Game: Trouble Witches Final: Episode 1 – Daughters of Amalgam
Genre: Action, Arcade
System: Nintendo Switch (also on PlayStation)
Developer|Publisher: Studio SeistA | ININ Games
Age Rating: EU 12 | US Teen
Price: US $29.99 | UK 26.99 | EU € 29,99
Release Date: December 15th, 2025
Review code provided with many thanks to Pr Hound.
Trouble Witches Final: Episode 1 – Daughters of Amalgam – Longest Title of 2025
Trouble Witches Final: Episode 1 – Daughters of Amalgam might have one of the longest and most dramatic videogame titles this year, but behind all that fanfare is a bright, busy, and surprisingly welcoming bullet-hell shooter. It feels like the kind of arcade-style treat that sits very nicely on the Nintendo Switch, the sort of game you dip into for a stage or five and then suddenly look up to realise you’ve been weaving through enemy fire for an hour.
A Cute’ Em Up With Retro Spirit
This is a classic side-scrolling shooter at heart, but dressed in colourful anime energy. You start by choosing from a roster of twelve witches, each paired with their own familiar (not always a cat) and each feeling distinct enough to encourage a bit of character-hopping with unique stats and difficulty. It’s impressive how much the experience can change from one witch to the next, and that sense of variety immediately lifts the game beyond a simple run-and-gun loop.
There is a full story mode here, completely voiced in Japanese with refreshed English subtitles, but the narrative is more icing than cake. It gives each witch room for a little personality, but it never tries to become the main event. The gameplay is absolutely where the heart of Trouble Witches lives.
The Magic Circle
One of the standout features is the Magic Circle. Activating it creates a glowing bubble around your character that slows down green bullets and turns them into collectable coins if you defeat the enemy that shot at you. It becomes an essential trick for navigating some of the busier enemy patterns, but it also introduces its own little dance of risk and reward. Standing still recharges the circle more quickly, but standing still in a bullet-hell shooter is about as safe as placing a deckchair in a tornado. Managing this mechanic adds tension, strategy, and a good dose of satisfaction when you pull it off cleanly.
Not every projectile in the game can be slowed, so you can’t rely on the Magic Circle as a catch-all safety bubble. It’s more like a temporary breather, just enough calm in the chaos to regain your footing before things ramp up again.
Spells, Money, and the Pumpkin Shop
You can also collect three Magic Cards, which act as your special abilities. These can be dramatic damage bursts, defensive shields, area attacks, meteor-like spells, and plenty more. They feel flashy without being overpowering, and they make tricky moments more manageable if you time them well.
Money ties into this by letting you purchase additional cards from the Pumpkin Shop. The way you collect coins adds an interesting wrinkle: you have to stop shooting for a moment so the money can fly toward you. It means you’re constantly deciding between attacking and gathering resources, and that tiny tug-of-war gives the flow of each stage a pleasing rhythm.
Loud, Bright, and Full of Personality
Trouble Witches Final isn’t shy about filling the screen. Projectiles, spells, voice lines, bursts of colour, everything overlaps in the best kind of arcade explosion. The art direction leans into its anime influence with a big grin, and even when things get noisy, it’s surprisingly readable. The soundtrack supports the action well, offering upbeat tracks that blend into the constant stream of movement on screen.
A Mountain of Modes
One thing this game certainly doesn’t lack is content. Alongside the story mode, you have the standard arcade mode, several difficulty options, a wild Walpurgis Night mode where enemy patterns become extra aggressive, a short-burst Score Attack mode for competitive players, an Endless mode to test your endurance, a Boss Attack mode for practising fights, and even an AC mode that faithfully recreates the original arcade release. There’s also a practice mode to help you get comfortable with some of the trickier mechanics. All this, plus a steady track of unlockable characters and extras, gives the game a welcome sense of progression and replay value.
A Few Stumbles
The story scenes can drag a little if you’re only here for the action, and newcomers to bullet-hell games may need a bit of time to get used to managing the Magic Circle. But once everything falls into place, the game becomes a fast, energetic, and genuinely joyful arcade ride.
Conclusion: Izzy Wizzy
Trouble Witches Final: Episode 1 – Daughters of Amalgam (stops to breathe) delivers exactly what its name hints at, a big, spirited, magical burst of arcade action with witches, spells, noise, and enough modes to keep you dipping back in regularly. It’s fun in short bursts, easy to revisit, and colourful enough to brighten even the gloomiest afternoon. For anyone looking for a lively arcade shooter this December or any time of year, this feels like a great fit.
Final Verdict: I Like it a Lot
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