In Whisper of the Eyeless, you get to play the villain of the story.
There are a ton of upcoming games being featured in Steam Next Fest’s October 2024 edition, and plenty of potential gems that players may miss out on.
One such game with a demo available is Whisper of the Eyeless, a Kickstarter by Venris, the developer of one of the most downloaded Total War: Warhammer III mods, SFO.
We had the opportunity to play the game right before Steam Next Fest officially launched, and we saw bits and pieces of what could potentially be an entertaining experience for specific audiences.
Whisper of the Eyeless is a dark fantasy RPG inspired by Darkest Dungeon, Loop Hero, Children of Morta, and Polish culture — except here, you’re more of a villain.
In Whisper of the Eyeless, you are the prophet of the New Age of Whispers. The old gods have been forsaken, with many believing them dead, but they are far from gone and crave a new following. Your mission is to infiltrate the city, spreading their dark message as you recruit members into your growing sect. As your influence expands, you upgrade your temple and delve into the depths of shadowy dungeons, striving to bring about a new age of darkness.
In the demo, players can experience around an hour of gameplay, featuring a brief tutorial, core mechanics, five quests (including a glimpse of the main storyline), and three distinct character classes tied to different starting paths.
The game features a dark, comic-inspired art style with a muted, sepia-toned palette, perfectly capturing its grim atmosphere. Its turn-based combat system is layered with multiple skill trees, offering hundreds of skills, powers, items, and locations to discover, explore, and acquire.
The art style primarily features mundane colours and sepia tones, keeping to the “dark theme,” like you've just opened some scrolls when you explore a dungeon. Don't expect smooth, slick moves during combat too, as it's meant to be played like a board game coming alive. this may be a bit dragging for some players who like fast-paced action.
Gameplay
Whisper of the Eyeless revolves around three primary gameplay loops: dungeon crawling, exploration, and cult management, each offering a distinct experience while interweaving into the game’s overall progression.
Dungeon Crawling: Earning Money and Influence
Dungeon crawling is the primary method for players to gain money and influence. Players equip themselves with blessings from the old gods and delve into dungeons. This segment plays out like a choose-your-own-adventure game, with turn-based combat peppered throughout.
Players can explore the dungeon as deeply as they want, but the further they go, the more difficult it becomes. The risk is high, but so are the rewards—the deeper you delve, the better the loot. However, dying on a run causes players to lose favour, so careful planning is crucial before venturing too far.
Exploration: Point-and-Click with Consequences
Exploration occurs between dungeon runs, offering a point-and-click style of gameplay where players can encounter combat, discover treasures, or recruit new members who grant valuable passive skills. These events often present choices that impact the progression of the story, so every decision matters. Whether you’re faced with moral dilemmas or strategic decisions, choices directly influence the progression of your journey.
Before entering combat, players can activate specific blessings to gain stat boosts or special effects. In combat, you select two actions per turn—based on skills or items you’ve gathered—alongside a passive effect. The combat itself feels much like a board game, where instead of dice rolling, random encounters drive the narrative forward. The strategic depth lies in predicting and analysing the opponent's stats and actions, turning each fight into a tactical puzzle rather than a simple button-mashing affair.
At first, the game presents a challenging difficulty curve, but as players explore the city of Aranthor, they gain new skills and combat options, steadily growing in power. With hundreds of skills, powers, items, and upgrades available, character customisation and meta-building feel richly rewarding.
Cult Management: Building Influence
The cult management system adds another layer to the game, reminiscent of Cult of the Lamb. As the prophet and cult leader, players recruit followers, renovate their sanctuary, and maintain the morale of their growing cult. Players can build new structures, upgrade existing ones, and assign cultists to various jobs, such as resource gathering or recruitment.
This management phase significantly affects how efficiently players can grow their influence over the city. Starting with a rundown cave and a few followers, the player’s goal is to gradually expand into the wealthier districts until they can claim complete control of Aranthor.
While the gameplay can be enjoyable, the overall tone of the game is extremely dark and may not appeal to everyone. After all, the plot revolves around an unhinged cult leader. For example, at one point during the demo, we encountered a desolate woman and chose the option to “Save her soul.” Instead of relief or gratitude, the woman screamed in agony and burned away completely.
However, if that doesn’t put you off, and you want to experience what it’s like to be on the villainous side, Whisper of the Eyeless has the potential to be a time sink. You can easily get engrossed in accumulating skills and blessings and improving your cult and sanctuary, all with the main goal of dominating the city of Aranthor.
In conclusion, Whisper of the Eyeless is a rough-around-the-edges game that will likely interest board game enthusiasts, strategists, and those who enjoy playing from the villain’s perspective. However, it’s not for players who prefer cosy, upbeat games, fast-paced action, or flashy visuals.
Whisper of the Eyeless is expected to be released in Q4 2024, and the demo is now available for download during October 2024’s rendition of Steam Next Fest.