There is a gorgeous little title heading our way that aims to strip away the noise and take us back to the absolute roots of fantasy. It is called Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle, and it looks like a total dream come true for anyone who grew up flipping through old-school choose-your-own-adventure books or rolling physical dice at a kitchen table. Developed by Digitalis Publishing and published by 15 Industry, this “neo-classical digital gamebook RPG” is shaping up to be one of the most unique indie releases of the year.
The Ultimate Solo Passion Project
Before we even look at how the game plays, we have to talk about the incredible story behind its creation. This game is a massive labor of love built over six long years by a single individual named Yoshio Nishimura. If that name rings a bell, it is because he is an industry veteran who spent years as the Chief of Background Art at Vanillaware. He worked on breathtaking, legendary titles like Odin Sphere, Dragon’s Crown, and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, and even contributed to the original Monster Hunter back during his time at Capcom.
A few years ago, Nishimura decided to leave the hectic studio life behind and move out to a tiny, remote mountain village in rural Japan. When he isn’t tending to his actual farming fields, he has been single-handedly drawing this game. He poured his soul into creating over three hundred hand-drawn illustrations for Veritas Tales. Best of all, the developers have explicitly stated that absolutely zero generative AI was used at any point in development. You are getting pure, unfiltered human artistry here, and that handmade aesthetic gives the game an undeniable soul. To top it all off, Nishimura teamed back up with legendary composer Hitoshi Sakimoto and his Basiscape studio to handle the soundtrack, guaranteeing the game will sound just as magical as it looks.
Choose Your Hero and Flip the Page
The setup for Veritas Tales drops you straight into a beautifully stylized, plague-ridden capital city called Erishing. The story revolves around a mysterious, sprawling location known simply as the Dark Castle, which is home to an enigmatic, powerful witch. To explore this world, you will choose between two completely different protagonists: Havelock the warrior and Paneri the mage.
Picking your character isn’t just about changing your combat stats; it completely shifts the narrative perspective of the entire story. The game plays out exactly like a digital book where you turn the pages, read beautifully written descriptions, and make choices that alter your path. It takes heavy inspiration from classic tabletop gamebooks like Sorcery! and Fighting Fantasy. The game mimics the wonderful nostalgia of scribbling down your health points with a pencil and rolling physical dice to see if your attack lands or if you accidentally fall into a trap.
High Stakes and Total Freedom
Do not let the peaceful “reading-style” presentation fool you into thinking this is a casual walk in the park. Veritas Tales features incredibly high stakes where a single careless, impatient decision can result in a sudden, brutal death. However, the game gives you an immense amount of freedom in how you handle crises.
If you come across a terrifying monster blocking your path, you don’t necessarily have to fight it. If you are playing a combat-heavy build, you can absolutely unsheathe your sword and charge in. But if you prefer a different approach, you can attempt to use clever negotiation to talk your way out of the jam, or you can use your wits to completely evade the threat and walk right past it. All paths are completely viable. The game contains over fifteen thousand words of rich story text and is packed with branching paths. This means your choices will lead to completely different outcomes, giving you over twenty hours of gameplay and tons of replay value across multiple playthroughs.
A Return to What Makes Fantasy Special
At its core, Veritas Tales is trying to recapture the magic that inspired modern masterpieces like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Elden Ring. It wants to remind us of the weight, texture, and simple joy of classic swords-and-sorcery storytelling. It is an experience meant to be savored at your own pace, completely free of stressful quick-time events or complicated controls. You can play the entire thing using just your mouse while relaxing with a hot drink.
The wait to jump into this gorgeous, hand-painted book won’t be long at all. Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle is officially launching on PC via Steam on July 9th, and it will feature full English, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese language support. Go ahead and add this one to your Steam wishlist right now, because handmade passion projects of this caliber do not come around very often.
