Codex Lost Review: A Mage-Souls Experience with Equal Parts Promise and Flaws

Developed by Fremanagames and published by Jandusoft, Codex Lost offers something Souls-like fans have long desired: a game entirely centered on magic combat. For the most part, it delivers a broad array of spells, beautiful semi-open world environments to explore, and plenty of challenging enemies and bosses.

However, it's not without its flaws, and experienced Souls-like players will quickly spot some core issues. Despite this, Codex Lost has significant potential and is worth a try, provided you're prepared for both its strengths and shortcomings.

A Magical Librarian on a Quest to Reclaim Overdue Books

The story of Codex Lost is straightforward but effective. You play as the Curator, a chosen individual tasked with retrieving the five Grimoires from their current wielders, who are wreaking havoc with their immense power. These Grimoire holders serve as the game’s bosses, and the simple premise gives players a clear sense of their objectives from the start, which is a definite strength.

As you progress, you'll explore various beautiful locations. While the environments generally look good, beauty is subjective, and there are moments when the scenery can feel washed out or overly dark. This occasionally gives the game a "cheap" feel, but it's not consistent enough to be a major flaw.

Just be aware that if the aesthetic doesn’t appeal to you, it doesn't change much as the game progresses (some later areas even double down on these visual choices).

On your quest to retrieve the Grimoires, you'll meet various well-voiced NPCs, each offering different perspectives on your role as the Curator. This helps immerse you in the world, where you feel awaited and has changed in your absence.

While NPC dialogues contribute to the narrative, much of the lore is conveyed through item descriptions, which can be both a strength and a drawback. If you’re expecting a more direct story, the heavy reliance on flavor text may surprise you, reminiscent of FromSoftware’s approach to storytelling.

Overall, while the story of Codex Lost is simple on the surface, its rich character interactions, lore-filled item descriptions, and varied environments add depth, encouraging players to speculate and explore. So when it comes to lore and storytelling, Codex Lost hits all the familiar marks you'd expect from the genre.

Magic-Centered Combat That Leaves a Lot to Be Desired

The heart of any great Souls-like game is its combat, and Codex Lost raises the bar with its entirely magic-focused system. The Curator can wield a variety of spells, from fire and lightning to geomancy and dark magic, with three types of spells: ranged, close-range, and area-of-effect (AoE). 

As you progress, you'll gather materials and recipes to craft more powerful spells. Combat revolves around casting these spells against your enemies, consuming stamina and mana. The spell effects are visually stunning, and certain spells are more effective against specific enemy types, rewarding strategic thinking. Players can also use The Library to swap spells and better adapt to the area or boss they're facing.

The game also features a deep equipment system. You can upgrade your staff to increase damage or enhance specific types of magic, while gear boosts survivability and magic affinities. Additionally, you have two built-in spells: the Compass, which interacts with objects and guides you via special beacons, and the Shield spell, which uses stamina (not mana) to parry enemy attacks.

Unfortunately, the magic system is hindered by several issues. The character’s movement feels sluggish; while running is fast, walking is slow, and the character feels glued to the ground. This becomes more problematic when enemies are highly aggressive. Casting AoE and projectile spells feels cumbersome due to slow casting speeds, forcing you to create space while enemies close the gap too quickly.

The mana system also exposes weaknesses. Once your mana is depleted, you're essentially defenseless and must retreat to portals to recover. While items like blue mushrooms can restore mana, relying on consumables for such an important resource is problematic.

Scrambling for mushrooms mid-battle, especially during chaotic group fights, feels frustrating. Though mana regenerates, it replenishes so slowly that it feels nearly nonexistent. Parrying or defeating enemies grants small amounts of mana, but even the lowest-cost spells quickly drain it. 

Bosses are less affected by these issues, as you can approach them with full stats from the nearest portal, allowing you to manage your mana effectively if you plan your spells and exploit the boss's weaknesses. However, if you prefer not to rely on a single strategy, using other spells to brute-force encounters can be overly punishing due to movement restrictions and mana limitations. 

Smaller problems, such as the awkward lock-on system (particularly with flying enemies), the cursor-based menu on PC, and inconsistent graphics that shift from blurry to high-quality visuals when loading new areas, also detract from the overall experience, preventing the game from fully achieving the grand adventure it sets out to offer. As a result, Codex Lost leaves a sense of unfulfilled potential, with flashes of greatness in every spell, area, and combat encounter, but ultimately failing to meet expectations.

Codex Lost is Promising But Very Rough Around the Edges

At first glance, I wouldn’t have confidently recommended Codex Lost due to its issues, especially for players new to the genre. However, I can’t, in good conscience, write this game off, and neither should you. Yes, there are many problems across the board, but none of them are truly game-breaking. Instead, they leave you thinking, "Man, if this was just a little tighter, it would be epic."

It’s easy to subconsciously compare Codex Lost to other Souls-like games we’ve played (I know I did), but we have to keep in mind that those games were backed by large studios. Codex Lost, on the other hand, is the work of a single developer, with a small team contributing voice acting and music. Despite this, it delivers a lot and shows remarkable potential with its rich magic system, captivating world, and a premise that feels truly unique.

As long as you're aware that the game is still in its early stages and expect some frustrating moments, you'll likely appreciate its fresh and unique take on the Soulslike genre. So If you enjoy magic systems and magic-focused builds and can overlook some of the game's unpolished aspects, Codex Lost is worth the price of entry (and it's easy on the wallet, too).