{"rewrite":{"id":"r_c831e3fc3083603debaed8e4","clusterId":"c_041c273fe9a805555ade1e24","slug":"veritas-tales-witch-of-the-dark-castle-launches-on-steam-after-6-year-development","model":"deepseek-v4-flash","headline":"Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle Launches on Steam After 6-Year Development","summary":"Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle, a reading-type fantasy RPG, launched on Steam on July 9, 2026. The game is the work of Yoshio Nishimura, a veteran illustrator and background artist who previously worked on Monster Hunter at Capcom and Odin Sphere and Dragon's Crown at Vanillaware. Nishimura spent six years developing the game while farming in the mountains of Nara, creating over 300 hand-drawn illustrations without generative AI. The game features a gamebook-style format where players read pages, make choices, and roll dice to determine outcomes. It supports combat, negotiation, and avoidance as approaches to obstacles. The text volume exceeds 300,000 characters, estimated playtime is over 20 hours, and a New Game Plus mode is included. Music is provided by Basiscape, led by Hitoshi Sakimoto (Final Fantasy Tactics, 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim). The regular price is 1,980 yen with a 10% launch discount for two weeks. A demo covering the first 30 minutes is available and has received a Very Positive rating on Steam. Full monetization of streams and videos is permitted for individuals and corporations.","whyItMatters":"The game represents a rare solo project from a high-profile background artist whose work defined the visual identity of major Vanillaware titles, now delivering a hand-drawn, gamebook-style RPG that deliberately contrasts with the scale of modern AAA productions.","webCardHtml":"\u003cp\u003eThe demo version of Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle, which covers the first 30 minutes of the full game, has been available on Steam since an earlier date and holds a Very Positive user rating. The full release supports Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and English text. The game consciously references the gamebook and tabletop RPG roots of modern fantasy works such as Elden Ring, Baldur\u0026#39;s Gate 3, and Delicious in Dungeon, aiming to recreate the original weight of sword-and-sorcery gameplay. Creator Yoshio Nishimura, who spent over 30 years in the industry as a background art chief, settled in the small mountain village of Soni in Nara after leaving Vanillaware. He developed the game in isolation while farming, drawing all 300-plus illustrations by hand. The music was composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto and his studio Basiscape, whose credits include Final Fantasy Tactics, Vagrant Story, and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. The publisher 15 Industry has encouraged streaming and video creation, allowing monetization by both individuals and corporations, with a request that viewers experience the branching story themselves rather than relying solely on playthroughs.\u003c/p\u003e","blueskyPost":"In Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle, petting a mouse can kill a veteran warrior instantly. The game is a reading-type RPG from a former Vanillaware artist, now out on Steam.","twitterPost":"Yoshio Nishimura, background artist for Odin Sphere and Dragon's Crown, spent six years farming in Nara and hand-drawing 300+ illustrations for his gamebook RPG. It's out now on Steam.","threadsPost":null,"newsletterBlurb":"Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle, a reading-type RPG from former Vanillaware artist Yoshio Nishimura, launched on Steam. The six-year solo project features over 300 hand-drawn illustrations, a gamebook-style branching narrative, and music by Hitoshi Sakimoto's Basiscape. A demo is available with a Very Positive rating.","attributionJson":"[{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/kikakuthetower/2607093b\",\"title\":\"A craftsman from Vanillaware spent 6 years making a 'reading-style' RPG 'Veritastales: The Witch of the Dark Castle' with too much freedom. Check the toilet and get weakened, pet a rat and get bitten to death. This is an RPG!\"},{\"source\":\"Denfaminicogamer\",\"url\":\"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/news/260709v\",\"title\":\"Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle, a 'reading-type' RPG by a former Vanillaware craftsman made over six years, launches on Steam. Experience 'your own adventure' where you can fight with brawn, negotiate with words, or simply pass by.\"}]","lintFlagsJson":null,"lintHits":0,"costUsd":0,"inputTokens":8258,"outputTokens":1964,"status":"published","repairAttempts":0,"nextRepairAt":null,"factsAttemptedAt":1783580376,"createdAt":"2026-07-09T06:50:28.000Z","publishedAt":"2026-07-09T06:52:28.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-09T06:50:28.000Z"},"cluster":{"id":"c_041c273fe9a805555ade1e24","canonicalTitle":"ヴァニラウェア出身の職人が6年かけて作った“読書型”RPG『ヴェリタステイルズ：暗黒城の魔女』がSteamで発売開始。脳筋で殴り合うも、口先で交渉するも、通り過ぎるも自由の「あなた自身の冒険」が味わえる","representativeArticleId":"a_9c0fcced4cbf6a412fc00db9","sourceCount":2,"writtenSourceCount":1,"writeAttempts":0,"isSolo":false,"entitiesJson":"{\"anime_titles\":[],\"manga_titles\":[],\"work_titles\":[\"Veritas Tales: The Witch of the Dark Castle\"],\"studios\":[\"Vanillaware\"],\"people\":[],\"type\":\"release\",\"domain\":\"games\",\"is_roundup\":false}","contentType":"news","status":"published","firstSeenAt":"2026-07-09T03:00:03.000Z","lastSeenAt":"2026-07-09T03:00:57.000Z","updatedAt":"2026-07-09T08:18:00.000Z"},"attribution":[{"source":"Denfaminicogamer","url":"https://news.denfaminicogamer.jp/kikakuthetower/2607093b","title":"ヴァニラウェア出身の職人が6年かけて作った“読書型”RPG『暗黒城の魔女』の自由度が高すぎる。トイレを調べて弱体化、ネズミを撫でたら噛まれて死ぬ。これぞRPG！"},{"source":"Game Spark","url":"http://www.gamespark.jp/article/2026/07/09/169029.html","title":"ヴァニラウェア出身、業界30年のクリエイターが6年以上の歳月をかけた“ゲームブック風”ファンタジーADV『ヴェリタステイルズ：暗黒城の魔女』本日7月9日より発売開始"}],"entities":{"anime_titles":[],"manga_titles":[],"work_titles":["Veritas Tales: The Witch of the Dark Castle"],"studios":["Vanillaware"],"people":[],"type":"release","domain":"games","is_roundup":false},"keyFacts":["Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle was released on Steam on July 9, 2026.","The game was created by Yoshio Nishimura, a former Vanillaware background artist with over 30 years in the industry.","All 300-plus illustrations in the game are hand-drawn, with no generative AI used.","The text volume exceeds 300,000 characters, and estimated playtime is over 20 hours.","Music is by Basiscape, led by Hitoshi Sakimoto, composer for Final Fantasy Tactics and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim."]}