A Magically Overcooked Adventure: A Witchtastic Review

By Manuel

Players: 1-4 (Local & Online)
Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PC (Steam)

Multiplayer games can sometimes be hard to review, as it can be hard to capture their essence outside of playing it with a large group of people. That hurdle aside, the game we're going to be looking at today has often been described as "Overcooked, but with witches," and that's simply too intriguing a concept to pass up. Witchtastic is a game that's all about brewing and delivering potions, a task that apparently can take up to four people to complete. It's out now on the PC and Nintendo Switch, and we're going to be taking a look at the PC version today. There's really no need for further intro here, so let's dive right in!

I don't think anyone goes into a game like Witchtastic expecting a story, but I guess I'll still point out the obvious in saying that it doesn't have one. This is a fast-paced game that tasks you with taking on the role of a witch who is fulfilling potion orders for a friendly owl. I actually think the owl simply delivers the completed orders, but you get the point. Make potions until you have no more friends to yell at. Got it. It's primarily a multiplayer game, and can be played with up to four people at once. Steam allows for both local and online co-op, and I believe the same is offered for the Nintendo Switch, though I was not able to confirm that by the time of this writing. Those prefer to play their games solo can take on the game's challenges alone, though things become considerably harder if you choose to do so. The difficulty is adjusted for the amount of players currently taking part in the game, but having to perform every task necessary to make potions on one's own isn't exactly the best way to experience the game. Then again, I'm all for the spooky, Halloween-esque, aesthetic the game goes for, so I ended up beating the entire game on my own. Not exactly the biggest brag for reasons I'll get to later, but I at least know this game pretty well by now.

Since the main task you'll be performing in Witchtastic involves making potions, let's discuss that first. All players are given the same abilities, so you can expect all the witches to be able to carry items, prepare ingredients and materials, and fly on their brooms to move faster when they're not carrying anything else. Orders are displayed in the middle of the screen via unfurled parchment, and getting close to them reveals their individual ingredients. Some ingredients are locations in chests, and others may grow in the wild. It's best to always keep an eye out for an ingredient's source as soon as a level begins, since they can vary from one level to the next. Sometimes ingredients that were in chests on one stage will suddenly be found outside, and vice versa. There are also ingredients that have to be grown, or even captured, but the game does a good job of introducing each as they appear. These unique ingredients often are area-specific, but some do carry on to the end of the game. Once gathered, ingredients must be chopped or ground down. They can then be added to the cauldron, whose fire must be lit in order for the potion brewing process to begin. Ingredients left too long on their own in the cauldron can burn, so you'll have to move fast to assemble the potion before that happens. The fire under the cauldron can also go out, and getting wood can be as easy as grabbing a piece from a conveniently-placed pile, or as hard as having to chop a tree down yourself. Once all ingredients are placed, the brewing will commence. You can stir the cauldron to speed up the process, or you can choose to move on to the next potion instead. Completed brews are then bottled and taken to the owl, and the process begins anew.

The sheer amount of steps required to prepare potions can be quite overwhelming, so I'm sure you're beginning to realize why I said it's best to not go at this game alone. Though the best laid plans often fall apart the most spectacularly, splitting up tasks is truly the way to go if you want to be a successful witch. There are limited spaces to work with, but many levels give players two cauldrons, and later stages have a well that can sometimes spit out extra equipment. Though it may come at the cost of friendships, there are some challenges that feel near impossible to overcome solo. If the game only involved simple potion making, that would be fine, but additional obstacles pop up before long. Wolves can cause you to become stunned, or even drop a completed potion, and ghosts can do the same thing too. Some levels also rotate the location of ingredients, or lock off parts of the map at set intervals. These can all be overcome in single player, usually with the use of the broom, but having more people to take on the tasks as these problems start to pop up is highly recommended.

While there is no way to make a "bad" potion that I've ever seen, putting incorrect ingredients into the cauldron will cause an explosion. I've seen this be able to stun certain enemies, but the timing required seems near impossible to pull off on purpose. There are plenty of advanced techniques for players to learn too. Hard to reach ingredients can be bunched closer, trees can be cut before they're needed, commonly used ingredients prepped en masse, and potion formulas can be memorized. These may sound like a bit much, but most players will be doing most of them by the final stages of the game. Speaking of stages, let's talk about how one beats them. Each level is timed, and you have a set goal you have to hit in order to consider it beat. Each potion that you successfully deliver adds to the completion meter, and you enter a bonus stage once you've completed it. Any additional potions created within the time limit earn you gems, and these gems unlock customization options for your witch. You can change your witch's hat, outfit, color, hair, and broom in the starting house, and your owl friend also gives you gameplay tips from time to time there too. There are also extra bonus stages that unlock in each area if you collect enough gems, and these act as something like a master class of everything you've learned up to that point.

Since I've talked a lot about levels, let's get a better grasp of how they all come together. The world of Witchtastic is separated into several distinct areas, with each containing multiple stages that have to be completed in order to unlock the next. Each area has its own distinct look and feel, and they often have their own stage hazards and potion variants too. The first area has simple stages that pretty much only revolve around getting players familiar with the potion brewing mechanics. The second area is a spooky wooded area, where trees can come alive and block paths, or where wolves can attack at random times. The next area is a cemetery that features ghosts, and there are others that I'll leave players to discover on their own. New mechanics are added as the game goes on, and this serves to forever keep players on their toes. I was a bit disappointed to learn that there weren't all that many levels all things considered, but this is a game that definitely goes for quality over quantity. Not only does each stage feel unique in its own way, but there are several ways to complete them. I accidentally played a large portion of the game on Easy Mode, since I didn't realize the difficulty scaled itself down for single players. I am currently playing the game again in the standard difficulty, and it feels much better for it. Not only can you play the game with adjusted difficulty, or with other players, you can also work to set the best times possible for each stage. I'm no speedrunner, but there were many times where I completed a level only to go: "I could do that better!" and then proceed to smash my previous time. It's quite the fun and challenging experience, and it's a blast no matter how you end up choosing to play it.

I'm going to cover Witchtastic's graphics and sound together, since I don't really have a lot to say about either. First off, the graphics are good for what they are, but don't particularly stand out in any meaningful way. I know the game isn't going for that aesthetic, but I would've personally preferred everything to be a bit cutesier than it already it. I wouldn't say that the game is going for realism, but the cartoon-y vibes weren’t' as high as I was expecting them to be. However, I did appreciate all the customization options that were given to players. I was constantly changing up my witch's look and wardrobe, and my only complaint is that I couldn't save pre-made sets to easily jump in and out of my favorites. On a similar note, the game's soundtrack falls into the "just good" camp too. Each piece of music feels like it comes from a CD labelled something like "Haunted House Music", and seems to be just exist in the background. The music isn't bad by any stretch, but it does come off feeling a bit generic at times. Despite this, I did find the main theme to be rather catchy, and I'll admit that it got stuck in my head more than a few times. The overall presentation can be a bit hit or miss, but the game's charm more than makes up for it.

Even though most people make the obvious comparison to Overcooked, I don't think that Witchtastic compares well to that game in terms of its content. There's simply not as much of a game here when compared to that series, though that doesn't mean that I think it isn't worth playing. I actually had a great time with it, and I preferred its single-player content over any other game of this type. If one takes away that comparison (Which is what I tried to do most of this review.), then one can appreciate the game for what it actually offers. It's a fun multiplayer game that is also entertaining as a single player title. I did a complete run solo, and I'm currently working on my second. I did try out multiplayer a couple of times, though I was unable to set up a four-player game. I can report back that the online experience works perfectly fine, and we didn't experience any hiccups or disconnects. Witchtastic has earned a place in the game night rotation, and I plan to pick it up on the Switch for quicker access at some point. It also comes in at a very reasonable $17.99, and that feels more than on point for the amount of content one gets.

Considering I've been mostly positive throughout, I think it comes as no surprise that I give Witchtastic the fullest of recommendations. If you're a fan of multiplayer games, or are looking for something to play now that you've completed both Overcooked games in their entirety, then this is the game for you. It even stands on its own as a single-player game, and I suggest picking it up even if you only plan to play it solo. It's fun and frantic, and I'm all for the spooky witch aesthetic. Gather your friends together, pick this one up, and get the party going. You can thank me later. Here's hoping that we get some DLC levels, or even a sequel in the future! See you in the next one!

Check Out Witchtastic on Nintendo Switch:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/witchtastic-switch/

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Story: N/A
Gameplay: A+
Graphics: A-
Music/Sound: A-
Value: A

Overall: A

Pros:
+ A fun and frantic game that truly does feel like "Overcooked, but with witches".
+ I'm all for the spooky Halloween vibes, and I'm always down to play a game as a full-on, broom-riding witch.
+ The sheer amount of variety in the game stages make this a game that will keep players on their toes.
+ Is more than playable in both multiplayer and solo settings, and there are even difficulty options for those looking for a less challenging experience.
+ Bonus levels, and unlockable customization options, make this game highly replayable.
+ Losing friends because they didn't deliver that last potion is somehow more fun than I can begin to explain in writing.

Cons:
- The challenge is pretty high overall, with a definite spike occurring if you're playing solo.
- Though the aesthetic is charming enough, the graphics and music do have a generic-ness to them.
- Could have used more levels overall.

A copy of this game was provided to us free-of-charge by the publisher for the purpose of this review. This did not affect our review in any way.

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#Witchtastic