF-inspired classes because Zelda, the primary inspiration, doesn't have any nor any equivalent?

The preview doesn't reveal any mechanics (well, beyond that "Hope" is XP) but does show this is pretty much exactly Zelda, setting-wise and plot-wise (Gannon is Vardas) and continues the visual style (strong art at least). Really seems like the entire selling point is "Do you want a party-based RPG with a very Zelda-style setting where all the work has been done for you?". Kind of feels like using the same art and setting but 5E mechanics would probably have sold a lot more copies than this would.

I mean, that is assuming it doesn't have some spectacularly cool system to reveal and that it doesn't use a 5E-compatible system but... given they don't mention the system at all, nor talk about it in the preview, I think it's fair to assume that. Given Two Little Mice are involved one might expect the system from Outgunned to be used but I think it's a bit too fiddly and counter-intuitive (despite being cool) for the younger audience this seems aimed at so I'm guessing not.

 

[stadi]

2LM has already mentioned that this will not be using the DC System (the system from Outgunned), but a new system (let's see how different it is), and that they will soon release a Quick Start, which will probably include enough mechanical information to judge it.

I am secretly hoping that the system will be simple enough to work as a children's RPG, at least with some modifications.

 

[sevenbastard]

I was really hoping after Alien RPG and Blade Runner RPG they would hit up another Ridley Scott project and we would get a Thelma and Luis the RPG.

 

[stadi]

I was really hoping after Alien RPG and Blade Runner RPG they would hit up another Ridley Scott project and we would get a Thelma and Luis the RPG.

This is a 2LM project, Free League is just the publisher (responsible for physical distribution, and probably some of the marketing). I don't see any Free League names in the preview document, so I think the creative aspects are handled 100% per 2LM.

 

[TheAlkaizer]

Man, talk about filing off the serial number. With Nintendo's legal history, I would not feel comfortable doing something branded so close. It looks like Link, it's a product that's aimed to reproduce the tone of the game serie, and the name of the product is part of the name of one of the games.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

I was really hoping after Alien RPG and Blade Runner RPG they would hit up another Ridley Scott project and we would get a Thelma and Luis the RPG.

The sequel to Thelma and Louise I didn't know I needed! (The first scene features a heroic hangglider rescue of Thelma by Luis.)