Witchroidvania
Witchcrafty is a charming stylised platforming game with Metroidvania-style exploration elements. In a quiet part of the forest where all is quiet goblins and monstrous plants have risen and it is up to you the witch to see who is behind it. From the beginning, the game is cute to boot. The aesthetics are good and animated dialogue boxes do the job of getting the dialogue across. The style is consistent throughout and while I give the game its Merit it isn’t without faults.
You play as a small witch with some great character animations, you have a wand in which you smack your foes while searching, solving puzzles and overcoming platforming segments. Apart from the wand, you will also come across a small abundance of spells used to overcome certain obstacles. The first spell you get for example is a fireball which tears down boxes that are in your way. You can also use them against your enemies but magic is limited to its use until you can restore it.
Witchcrafty depending on your skill can be very tricky to start off with due to your low hit points, even though you start off with four hearts, most of the enemies will take two off every time you get hit, this includes the first boss should you get hit by him making it only possible to beat him with getting hit once. In all fairness, it is quite easy to learn his pattern of attacks so I was able to take him out after a few tries but it does take a few hits to take him down. You do have a double jump and a jump dash at your disposal and a roll which you can use to dodge attacks, these are welcome skills but I found them tricky to execute at times, this is due to the placement of enemies and traps in the stage. Plants can be found on the side of the walls and goblins firing at you from afar giving you literally no space to jump over before getting to them unless a well-timed smack of your wand knocks the arrow down, this felt more like luck than anything and I just find the controls overall were a little delayed or unresponsive.
Collectables in the game include gems which can be found hovering or as a lump that you smash down with your wand. These gems are a currency which is used to buy really expensive items. You will never be able to afford them unless you have done some grinding before which is unlikely unless you were already aware that they are currency. So then ensues a grind of entering and exiting rooms to respawn enemies and collect crystals that may kill you if you mess up.
While the game is fun at times and has some cool spells which are cleverly utilised to overcome objects it’s not something we haven’t seen before. It executes it well enough to keep the game interesting at least. Save points are not as frequent meaning if you die you have to retrace your steps which can be long and daunting. Valuable yellow flowers that restore your health also seem to be infrequent. Water fountains which restore your magic points tend to appear when you need to use a certain spell to overcome an obstacle.
Witchcrafty overall is a basic game that is lacking in some areas, especially story and longevity, but I will say if you want a short Metroid-style platformer you can certainly do much worse than Witchcrafty.
A Nintendo Switch Review Code was provided by Sometimes You
