Witchfire

The Polish studio The Astronauts was founded in 2012 by the three original founders of People Can Fly. So far, it has only released two games: The Vanishing of Ethan Carter (2014) and Witchfire. The latter was announced at the 2017 Game Awards and launched in Early Access in September 2023. The project has presented a challenge to the small studio, which now employs around 20 developers. The Early Access release, originally planned for 2022, was postponed at the last minute in order to change a core element. Initially, the plan was for players to fight their way from arena to arena through vast areas in this fantasy first-person shooter (FPS) with roguelite elements, choosing bonuses in between. However, this concept was discarded and replaced with a semi-open world. This redesign was worth it! According to Creative Director Adrian Chmielarz, the freedom to explore and make decisions in the dark medieval world would have noticeably enhanced the game. So, what is Witchfire all about?

Witchfire is a dark fantasy RPG shooter with roguelite progression and Souls-like and extraction elements, designed for single-player. Players take on the role of a Preyer: an undead assassin sustained by the witchfire flowing through their veins. They must fight the Witch of the Black Sea and her phantom army. From their base of operations, the Hermitory, players embark on expeditions to battle enemies in various environments. Armed with a variety of ranged weapons (as well as newly added melee weapons) and spells, fast-paced and surprisingly complex battles unfold, featuring excellent gunplay, clever elemental magic synergy effects and numerous upgrade options. The game plays like a fast and precise shooter (Unreal Engine 4) with awesome hit feedback, lots of movement and short, intense runs, but it also features deadly enemies where run-and-gun tactics are often not enough.

It feels like a mix of Doom (2016), Painkiller (2004) and Bulletstorm (2011), with roguelite extraction elements. Players must return with loot and resources (such as the meta-resource, Witchfire) before the witch punishes them. Rather than being a chaotic loot-RNG shooter, it is a skill-based game with a huge variety of build options. Each expedition involves making meaningful decisions. Between runs, the Hermitorium serves as a base where players can create unique builds with a growing arsenal of weapons, spells, and artefacts, as well as piece together the witch's story. Players can also invest Witchfire in permanent character upgrades. This enables them to grow in power without the underlying tension of the game being lost.

The latest Early Access update, 'The Reckoning', saw the combat system evolve beyond pure gunplay with the introduction of new melee weapons, including a morning star, a katar and a round shield. These weapons offer unique abilities or advantages as an alternative to the standard fist, which witch hunters can seamlessly incorporate into their gunplay. The melee arsenal is complemented by three new firearms, including a triple-barrelled shotgun called "the Tribunal". To help players hone their skills, a shooting range with an interactive bestiary has been added. This testing environment allows players to try out their equipment on previously defeated enemies before venturing back into expeditions. The game has also been updated to include the Velmorne Vault (the biggest and most expansive yet), new mini-bosses, gameplay modifiers, Steam Deck verification and new accessibility features, including an arachnophobia filter.

In addition, this update introduced 'World Corruption', essentially 'Extraction 2.0'. The idea was that the world would become more hostile the more the player 'robbed' it. "Expect more foes, tougher skirmishes, and even natural phenomena that make expeditions increasingly dangerous, testing your skill and attempting to temper your greed," the developers promised, but just a few days later they backtracked slightly. Creative Director Adrian Chmielarz then issued a fairly clear statement, followed by several patches.

"World Corruption was not just imbalanced. It made the game switch genres. The gameplay philosophy of Witchfire is escalation, but only due to player mistakes. In other words, the player dictates the pacing as long as they’re in control. Inevitably, mistakes happen, and then chaos ensues. (...) World Corruption changed that dynamic. No matter your skill, no matter how smart you played - sooner or later the game interfered with your actions. You were unable to control the pacing. That works for some really great games, but that’s not Witchfire. How did we miss it? Well, things obvious now weren’t that obvious yesterday. Also, Witchfire is still an Early Access game. There is no better time to experiment than now. There is something really cool about World Corruption, so we will keep the feature ... but in a new form. You can see the new approach in today's patch. Until you pick up a Latent Orb, World Corruption is more of a spice than a dish. Just like patrols or minibosses before - something to mess with your plans just a bit. The true hell unleashes only if you pick up the Latent Orb (which no longer slows you down). And Latent Orbs are optional; you do not need them to finish the game, even if they do offer some of the coolest rewards. But now - that is your choice."

In regular, detailed blog posts, the developers talk about the ideas and philosophies behind the game and address questions from the community. For instance, they confirmed that there are no plans for co-op/multiplayer. They also revealed that console versions are in development, although no specific platforms have been named yet.

Witchfire was released on 20 September 2023 as an Early Access title, initially exclusively on the Epic Games Store. A year later, on 23 September 2024, it was launched on Steam. The developers currently expect the game to be released as version 1.0 in mid-2026.

Conclusion

The long development time has paid off. Witchfire offers fast-paced action with magic and a variety of build options, providing an excellent shooter experience.

Features

• First-class gunplay and great movement
• Diverse build variations and upgrades
• Coherent dark fantasy