Witchfire is one of the games that presented itself during this year’s Summer Game Festival. This passion project is a first-person dark fantasy roguelite.
Witchfire is a First-Person Action Roguelite from the Developers of Painkiller and Bulletstorm
One standout indie gem in this year’s Summer Game Fest is Witchfire. This is a far cry from The Astronauts’ previous work, the narrative-heavy “The Vanishing of Ethan Carter” way back in 2014. The Astronauts previously announced Witchfire also a while back in December of 2017.
Witchfire is a first-person shooter with procedurally generated elements. It is definitely dark fantasy, with all its demons, magic, and other otherworldly horrors.
Witchfire’s Epic Games Store page also claims that this game is “a roguelite for people who hate roguelites”. Not sure what that means exactly, as they didn’t expound on the thought.
I Found a Witch! May We Burn Her?
The game is set in a world where magic is real, as well as all the dangers and wonder that come with it. Mankind is desperate to win its war against the powerful witches. In its darkest hour, the church has turned to forbidden magic and sinners to take up the mantle of witch hunters.
It is then the task of these Witch Hunters to eliminate these vile hags. Ultimately, their goal is to defeat the leader of evil, the Witch of the Black Sea. Only through the player’s help will humanity stand a chance against the darkness.
Take the Fight to the Witches
The Witch Hunters will be equipped with blessed armaments strong enough to combat evil and its ilk. They will wield machine guns, superheated revolvers, mighty shotguns, and more to rid holes into their enemies.
Even further, they will be imbued with magic themselves. Witch Hunters will have an array of spells at their disposal with different effects. Ripples of frost can erupt from their hands, freezing enemies in place and setting them up to be perfect target practice. Waves of Force can also be conjured up from thin air, staggering foes and giving you ample time to reposition yourself.
And when the going gets tough, you may always rely on trusty fire to burn away your foes. Flame spells and effects are glorious to look at and can purify any evil.
Agents of Evil
On the other side of the spectrum are the forces of darkness. Various thralls, demons, and other creatures will face off against the Witch Hunters. The forces of darkness are no pushover, however. They will be able to make use of spells as well. One example of such is the usage of demonic runes to shield themselves from damage.
The Earliest of Accesses
The Astronauts have made the decision to release Witchfire in Early Access first before a full release. It is their belief that an Early Access release will help them in the long run, as they will be able to gain feedback and iterate much quicker. Early Access has also generally been a good way to get fan feedback and gather ideas from the community’s involvement.
Early Access is planned for Q4 2022, but no specific date has been penned. This isn’t set in stone, however, as The Astronauts firmly believe that they will not release their game, Early Access or not if they feel it isn’t ready.
“You only have one chance to make the first impression and we respect your time and money” their Early Access Blog post states.
The game’s EA period will also be exclusive to the Epic Games Store, much likeHadeswas. They even cite the Greek Roguelike as an inspiration for their own journey.
Into the Grimdark World of Witchfire
Much like Warhammer, the world of Witchfire is described as “grim dark”. This time, they have moved into the fantasy steampunk realm instead. Much like in The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, the team makes use of “photogrammetry” to 3D scan various objects. These scans are then converted into assets that can be freely used in creating levels in-game.
This technique works extremely well for them, as The Vanishing of Ethan Carter was quite the looker, especially considering that the title came out in 2014. It also helps that The Astronauts are making use of Unreal Engine 4 to support their game, which is still quite good-looking even if Unreal Engine 5 is just around the corner.
