WitchSpring R is one of the most unique RPGs I’ve ever played and it's a lot of fun. So what is WitchSpring R? It's a remaster of Witch Spring, a mobile game by Korean developer KIWIWALKS that released in 2018. It went on to have a few sequels before they started getting adapted to consoles starting with this games predecessor: Witch Spring 3 Re:Fine. WitchSpring R definitely doesn’t feel like a mobile game and it most certainly isn’t. It's a full blown remaster boasting improved graphics, gameplay elements etc. I’ve never played the mobile games and hadn’t heard of this series until I got the opportunity to play and review it. But I think even those familiar with the series would be able to enjoy this.
WitchSpring follows the story of sheltered young witch Pieberry, who has spent her entire life in the isolated Black Witch’s Forest. The forest comes under attack by warriors who go out on witch hunts pretty regularly. The game starts with Pieberry collecting resources and then fighting some of these warriors. Soon after, she encounters the friendly merchant Ralph, who offers her a delicious pie. Shortly after that she also encounters the mysterious and helpful Black Joe, a talking bird that dispenses advice and exposition like candy. With Black Joes help, Pieberry learns some tricks, gets stronger and is soon able to leave the safety of the forest in search of the world's most delicious pie. That doesn’t sound like the most intriguing premise but the game gets better the deeper you go. The adventure goes well and beyond hunting for pie by the end. There’s a surprising amount of depth and worldbuilding at play here and the more I played, the more I wanted to keep going. It's unfortunate that the tutorial drags a bit however, things don’t start picking up until you leave the forest for the first time and that can take an hour or longer. Make it past the hurdle though and the resulting adventure is worth it.
The gameplay is where the game is at its most unique, as it combines elements of different genres in an interesting mixture. While exploring, Pieberry is able to gather resources either from the overworld, hunting animals or defeating monsters. Pieberrys house acts as the main hub of sorts, where Pieberry can use the resources she's gathered to craft potions, battle items, stat boosts and even improve her staff. She can also craft new spells, rest to regain health and mp and even do training exercises to boost her stats. Yes, training. As you defeat monsters and complete objectives, you’ll work toward accumulating training points(up to a max of 5) which can then be used for exercises that’ll raise Pieberrys stats. This will be your main way of buffing Pieberry as the game doesn’t feature a traditional leveling system. Instead, defeating an encounter for the first time awards combat exp that goes toward leveling up the current combat exp stage. Higher stages raise the effectiveness of training, buff stats, and more.
Combat itself is pretty standard for a turn-based RPG. Turns alternate between Pieberry and whatever enemies she's fighting as well any pets(Up to 2) present. When Pieberry is up, she can use physical attacks, magical attacks, items, summon pets etc. As the game progresses and Pieberry gets stronger, she’ll get access to more attack options, including some special skills like a magic blast. The attack animations are pretty fluid and I appreciate the added effects when Pieberry scores a crit, which is guaranteed every 3 turns. Some enemies can even be mind controlled and made into pets which can get summoned in the overworld and in later encounters. Pet companions also have their own special moves they’ll use every few turns, which is a nice touch. That all said, as pretty and nuanced as it looks, combat is relatively straightforward. It’s basically beat up the enemy before they beat you up. Not to say that's a bad thing, it just feels weird with the sort of combat system that's usually intended for use with a party full of characters. Guest characters might show up from time to time, but they and any summoned pets are mostly controlled automatically and just attack, the only input from the player being which enemy they target if multiple are around. Which more often than not, there will be as Pieberry is very frequently outnumbered in a lot of enemy encounters. Adding to this is that enemies of the same type will all attack at the same time meaning our poor witch gets swarmed and often takes significant damage. The game does offset the numbers somewhat by giving Pieberry access to skills and attacks that affect multiple foes at once, but these skills usually rely on enemies proximity to one another which is not guaranteed.
If you’re underprepared for an enemy encounter, you’ll realize it quickly as you will get wiped out easily. Which leads me to a criticism I have, enemy encounters don’t feel all that balanced. They’re either frustratingly difficult or feel too easy. I haven’t really found a happy middle ground and that satisfaction from overcoming a difficult foe hasn’t been there for me. There also isn't grinding in the traditional sense, as enemy encounters remain static in the overworld and fighting the same ones won’t award any extra combat exp. In fact the only reason to go back to previously fought enemies is resources, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Especially since the game does give you the option to auto defeat them if Pieberrys stats are high enough. At least encounters can be skipped over if you feel like just focusing on exploration.
In fact the exploration is one of the bigger draws of this game. The environments are pretty to look at and this game features some very intriguing looking ruins. As I said before, a lot of love was put into this world and if you’re like me, you want to see what all it has to offer. There are islands with sparkling beaches, cozy little villages, mysterious caves and more for Pieberry and players to explore. These locales come with their own sets of resources as well and even a few fast travel points here and there. The world has a lot to offer and see and I was excited to check out forgotten ruins and vast forests. Incidentally, some pets you can summon let you ride them, opening up traversal options like riding a boar through an otherwise impassable swamp, which I greatly enjoy. Characters are also pretty well designed, sporting a cute anime style look and still managing to stand out from other similar games.
Of course no JRPG style title would be complete without a killer soundtrack and I’m happy to report that WitchSpring R delivers on that front. As tedious as the battles can get, at least the music is a bop and since most battles don’t take long to complete, it never overstays its welcome. The overworld music is usually pretty pleasant as well. The game features some solid sound design though voice overs are limited to Japanese or Korean at the moment, which to be honest doesn’t bother me much even if Pieberry is a little hard to understand at times with how squeaky her voice is.
This is overall a pretty unique and fun experience. WitchSpring R has a lot going for it, and even though I never played the original mobile games, I can see why this series did well enough to allow for these remasters. The world is full of mysteries and resources to collect and I enjoyed almost every second of it. If you like story based games or adorable witches, this ones a definite must play.
Shout out and thank you to the developer KIWIWALKS and their PR team for sending us a copy for review and shout out to my colleague Sean for bringing this one to my attention.
