WitchSpring R Review

WitchSpring R is a charming story-rich turn-based title developed by KIWIWALKS and published by Pixmain. Although there are four mobile games available, I only played one of them a few years ago, and I absolutely loved it! I fell in love with Pieberry and Black Joe (her sassy bird companion), and I couldn't be happier to see a full-fledged title come to PC. While I'd love to compare this version to the phone one, I will avoid doing so because I don't quite remember enough, and it would make the review a bit convoluted for newcomers. That being said, what I remember loving about the game is still present in this version, and I feel like everything has been built upon and improved, so if you like the mobile entries, there's no doubt in my mind that you'll love the PC version, too.

For those who have never played any game of the franchise, we play as an adorable little witch named Pieberry. In this world, humans used to worship gods, and when they found a way to take their power, they dethroned them and started a full-fledged war. Interestingly, what we call demigods in real life are actually witches in the game, and they are hunted down and feared; even when discovered as children, they're either killed on the spot or left in the forest to die to the elements. Although we're not introduced to Pieberry's story in-depth, we know she's very young, powerful, and as brave as she's naive.

Early on in the game, we get to meet the deuteragonist, Black Jack. This sassy bird doesn't come along with her willingly at first, but she eventually softens him up, and he becomes the voice of reason and guide for both Pieberry and us as players. The dynamic between them is probably one of my favourite aspects of WitchSpring in both the mobile and PC versions, as the dialogue is hilarious and adorable, and it very much feels like watching a good duo in an anime. While the game does get a tad heavier later on, it's never jarring or raw; WitchSpring is chock-full of silly jokes and moments.

As for the gameplay, it plays similarly to most RPG titles, where you walk off into the open world to forage for essential materials, fight enemies and bosses, and progress through the world. One of my favourite things, however, is the enemy respawn timer, which stops you from grinding and grinding enemies (and fun) to death; this helped me avoid burning out the game with lower-level enemies or obsessing over gathering items. I also very much appreciated the stones you can find around the areas to refill health and mana, which made exploring dungeons much less intimidating and stressful, especially since I could save my potions for a rainy day.

While I'm not a huge fan of turn-based games because of their usually complex and repetitive nature, the developer did a great job at making WitchSpring not only accessible to newbies but also fun. Unfortunately, I don't know if that means that this might be a bit of a boring and mindless title for hardcore fans of the genre.

As you travel through different areas, you'll gather tons of materials that can be used at home in a ton of different mechanics. Aside from brewing useful potions (for both buffing and healing), you can also craft new spells and even evolve your weapon; all of these features are quite straightforward, even for someone like me who is easily overwhelmed by this sort of thing. Additionally, as you gain XP and progress through the game, you'll also unlock Training sessions, which you can do to boost Pieberry's stats to your liking. This, combined with evolving the weapon, gives you control over how you want to be in battle, whether you want to be a damage sponge, deal damage through magic, or find strength in physical attacks. Although each training session has a different mini-game that you can skip and still gain experience from, I highly suggest just playing through them. They're not long or difficult, and you can even practice however many times you want, so you go in knowing what to do, but the extra bonus gained is definitely worth it. 

Whilst I enjoyed playing through the dungeons and fighting enemies to get XP and items, unfortunately, they're nothing to write home about. The puzzles are quite simple, and for the most part, WitchSpring's gameplay is very straightforward. That being said, I don't think it hinders the experience, as it's easy to jump in and out at any point and play it casually throughout many days; in big part, this is thanks to how accessible the game feels in general. I never felt lost or confused about what I had to do since the quest journal gives a proper explanation, and even if you're not sure where to go, the minimap offers an easy way to get to the next destination through guiding arrows. 

Thankfully, the simplicity of the dungeons and areas wasn't really a problem because I enjoyed the combat so much. The HUD is easy to comprehend, and the mechanics are straightforward enough to understand (especially because the tutorial takes its time and doesn't bombard you), but there's still room to min-max and aim to do the best possible. A good example of this is that you get to go again if you down an enemy, making it easy to plan ahead to get as much damage in each turn. That being said, considering I'm not the most apt at this sort of thing, I'm not sure how deep the mechanics really go, but for a newcomer like me, they were fun to keep in mind and take advantage of!

Last but not least, the graphics and sound design were pretty fantastic; I thought the visuals and illustrations were great and really added to the charm! And although sometimes the soundtrack can get a tad repetitive (especially during combat), I very much enjoyed the themes.

Overall, I really enjoyed my time with WitchSpring R. The game is brimming with charm thanks to its comedic dialogue and art, it's nice on the eyes, and the gameplay offers a simple yet fun array of things to do. It's definitely accessible to even the most inexperienced in the turn-based genre, and the casual nature really helps you stay entertained.