Yuri Dungeon Crawler 'Witch & Lilies' Released in Early Access
Stromatosoft has launched the yuri-themed dungeon crawler RPG Witch & Lilies in early access on Steam. Successfully crowdfunded on Japan’s Campfire platform in 2022, the game garnered 21,068,690 JPY from 2,417 backers, surpassing its goal by an astounding 2106% and meeting most of its stretch goals. These stretch goals included additional features, voice acting, and new character classes.
Gameplay and Unique Features
Witch & Lilies is designed as a traditional 3D dungeon crawler, where players form a party of five characters to explore dungeons. A unique twist is that the relationships between characters directly impact their performance in battles. These relationships are influenced not only by in-battle actions but also by time spent together on dates when returning to town. Positive relationships can enhance battle performance, with characters becoming lovers and unlocking combination attacks. Conversely, negative interactions can build displeasure, hampering the team's effectiveness. Interestingly, characters can simultaneously hold affection and displeasure towards each other, reflecting complex love-hate dynamics.

Visualizing Relationships
Character relationships are visualized using a diagram where affection is depicted as pink hearts and displeasure as broken hearts. Characters can develop affection for multiple party members, potentially leading to intricate and jealousy-laden relationships.
Early Access and Community Engagement
Although Witch & Lilies is still in early access, it already features the complete main story campaign and most of the major elements. The early access phase aims to address bugs, balance issues, and gather player feedback for quality of life improvements. The developers have been actively engaging with the community, especially through the official Discord channel, implementing many player-suggested features and changes.
Witch & Lilies promises a captivating blend of traditional dungeon crawling and intricate character dynamics, setting it apart in the RPG genre. As the game evolves with community input, it aims to offer an increasingly refined and engaging experience for players.