Witch It PC Review

With Halloween here this week, Witch It has arrived just in time for some spooky hide and seek shenanigans in this online multiplayer. But, is it any good?

If you’ve read more than one of my reviews, you’ll appreciate that I’m not someone that plays online, nor do I like to. But, it’s necessary for titles such as this or games like Spellbreak.

There’s the scope to play this against bots, but if there’s on the agenda, strike it off as Witch It is best served with others; otherwise it’s like playing a 5-a-side with only five.

Witch It PC Review

Now here’s the good news: Witch It is tremendous fun and even turned an old naysayer of online gaming into an advocate. The premise is simple: join Team Witch or Team Hunter for a classic deathmatch, only the rules, predominantly, are hide and seek.

Using this as the primary game type, you will either be kitted out as a witch or hunter. Witches are hunted, so at the start of each round, you will have a little leeway to find a suitable hiding place before the hunters can find you. The longer you stay hidden, the more XP you’ll earn, but the main goal is to remain hidden until time runs out for the win.

Hiding behind an object in Witch It would be too easy, so using your witchcraft, you can morph into inanimate articles such as crates, lights, coffins – practically everything you come across. Additionally, to throw off your scent, you can create replicas to bide your time, and also use your broom to ascend to a higher vantage point.

In my first attempt as a witch, I inadvertently cast a spell and became a ladder. Gravity was not on my side, and when I used the spell, the ladder fell flat – one ladder propped against a building, the doppelganger sprawled on the floor, but for the entire round, nobody found me, and it was a success.

The Hunt

The quick play method was my preferred choice, and due to the in and out gameplay, you can’t choose your team. Invariably you’ll be cast as a hunter so become accustomed to that style of play with fellow thugs following you about.

As the hunter, you have to find the witch – pretty tricky if they’re cast as an inanimate object. So, potato in hand, you throw these at every item in sight hoping to draw the witch out. If you’re lucky and find one, they’ll flash pink, and you’ll get the win.

Another ace up their sleeve is heat-seeking chickens. The AI on these are on par with their real-life counterparts, as more often than not, they’ll lead you on a wild goose chase(?) but occasionally, they’ll be able to find the witch if in close vicinity. 

In theory, rounds should be fast and furious, and without health gauges, one potato and the witch is gone. However, these matches are prolonged if the witch finds a suitable hiding place or if the hunter isn’t meticulous enough in their potato throwing to determine the hags location.

Every Witch Way But Loose

Witch It is entirely new to me, and I haven’t followed this title which came out as an Early Access in 2017. There’s a good community, and there was never a time when I was looking to find a game. Well, there was, but spectating as the servers were mostly full.

I won’t review the community spirit etc. as I don’t spend my time on forums, Discord or similar but when I first looked into the game, there were a handful of people saying that there were cheaters in the game.

No doubt this happens in most online games, and now and again, I hear my daughter moan that someone is using hacks in Fortnite. From my experience, there was never a moment I felt anyone had hacked the game or found me too quickly as a witch.

On the contrary, I could moan about it the other way round as the majority of the time I found a witch was because someone had provoked them into moving or their chicken (not a euphemism) was in my location at the time, and I may have been awarded the glory. 

More Modes Than You Can Shake A Broom At

The fundamental hide and seek element was a lot more fun than I could have imagined and could easily have just played this mode. However, for those who invested in the game a few years back would like to have seen more and for that reason, developers Barrel Roll Games have put in some additional modes.

• Mobification – when a witch is found, instead of hitting the showers, they join the hunters.
• Hunt a Hag – no skills or powers, a tag mode like touch rugby.
• Foll a Pot – Fill cauldrons with props before the time runs out in a two on two battle.

Aside from these modes, there are heaps of customisations too. In the very first matches I’d unlocked skins for my witch and apparel for hunters, and there are so many variants that you stand out from the… mobs.

The trailers for Witch It are a bit deceiving as close up (ish), the witches look quite pixelated, but when you play the game, you’ll be surprised just how good the presentation is – more so with speed as well. A high spec PC isn’t required, and while the game won’t blow you away, it’s a fabulous environment to play in.

In summary, Witch It was, and is, a joy to play. The last time I enjoyed online gaming this much was probably Half-Life with Counterstrike mods. Yes, I’m from that era. That’s an exaggeration though as I’ve played loads of online games worth mentioning, but I’d much rather endorse this for my kids to play than Fortnite. 

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