Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch brings players back into the fantasy world of Lost Eidolons with a focused, roguelike twist on tactical RPG gameplay. Developed by Ocean Drive Studio, this game is both a spiritual successor and a departure from its predecessor. It shifts from the story-driven tactics of the original to a roguelike formula that enhances replayability and strategic challenge. So let’s talk about one of the best tactical and brutal experiences!
This game will be released into early access.
Developer & Publisher // Ocean Drive Studio Inc, Ocean Drive Stuidos Inc/Kakao Games
Platforms // Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, Playstation 4/5, Nintendo Switch, PC
MSRP & Release Date // Releasing To Early Access $19.99, November 5th, 2024
Reviewed On // PC
Story and Setting
Veil of the Witch is set on a foreboding, mysterious island populated by monstrous enemies, treacherous terrain, and an enigmatic witch who tests the player’s worth through survival trials. While the story elements are less pronounced than in the previous game, players can still uncover secrets about the island and the witch’s motives by progressing through various combat-heavy encounters. The narrative structure is simplified compared to the original, allowing for a more streamlined roguelike experience focusing on survival and tactical depth rather than a traditional plot.
Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch takes place five years after the first game. So while it’s not an exact continuation of the first game, there are references to the original Lost Eidolons. I enjoy it when a game builds upon a previous story, even when it goes into its own little story. Not only that five of the nine playable characters in the game are returning from the first one too. When you see interactions between Marco and some of the other characters and how some are mad at him and talk about the horrendous things that happened like the destruction of “Hullisburg” in the first it game. It makes me want to go back and play it all over again.
Gameplay and Combat Mechanics
The combat system in Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch maintains the tactical grid-based strategy of the original Lost Eidolons. The first game Lost Eidolons isn’t a roguelike and had a lot to do with voice acting, great animations, and visuals that were shown off by the different attacks, and field effects, among other things. If you play both games you can tell the first one is much bigger than Veil of the Witch. However, it integrates new mechanics into the game inspired by roguelikes. Each expedition is unique, offering branching paths that provide different challenges, resources, and rewards.
Battles unfold with difficulty that requires precise planning and adaptability, and the enemies are more numerous and varied, keeping players on their toes. Unlike other games I have played where there are random difficulty spikes, this game doesn’t have those. With the roguelike setup, you can accumulate permanent upgrades by acquiring “embers” through your runs. This allows the player to gradually increase their strength over successive runs, making future runs easier. In Lost Eidolons: Viel of the Witch’s combat, you use a mix of melee, ranged, and magical attacks. Each enemy presents a distinct weakness that can be exploited through carefully orchestrated combos. The weak point system, which lets players break certain parts of an enemy’s defenses, adds an extra layer of depth.
Environmental hazards also play a role, allowing players to strategize around obstacles, traps, and terrain features to gain an edge over opponents. For example, some terrain you go through can cause a character to become “drenched” if it’s a wet area. Then a lightning attack will deal more damage. Some terrain could have a “poison gas” then when a fire spell hits it causes it to blow up. I had one moment when I was luring enemies across a river, so they all ended up “drenched”. Then I used a powerful lightning-based ability that took out 5 of the enemies. All this adds to the overall strategy that could be used during your expeditions.
Roguelike Elements and Progression
One of the most interesting aspects of Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is its roguelike progression system. Through each attempt, depending on the different path players choose you can find “embers” or “rune fragments” which can be used for permanent character upgrades, skills, and new abilities. These upgrades can be mixed and matched to suit many different playstyles. All this creates a balance of risk and reward, adding a tactical edge to the progression. With a plethora of skills, it provides significant flexibility in the team composition and approach. Some abilities are rarer than others.
So you get an added layer of decision-making when choosing upgrades. So players can experiment with various builds and strategies. Each playthrough consists of multiple acts, where players face randomly generated encounters. This can include resource-gathering missions, ambushes, and potentially brutal boss battles. I felt the level designs were intricate and challenging, but rewarding. Unlike this first game, there weren’t random difficulty spikes for me. I could tell which encounters were going to be difficult and was able to plan accordingly.
Some encounters were slightly lengthy, occasionally disrupting the pacing. However, the randomization and variety in encounters I experienced helped keep the experience engaging and unpredictable, ensuring that each playthrough feels distinct. Currently, I have over 27 hours in the game, and I can honestly say each run and experience was different. Thanks to this it allows for almost infinite replayability.
Visuals and Audio
Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch visually embraces a dark fantasy aesthetic that I felt was atmospheric, if not just graphically groundbreaking. I felt the art direction was cohesive and enhanced the ominous feel of the island. There were some textures and animations that lacked a specific polish, but it didn’t take too much from the overall experience. This is largely forgivable, as the game focuses more on tactical richness than high-end visuals. The soundtrack and sound design do a good job of immersing the player, with the haunting tunes and different ambient effects that enhance the high-stakes battles and creepy landscape of the island.
Accessibility and Difficulty
Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is unapologetically challenging for most of the game. This I felt was appealing to fans of tactical RPGs and roguelikes who enjoy mastering complex systems. In addition to being able to adapt to the unpredictable encounters, you can experience. The game’s learning curve will be steep for some people, especially newer players. Players must also familiarize themselves with enemy patterns, weak points, and optimal character positioning to survive. To me, it seemed like the AI was fairly intelligent in this game which I enjoy.
I don’t like when games give us an AI that does random stuff that makes no sense. So I can appreciate some actual intelligent AI. They seemed to target my weaker characters the majority of the time or ones with lower health. While some newcomers might find the difficulty high, the gradual accumulation of permanent upgrades provides a sense of growth and progression that rewards persistence.
Weird Bug
I didn’t experience many bugs playing Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch. However, there was one I experienced in one of my runs that wouldn’t let me pick a path I wanted to go. For context, in Act 2 in one of my runs, I tried to select a path that would me to getting a “Rune.” When I selected the “Rune Path” instead of proceeding to what should be the next encounter, it brought up another choice of selecting a “Rune” or “Gold.” Then it didn’t matter which path I tried to choose nothing happened and couldn’t continue. To fix this I had to quit out of the game and come back in and pick something else this time besides the path that would give me a “Rune.” I tried quitting out 10 times and trying the same path as the bug and it was the same bug every time. I never experienced it outside that particular expedition.
Flawless Performance
I wanted to make sure I stated that I ran Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch on max settings. I had the game running at 2560x1440p. You also have three performance options; 30FPS, 60FPS, and Unlimited. I ran on Unlimited with no frame dips. Then I also ran the game quality on the “High” setting. In my opinion, this is great for a game heading into an early access release.
Relationship Building and Upgrades
Another small thing to mention is the minor relationship building in Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch. There are some paths you can choose during your expeditions where you might increase the relationship between characters. The benefit of this is it can provide some bonus during combat which could also add a level of strategy to the game. I asked about this when we interviewed the team at Pax East 2024. In addition to enhancing relationship bonuses, you can also upgrade the shop. These enhancements can provide better items or upgrades if you go to the shop during your expeditions. Trust me when I say some of these upgrades help a lot.
Final Thoughts
Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is an ambitious entry in the tactical RPG genre. It offers a satisfying blend of turn-based strategy and roguelike mechanics which is something we don’t have much of. It builds on the foundations of the original Lost Eidolons while carving its niche with high replayability. Then you have a robust combat system that truly rewards tactical thinking. However, it may not appeal to players seeking a traditional narrative, easy progression, or some newcomers. I will say fans of challenging strategy games and roguelikes will find much to enjoy.
For those who appreciate intricate combat systems, character progression, and the thrill of strategizing through unforgiving encounters, Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is a promising title that respects its players’ skills and commitment. It will be debuting in early access on November 5th, 2024, and offers an evolving and unique experience likely to appeal to tactical RPG enthusiasts and roguelike fans alike.
Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch Final Score: 8.4/10
Pros
- Story and Aesthetic
- Unique Gameplay
- Good combat Mechanics
- Interesting Rogue-like Elements & Progression
- Great Visuals & Audio
- Flawless Performance
Cons
- Weird Bug Encountered
- Difficult For Newcomers
- Some Textures & Animations Requiring Polish
