I love a good, uncomplicated game with a great storyline and lots of heart. I found that in Winter Witch. It’s charming and has a really unique look to it. With a recent release date of November 21st, that’s something to look forward to!
The Backstory of Winter Witch
I played as a young female witch living with my cat, Merlin, in the cutest little cottage in the woods. I don’t speak “cat”, but I believe Merlin is an extraordinary one. Maybe he’s magic, or maybe he’s just super smart. Perhaps I’ll find out in the final game.
My overarching goal in the Winter Witch demo is to reach a location deep in the woods for some unknown reason. I have to overcome some challenges to get there. And the adventure begins!
This is a sweet, uncomplicated game. I can’t walk around in my house, but I can choose where to go from the menu of options. I don’t have to create a name for myself, collect different changes of clothing or decorations. Just explore the woods. I love that!! Simplicity can be a wonderful thing in an adventure game. It’s all about the journey.
The World of the Winter Witch
The game has a unique look to it. It’s black and white except for the paths I can take, which are beige. It’s obviously winter; the trees are bare. Many of the game elements, like my character and the bushes, are flat, one-dimensional. They remind me of Paper Mario. The exterior of my cottage looks more 3D to me, very cool!
It’s not an open-world game, although within each area I can walk in any direction and choose from a multitude of actions. There’s something to do in every area I discover.
There are many items for me to gather and craft with in Winter Witch. I can gather sticks which are used to make kindling. I can gather mushrooms and tea leaves to make a special tea. I am able to collect straw and make rope from it, and I can combine the rope and the kindling to create bridges, allowing me to venture further into the woods.
Because that is the whole game, doing what I can to venture deep into the woods to find that special location. As I played, I was accompanied by a soft, calm soundtrack composed by Dreamware. From time to time, noticeably when I was in the forest, the soundtrack disappeared, and all I heard was forest sounds, mainly lots of lovely bird songs. It was very serene.
The Gameplay of Winter Witch
A day in Winter Witch lasts exactly 4 minutes!! This is what the developer told me: “the days are deliberately short! Each day is four minutes. The intent is that players should try to plan their day, trying to figure out what they want to accomplish for the day. For example, maybe today is a day for collecting more resources (e.g. building more bridge kits), or maybe today they will try to explore a new part of the woods.”
I found that to be a real fun challenge. One day, I wanted to gather tea leaves, for example. Another day, my goal was to collect straw and sticks, craft them into rope and kindling and craft those items into a bridge! The next day, I used the bridge I’d just made.
There is a clock on the game screen that shows how many more hours are left in the day, helping me plan my time. When the clock runs out, I am returned home. No nasty dying or anything like that!! It’s super cozy.
Oh, the game tells us “always have a bridge kit”, which is true. There are a couple of spots in the demo where a bridge is needed to cross to another area, so I followed that advice.
Some paths were blocked off with briar bushes, but a good fire made with kindling (crafted from sticks) made short work of those! There is one spot in the demo where a large log blocks the path. I did not figure out how to get past that in the demo. I guess that’s something I’ll do in the full game. I also encountered some large rocks, which were called “shrines”. I didn’t do anything with them in the demo, but I believe they will play a part in the full game.
I have access to a town map and an inventory system. That’s about as complicated as the game gets, which I really love. It’s sheer simplicity! The dev wanted to create a game which would be easy to pick up. This game sure fits that bill!
I can always return to my cottage by pressing a button. That’s helpful if I wander to an area and realize I need something that I have to craft at home. Unfortunately, that means I’ll have to walk all the way back to use that item!! This game rewards planning ahead, but on the other hand, you can play it as long as you want. So if it takes 4 game days to craft and place a bridge, for example, it really doesn’t matter.
I played on a PC with a controller; the controls for Winter Witch are very uncomplicated, including inventory management. It’s also helpful to know that the forest resources magically return the next day.
Final Thoughts
At the end of the Winter Witch demo, I met a Forest Spirit. I remembered that my mother told me about him; he is friendly and is able to move between shrines within the game. When I met the Forest Spirit, he looked like another briar bush, but then he rose up, extended his arms and lifted me up, cradling me like a baby. How comforting is that?
Winter Witch was released in November. The final game will be 2-3 hours. The demo took me about 40 minutes to complete; bear in mind, there is no save feature in the demo. The final game will save every time you sleep. After I completed the demo, I continued gathering resources just for the fun of it. I really didn’t want to leave this cozy world!! I thank the solo game developer, solarVagrant, for creating this wonderful place for me to visit. I’m really looking forward to the full game release!
Do you like our content?
Support LadiesGamers as a member on Patreon!
Or buy us a cup of coffee or tea on Ko-Fi!
