Veil of the Witch
Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is a rougelite JRPG with turn-based tactical combat. Made by Ocean Drive Studio and published by Kakao Games, it is a follow up to the events of their previous game, appropriately titled, Lost Eidolons. As it is not a direct sequel, it isn’t necessary to have played the first game, but there is more depth to the interactions of the characters and their story to any players familiar with the prior entry. Unlike the first game, though, Veil of the Witch gets players into the action must faster, and because of its rougelite set-up, shorter, repeated playing sessions are going to be the order of the day.
The protagonist wakes from a shipwreck with no memory other than having been saved by the magic of a ragged witch named Sable who now demands help in compensation. Remnants of the defunct Ludivictan Empire have taken over parts of the island by controlling armies of the undead with dark magic. By gathering the assistance of other survivors and inhabitants of the island, the player must scout and fight their way to the enemy leadership to put an end to the necromancy while forging trust and comradery in the team. As with the undead, however, they discover that on this island, death is no longer the end.
Progress and Combat
At the start, players will have access to a team of five characters to take on an expedition across different regions of the island to fight undead warriors, imperial agents, monsters, and more as they gather resources to upgrade their characters and to secure Pelikos. The main character also has to recover his or her memories while building positive relationships with and among the other characters, which may be more difficult than it sounds because a few of them were on different sides of the war that ended five years ago. Each character has unique weapon and armor sets and skills that can be upgraded over the course of an expedition, and eventually the main character can switch to other job classes. Most of the characters have distinct personalities, and the vast majority of the game is well voice-acted too. Later in the game, more characters can be recruited, expanding the roster and the potential party builds. There are also permanent upgrades to unlock, allowing the team to start stronger on subsequent expeditions.
The modest learning curve to the tactical combat is helped by the rougelite nature of the game. It borrows heavily from the Fire Emblem series, which is not a criticism. Gameplay is functional and easy to learn, so the skill floor is pretty low. As each expedition progresses, however, there are new and challenging variations to the combat encounters. The bosses at the end of each act also have different approaches and styles, so likely it will be several runs before players begin to see recycled set ups. There is also an option to speed up combat, so even in a game that by its nature has a level of grind and randomized progression baked in, players’ time is not being disrespected. Additionally, the “undo” mechanic allows a player to rewind to previous turns in a fight and replay from there, so it is easy to learn from mistakes without hefty punishment.
Have You Seen These Eidolons?
Lost Eidolons: Veil of the Witch is reasonably priced and available on Steam, PS5, Xbox Series, and the Nintendo Switch. It is a fun and replayable game that successfully mixes rougelite and turn-based tactical JRPG elements. The many challenges, variations, and character interactions keep the game fresh and enjoyable for a substantial stretch of time. Fans of games like Fire Emblem: Three Houses, Final Fantasy Tactics, and the previous Lost Eidolons game will find a rewarding experience here.
© 2026 Seth Tomko