Reinventing hide and seek is no small feat. Who among us didn't spend their childhood hiding or counting to ten to find their friends in one of the oldest games ever? Here, the boys of Barrel Roll Games, thanks toDaedalic Entertainment they took this old formula with Witch it and brought her into the world of Halloween: witches versus hunters. The former will have to hide after having brought chaos, the latter will have to chase them to restore order, in a title with a simple but decidedly effective gameplay. After a long period in Early Access, since 2017, the game has finally presented itself in its final form, generating over time a small but tough community that, we believe, will be able to keep the title alive for a long time, thanks also to their commitment to create new maps and to an editor to create custom ones , starting from 9 base maps. The final result? Let's find out together.
Witch It: Witches or Hunters?
The basic formula of Witch It, as we said, is really simple. One team hides, the other searches. After a short tutorial that introduces us to this short mechanic, we will have to choose which side to start our game. Essentially, the matches are structured in two phases: In the first part of the match, the shorter one, the witches will have to go in search of a good hiding place, thanks also to their magical arts. In the second half, however, they will be hunters to go into action, looking for for a longer period of time (and more played) than the old hags within the map. If hunters succeed before time runs out (usually few minutes) to eliminate all the witches, they win the game. On the contrary, if the witches, or at least one of them, manages to remain hidden, they will be the latter to ensure the match.
From a structural point of view, Witch It proposes three different game modes. The first is called Hide and seek, and it is certainly the main one, in which the two companions, witches and hunters, are equal in number and skill. The second mode is called instead Reversal of roles, and allows witches to be in greater numbers than hunters; however, in the course of the match, the cards on the table are shuffled, and the witch who is captured will turn into a hunter, reinforcing the enemy ranks. Finally, we have Hunt for the old woman, a particular mode where the abilities of each team are deactivated, forcing the hunters to be able to face the witches only in hand-to-hand clashes.
Bewitched!
In principle, the three game modes offer the same basic formula, but organized in three different variants. The heart of the gameplay lies in the choice of the side. Let's start with the hunters: unlike witches, they are endowed with offensive abilities, which will be used to track them down and eliminate them. These hunters will throw potatoes at them, punch them, or use special skills, such as the use of grappling hooks or particular area shots. Their goal will be to hit all the objects in the scenario: chairs, stairs, books, tables, carts. If these change color, turning purple, this will mean that a witch is hiding inside them. Otherwise, they will turn yellowinstead, it will mean that they are normal objects, and we will move on. Once the witch has been tracked down, we will have to chase her and eliminate her as quickly as possible: in fact, if we lose sight of her, she will be transformed back into a new object, and we'll have to start over.
Let's now turn to the witches: Contrary to what one might think, they have no attack power. Indeed, whoever chooses to play on their side of the fence will have to exclusively think about saving yourself, hide and flee. To do this, however, they will have exceptional power: they can transform into any object present in the level, as well as being able to move without returning to human form to escape the hunters. Whichever of the three modes you choose, basically the same thing will happen at the start of the match: the hunters will shoot as hard as they can against any object in the scenario, from the smallest to the largest, while the witches will look for the most elaborate strategy to avoid being caught.
Witch It: a fun but unpretentious indie
Witch it is a simple game, but not a bad game for that, quite the contrary. He perfectly manages to hit his goal, that of amuse. With a cartoon graphics, essentially manages to transport us into its atmosphere, following a linear gameplay that is immediately understood by the player. As for other productions of the same genre, such as Fall Guys, offers a progression system that is based on obtaining experience points, which allow you to level up and obtain new skins or cosmetic items, but also new skills you can use in the game.
Each match is immediate and agile, rushing and entertaining the player. Currently offering only three types of games, in the long run it can be repetitive, but if taken as such a title, with short games to be measured throughout the day, it has nothing to envy to larger productions. Give it a chance, you won't regret it.
