Pinterest I have had a chance to check out Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch from Ocean Drive Studio a couple of times at previous PAX Events , but never had a deep dive as I skipped the Early Access Run. Having now spent dozens of hours in the full release of the game I can safely say it is a fun, engaging, deep Roguelite tactical RPG that is a must-play for fans of the genre. Set in the same universe as the mainline Lost Eidolons game, this Roguelike/Roguelite starts with a typical premise. Washed up on a beach with no memory, the hero is rescued by new companions. A simple fight is launched featuring the game’s grid- and turn-based combat mechanics. Once the dust settles, the hero (Ashe by default, and can be male or female) heads to a nearby town and discovers that they are on an island besieged by the walking dead with no ships available to leave with. Ashe gathers a couple more allies, and the crew heads out. They are defeated in a battle, but this being a Roguelite it is not the end. Resurrected by the strange entity Sable, a godlike Eidolon, Ashe and their team are tasked with finding and stopping the undead scourge. This is when the first part of the game proper kicks off and many of the systems and progression methods are unveiled. What grabbed me nearly instantly about Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch was the easy-to-pick-up gameplay. But there is also immense tactical depth built up, as skills are learned/upgraded, relics are discovered and equipment upgraded. Each run has the heroes start from scratch, aside from the stat upgrades from an Altar of Fire system and class promotions. But growth happens quickly. Initially there are three Acts, each with a number of stages with the player able to choose what rewards they are chasing. Sometimes it’s battle, rewarded with upgrade stones or loot and relic rewards, or a camp to train and rest in. Or it could be finding a temporary/permanent ally. The battles are varied as well, some requiring beacons to be destroyed or simply all enemies vanquished. There are enough battle and enemy types that when playing run after run the game stays enjoyable, especially once the full roster of characters is unlocked, adding a ton of tactical variety. Boss battles are unique experiences and are suitably challenging. Each boss boasts tremendous abilities that keep the combat engaging and almost chess-like. After the “first” ending of the game, Act 4 is unveiled, with not only new bosses, but the original ones getting tweaked scenarios and abilities. In games like this the skills, upgrades and relics/loot are usually randomly assigned so a good run can depend on what you are able to roll as you move through the game. In Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch it is no different, but I also found that a varied team, especially with a strong healer and magic user, can make a massive difference. I have yet to play a single round without Evie the healer, as she is the most essential and well-rounded character by far. Thanks to the dual-equipment nature of each character she has not only progressively better healing skills (Tree of Life is the standout) but her melee skills using sword and shield are great in a pinch. All the characters benefit from the dual-equipment design. For example, the mage Laurent can switch to a bow for alternate attacks, and the axe-wielder Marco can use an alternate spear for distance attacks and different skills. This design adds nuanced tactical depth as different armors are vulnerable to different weapons so swapping out at a crucial moment is key. At the beginning of this review I talked about how the story starts in a clichéd way with an amnesiac hero, but to my pleasant surprise the narrative evolved and progressed in a beautiful way. Told through conversations with party members, dialogue with Sable and bosses, and, crucially, unlocked memories, the true tale of Ashe and the island is revealed. There is a heartbreaking narrative buried in this Roguelite that I was completely engrossed in and got emotional experiencing. It does follow some traditional paths but was executed in a heartfelt and sincere way that had me invested in the characters and the total experience. The Roguelite genre is crowded with standout games such as Hades 2 , Darkest Dungeon , and Dead Cells , but Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch stands tall among them. The story is terrific, graphics are incredibly pleasing, and audio is stellar, with a fully voiced cast. Most important, the game is addictive, deep and just plain fun. We were given a Steam code for review purposes by the publisher. Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is available right now for PC via Steam , PS5 , Xbox Series X|S and Switch/Switch 2 . Tags Lost Eidolons Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch video game videogame About Michael Prince A longtime video game fan starting from simple games on the Atari 2600 to newer titles on a bleeding edge PC I play everything I can get my hands on. Related Articles Source: https://blogcritics.org/videogame-review-lost-eidolons-veil-of-the-witch-a-tactically-addictive-roguelite/