Perhaps one of the best things about the Epic Games Store is users never know what they’re going to get. Outside its reliable Thursday reveal-and-release pattern, the games themselves are never predictable. Epic Games Store will offer indie gems, big AAA titles, thematic releases, viral games, games few have heard of, and so on.
For example, while two of its recent games seem nothing alike on the surface—Killing Floor 2 and Ancient Enemy—there are underlying thematic ties about a civilization in collapse. This coming week, it seems the two games go in completely opposite directions in terms of tones, themes, and even, perhaps, quality. Fans can currently claim Wonder Boy: The Dragon’s Trap, and it’s an easy recommendation for an Epic Games Store pick-up, but next week they’ll get Shop Titans and Tannenberg.
Epic Games Store Free Games for July 21 Explained
In Shop Titans, players find themselves in what is usually a background role. The game is set in a big adventure hub/city, but players are not adventurers—their shop owners. Players will set up their own shop, choose their looks and wares, craft, upgrade, and enchant items, organize their heroes among 18 classes, send them out to battle monsters, and can even play the market/guilds around them.
This style of background management role, while enticing, is not seen in Tannenberg. It puts players on the frontlines, where players must fight for control of the Eastern World War 1 front against the Russian Empire, Germany, and so on. It aims to be an accurate war simulation, featuring seven squads, 50+ weapons, 8 large maps, tactical freedom, and more. One puts players in the background of command; the other puts them at the forefront of command.
However, perhaps the biggest disparity of this week’s games is their review scores. While reviews are always subjective and it’s definitely possible fans enjoy these games for their unique qualities, fans should keep in mind that many reviews of Shop Titans dragged its microtransactions. They’re not as aggressive or predatory as Diablo Immortal’s microtransactions, but they are loud and proud.
Meanwhile, Tannenberg received more mixed reviews, but they had more variety. There are pros and cons in Tannenberg, as with every game, but as a whole, Shop Titans was hit with targeted strikes against microtransactions and Tannenberg had a lot of subjective hits. Either way, they’ll be available on July 21 for Epic Games Store fans to determine for themselves.
Epic Games Store users get a handful of free games every month.