Here’s a game that purports to be a “reading-style fantasy adventure in the spirit of The Never-Ending Story.” Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle, from the duo of 15 Industry and Digitalis Publishing, will be coming to Steam fairly soon. Here is what a press release has to say about Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle. “Once you open this book, you are no longer just a reader. As you turn the pages, you’ll make choices, face down enemies, and grow.” I.M. Meen tried that trick decades ago, and it didn’t turn out well for him.

“You can charge in with a sword in hand, talk your way out of danger, or simply ignore it and keep walking. Every choice you make and every roll of the dice changes the way the world responds to you. Six years in the making. Three hundred illustrations. All drawn by a single hand. Yoshio Nishimura, a 30-year veteran of the games industry from Vanillaware (Odin Sphere, Dragon’s Crown, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim), spent six years in a remote Japanese mountain village crafting this game on his own.” Good on him for being able to focus for that long!

“Every single one of the 300+ illustrations was drawn by his own hand. No generative AI was used at any stage.” It’s both depressing that things like that have to be clearly stated nowadays, and yet still appreciated when game developers bother to clarify whether or not their game uses generative AI. Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle presents itself as “a return to the roots of fantasy, waiting to be rediscovered.” That’s a rather bold claim, but my interest is piqued. “Beneath the fantasy worlds we celebrate today lie the game books and tabletop RPGs that first gave them form.”

“Veritas Tales returns to that moment — to the true weight and texture of swords, sorcery, and rolls of the dice. Savor once again what we first called fantasy, on pages that remember how it all began.” Well, I’m glad the pages can remember that far back, because I certainly can’t. In any case, Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle will be launching on Steam on July 9th, 2026, barring any unforeseen issues. There’s currently no word as to pricing or additional platforms, but you can wishlist Veritas Tales on Steam now if you want to receive updates about it.

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