Ever wish that Disco Elysium had more minotaurs and more steampunk? Check out Sovereign Syndicate

In 2019, Disco Elysium took the gaming world by storm and showed how RPGs could focus much more on storytelling and do a much better job of emulating the feeling of playing at a tabletop. Now we're just starting to see the first wave of games that seem clearly inspired by Disco Elysium, and this one just might be the first must-play RPG of 2024.

This is Sovereign Syndicate, a CRPG being made by a small indie team in Canada. Like Disco Elysium, it's an RPG that's more heavily focused on narrative and dialogue, but it also sets itself apart in some key ways. For one, it's got a unique Victorian steampunk setting that looks absolutely fantastic. Fantasy creatures like minotaurs, dwarves, and cyclopes are mixed together with grimy factories, smokestacks, and zeppelins. And it all takes place in London!

One other big change is that Sovereign Syndicate doesn't have dice rolls. Instead, success or failure is based on pulling tarot cards. As players improve certain abilities or stats, they'll unlock new cards to shuffle into the deck, opening up ever more options for progressing. It's a very unique system, and we can't wait to see how it turns out.

If you're also interested in starting off the new year with an ambitious CRPG, you'll want to check in on Sovereign Syndicate when it launches for PC on January 15, 2024. One of TapTap's editors will be pulling tarot cards over the holidays, so stay tuned for a quick review closer to that release date.