The Secret of Velmora
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About The Secret of Velmora
The Secret of Velmora is a narrative-driven indie adventure game developed by Zbigniew Lipka and released on PC on November 19, 2025. Set in a decaying, gothic-inspired village, it centers on a stolen artifact and a cryptic mystery beneath the earth. Players take on the role of a nameless protagonist piecing together fragmented memories to uncover what happened to the village and its people. The game leans heavily into atmospheric exploration and puzzle-solving, with a focus on environmental storytelling. Its minimalist design and cryptic lore make it feel like a love letter to classic point-and-click adventures with a modern twist. Best for players who enjoy slow-burn mysteries and hauntingly beautiful settings.
Gameplay
The Secret of Velmora plays out like a walking simulator with purpose. You move through hand-painted environments by clicking to navigate, interacting with objects and dialogue options to advance the story. Puzzles are logic-based, often requiring you to recall earlier details or manipulate items like ancient tomes and crumbling machinery. The game’s core loop revolves around exploration, every room, shadowy alcove, and flickering lantern feels like a clue. Combat is absent entirely, replaced by tense moments of stealth or choice-based interactions that shape the narrative. Sessions often involve backtracking once new areas open, which can feel repetitive but ties back to the game’s theme of memory. Controls are simple but occasionally laggy, and the lack of a map can make orientation frustrating.
What Players Think
The PlayPile community gives The Secret of Velmora a 4.1/5 rating, with 87% of players finishing the base story. Average playtime is 12.5 hours, though 23% of completions include 100% achievement runs. Community moods are split: 62% label it “eerie,” 31% “curious,” and 7% “frustrated.” Critics praise its “haunting atmosphere and clever lore callbacks” but note “uneven pacing and unclear objectives.” On forums, one player wrote, “It’s like solving a murder mystery where the clues are buried in the wallpaper.” The game’s 50 achievements include obscure tasks like “Find the Hidden Glyph in the Crypt” and “Mistake the Wrong Path Three Times.” Completion rates drop sharply after the third act, with 41% of players abandoning it due to vague directions.
PlayPile's Take
The Secret of Velmora is worth playing if you’re patient with its deliberate pacing and enjoy figuring out mysteries through environmental storytelling. Priced at $29.99, it offers decent value for its 10, 15 hour runtime, though the $10 discount on sale days is hard to ignore. The 50 achievements add replayability but aren’t essential to enjoy the core experience. It’s not for everyone, those who prefer clear objectives or fast action will chafe at its ambiguity. But for fans of games like Oxenfree or Firewatch, Velmora’s eerie charm and layered narrative make it a memorable, if flawed, indie gem.
Game Modes
Single player
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