Eldritch Tactics: Lichtmond, found during the Turn-Based Carnival of November 2024, is an upcoming turn-based strategy game developed and published by Secret Item Games. The game draws inspiration from the German epic “The Song of the Nibelungs” and is set in the Anderswelt, a purgatorial realm that consumes the souls of fallen warriors.
Storyline
You assume the role of Kriemhild, the Burgundian queen who, after her untimely death, finds herself in the Anderswelt. Accompanied by allied troops, Kriemhild confronts hordes of undead creatures while grappling with her own declining sanity. Her primary objective is to reunite with her deceased infant son before they are both consumed by the realm’s corruption.
Gameplay
The game emphasizes tactical decision-making, allowing you to choose between light and darkness-based magic. Opting for dark magic enables powerful attacks but risks pushing your characters toward insanity and potential corruption. Conversely, light-based magic offers healing and mental cleansing but may permit enemies to inflict more damage. Balancing these choices is crucial to navigating each battle effectively.
A unique feature is the “Veil,” a magical world state that periodically enhances dark magic and unlocks additional abilities. Your actions influence your allies’ alignment toward light or darkness, affecting the game’s world state and your characters’ development. Additionally, you can overtake enemy units, compelling them to fight alongside you until their health is depleted.
Key Features
- Alignment Choices: Decide between light and darkness-based magic, impacting your units’ alignment and the game’s world balance.
- Veil Mechanic: Navigate the Veil’s effects, which periodically strengthen dark magic and unlock new abilities.
- Unit Overtaking: Command enemy units to bolster your ranks temporarily.
- Permanent Loss: Be cautious, as units overtaken by the enemy are lost permanently.
- Character Development: Enhance your allies with upgrades based on their unique skills.
As of now, Eldritch Tactics: Lichtmond is listed as “Coming soon” on Steam, with no specific release date announced. Below is the announcement Trailer and overview.
About This Game
Eldritch Tactics: Lichtmond is a turn-based tabletop strategy game based on the German epic: The Song of the Nibelungs, set in an afterworld that devours the souls of the fallen.
Fight with your army of knights and choose between harnessing the power of light or darkness to strengthen your heroes and subjugate your enemies.
Light and dark
Decide how to approach the fight against your enemies: Wield the power of darkness and execute devastating attacks, pushing your fighters to the brink of insanity and putting them at risk of being completely corrupted by the very beast you wish to slay.
Or trust in the safety of light-based magic to heal your wounded and cleanse their minds, allowing the enemies to prevail and cause more damage – to the world and your allies alike. Analyze each turn and strike a balance to effectively clear each map and keep your party safe and sound.
The veil
Devise your path through a series of battles which are periodically affected by the Veil, a magical world state that strengthens dark magic and unlocks additional abilities. Your battle strategy and selected actions will affect your allies’ affinity towards light or darkness and influence the state of the world. A fighter who exploits the dark magic of the Anderswelt will be stronger but more susceptible to losing their mind, a risky gamble since the creatures of the Anderswelt will try to assimilate every knight into their own ranks as soon as the Veil takes effect.
Overtake the enemy
As your allies give in to the dark magic of the Anderswelt and risk being corrupted, they also gain the ability to take command of enemy ghouls.
Use those doomed souls to bolster your ranks and shield your weaker units.
Enemy knights will fight for you until their health is depleted.
The aftermath of a family feud
After years of scheming, the newly anointed queen of the Huns, Kriemhild, invites her estranged family to her residence to avenge the assassination of her former husband by the hands of their allies. The ensuing bloodbath leaves nearly all parties dead, including Kriemhild as well as her infant son.
Shortly after, Kriemhild comes to in the Anderswelt, a purgatorial realm that feeds on ignoble warriors’ souls. While fending off hordes of mythical creatures and the husks of fallen knights, Kriemhild comes across old friends and foes, hoping to soon reunite with her child before they are all consumed by the corruption of the Anderswelt.
Features
• Pick from different ability pools to optimize your battle strategy
• Choose between light and darkness-based magic that affect units’ alignment and world balance
• Overtake enemy units and let them fight for you
• Lose units permanently if they are overtaken by the enemy
• Strengthen your allies with a limited amount of upgrades dependent on your characters’ unique skills
