Witches, as far as the eye can see!
It's that time again for a new episode of Chichuki Plays, the show where I go hands-on with upcoming games and show them off. Usually, it's about an hour or so but I don't want to spoil too much of the game for you. This time we're looking at Witchspire on Steam. Fans of multiplayer online games will want to check this one out. Reminder that this game is in early access so there could be some issues.
In the past I have tried to show off games just like witchspire but had limitations on my PC. Well, those limitations should be a thing of the past because I had to replace my whole PC recently. We upgraded and shouldn't have issues playing newer PC games like this. Now that my introduction is out of the way, let's get into Witchspire.
Games like this usually allow you to customize your character and Witchspire is no different. You have the option to pick one of five "races" as well as create a world to plat in or join one already created by your friends. What witch group you pick will determine things like weapons and equipment at the start. You'll also be able to modify your character like eye color, skin color, and voice, just to name a few. I went with a ranged magic user because I have trouble in combat sometimes and want ranged attacks/skills.
You get thrown right into the tutorial for Witchspire and that's appreciated. This way you can learn the ropes for controls and see what you're getting into. The movements of the charatcres/controls reminded me a lot of the Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Tears of the Kingdom in terms of how the characters move and attack/interact. Comparisons like that aren't a bad thing. Witchspire is a game that allows you to use skills/attacks and the more you use them, the more they will level up. Early in the playthrough, I was using the dash quite a bit to level it up and help my stamina. You also have the chance to select a familiar to help out in battle/exploration. Similar to picking your starter Pokémon, familiars have attacks/skills that will be strong against enemies. I went with the Ethereal since he looked the coolest and had range attacks too.
Along the journey you'll also find journals that belonged to Eliria, another witch. We have all be transported to another world and have no idea what's going on. Eliria left these hints to help out as well as help us find her.
You'll have to forage for supplies in the open world. Being able to set up crafting benches will help you craft things you'll need for survival. Things such as better items and better weapons. There will come a time when you can level up your character as well as your familiar. You can do this by going into the game menu and either picking character or Luminary. The luminary level-up area is similar to a skill tree where when you level up, you'll collect currency that looks like sun stones to use for leveling up. Leveling up your familiar takes place via a skill tree as well but is more combat oriented. The Luminary has some skills but appears to be more helpful for crafting/designing new items/equipment. There is a map but felt a little too zoomed out for my liking. It does do a nice job of showing you locations. You can also fast travel between hearth/camp locations so craft many!
Some minor issues I had was with combat. I didn't like that there wasn't a lock-on option when attacking. If there was one and I missed it, I'm sorry. Being able to have some kind of lock-on in a 3D game makes combat more fun and easier. It's early access so you never know. Also, it was tough to see what I was actually on in terms of identifying something. In the skill tress, it was tough to see what thing I was actually trying to use and crafting it was tough to see what item I was going to use for said craft.
All-in-all, Witchspire is an interesting take on the open-world, multiplayer game. Combat and controls take a little getting used to but once that happens, you'll be in for a fun time. I'd like to thank the devs for a review/early access code. Make sure you check out the hands-on video below.