The Knight Witch Review: A magical twist on the genre — lean and engaging

I have a soft spot in my heart for a game with a good twist. A narrative twist that draws you deeper into the story than you’d otherwise like to go. the witch knight It’s one of those games, one that I wasn’t very interested in initially but that eventually won me over.

The Knight Witch is a 2D Metroidvania packed with light bullet hellish action. Follow the adventures of Rayne, the fifth member of a group of powerful magical warriors who gained infamy by saving the world’s population from extinction, driving them into hiding after a grueling battle with technologically advanced golems.

Starting off, the game is slow and didn’t really rub off on me. The initial premise, a typical magical girl tale where a green (but passionate) witch tries to live up to the example of her seasoned companions and win the hearts of the people, failed to win over. I won’t hide my general disinterest in the genre; any fiction I’ve read or seen that fits the archetype has been commentary on the genre, intentionally subverting expectations.

Only an hour or two into the game, however, the game begins to peel off the glossy paint of The Knight Witches, choosing the accepted role for your character and their predecessors in the world, and what it really means to carry the hopes of the people. on your shoulders

The game offers a binary option at numerous points, which has a real impact on your character’s performance in enemy infested areas. I, who always delve into “bad options” when they’re available in games, was happy to see that the game wasn’t pointing fingers at you. It might feel like a bit of an idiot, but there’s a good reason for doing it that’s woven throughout the game’s message.

Suffice to say, The Knight Witch stepped away from regularity and managed to keep me interested in what was going on. It’s not Disco Elysium, or another narrative masterpiece that the most art-minded and pretentious gamers will hold their own, but it’s smart.

But what about the game itself? You, as a Warlock Knight, have two forms of attack. First, a magical explosion that acts as your main source of damage against enemies. The second are spells, mana-consuming attacks that are drawn from a deck of six cards from a customizable spell deck. In general, a firefight in The Knight Witch has you building up mana with magic blasts to collect mana and then cashing out your mana for powerful abilities.

This spell deck is the only source of customization in The Knight Witch. With it, you can choose what kind of combat style you want to play. Me? I really liked the magic burst modifiers, taking duplicates of the Hand Cannon card, a reload spell, and filled the other slots with defensive options so I could constantly keep my weapon of choice. However, the game does throw out a good variety of different spells that significantly alter the way you approach fights.

You’ll also want to refine your cards, because The Knight Witch can be really tricky at times. The game does not mince words. You’re thrown into a boss almost immediately, which, while not overtly problematic, isn’t something you sleepwalk through. The game stretches along a constant difficulty curve, keeping you on your toes from start to finish.

There are aids to help you out, like an auto-aimed shooting mode that fires explosions with reduced damage so you can focus on movement and dodge attacks and keep up the pressure. Enemies also drop money that can be exchanged for temporary armor and rest point upgrades, so you can rack up advantages in tough fights. Perhaps the most attractive form of advancement comes from increasing your Link Level, your main source of character upgrades. You get them by saving people in the world and by making certain narrative decisions, you can modify your approach to these moments accordingly.

This whole package is combined with a nice presentation, especially when it comes to aesthetics. The many regions in The Knight Witch are all distinct, filled with bright colors and intricate backgrounds. It is simply a delight to behold. You find this from time to time with indie games especially, packing seriously talented artists like a six-shooter on their hip. blam! Sweet eyes coming right at you before you know what hit you.

As far as the negatives go though, I ran into a few bugs during my time playing, including a save file not loading after a mid-death Alt-F4 (I know, I know), as well as my bullet direction briefly blocking in only one direction. Also, while I love a great game with a short completion time, I beat the game in around 10 hours. Not a bad time for a passion-filled project, especially in a year with Signalis (of all games championing) the merits of a no-fuzz experiment. But, if money is tight right now, you might want to keep that in mind.

It’s also worth noting that a console bug found literally the day before launch caused the launch on that platform to be delayed by an entire week. The game has some issues of this nature, so while nothing like this spoiled my time with The Knight Witch, maybe prepare to run into some if you pick it up at launch.

All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by The Knight Witch. At a time when so many games are vying for your time and attention, a carefully packaged indie treat, clearly crafted by a team that knows what they’re doing and a quirk found nowhere else, makes for a great refresher. . While I don’t think it will make the cut as a classic, nor will it be on many game of the year lists, it’s still worth it. Personally, I think Super Mega Team is a studio I will follow from here on out.