WitchSpring R had incredible potential and was an absolutely adorable and fun game, but through bloated content and too much melodrama, the game falls quickly from the heights the early hours of the game present.
The gameplay of WitchSpring R combine small amounts of alchemy, simple RPG combat, and overworld exploration to create an addictive gameplay loop that does not overstay its welcome for its gametime, with possibilities to defeat hard enemies early on with the right strategies, enough diversibility that different builds can range drastically, while also having satisfying progression from start to finish apart from the end game where one can be overpowered for everything except the final boss which will prove to challenge even those who grinded excessively.
Combined with its simple art style and music that accompany this, it fits in perfectly as a smaller RPG to enjoy with a childlike adorable story mimicking the style used for children's stories. However, that story begins to drag and grows tiresome very early, as repeating events around the second quarter of the game really slow down progression and cause the story to be stuck at Lalaque village, with a few more segments feeling similarly poorly paced. Too many characters of which some are not very important end up dividing the screen time too wide, especially with some of these elements being repeated too often with some of these characters. I feel a large portion of the middle section of this game could have been cut as it adds pointless melodrama and at some points make some characters feel nearly irredeemable despite their status at the end of the game where they are redeemed. Such as Livya who had done mean things to Pieberry one too many times before she redeems herself to the point the repetition was eyerolling in Lalaque village when combined with all the other repetitive cutscenes in that section of the game.
The characters for what its worth are fun and fulfill their purposes in this very whimsical and childlike tale well, and Pieberry works wonderfully as a lead character to lead this story while learning more about other characters and befriending everyone along the way. I liked many characters, from Livya the tsundere knight, Luna the frost witch, Ralph the merchant, to Vernstein the leader of the rebellion.
As WitchSpring R is a recreation of the first game of the series, I'd say it does an admirable job of presenting this series to new comers and sets up well for its sequels, it just sadly is mired by a lot of segments that slow it down far too much in the middle segment of the game. The first two chapters of this game feel wonderful and if only reviewing that section I would give it a 4/5 because that is how good of a start this game has for leading you into its magical world. Sadly, as it goes on the payoff while satisfying does not justify the bloat in the ending. WitchSpring R serves as a good entry point to alchemy games, and has its own unique style that is fun and entertaining. Definitely pick this game up on sale if you're interested, I know I'll be keeping an eye out if WitchSpring R2 is announced.
The gameplay of WitchSpring R combine small amounts of alchemy, simple RPG combat, and overworld exploration to create an addictive gameplay loop that does not overstay its welcome for its gametime, with possibilities to defeat hard enemies early on with the right strategies, enough diversibility that different builds can range drastically, while also having satisfying progression from start to finish apart from the end game where one can be overpowered for everything except the final boss which will prove to challenge even those who grinded excessively.
Combined with its simple art style and music that accompany this, it fits in perfectly as a smaller RPG to enjoy with a childlike adorable story mimicking the style used for children's stories. However, that story begins to drag and grows tiresome very early, as repeating events around the second quarter of the game really slow down progression and cause the story to be stuck at Lalaque village, with a few more segments feeling similarly poorly paced. Too many characters of which some are not very important end up dividing the screen time too wide, especially with some of these elements being repeated too often with some of these characters. I feel a large portion of the middle section of this game could have been cut as it adds pointless melodrama and at some points make some characters feel nearly irredeemable despite their status at the end of the game where they are redeemed. Such as Livya who had done mean things to Pieberry one too many times before she redeems herself to the point the repetition was eyerolling in Lalaque village when combined with all the other repetitive cutscenes in that section of the game.
The characters for what its worth are fun and fulfill their purposes in this very whimsical and childlike tale well, and Pieberry works wonderfully as a lead character to lead this story while learning more about other characters and befriending everyone along the way. I liked many characters, from Livya the tsundere knight, Luna the frost witch, Ralph the merchant, to Vernstein the leader of the rebellion.
As WitchSpring R is a recreation of the first game of the series, I'd say it does an admirable job of presenting this series to new comers and sets up well for its sequels, it just sadly is mired by a lot of segments that slow it down far too much in the middle segment of the game. The first two chapters of this game feel wonderful and if only reviewing that section I would give it a 4/5 because that is how good of a start this game has for leading you into its magical world. Sadly, as it goes on the payoff while satisfying does not justify the bloat in the ending. WitchSpring R serves as a good entry point to alchemy games, and has its own unique style that is fun and entertaining. Definitely pick this game up on sale if you're interested, I know I'll be keeping an eye out if WitchSpring R2 is announced.
FranKle
3 months ago