For survival gaming fans, cozy game lovers, and Hogwarts Legacy enthusiasts alike, magical survival game Witchspire is a highly anticipated release. Ahead of its Early Access launch, Witchspire has over 300K wishlists and counting. Clearly, I’m not the only one ready to run around a vast open world slinging spells and bonding with familiars. Now, at long last, gamers are able to experience the cozy open-world game as it arrives in Early Access via Steam today, June 10th. I got a chance to check Witchspire out early, and I’m thrilled to report it’s off to a solid start.
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Witchspire is a magical co-op adventure that blends core elements of several iconic genres, with a mix of creature collecting, open-world survival, and RPG goodness. You can play solo or with friends, roaming a vast map full of magic and uncovering the mysteries it holds. With some adorable familiars by your side, of course. The game already runs smooth as butter in Early Access, even on my less-than-top-tier PC. And while I do have a few notes for what I hope to see, I think fans will be far from disappointed with their first adventures in Witchspire‘s Early Access build.
Early Access Review Rating: 3.5 out of 5
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Runs smoothly with little to no glitches in Early Access | Story lacks a sense of drive/strong hook in Early Access |
| Beautiful open world full of unique creatures to befriend | World feels a bit empty without NPCs or side quests |
| Solid core gameplay loop already in place |
Witchspire Looks Great & Runs Smoothly in Early Access
Like most RPGs these days, Witchspire opens with character creation. The options for customizing your appearance are fairly limited in Early Access, but there are still a few body types, face types, and hairstyles to choose from. This is one area I’m really hoping that Envar expands on over time, as I wanted to make my avatar feel a bit more unique than I was able to with the current lineup of choices.
As for starting classes, the game offers 6 unique options that determine whether you begin with a Spellblade or Wand. Your starting stats and initial outfit also vary depending on the class you choose. From there, you head into the tutorial and choose your first Familiar from 4 options. If you’re playing co-op, I highly suggest that you start a fresh world and characters with your friends, as any newcomers will have to complete the tutorial and start at Level 1. It’s also a good idea to balance the party, opting for different classes and familiar friends if playing together.
Right from the start, I was pretty impressed with how smoothly the game runs, both when playing solo or during co-op sessions. When jumping into Early Access, I typically prepare for some glitches or other issues. But those were notably absent in the tutorial and onward. I don’t think I noticed a single visual glitch or frame rate issue while playing, which isn’t easy to pull off for an open-world game in Early Access. The world looks good, too, even when toggled to the lowest graphics settings. Visually, it feels like a cozy space you want to explore, and the animations for building and gathering resources are delightfully unique to the world of Witchspire.
Core Gameplay Delivers in Witchspire Already, but The Story and World Need a Bit of Work
The core gameplay loop is largely in place for Witchspire’s Early Access build. After the hands-on tutorial, you’re dropped into the open world to explore. Helpful goals give you guidance for learning the ropes, from building and leveling up your first Hearth (home base) to bonding with new Familiars. The combat system feels pretty good, and the different weapon options do genuinely have a different style to them. Personally, I prefer a good wand, but the Spellblade is a great option if you like more melee-style combat.
Crafting and resource gathering are in pretty good shape, as well. I love that the pickaxe and axe both work as magical spell items rather than typical survival game tools. It reminds you we’re witches in a world of magic. The floating astral projection when building new objects at your base adds to this sense, along with using your Familiars to help speed things along. As far as your major components for a survival crafting game go, our bases are largely covered. And if you want less cozy, more challenge, you can choose from 4 different difficulty settings to amp things up… or down.
In Early Access, Witchspire does have a bit of a story to it. But it’s quite a slow burn and lacks a strong hook. Your character is called the Chosen One, but it’s not really clear what you might be chosen for. And books scattered around the open world suggest you’re on a mission to find your friends. But since we never met them, even in a flashback, it’s a bit hard to feel invested. In general, I wanted a bit more of a clear hook for the game’s story, something to encourage me to progress the plot and build out the lore a bit more.
The open world, while pretty and full of resources to gather, does feel a bit empty. During my adventures, I only met one NPC. Even the Familiars aren’t as abundant as you might expect, though it is nice to be able to roam without being constantly attacked. I wanted a bit more of a sense that the world is lived in, or at least an explanation for why it’s not. Some NPCs and/or side quests to pick up alongside the main story would really go a long way here, and I’d love to see Envar add those in. Even in co-op, I still found I was missing a bit more of a sense that the world is lived in.
In all, Witchspire is off to a promising start in Early Access. It looks good, runs well, and has the bones of a solid cozy survival game. There is certainly room for improvement, but that’s kind of the point of dropping a game in Early Access. Even if I hope to see a few things added over time, I think that gamers who’ve been waiting on Witchspire will be happy with what they find when they jump into the game in Early Access.
Witchspire is available in Early Access via Steam starting on June 10th. It costs $23 USD, with a 15% launch discount. ComicBook received a Steam copy of Witchspire for the purpose of this Early Access review.
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