Everything you would anticipate from a fairy game, yet slightly off-putting. That is how the designers of the current game characterise their most recent creations. Witchcrafty by PigeonDev, a magical platformer with some Metroidvania characteristics, was released earlier this month. This will be the second game by the same developer that I review, but it’s the first one on PC! I started playing PigeonDev’s Dungeons & Bombs about a year ago, but I wasn’t too impressed. But what about a vibrant, original pixel art game? This one sounds like it would be just up my alley, so I’m eager to give it a shot!
Most Memorable Moment
I’m afraid things aren’t going well so far. Unfortunately, my most vivid memory does not involve anything positive. I encountered the Goblin Twins, which presented me with a significant obstacle. You have to defeat The Goblin Twins, a sort of boss battle, to advance in Witchcrafty. I had suffered more deaths than I’d want to count before I could finally taste success! If not for the greatest problem I ran through in this game, those nasty goblins would have both perished with just two more hits. The goblin suddenly froze and stopped being vulnerable to my strikes. Yes, I was forced to redo the combat after entering the menu. Then, IT OCCURRED AGAIN.
The moment I was about to slay the second goblin, everything froze once more. After the third occurrence, I simply stopped playing the game. I’m sorry, but if the glitch prevents me from moving forward three times, I’m just done. Of course, I wanted to see the conclusion, so I did watch a YouTube playthrough. However, this has not been a fantastic experience.
What we Liked!
- Witchcrafty’s art style is without a doubt one of its strongest features. The game also needs a good soundtrack. Work nicely done, since the cute and vibrant pixel art fits well with the witchy and magical image the game is seeking to express. Just enough detail is present in the kingdom’s scenery and characters for you to fully appreciate the effort put into the graphical style. I was completely smitten with the game’s unnamed tiny witch character. The player will adore her because of her eccentric and adorable personality, her pink hair, and her huge purple hat. You’re sure to like it more when a lively, arcade-style soundtrack is added to the mix. I promise the music will bring back memories for you! There are no complaints in this area regarding the sound effects because they were perfectly in place and nearly exactly matched your expectations.
- Challenging gameplay | The overall gameplay is enjoyable but difficult. I discovered that I enjoyed running around the realm and encountering different goodies. You begin with a straightforward wand and 4 lives. You can use the such wand to kick your opponent in the nuts, and I actually used it the most throughout the entire game. Also encountered while exploring the realm are mystical stones. You gain access to the power these stones contain when you activate them. Like the first power, which was a straightforward fireball to defeat foes or smash wooden boxes. You can gather a variety of magical attacks. Of course, you could also run through the battles. The Metroidvania aspect of the game lets you go back and find passages you couldn’t previously reach. I realised that I was doing very little backtracking, but I didn’t mind because moving forward was enjoyable. Along with monsters, you’ll encounter helpful NPCs like a girl with a fast-travelling broom and a dwarf selling treasures. He offers for sale pieces of the witch’s soul and the forest heart (these two shards can also be found in the wild). Both have a function. You can increase your health hearts by collecting forest heart shards, and your magic power will increase by collecting witch soul shards. These shards cost 250 diamonds each to purchase from our dwarf friend. Gem gathering is done all along your path because they are all around you. I liked the concept, and every gameplay component fit in perfectly.
Mixed Feelings
- Enemy variety | A little disconcerting was the lack of variation in the enemies. Witchcrafty is a rather short game, but there was definitely room for more variety. I had hoped that every new region would introduce the player to a wide variety of new foes, but most of the time, adversaries were repeated throughout the various environments. Of course, there were some more adversaries, like the small ghost in the castle, but frequently, foes had somewhat different appearances but the same gameplay mechanics and behaviours, so they didn’t feel all that different.
- A little more magic please | I talked about running into magical stones and using their energy. Although this sounds excellent in theory, the various magical abilities you acquire feel constrained. Lightning, icy assaults, firebolts, etc. Although they may sound distinct, they actually all felt the same. I therefore mostly employed my wand as a melee weapon. They could have benefitted from a little bit more magic, in my opinion. Also not always very mystical was the kingdom itself. There were numerous dead ends, which occasionally became irksome, but overall it was alright. It took me some time to realise that the game had a map because it isn’t mentioned, but it was useful.
- Rushed story | The game begins with a brief introduction. You then enter the vibrant realm of witchcrafty. After a protracted snooze, a nameless witch awakens but is troubled by the bizarre dream she just had. The first chapter, “the girl who overslept,” begins as you step outdoors. Your hamlet has been assaulted by vile goblins in the world in which you have just awoken. It doesn’t take long to see that the kingdom is experiencing an odd situation. Goblins have been detected in the mines, the kingdom’s inhabitants are at war, and the woodlands are full of lethal plants. You embark on a mission to discover the origin of the corruption plaguing the forest after speaking with the Highest. Although the plot seems rather straightforward, it is intriguing enough to make you want to know more. Additionally, there is humour injected into the dialogue to keep you reading. Nevertheless, despite the entertaining dialogues, you may grow bored of the game as you advance. Everything seems a little incomplete. And since a reoccurring bug prevented me from finishing the game, I had to watch a gameplay video to see how it ended. And to be completely honest, I felt a little underwhelmed by the conclusion and story because they seemed to be rushed.
What we DislikedBugs putting a damper on the magic | A fantastic gaming experience free of bugs—there is nothing more magical, am I right? Yes, in the case of Witchcrafty, scratch that. Some unpleasant bugs in this small game kept popping up when you least expected them to. I had to restart the Goblin Twin boss fight several times, and I eventually had to end the game there since I was unable to get beyond them, as I said in the most memorable moment. As you may imagine, it’s somewhat irritating. There were a few similar flaws that prevented the game from functioning properly. Then there were some problems with the controller. Although most of the time the platforming went easily, I frequently found myself on ledges when I certainly shouldn’t have been able to stand that far.
