The Knight Witch Review (PC)

I guess I’m more of a knight than a witch. Every time I enter a room, I start blasting and moving in evasive patterns, even if there’s no enemy in sight. Some of them are good at stealth, and others move fast, so it is better to always be on your flying toes.

Even when engaged with big groups of droids, I tend to focus on movement and accurate fire, rather than my arsenal of spells. After all, hot blaster or machine gun fire is a guaranteed kill. That’s not to say that I don’t like stun daggers or lightning strikes or defensive counter-fire. They are extremely useful. I simply forget about them for long stretches of time.

When facing a boss, I launch spells as soon as I have the mana, mainly because the focus on one enemy makes it easier to fit them into a plan. The good news is that The Knight Witch gives me the space to focus on my playstyle while gently encouraging me to get more out of my magic.

The game is developed by Super Awesome Hyper Dimensional Mega Team and published by Team17. I played using Steam on the PC, with the game also offered on the PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series X and S, the Nintendo Switch, and older consoles from Microsoft and Sony. The title is designed around action arcade mechanics, with a lot of Metroidvania elements.

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The narrative takes place in a world called Dungeonidas, torn by war and environmental collapse. A short prologue offers more insight into the massive battle that leads to it. Survivors live underground and an old enemy resurfaces to threaten their safety.

Players take on the role of Rayne, who has not qualified to become a Knight Witch but is thrust into the role of community defender. She steps up in a big way, gets her special hat, and works hard to help her community survive. The story manages to walk the fine line between earnestness and humor, with plenty of winks to the audience.

The action mixes exploration, combat, and puzzle-solving. Rayne can fly, dash, and fire spells. The combat takes place in 2D, with the knight witch free to maneuver across the screen as she seeks to avoid incoming fire and deliver her own constant stream of destruction toward enemies.

The character has an ability called instinctual aim, allowing her to auto-target opponents for a decrease in damage. This is especially handy when a lot of enemies are on screen and the focus is on getting out of the way of incoming projectiles. Most enemy archetypes remain constant, although a range of new opponents is introduced in new locations, and they will combine their abilities in surprising ways.

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A trio of mana-powered spells is always available. You can cancel out or re-direct enemy bullets, there’s darkness to deal damage to all enemies, lightning, and more. I tend to use them sparingly when I feel like I am in danger, but there’s enough blue mana around to be aggressive with them. Visit the practice ground to discover which selection works best for your approach.

Rayne will also pick up other resources, to be traded for new spell cards, better versions, or armor (always visit the friendly skeletons). When her link to the community increases, players can also choose between boosting raw combat power or her magical abilities.

New cards and improved abilities are needed during the big ambushes and boss fights. The action gets hectic, in a good way, and players need both solid reflexes and an understanding of enemy capabilities to prevail.

There are entire rooms in The Knight Witch with no enemies, filled only with obstacles, creating environmental puzzles. They are not hard to solve on a conceptual level, but moving around and through them can sometimes be tricky. I also don’t love the backtracking that is required at times, especially when aiming to open up some hard to get to areas.

I like the game best when it puts Rayne in a relatively open arena and throws enemies at her in waves. It’s thrilling and fun. Dying does not lead to frustration but to an evaluation of what mix of spells and tactics can lead to victory. I needed about ten tries to get past the first boss, which might seem like a lot. But every defeat gave me more info about his patterns, which allowed me to choose the best-suited spells and tweak my movement to avoid the biggest traps he laid.

If the auto-aim and the upgrade customization are not enough, The Knight Witch also offers players a Cheats section in the menu. Players willing to play around with a four-symbol matching game will get access to tweaks that can make the experience easier (or boost the difficulty level).

The Knight Witch is bright and colorful, with a graphics style that matches the narrative and serves the gameplay well. There are moments when there are so many enemy projectiles on the screen that the action is hard to read. But most of the time, thanks to the automated attacking, players will understand what’s happening and how they can best deploy their battle assets. The character design is lovely, especially for the main character, and I like how the enemies’ look, especially that of the bosses, telegraphs their fighting style. There’s no voice acting but the soundtrack is very good and the combat sounds crunchy.

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The Good

The Bad

Conclusion