Game: Little Witch in the Woods
Genre: Simulation, Adventure
System: Steam (Windows and macOS) (also available for Xbox)
Developer | Publisher: SUNNY SIDE UP
Controller Support: Full
Price: US $15.99 | UK £12.39 | EU € 13,29
Release Date: September 15, 2025
Review code provided, with many thanks to Yooreka Studios.
Little Witch in the Woods originally came out in Early Access back in 2022, and it has delighted players since then. Over the last few years, a whole bunch of new content has been added, some changes have been made, and bugs have been fixed. To be completely transparent, I didn’t play Little Witch in the Woods when it first came out beyond the beginning tutorial, instead waiting for the whole game to be available.
The Story and Gameplay of Little Witch in the Woods
Ellie is the main character of Little Witch in the Woods; she is an apprentice witch who was accidentally left behind by the train that was supposed to take her to her apprenticeship. Instead of despairing, Ellie decides to make the little village she finds her new home, helping to rebuild it from scratch and get rid of the prickly vines that have been destroying all the buildings and driving people away.
The basic idea behind Little Witch in the Woods is a witch, potion-making simulation game. Your main interactions with the world are collecting ingredients, brewing potions or making candies, and then giving them to the people that need them. You can chat with and make friends with the NPCs, bringing the villagers all closer together as you rebuild their town. It’s a very sweet a wholesome story that is appropriate for older kids and adults alike.
The Pros of Little Witch in the Woods
Where to even start? There is a lot that is amazing about Little Witch in the Woods. The pixel art is so beautiful and cute, and the main character is fleshed out and also adorable. Little Ellie and her talking hat have so much to learn on their adventure together, and they have so many people to help out. The gameplay loop is fun and sweet; you spend a lot of time talking to NPCs and learning their stories, collecting ingredients for potions, and exploring your new home.
The sound design is pretty good, though there are some rather annoying sounds and spots where there is no music or sound. I don’t recommend playing with headphones, but the sound is fine otherwise. The character designs are top-tier; everyone in the village is so cute.
I think the closest thing I can compare Little Witch in the Woods to is Coral Island, which is a game that I love deeply. It has the same interesting types of characters, different but still beautiful graphics, lots of little details that make the world feel real and full, and the same kind of story of saving a small town. If you like games like Coral Island, I think you will also like Little Witch in the Woods.
The Cons of Little Witch in the Woods
Overall, I didn’t have a whole lot of issues with Little Witch in the Woods. There were a couple of off graphical bugs, but nothing game-breaking. I didn’t realize that it didn’t autosave at first, and I ended losing a lot of progress when I turned the game off for the first time. That was my own fault, but it did kind of make me mad at the game.
There were a couple of times when the little quest tracker wasn’t telling me what I was supposed to be doing. I thought I was paying attention to the dialogue beforehand, but I missed a few hints. There is an early-game quest where you have to make healing candies for someone, and I clicked around for a long time before I found the recipe for the healing candies in my inventory. I am not sure if this was just a user error, or if it was more that the developers weren’t specific enough with what I had to do next.
Conclusion
I adored my time with Little Witch in the Woods. It’s cute, it’s fun, it’s calming, and it’s got some amazing art. It has been in Early Access for a long time, so I was surprised that these bugs have stuck around. Overall, it’s a great game with a great story and gameplay loop; I think most people who love cozy sims will love Little Witch in the Woods a whole lot, just like I did.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot.
Do you like our content?
Subscribe to our daily news and never miss a review!