Witchspire Review

There are a lot of games in the survival-making genre. Every few months, a new game comes out with the promise of a huge world to explore, materials to gather, animals to tame, and a base to build from scratch. Most of them have a rhythm that you know, and after a while, they start to blend together.

Witchspire stands out right away because it really embraces its fantasy theme and doesn't just use magic for looks. Witchspire isn't about going to another world and punching trees and controlling hunger bars. Instead, it's about making you feel like you're a witch. In a colorful world that is in danger of corruption, you fly on broomsticks, make friends with magical beings, learn new skills, and slowly build a home.

While at first it seems like a simple twist on a tried-and-true recipe, the magical identity isn't just a marketing ploy as you get to know it better. Almost every part of the experience is tied to it. That doesn't mean that everything works great. Witchspire is still in Early Access, and there are times when it's clear that it's not quite finished.

There are parts of the world that feel less crowded than they will be at launch; some systems need more depth; and progress can sometimes be slow.

However, this already has enough going on to make it clear why people are interested. Witchspire starts with a fantasy plot that you may have heard before. A strange disease is spreading over the land and Cyrus, a powerful being, wants you to stop it. Soon you hear of the giant building that gives the game its name: a magical spire that is said to contain much power. The main objective is to reach the spire and see what it hides.

Another secret starts to come to light on the way. Some of your classmates from Thornveil Academy went missing before you arrived and left notes and hints for you to find. Following their trail, you learn more about the world, its past and the danger that stands in the way.

This is good about the story: it doesn't demand your attention all the time. Witchspire does not have long cutscenes every few minutes. Instead, discovery is what drives most of the story. New diary pages, journal notes and discoveries take time to fill in the blanks. The story isn't revolutionary but does a good job of giving meaning to everything you do.

The most important thing is that you always feel like you're moving towards something bigger than just getting better gear. Whether you're looking for keys to unlock the Witchspire or hints about friends who have gone missing, the game keeps you going.

The best thing about Witchspire is that it makes magic seem helpful.

In many fantasy survival games, you still have to do everyday things in everyday ways. Witchspire goes off in a different direction. Getting materials, building things, traveling the world, and moving forward in the game all feel like they have something to do with your witch role.

The part of things that involves survival is strangely calm. There are no hunger or thirst meters that need to be checked all the time. Food is still important, but mostly because it heals you and gives you brief benefits. A shocking amount of frustration goes away with that small change, making room for exploration to take center stage.

At the beginning of the game, you can make your character unique, pick a group, and pick a familiar to use. When you choose a coven, you get passive bonuses that change how your trip starts, and familiars become useful allies as you go.

Exploration turns into one of the best parts of the game very quickly. The world feels like it was made by hand rather than generated at random, and going off the beaten path often leads to something useful. People who are interested are always rewarded with useful upgrades, enemy camps, crafting materials, notebook pages, and boss fights.

Movement is also to be praised. Spirit jumps make moving around feel immediate, but the broomstick is the real star.

As soon as it's unlocked, flying is one of the best parts of the game. It's always exciting to fly over valleys, woods, and mountains. It feels free in a way that many open-world games find hard to achieve. Witchspire also does a great job with building. When you go into "build mode," an astral projection system starts up that lets you float above the building site. Before you use it, it sounds like a small function.

Putting down ceilings, upper floors, and decorations is suddenly very easy. Don't use weird camera settings. There is no annoying scaffolding. Just building things smoothly. Building blocks are easy to put together, and it's not hard to make houses that look like they belong in a magical world. Bases have a lot of personality thanks to their gothic roofs, stone walls, fancy furniture, and magical decorations.

When you fight, Witchspire starts to show some of its Early Access flaws.

In the beginning, fights are fun. Wands let you hit from a distance, spellblades let you fight up close, and familiars give you extra skills. Making enemies is fun enough, especially at the beginning, when everything feels new. The problem is that fights don't change as much as we thought they would.

Eventually, the skills and enemy types start to blend together. Encounters are still useful but not as exciting as they used to be.

Having familiars at your side makes combat easier. These fantastic friends are definitely some of the best parts of the game. You can find over 30 types of familiars, each with their own skills, rarities, and leveling methods. Some are great at dealing damage, some are great at helping, and many of them are great at helping you craft back at your base.

This is really attractive to collectors. Finding rare animals and adding them to your growing team is surprisingly addicting. Even so, the method isn’t perfect. Bonding chances can be frustratingly low, so getting certain familiars is usually a matter of luck and waiting.

The Luminary system is at the heart of character development.

You can spend points on new skills, making recipes, stat boosts, and building unlocks as your level rises. The system works, but it sometimes makes decisions that aren’t ideal. You may have to choose between getting a useful combat boost or a crafting recipe that you need to move forward.

Leveling can be hard in and of itself. There is a reason quest suggestions exist. Don't pay attention to them, and you'll quickly learn that enemies hit much harder than you thought they would. There are times when the game tells you to stop moving forward and spend some time getting experience before going on.

Resource gathering doesn't have to be boring, though. There are usually plenty of materials, crafting queues save time, and later on, automation choices make some of the work easier. There is a grind, but it's generally about getting experience instead of constantly looking for materials.

Witchspire is very impressive to look at from the time you get there. The game does not try to be realistic. Instead, it uses a bright fantasy art style with strange animals and magical settings. The world that comes out of this feels warm and unique.

The design of the surroundings is especially impressive. Magical energy fills the forests, huge buildings rule the faraway horizons, and each area has its own unique look that makes it easy to remember. There will be times when you just stop to look at the scenery, even after hours of wandering.

When you fly through the air on a broomstick, you can see how beautiful the world can be.

Some places look like they were drawn and then brought to life, and the bright graphics help Witchspire stand out from the darker survival games that are more common in the genre. But things aren't perfect in the world. There are places that feel like empty space because there’s long stretches of land with nothing to do.

It would be easy to add more in later updates to make discovery feel even better. The sound is ok, but it is probably the least interesting part of the package. Background sounds make it feel nice as you explore, and the effects of spells are strong enough to make battle feel real. The music matches the fantasy scene but isn’t intrusive.

The big issue is inconsistency. There are times when the game is eerily quiet, and the world appears less alive than it is. Voice acting needs to improve too. It’s amazing how hard it is to hear some dialogue even with the volume cranked up a notch. Things are fine, but the sound design is not as interesting as the graphics and world design.

It feels like Witchspire has a very clear idea of what it wants to be. Even the way it is now, it's easy to get caught up in the loop of traveling, gathering familiars, making cozy magical homes, and finding new parts of the world.

A little thing can lead to a big moment. It was a long search, but there is a strange acquaintance. Getting on a broom and flying across an area that hasn't been visited yet. Going on a journey, coming back home, and making a growing magical settlement bigger. Those parts of Witchspire give it a personality that many survival games have trouble finding.

But you shouldn't just ignore the Early Access label either. There should be more variety in combat, sometimes progress stops moving forward, and some parts of the world still feel unfinished. If players want a fully finished experience, they might want to wait and see how the game changes in future updates.

However, there is already a surprisingly fun adventure here for everyone else, especially those who like collecting creatures, cozy building systems, and fantasy exploration. Witchspire has a long road ahead, but the foundation is strong enough that the journey is worth it.