Today, I’m sharing some details about Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch, the standalone spinoff of the 2022 SRPG that blends a tactical combat system and Roguelite progression mechanics. Released in Early Access a few hours ago, I provide details about the story, combat system, and gameplay mechanics.
Please note that the Early Access version is feature-complete, and you can reach the end of the game, while in the upcoming full release, you will get hidden bosses, more variation about maps and events, voice acting, the story reveals about the plot and backstory of each character and toggleable difficulty settings. Also note that to celebrate the Steam Early Access launch, the game is running a 20% discount.
Table of contents:
STORY
First of all, the game will let us choose how we want the main character to appear, either male or female, with two skin color options, and then the name we want to give them. The story begins with the player’s character waking up on a beach on a remote island that the undead has taken over. With your memories lost, the only one to guide you is a mysterious witch who might not have the best intentions. The player is left with no choice but to be her champion, trying to piece together the memories after each death and the life you once had.
As you journey through the island, you will begin to meet different companions who are each fighting something within themselves. Each character can develop and tell you their story. You will start your journey with Evie, the healer, who is also a sword wielder, and Marco, who is the brute force of the party, wielding an axe and a spear. Then, you will meet Emile, who is the rogue capable of infiltrating enemy lines, and finally, the magician Laurent, capable of using different offensive spells.
After your first death, you are transported back to the witch and allowed to visit the family you left behind. This moment was quite touching, seeing a brother have a fun relationship with his siblings, but once the dust settles, it begins to get serious.
Let’s repeat that this is a standalone title, so playing Lost Eidolons is unnecessary to enjoy the story fully. Plus, as a roguelite, the story is not essential, and conversations between characters can be skipped even if it’s fun to learn about each single character and their motivation.
What Veil Of The Witch is in Short
Veil of the Witch is a pure Roguelite, so you will find all the elements of that genre of games. You will start expeditions on node-based maps. Each node represents different events, items, battles, and resources.
And when you end up an expedition, even if you win or lose, you’ll come back to the headquarters to spend the resources found along the way in order to improve the next expedition and each single character. This is what Veil of the Witch is, in short. Now, let’s see the combat system.
COMBAT SYSTEM
The combat system remains largely faithful to its predecessor, with one notable change: the removal of battle cutscenes. This tweak is clearly aimed at making combat sequences snappier and more streamlined. As always, positioning and strategic spacing between enemies and party members are crucial. You’ll need to carefully manage distances, make tactical use of enemy weaknesses, and choose the right weapons for each of them; every hero has two weapons that can be switched without taking action.
Mages are especially vulnerable to bows and spears, light-armored units suffer from sword attacks, and heavily armored foes require the crushing force of an axe.
For each attack, we have clear information about the damage done, counterattacks, and critical hit chances. There is also a possibility of getting guarded or guarding an attack, reducing the damage to 50%
The game does away with magic points (MP) for skills; instead, abilities operate on a cooldown system. Another technical aspect to consider is the area of control, which reduces the movement of an enemy unit so you can strategize helping the rear units. Obviously, enemies have this area of control as well. The other one to consider is the red line that gives you a prevision of what unit will be attacked during the next enemy turn.
Environmental features within the maps are not just for show but can drastically impact the flow of combat. Both players and the enemy AI can take advantage of these elements. For instance, bushes provide a defense boost, but they’re a dangerous refuge if a fire-wielding mage lurks nearby. Puddles and rivers, meanwhile, can leave units vulnerable to electrifying shocks or freezing attacks that might turn them into blocks of ice. The terrain, therefore, adds an extra layer of strategy that can tip the scales in your favor—or spell your doom if used against you.
As with the first game, combo attacks return, especially effective against large enemies. Success requires targeting each part of a creature with the right kind of strike, setting up devastating multi-hit combos. You can also unlock passive abilities by leveling up and deepening bonds between characters, opening up new strategic possibilities and team synergies.
Battle encounters are both lengthy and varied. Some missions require wiping out all enemies, others demand reaching specific points on the map, and some may even evolve mid-battle, forcing you to adapt your plans on the fly. The game rewards careful, strategic play with a sense of accomplishment after each hard-fought victory.
The difficulty strikes a satisfying balance—challenging but fair. It won’t feel like a stroll in the park, but it’s far from a trip to hell. One piece of advice: always have a healer in your party or try to have a skill or a passive for recovering HP for other characters as well because between battles, characters don’t regain health unless you find a rest point, so healers are essential to keeping your team in fighting shape.
EXPLORATIONs
Exploration in Veil of the Witch follows the classic roguelite formula that genre lovers will find familiar and engaging. Your journey begins at a crossroads, where your party must interact with a talking raven. This enigmatic creature offers you one of three starting artifacts, each granting unique advantages and sometimes disadvantages. After choosing your artifact, you’ll select a path, that branches into different types of locations,
Along these paths, you’ll encounter a variety of events that challenge you to make decisions using specific party members, with outcomes depending on the throw of the dice. Some nodes lead to combat encounters, each offering a range of rewards, while others allow you to deepen the bonds between your heroes, unlock new abilities, or enhance teamwork bonuses. There are also rest areas where you’ll choose to restore some health or train to boost your character.
As of now, there’s a decent selection and variety of maps and events, and Ocean Drive Studios is working hard to provide as many options as possible when the full game launches.
PROGRESSION
Veil of the Witch brings all the hallmark elements of classic roguelites, but with a unique twist on character progression. Let me break it down.
First off, every expedition starts with you choosing four companions to support your main hero. Each character begins at level 1 and can grow to a cap of level 20 during the run. Experience points are earned separately for each character, based on the actions they perform in combat. Upon leveling up, you’ll select a random upgrade from two stat and skill options, allowing for some strategic but unpredictable development as you go.
Another temporary enhancement system comes from Resonance Stones. These artifacts can be used to boost your characters’ equipment stats, upgrading weapons like swords, axes, and bows, as well as armor, from common to rare, legendary, or even mythical tiers. These upgrades also unlock powerful passive and active abilities. However, just like your character levels, these boosts vanish at the end of each expedition.
While much of your progress resets between runs, there are several forms of persistent progression. Chief among them are Sacred Embers—valuable resources that grant permanent team-wide bonuses. You’ll invest these Embers into one of three distinct upgrade trees, which offer benefits like increased gold from loot or enhanced damage with specific weapon types.
Another key aspect of permanent growth is the bond between your heroes. As these bonds strengthen, you’ll unlock additional passive bonuses to aid you in future battles. Lastly, there are special stones that unlock entirely new classes for your characters, adding depth and variety to your team composition. At the start, you have four heroes to choose from, with four more unlockable as you progress.
MY TWO CENTS
After around six hours with Veil of the Witch, I can confidently say it’s a game that really hits the mark. The various progression mechanics and a well-designed combat system create an engaging experience that makes time fly by. Even though the graphics aren’t groundbreaking, they’re more than serviceable—and honestly, I’m not too particular about visuals if the user interface (UI) is polished. Thankfully, Veil of the Witch delivers on that front with a top-tier UI that keeps everything clean and intuitive.
I’d definitely recommend Veil of the Witch, especially to fans of tactical combat and the addictive unlockables that define the roguelite genre. Even in early access, the game is already packed with content, offering plenty of depth.
If you’ve had a chance to dive into it, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Are you planning on playing it, or does it not quite align with your gaming tastes?
