Shrouded Aspect Launches on Steam: A Celtic-Myth Tactics CRPG With Teeth

Why Shrouded Aspect Caught My Eye

I’m a sucker for tactics games with a strong identity, and Shrouded Aspect immediately pinged my radar for two reasons: it leans into Celtic mythology (which we don’t see nearly as often as Norse or high-fantasy tropes), and it proudly calls itself “combat-first.” After a year where Baldur’s Gate 3 set a new benchmark for narrative-heavy CRPGs, it’s refreshing to see a turn-based title that openly aims to “skip the talkie-talkie” and dive straight into party-building and positioning puzzles. That pitch will either thrill you or turn you off-and honestly, that clarity is a good sign.

• PC on Steam now, $19.99 USD (launching with a 20% discount)
• Turn-based, party tactics with permadeath stakes
• Celtic folklore framing with a 32-scenario campaign
• Combat-first design: fewer cutscenes, more positioning and builds

Key Takeaways

• Shrouded Aspect looks closer to XCOM and LucasArts’ Gladius than Baldur’s Gate 3-expect dense encounters, not sprawling dialogue trees.
• The Celtic setting and “fallen god of death” arc give it character; the question is whether the 32 scenarios evolve meaningfully over time.
• Permadeath and terrain-centric tactics imply real tension; save systems and difficulty tuning will make or break it.
• $19.99 is a smart price for a focused tactics campaign, but “no two playthroughs are the same” is a big claim that needs to be earned.

Breaking Down the Announcement

Developer Gilligames has released Shrouded Aspect on Steam for $19.99, with a launch discount for early adopters. You lead a motley crew-warriors, mystics, vagabonds—through a campaign tied to Despater, a resurrected death god, and Betha, a mysterious girl who might be the key to stopping him. The gameplay loop is clear: recruit region-specific allies, gear up with scavenged kit, and grind through tactical battles where positioning and timing matter.

The studio name may be new to many, but the inspirations aren’t: XCOM’s permadeath anxiety, Gladius’s arena-like tactical cadence, and the broader CRPG nostalgia. The campaign spans 32 scenarios with branching choices, permadeath, and recruitment that varies by region. That structure screams “scenario-driven” more than open-world, which should appeal to players who want bite-sized tactical chapters instead of endless fetch quests.

The Real Pitch: Combat First, Story Second

Gilligames’ founder Todd Gillissie said he sometimes wants to skip the “talkie-talkie.” That’s a deliberate line in the sand. If BG3’s long conversations, cutscenes, and companion drama are your jam, this might feel sparse. But if you’ve bounced off recent CRPGs because the battles were the reward and the roleplay felt like friction, this could hit. The promise of “terrain, timing, and tactical insight” matters: give me overwatch traps, flanking bonuses, line-of-sight mind games, and I won’t miss the 20-minute monologues.

Permadeath raises the stakes, but it also raises questions. Is there an Ironman mode? How generous are autosaves? Can you field backup recruits if you lose a core damage dealer late in the campaign? XCOM-style tactics live and die by risk management, not just raw difficulty. If Shrouded Aspect respects your time with fair checkpoints and clear encounter telegraphing, it could convert a lot of tactics-curious players who found other games too punishing.

Celtic Myth Done Tactics-First

We’ve seen stabs at Celtic and Arthurian vibes before—some ambitious, some messy. The Waylanders chased big RPG ideas but stumbled; King Arthur: Knight’s Tale nailed grim tactical mood. Shrouded Aspect lands closer to the latter’s ethos: myth as texture for the battlefield. Foes pulled from folklore are more interesting than another parade of bandits and goblins, and “tragic beauty” across a dying land is a strong mood for a tactics campaign. The trick is variety. Over 32 scenarios, the game has to keep mixing objectives, environments, and enemy compositions so fights don’t blur together.

“No two playthroughs are the same” is marketing comfort food, but meaningful variance comes from tough choices with lasting consequences: saving a town at the cost of losing a recruiter, or spending rare resources to keep a veteran alive. If those choices ripple into unit availability and encounter difficulty, the replayability claim will hold water. If not, it’s just different dialog boxes on the same fights.

Multiplayer Sounds Spicy—But Is It Sharp?

The press notes “visceral multiplayer battles” where you craft a party and “prepare to die with your friends,” gaining skills and loot even in failure. That reads like co-op or PvE skirmishes rather than PvP, but it’s not crystal clear. Turn-based multiplayer can drag if there’s no turn timer, synchronous netcode, or smart pacing. If Gilligames nailed fast handoffs and progression that actually feeds back into your roster, this could be a quietly excellent side mode. If not, it’ll be a curiosity you try once and forget. I’m hoping for compact, objective-driven maps that finish in 15-20 minutes.

Value Check: Who Should Buy This Now?

At $19.99, the scope sounds right: a focused, scenario-led tactics game with clear systems and replay hooks. If your perfect evening is min-maxing a party through tense, punishing fights, this is an easy wishlist add—and the launch discount sweetens the experiment. If you mainly come to CRPGs for sprawling narrative and romance arcs, the “combat-first” mission statement is your warning label.

Practical advice: watch how the community responds to difficulty spikes, UI clarity, and save options in the first week. If players report cheese tactics, opaque hit calculations, or late-campaign recruitment bottlenecks, that’ll matter more than any lore twist. If the talk is about clever mission designs and heroic last-man stands, we might have a new budget tactics staple.

TL;DR

Shrouded Aspect is a $19.99 tactics-first CRPG with Celtic flair, permadeath tension, and a 32-scenario campaign. If you want sharp, XCOM-style encounters with party progression and minimal fluff, this looks promising. The big unknowns are encounter variety, save rules, and whether multiplayer holds up—but the price and pitch are right for tactics fans.