Astral Dive is a new story-driven fantasy RPG from Italian developer R-Games, which is preparing its debut title for PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S and Nintendo Switch. The game is targeting an early 2027 release, although an exact date has not been confirmed. Inspired by classic two-dimensional JRPGs, it combines turn-based battles with deckbuilding mechanics and hand-drawn pixel art, bringing collectible magical spells into its tactical combat system.
Players follow Atlas, a young mage investigating mysterious events that shook his magic academy years earlier. His search takes him through astral portals into seven different locations, each holding characters to meet, secrets to uncover and pieces of the academy’s history. Along the way, Atlas will be joined by new companions who bring their own backgrounds and abilities to the party, giving the adventure a personal side alongside its larger mystery.
Combat draws on the tactical planning of turn-based RPGs but gives players a collection of magical cards to work with. New spells can be acquired during the journey and arranged into customized decks, allowing different combinations to emerge when facing unusual creatures or imposing bosses. The central mechanic is called Stellar Tiles, an interactive magical tile system that lets players manipulate the battlefield and combine elemental effects. Deck construction and finding useful synergies will therefore be central to developing strategies for different encounters.
The visual presentation also looks back to the genre’s earlier years. Environments are built from detailed, layered pixel art, with character animations and spell effects created by hand. Exploration is closely connected to the story rather than simply providing a route between battles: information discovered across the seven locations will help explain what happened at the academy and why it matters to Atlas. R-Games is an independent studio within Venice-based IT consultancy R-Factory, and Astral Dive is its first game.
Development is ongoing, with more updates and gameplay footage planned ahead of release. Astral Dive can already be added to a Steam wishlist, while players interested in following its arrival across PC and consoles can also use the Playority release calendar to save the game and receive notifications about updates.
