At first glance, Witcheye may look like just another indie platformer—until you see who developed it. Devolver Digital has made waves in the gaming world due to their seemingly-endless barrage of innovative, entertaining games, including the current phenomena of Fall Guys.
Witcheye is a throwback to a past era of gaming, with tight controls and a graphical style that makes it seem like it would be just at home on the Super Nintendo as it is on the Switch. Although Witcheye is a port of a mobile game, it suggests that perhaps it’s time to stop seeing “mobile” as an expletive.
Platforming Without Platforms
Witcheye may be best described as a platformer, but there’s no jumping involved. In fact, you don’t walk at any point. The story starts off with the brave, valiant hero taking on a quest to rob a witch of her treasures, and it seems almost like you will play the role of the knight…until you realize he’s actually a jerk and the witch did nothing wrong.
After she realizes her belongings have been snatched, she transforms into a floating eyeball and gives chase. Witcheye consists of more than 50 levels spread out across six different zones, each with distinct environments. Unfortunately, the enemies are not quite as distinctive. While they differ from area to area, sometimes they seem like re-skins or upgraded versions of previous enemies.
The goal is simple: race through the level and reach the end. Complete every level in a world and defeat the boss at the end to collect some of your lost treasure. You can move by flicking the analog stick in the direction you want to move. Pressing any button will stop your movement and allow you to quickly shift directions.
Side-Play
In addition to the standard gameplay, you can collect gemstones hidden throughout the levels. Each level has three green gems and one blue gem. Collecting them is for completionists, as it doesn’t seem to have any effect on gameplay otherwise.
Enemies can be defeated by slamming into them, although certain foes require a bit more finesse. Some have weak spots that must be hit in order to deal damage.
Every boss has a different feel from the previous boss that keeps encounters feeling fresh. None of the mechanics feel contrived, and though the game does have difficulty spikes they are easy enough to overcome with continued practice.
Each level lasts only 30 to 90 seconds. Even the most difficult zones are quick, bite-sized bits of play. They’re perfect for repeated attempts to learn the patterns, but they also lend themselves quite well for speed running.
Witcheye has already attracted the attention of quite a few speed runners. If you fancy yourself talented enough to race through the game and set records, give it a try. Even I managed to complete it in a bit over two hours, and I wouldn’t consider myself good at this style of game.
Graphically Gorgeous
Witcheye‘s 16-bit style is easy on the eyes. The game is beautifully animated with bright, vibrant colors that are an absolute pleasure to look at. The different worlds range from dark forests to bright mountain peaks, each of which is distinct from other worlds. There is even an underwater level whose aesthetic appeal overcame the sense of dread that most water levels evoke.
The soundtrack is also noteworthy. The background music does not, at first, seem like the style that would suit this sort of game—but after a few moments, the shock of it fades and you find yourself immersed in the synthwave tunes.
And somehow, they fit perfectly. The music fits the frantic rhythm of many of the levels, especially the later zones that can sometimes feel like they’re bordering on bullet hell.
When you finish the game, you will find yourself humming along to the melodies. In fact, it played in the background while this review was written.
Witcheye is a charming, short experience that feels perfectly at home on the Switch. If you’re looking for something fast-paced that will test the skills of even the most hardened player, give it a try.