We refer to the game as a "spin-off" (rather than a true sequel), as it shares a lot of Lost Eidolons' core identity, and even a few characters. But the gameplay and general presentation is a major departure.
Now let's dive into some questions you may be curious about.
What kind of game is "Veil of the Witch"?
Veil of the Witch is a turn-based tactical RPG with rogue-lite elements. It takes place in the same world as Lost Eidolons, and is set shortly after the events of the first game. But it's an entirely standalone experience you don't need any prior knowledge to play. Fans of the first game will find Veil of the Witch to be a tighter, more focused game, that offers more of what they love with less friction in between. New players will find a rich world and characters, a fast and gritty combat system, and an addictive, looping structure that sets the game apart from the rest of the genre. I'm confident the game will speak for itself. [previewyoutube=E5SSm9TYHZ0;full][/previewyoutube]What's changed since Lost Eidolons?
In one word: speed. Lost Eidolons was a linear, story-driven RPG that unfolds gradually. Veil of the Witch, on the other hand, is fast, gameplay-driven, and hits the ground running immediately. One of the most immediate changes is that we've done away with sprawling class trees that take 30 hours to get to the cool stuff. In Veil of the Witch, things are much more stripped-down. Each character has a single class, with fixed weapons and armor, and a very specific playstyle. There's still progression and choices to be made (skills to unlock, gear to be upgraded, and so on) but generally it's all a lot tighter and more focused now. We've also made a number of changes to the combat system itself, and the game's overall structure is radically different from Lost Eidolons. I'll save the details for another day, but for now I'll simply say that I'm a huge fan of games like Hades and Slay the Spire, and they've had a huge influence on Veil of the Witch. The result of all this is a leaner, meaner game with more excitement, greater strategic depth, and the freedom to approach battles how you decide.
But this doesn't mean the story experience isn't important to us. Like much of the rest of the game, our approach to narrative this time around is: "Less is more". We've got a great setting, a tight cast of characters people will love, and a new approach to story presentation that (while sparse) we're hoping will be a lot more effective.
Oh, and we've taken the art direction for characters and UI in a completely new direction. I personally love how this game looks, and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on it soon.
Why make a spin-off instead of Lost Eidolons 2?
While it took a lot of internal discussion to reach this decision, in the end, our reasons are pretty simple. It won't surprise anyone to say that, while we're proud of Lost Eidolons, there are some elements that didn't quite come together as well as we would have hoped, and many of you felt the same. When we dove into player feedback for the game, two big points came up over and over again. First, players said they liked Lost Eidolons' story and characters, but found the actual execution to be sometimes lacking, and often inconsistent. Second, most players loved the combat system, but felt progression lacked meaningful choices, and encounter design could be rigid and unforgiving. After weighing this feedback and discussing it internally, we decided to try something new that would let us build on the engine we've created already, but take a big swing in a new direction, with a storytelling approach that was lighter and simpler. Also: I've just always wanted to make a game that brought rogue-lite stuff into the turn-based tactical genre! So we decided that before jumping into a sequel, we'd try a spin-off, and see what happens.
But I want to be very clear: this isn't some little pilot project or cash-grab pseudo-DLC. We're very serious about making Veil of the Witch an excellent RPG that stands entirely on its own two feet, and offers a ton of depth and replayability.
