Rideon Japan has confirmed it is developing Mercenaries Grace: Black Feather and the Golden Right Arm for Nintendo Switch, targeting a 2027 launch.
The game continues the Mercenaries Saga lineage as a strategy RPG, and the studio has released initial screenshots and basic design details outlining its systems, setting, and character progression.
Gameplay and systems
Mercenaries Grace is described by the developer as a tactical simulation RPG set in a fantasy world.
Battles take place on a grid-style map that incorporates elevation and directional positioning; combat outcomes will depend on front, rear, and side attacks as well as support effects tied to an ally's relative position.
Character growth emphasizes player choice, with skill acquisition, stat strengthening, and class changes driven by skill points earned in battle.
Rideon Japan said the series' traditional full-turn structure has been replaced: instead of every friendly unit acting together followed by all enemies, individual units now alternate actions one by one.
The studio framed this change as a move toward a chess- and shogi-like turn order in which player and enemy units act sequentially, increasing the emphasis on predicting which unit will move next.
Class design and special attacks
The game introduces a new "Ladder Class" system that expands the franchise's class architecture to eight tiers spanning beginner, intermediate, advanced, and special classes.
Players can transfer between adjacent classes in the ladder, giving more flexible growth paths compared with earlier entries.
Battles also feature a meter in the upper-right corner of the screen that accumulates during combat; consuming this meter triggers a class-specific special attack called "Soul Exceed." These special moves vary by ladder class and can deliver high damage or provide party-wide healing and status recovery, making their timing strategically important.
Story and characters
The narrative opens in the Kingdom of Grauxes, where the sudden death of acting King O'Neil sets off political turmoil over succession.
A "forbidden tower" in the north becomes the catalyst for action when a small unit is attacked.
The player follows Swan, a young mercenary who serves under Gersh, a leader noted for an iron prosthetic right hand, collectively known as the "Iron-armed mercenaries." They rescue Berta, a general revealed to be the true sister of the late King O'Neil, and become embroiled in a struggle between vassals seeking to control succession and the forces pursuing their own interests.
Art and presentation
Character design is credited to illustrator mitsu_plus, with the developer highlighting detailed character expressions and visual presentation in the announced materials.
Rideon Japan has published early screenshots alongside the announcement.
Release and next steps
Rideon Japan is targeting a 2027 release for Mercenaries Grace: Black Feather and the Golden Right Arm on Nintendo Switch and has indicated further release details will be provided in future updates.
Readers tracking the Mercenaries Saga series or Switch strategy releases should watch for formal release windows and storefront listings as the developer issues more information.
The game continues the Mercenaries Saga lineage as a strategy RPG, and the studio has released initial screenshots and basic design details outlining its systems, setting, and character progression.
Gameplay and systems
Mercenaries Grace is described by the developer as a tactical simulation RPG set in a fantasy world.
Battles take place on a grid-style map that incorporates elevation and directional positioning; combat outcomes will depend on front, rear, and side attacks as well as support effects tied to an ally's relative position.
Character growth emphasizes player choice, with skill acquisition, stat strengthening, and class changes driven by skill points earned in battle.
Rideon Japan said the series' traditional full-turn structure has been replaced: instead of every friendly unit acting together followed by all enemies, individual units now alternate actions one by one.
The studio framed this change as a move toward a chess- and shogi-like turn order in which player and enemy units act sequentially, increasing the emphasis on predicting which unit will move next.
Class design and special attacks
The game introduces a new "Ladder Class" system that expands the franchise's class architecture to eight tiers spanning beginner, intermediate, advanced, and special classes.
Players can transfer between adjacent classes in the ladder, giving more flexible growth paths compared with earlier entries.
Battles also feature a meter in the upper-right corner of the screen that accumulates during combat; consuming this meter triggers a class-specific special attack called "Soul Exceed." These special moves vary by ladder class and can deliver high damage or provide party-wide healing and status recovery, making their timing strategically important.
Story and characters
The narrative opens in the Kingdom of Grauxes, where the sudden death of acting King O'Neil sets off political turmoil over succession.
A "forbidden tower" in the north becomes the catalyst for action when a small unit is attacked.
The player follows Swan, a young mercenary who serves under Gersh, a leader noted for an iron prosthetic right hand, collectively known as the "Iron-armed mercenaries." They rescue Berta, a general revealed to be the true sister of the late King O'Neil, and become embroiled in a struggle between vassals seeking to control succession and the forces pursuing their own interests.
Art and presentation
Character design is credited to illustrator mitsu_plus, with the developer highlighting detailed character expressions and visual presentation in the announced materials.
Rideon Japan has published early screenshots alongside the announcement.
Release and next steps
Rideon Japan is targeting a 2027 release for Mercenaries Grace: Black Feather and the Golden Right Arm on Nintendo Switch and has indicated further release details will be provided in future updates.
Readers tracking the Mercenaries Saga series or Switch strategy releases should watch for formal release windows and storefront listings as the developer issues more information.
