Wytchwood Review
DISCLAIMER: I received this game from the developers for free. I don’t think that fact affects my opinion of the game, but it would be irresponsible of me not to tell you.
In 1640, a poem by the late poet George Harris counseled “living well is the best revenge.” But now, in the year 2022, I think we can all agree that there are people who should face material repercussions for their wrongdoings. However, nobody, or at least no one I know, has mystical powers to hex life’s villains in retribution for the damage they do. But then again no one I know has four eyes, wears a cauldron on their head, and has talons for hands and feet. Fortunately, Alientrap Games recently released Wytchwood to satisfy the desire to be a four-eyed, taloned, cauldron-wearing swamp witch who curses evildoers.
Maybe it comes down to the kinds of media I consume, but my one issue with Wytchwood coincides with a disconnect about what I think a witch is. In my mind, a witch is someone who has magical powers and has a reverence, or at least respect, for the natural world. The Witch from Wytchwood, on the other hand, isn’t all that magical and is an absolute terror to the flora and fauna around her. Instead of classic magic like shooting fire or flying, the Witch is more of an alchemist, which means the game is all about searching for ingredients and crafting them into concoctions. To get all of these ingredients, the Witch will kill, mutilate, or torment natural and supernatural creatures of all kinds. For example, in order for the player to make a sewing kit, an item needed with infuriating frequency, players must first hunt down a frog and wring the slime, and life, out of it. Players must then combine that slime with a special herb found in only one location and some clay to make a smoke pellet. The smoke pellet is then used against the massive swamp mosquitos, which puts them to sleep. While the mosquitos are asleep, the player hacks them apart with a hatchet to secure their proboscis, which is paired with some reed twine to create the desired sewing kit. None of this process is difficult but it’s time consuming and left me feeling like I was worse than the villains the game wanted me to punish for their wicked deeds.
Personally, I think if the developers want to keep the crafting process as grisly as it is, that wouldn’t bother me as much as the tedium of it. There are a few items like the sewing kit that need to be crafted repeatedly and going through all of these steps got me really frustrated at times. On top of that, because every alchemic spell is single-use, I found myself stressing about being as efficient as possible with each use, which further dampened my mood. I think a change that would’ve altered my opinion of this game for the better would be reducing how often I am crafting the lower level spells and reagents where it makes sense. It’s reasonable that I can’t make more than one sewing kit from a single proboscis, as it serves as the needle, but if the recipe for smoke pellets rendered more than one pellet, that would cut down on busy work and my frustration by a huge degree. Also, there are a few spells, such as the pluckpocket and soothing rune, for which limited durability doesn’t make sense. I’d be happy to see these spells work like the hatchet or sheers with unlimited durability and uses.
Though the crafting is excessive, at least it is in service of a quality story. As I’ve previously alluded to, the plot of Wytchwood stars a witch on a quest for vengeance, but with a twist familiar to many gamers. The game’s titular Witch is an amnesiac who has previously bargained with a devil to save the soul of a maiden the Witch allegedly cares for. To free the maiden’s soul, the Witch must secure the souls of the twelve villains who are responsible for the maiden’s current state. The offenders include archetypes of people I genuinely love to see made miserable, including xenophobic cult leaders, corrupt officials, and predatory “alpha” males. Each one meets their doom through some ironic punishment cooked up by the Witch. Eight of the 12 punishments are great, capitalizing on that offender’s wrongdoings, while three of the deaths are fine but don’t live up to the others. On the other hand, the character The Fish goes down in a way that made me feel totally uninvolved. It’s an excellent ratio of successes to failures, but it is a blemish I couldn’t overlook.
Lastly, I can’t conclude this review without complementing Wytchwood’s aesthetics. The game has a cartoonish style that keeps the game feeling light and fun but also captures the gross reality of living in medieval times. Just about everyone who isn’t one of the 12 villains is scarred and dirty because they’re poor and don’t know what germs are, but their grime charmed me. The villains follow the same visual style but are also anthropomorphic animals, which both helps them stand out and emphasizes their crimes. I think the art team did a fantastic job with everything but I especially liked the villain’s animalistic designs. Also, at least three of them, the Stag, Hawk, and Wolf specifically, are probably going to be someone’s freaky cup of tea. This isn’t me judging those people, y’all be as nasty as you want, but I won’t join you.
I’d never heard of Alientrap games before this, but Wytchwood makes a good first impression. The story is one that everyone but the most awful people will enjoy seeing through to the end, the writing has some solid humor, and the visuals are delightful. The crafting is creative and interesting as well, even if there is more of it than I would like. I also think people of most ages and abilities will be able to play it, save for some of the critters that have to be caught with a net. It’s got a solid runtime of about 14 hours, though it’s probably closer to 12 if you cut out the extra crafting that has to get done, so I think most people will have time for it in their lives. I can confidently say the whole package is worth the $20 price tag, especially for people with a bit more patience than me.
Buy this game at full price
It’s worth every penny they’re asking
