WitchSpring R

Genre: Turn-Based JRPG

Players: 1

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Review:

The WitchSpring series of Turn-Based JRPGs has seen multiple installments on mobile devices, going all the way back to the series’ first game on that platform in 2020. WitchSpring R, released in 2023 on PC and ported to PlayStation 5 and Nintendo Switch in 2024, is a full remake of that first game, which focused on a young witch named Pieberry who was abandoned in the woods at a young age and must contend with frequent attempts on her life by soldiers, adventurers, and witch hunters. But she’s less concerned about any of that than she is about snatching up the tasty pie these adventurers often seem to be carrying on them.

While the original mobile release of WitchSpring was far more modest in its presentation, WitchSpring R is visually gorgeous, with a colorful, cartoony world, and beautifully-rendered anime-style cel-shaded 3D characters. This game isn’t exactly pushing any envelopes (and at times the framerates can suffer a bit), but the visual style here is great. These visuals are accompanied by a typical and not especially noteworthy fantasy-appropriate soundtrack and Japanese-language (I think) voices for the characters.

However, while the visuals are charming, I didn’t really feel the same way about the gameplay. WitchSpring is a game that really pushes grinding, and not in a way that’s especially fun, either. Even early enemies can quickly drain your life to nothing unless you take your time and repeatedly fight early enemies to gather resources. This game does also have an experience system, but this won’t be too helpful to your grind, as you only get experience the first time you fight an instance of enemies. From that point on, the only thing you’ll get out of the grind is more resources. These can thankfully be used to craft potions for permanent stat upgrades, but this process works at a snail’s pace.

There are other gameplay mechanics here as well, such as some sort of Monster-Collecting mechanic, though this is poorly-explained and limited in use – it’s not exactly clear which enemies you can use this game’s “catch” mechanic on, and after repeated use I’m still pretty lacking in anything resembling a collection.

Given WitchSpring R’s bright and bubbly presentation, it seems like the game is misleading about what a slog it is to play, and while I don’t doubt that some players will still enjoy this game, I think there are numerous other JRPGs on Nintendo Switch that will value your time better and be much more enjoyable to play, and to grind, if that’s what you want.

tl;dr – WitchSpring R is a remake of the first game in the WishSpring series of Turn-Based JRPGs, and it looks visually delightful. Unfortunately, tedious grindy gameplay and poorly-explained mechanics make for a game that’s a slog to play, and just isn’t a match for the game’s upbeat presentation. Really patient RPG players may enjoy this game, but most are better off getting something else instead.

Grade: C

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This game has been nominated for one or more of eShopperReviews 2024 Game Awards:

Runner-Up: Best RPG, Most Overrated

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