Former Capcom Dev Spends Six Years in a Mountain Village Making a Choose Your Own Adventure RPG
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
Former Capcom and Vanillaware developer Yoshio Nishimura spent six years in a remote Japanese mountain village creating Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle, a handmade choose your own adventure RPG launching on Steam this July.
Most modern games are built in fluorescent office parks or through massive remote coordination, but one upcoming indie project took a distinctly analogue route to development. Former Capcom and Vanillaware developer Yoshio Nishimura spent six years living in a remote Japanese mountain village, tending fields and crafting games in quiet isolation. The result of that massive lifestyle shift is Veritas Tales: Witch of the Dark Castle, a gorgeous choose your own adventure RPG that wears its tabletop inspirations on its sleeve. As reported by Rock Paper Shotgun, the game frames your entire journey around the pages of a physical adventure book, complete with a dedicated character sheet, health tracking, and inventory management.
What makes the project stand out in an era dominated by rapid automated generation is its strict commitment to human artistry. Every single illustration in Veritas Tales was drawn by Nishimura himself without a drop of generative AI, giving the project a distinctly tactile and handmade soul. That pedigree runs deep, considering Nishimura previously served as chief background artist on the Monster Hunter series and worked on titles like Odin Sphere and 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim. To round out the production, the soundtrack is being handled by legendary composer Hitoshi Sakimoto, best known for his unforgettable work on Final Fantasy Tactics and Final Fantasy 12.
For players who grew up on classic gamebooks and tabletop sessions, this release bridges the gap between old school imagination and modern design sensibilities. It is a refreshing antidote to the endless churn of live service monetization and crunch culture, proving that passion projects can still find a massive audience across the PC community. You can already wishlist the game on Steam ahead of its July 9 launch, making it an easy addition to your summer rotation if you are looking for a story driven experience with genuine artistic integrity.
Tags: Indie Games, RPG, Steam, PC Gaming, Tabletop
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun