Rob reviews Witch Rise on PlayStation 5…
It seems like every week indie powerhouse Ratalaika Games brings a new indie title to console store fronts. Where January seems to be a quiet month for AAA titles, it is the perfect time to sample some indie delights. With price points that don’t necessarily break those post-Christmas bank balances, it’s no big loss if the title in question is a done-in-one to never return.
Witch Rise is one of those titles.
Don’t get me wrong, Witch Rise does have some charming features to it, but it’s one that’s probably only going to be played for those of us who like those illusive platinum trophies. Coming in with a playtime that can be done in a little under 90 minutes with 12 simple unmissable trophies, Witch Rise is one that’ll be done and dusted pretty quick.
Taking inspiration from the likes of DOOM, Witch Rise is a colourful pixel art romp through a strange world featuring four unique biomes. As you progress through this world you’ll encounter all manner of enemies, and fiendish bosses hell bent on giving you a tough ride.With a lite RPG system, and plenty of weapons (in the form of magic staffs) your little witch will soon battle her way to lifting the curse out upon her. It’s a pretty forgettable story and aside from an opening text crawl, it soon fades into the background.
Gameplay is very reminiscent of DOOM with 2D pixels inhabiting a 3D frame. You’ll wander through four biomes that consist of forest, snow, volcano, and a sewer. There isn’t much variation to these biomes aside from a general change in its texture and a few different enemies to fight. Everything feels closed in, and quite often Witch Rose reminded me of this old DOS games I used to play back in primary school. From the get go you off to a slight disadvantage. Armed with a simple sword you’ll be battling various slimes with no depth perception. Most of the time you’ll be toe-to-toe with an enemy to simply miss the attack, to then take damage yourself. It’s frustrating but is made slightly better once you find the first staff which adds ranged combat to your repotoir. Spells are fuelled by a rudimentary mana bar that can quickly deplete if not monitored. Thankfully it down take to long to recharge but does leave you to the mercy of your very short sword.
Each enemy you defeat drops gold coins which can be used to purchase items in the shops that are dotted around the map. These items vary from revealing the whole area map, to giving you extra health or mana. With each area consisting of the same objective - to find the magic staff - unlocking the area map became the obvious choice. Thankfully Witch Rise does allow you to backtrack in a pseudo Metroidvania way, and with the amount of enemies to defeat it’s possible to buy everything in the store and still have spare change.
As touched upon earlier overall presentation consists of a style made famous by id Software, mixed in with a little Windows 95 maze screensaver. While it’s certainly a colourful title, when thrown in with the high FPS and sensitivity things can be a little stomach churning. Controls are pretty standard and anyone who’s played the aforementioned DOOM or Castle Wolfenstein will feel right at home with the layout. While close quarters combat is a little janky, utilising the various staffs are a joy. Rounding off the presentation is the games soundtrack which is a mix of high tempo chiptunes with a fantasy flavour to them. There isn’t anything that’ll necessarily become a tune you’ll hum at 3am, but it serves the game well.
Overall, Witch Rise is a game that’ll attract those trophy hunters and unknowing players who ogle its £3.99 entry fee. It’s a simple title that doesn’t require any particular skill to play, and is a quick pick-me-up for those waiting for the next AAA title to drop.
Rating: 4/10
A code was kindly provided for this review
Rob Lake - For more comic book and video game chat why not follow us on X/Facebook @GeekCultureRev, TikTok/YouTube @Geekculturereviews, and BlueSky @geekculturereviews.bsky.social
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