Originally announced in 2017, Witchfire looks to be an ambitious blend of many familiar FPS titles. Indie developer The Astronauts consists of a small team of Polish creators, some of whom have worked on stand-out shooters such as Bulletstorm and Painkiller.
The team’s first title, The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, was more of a mood piece that seemed reminiscent of Alan Wake so making the jump to an action-heavy FPS will be an exciting move. In the recent trailer during the Summer Game Fest 2022 the audience saw a lot of interesting weapons, abilities, and enemies that will help Witchfire stand out from the crowd.
What is Witchfire?
Witchfire is described as a rogue-lite, dark fantasy first-person shooter that focuses on skill-based combat. From the looks of the screenshots and trailers, it seems that this game will have a plethora of different weapons and abilities that all focus on the central fantasy theme. Unlike many other shooters, Witchfire is taking a different approach to the setting and has players explore a medieval fantasy world complete with knights, monsters, magic, and incorporating firearms, seemingly in the same vein as the recent Borderlands title, Tiny Tina’s Wonderland.
Developers have stated that there will be a story to Witchfire, but it will be told similarly to the Soulsborne games, through subtle hints and item descriptions rather than lore dumps or cutscenes. Ideally, this form of storytelling will allow players to keep their momentum while playing since this title looks to be heavily focused on movement and high-octane action.
Witchfire’s Mixture of FPS Elements
The most recent trailer showed a lot of high-speed combat and interesting abilities in Witchfire. The immediate draw to the game is its similarities to Doom, which has set the standard for fast-paced combat and fluid, nonstop movement. There also seems to be a long list of weapon options in Witchfire ranging from revolvers to crossbows, all of which seem like they can be swapped quickly and seamlessly. Like Doom, this game never wants the player to stop moving, as the trailer showed the protagonist running quickly from one enemy to the next without skipping a beat.
Witchfire also features supernatural powers and abilities that can be used in tandem with the arsenal of weapons. Games with similar features such as BioShock and Dishonored have mastered the use of combat and transversal abilities in FPS games, but Witchfire could have a unique approach fitting to its medieval theme. The trailer shows the player character using a mixture of different elemental spells and abilities to slow or damage enemies.
Being set in a dark fantasy world that includes modern-day weapons gives Witchfire a unique opportunity. The Astronauts has shared many updates and blog posts that have given a glimpse into the creation of the world of Witchfire and show how the different mechanics can play off of one another. The possibility of utilizing a large iron shield for defense and then blasting away enemies with a fireball or a shotgun would give new meaning to the phrase "battle mage," and could definitely create a unique experience.
Though no official release date was announced with the recent trailer, Witchfire early access will likely become available sometime during quarter four of 2022 exclusively on PC via the Epic Games Store with the remaining development time being dedicated to world and lore development. The Astronauts wanted to put an emphasis on the title becoming early access because it wants players to experience the game before it officially launches in order for both the players and the developers to get a feel for the gameplay and how it could be improved before a full release.
Witchfire releases in early access in Q4 2022 for PC.