Codex Lost

A very ambitious Action RPG, focused on magic and spell casting with lots of items, content and areas to explore.

Yeah its bad... was very hyped for this game did some research into it and finally decided to get it. Extremely janky, laggy, freezes constantly. Combat is the worst part claims to be souls like but combat feels like an old point and click MMORPG, no lock on and the ranged attack randomly shoots different places its just not good do not buy this game.

movement looks off and makes me dizzy which is a first for me. You have to close the game via task manger, hitting alt f4 or force close it in steam because hitting the Esc button does nothing in this game, its like they want to trap you in the game and its not even early access this is full release. Most likely going to return it this... This game is bizarre to say the least.

not recommended at the current state or at least only in sale - but has potential. just frustration for me. In all games, I play a mage. I skip most games where I can't be sth. like a mage. I really like soulslikes. So this looked really promising. But: I did not find out to go home to level. Memory-Stones seem to be unidirectional. And: the combat is clunky af. my favourite is when you dont get any feedback that you have been hit (you might have used your shield but that doesnt always help). you will get stuck somewhere and enemies can just destroy you. Of course, given enough patience, you can probably master that clunkyness especially with parrying and sometimes evasion. maybe I give it another try when I am desperate enough.

Codex Lost is an action RPG developed by Freemana and published by JanduSoft that blends open-world exploration, challenging combat, and an extensive spellcrafting system into a dark fantasy adventure. Inspired by the demanding nature of Souls-like games but determined to establish its own identity, the title shifts much of its focus away from conventional swordplay and toward magical experimentation. The result is an experience that rewards curiosity, strategic thinking, and perseverance while offering players considerable freedom in how they approach both combat and character development. The game's story unfolds in a world that has fallen into ruin following the disappearance of powerful magical tomes that once maintained order throughout the realm. Civilization has fractured, ancient powers have awakened, and dangerous rulers now threaten what remains of the world. Players assume the role of the Curator, a figure entrusted with recovering the lost knowledge contained within these legendary grimoires. While the narrative follows familiar fantasy themes involving corruption, forgotten civilizations, and the struggle to restore balance, it succeeds in creating a compelling backdrop for exploration and progression. One of the game's strongest features is its world design. Rather than leading players through a strictly linear sequence of levels, Codex Lost presents a large interconnected environment filled with hidden locations, dangerous enemies, secret pathways, and valuable rewards. Exploration is consistently encouraged because valuable discoveries can dramatically influence a character's strength and capabilities. Every ruined fortress, forgotten temple, and remote wilderness area has the potential to contain something useful, whether it be equipment, lore, resources, or powerful magical components. The atmosphere of the world deserves particular praise. The environments are steeped in decay and mystery, creating the impression of a kingdom that has long since passed its golden age. Ancient structures stand abandoned, remnants of lost civilizations can be found scattered across the landscape, and danger seems to lurk around every corner. This environmental storytelling helps create a believable setting without relying heavily on lengthy exposition. Players gradually uncover the world's history through observation and exploration, which adds depth to the overall experience. Combat is where Codex Lost differentiates itself from many of its inspirations. While timing, positioning, and stamina management remain important, the game's true focus lies in magic. Players can craft, modify, and combine spells to create personalized combat styles. This emphasis on magical customization gives the gameplay a distinct identity and allows for a remarkable amount of experimentation. Rather than forcing players into predetermined archetypes, the game encourages them to discover combinations that suit their preferences. The spellcrafting system is arguably the centerpiece of the entire experience. Through exploration and progression, players gain access to numerous magical abilities that can be mixed and refined in different ways. Offensive spells, defensive enchantments, elemental effects, and utility powers all contribute to a flexible progression system. The ability to create unique spell combinations adds a layer of creativity rarely seen in similar action RPGs and ensures that combat remains engaging throughout the adventure. Resource gathering and crafting further enhance character progression. Defeated enemies and hidden locations provide materials that can be used to improve magical abilities and equipment. This system creates a satisfying gameplay loop where exploration leads to stronger tools, stronger tools enable survival against tougher enemies, and new victories unlock additional opportunities for growth. Every aspect of progression feels interconnected, reinforcing the importance of engaging with all of the game's systems. The challenge level remains consistently demanding. Enemies hit hard, boss encounters require patience, and careless mistakes are often punished severely. Victory depends on understanding enemy behavior, managing resources effectively, and utilizing the right abilities at the right time. While the difficulty may initially feel intimidating, it creates a strong sense of accomplishment whenever a difficult obstacle is finally overcome. Players who enjoy mastering mechanics and learning through failure will likely find the challenge rewarding rather than frustrating. Boss battles are among the most memorable highlights of the adventure. These encounters test every aspect of a player's build and understanding of the combat system. Each major opponent presents unique attack patterns and tactical challenges that force players to adapt their strategies. Success often requires careful preparation, thoughtful spell selection, and precise execution. Defeating these powerful foes provides some of the game's most satisfying moments. Visually, Codex Lost delivers an attractive presentation despite its independent origins. The dark fantasy environments are varied enough to maintain interest, and the spell effects create impressive displays during combat. Magical attacks feel powerful thanks to strong visual feedback, while environmental details help establish the mood of a world on the brink of collapse. Although the game does not possess the production values of major AAA releases, its artistic direction compensates by creating a distinctive and immersive atmosphere. The game's pacing benefits greatly from its open-ended structure. Players can often choose their own path, deciding which areas to explore and which challenges to tackle first. This freedom helps create a genuine sense of adventure and prevents progression from feeling overly restrictive. The world invites experimentation, rewarding players who venture beyond obvious objectives in search of hidden opportunities. There are, however, some limitations. Certain aspects of the game reveal the constraints of its development budget, and occasional rough edges can be found in both presentation and mechanics. Some players may also find the difficulty discouraging, especially during the early stages when resources and abilities are limited. Additionally, while the lore is intriguing, the narrative often takes a secondary role to exploration and combat, which may leave story-focused players wanting more. Despite these shortcomings, Codex Lost succeeds because of its ambition and creativity. The game takes familiar action RPG foundations and enhances them with a robust spellcrafting system that encourages experimentation and personal expression. Combined with rewarding exploration and challenging encounters, this creates an experience that feels distinct within an increasingly crowded genre. Codex Lost is a rewarding dark fantasy RPG that offers meaningful customization, satisfying progression, and a world filled with secrets to uncover. Its focus on magical combat provides a refreshing alternative to more traditional action RPGs, while its challenging encounters ensure that success always feels earned. Although it may not reach the polish of larger productions, its strengths far outweigh its weaknesses, making it a worthwhile adventure for players who enjoy exploration, experimentation, and demanding gameplay. Rating: 7/10

Played for a little bit, here's my general impressions: 1. The UI is atrocious. I'm sick of black backgrounds with some vaguely fantasy ALL CAPS white text. Not only that, the UI is hot garbage with a controller. As in, you cannot select an option in the settings hot garbage. 2. The enemy attacks are really strange. They run up to you all like "ooooh I'm gonna getcha" and then they their attack comes out within a couple of frames. It's not a huge deal since the parry timing is fairly generous, but yeah. 3. FOR THE LOVE OF ♥♥♥♥. And this goes to any developer of a melee combat game where lock-on is a feature. If an enemy walks up to you, TILT THE ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ CAMERA UPWARDS SO THAT THE PLAYER CAN SEE WHAT THE ♥♥♥♥ IS GOING ON. This goes doubly so for this game where there are spell effects out the ass. 4. The combat is okay. Floaty, janky, but I can live with it. The hit stun effects could be improved here. 5. I like the level design. Feels reminiscent of of the Demon's Souls/Dark Souls era. Couple other things that irk me - the "settings" are laughable. You got your typical UE post-processing garbage that tries to mask the horrid visuals and you have to go fiddling with `.ini` files in order to fix this. Also why is the lighting so overblown? The dynamic range needs to be reigned in a little here. All told it's a very promising game but I don't think it's worth more than €20. Perhaps if the devs fix the UI, the settings, and other little grievances this could become a little cult classic.

Hey dev, hope you see this. I was absolutely obsessed with your game. It is such a masterpiece and it is wild to me that it sits at mixed right now. I loved that you leaned into a mage playthrough and it WORKED. Not being too easy or hard, and having to rpg/customize your approach to certain areas. Really incentivizing you to explore all the spell trees rather than just sticking to a few favorites. I was constantly in awe of the scale of the world and art direction despite obviously being indie. It was hard to fathom how one guy put it all together. I also think you did an amazing job recreating the dark souls 1 approach that is so abandoned by many souls games these days (areas looping on themselves). Some feedback, since I know you often asked for it on forums/reddit. I'm really excited for the sequel, but with me hearing it is going to have fleshed out melee content I do hope that you keep the series magic first identity and that melee is in most builds, a supplement. For example, it could be used to restore mana kind of like the manaless burst spell in each skill tree. There are more soulslikes each day that focus on crunchy melee content. Feedback - I hope you stick to using perfect blacks it made the game beautiful on OLED screens, even if I know so many people wined about it in reviews (magelight to be fair I didn't get access to until right before the last boss). Some areas got a little too confusing for their own good (notably too many exits in and around the castle area). I didn't love the platformy stuff toward endgame (dritholith, light lake). I think the endgame would have been more rewarding leaning into unique combat challenges for this area. Also the gimmick boss nature of the dritholith wasn't so fun. Idk what the control scheme is like for the new game...but I always wished on controller we could have more than 4 quick access... 8 if we used both triggers. Just overall was so glad I gave this game a try. Kudos to you. An absolutely incredible journey.

The lower budget 3d visuals actually give this game a very unique vibe, like a cartoon from a parallel reality. I found it challenging but really wanted to keep trying to beat the level. It's pretty good and it's a breath of fresh air that you're not a sword-swinging warrior for once.

The lack of a map and online community make the game unplayable. I even sourced a 'sort' of map from Reddit. This thing is literally a work of art, but the diagram just proves how ridiculous the level design is. I have been playing for hours and encountered 1 boss. The game could have been very good, but you simply end up walking around in circles. I am gutted, because I thought this game would be brilliant - it is ruined by the lack of basic fundamentals for game of this genre. If I could get a refund I would, but sadly, I do not qualify. This is coming from someone who has completed, and pumped hours into, all the 'proper' souls-likes out there.

A good game that could've been great. If you want to spend some time with a mix-up of Soulslike formula with focus on magic, this is the game for you. To keep it short, this game remidnds me of Dark Souls 2, for better and for worse. On one hand it's interesting and fun, with the spells being all distinct enough to be interesting but not so different as to be unintuitive, with excellent level design and the sheer scope being nothing short of outstanding for an indie game with one main guy. On the other, the scope is exactly the reson why this game falls short. The artstyle and enviroments are okay, with great ideas being let down by the execution - the mobs and locations aren't really pretty or eye-catching, just functional. The same could be said of the story, the music and some gameplay choices. It's not bad enough to be noticeable, but it's not what it could've been with a bigger team either. Then again, this game feels like it had a lot of love put into it. As I said, the level and location design are excellent and I never once got tired of it. There's just so much here to experience and explore and if nothing else, that alone deserves praise. I hope the dev keeps making games, maybe with a bit of a smaller scope, maybe with a bigger team. There's a lot of potential here, and while Codex Lost is not exactly the stellar soulslike to recomend, I still enjoyed myself all the way.