Witchfire

Witchfire is a game rife with potential that will hopefully be realized throughout its stint in early access. It has an addictive gameplay loop that makes you attempt at least “one more run” thanks to its fast-paced melding of first-person gunplay and magic. The only real downside right now is the relative lack of content.

Witchfire looks like it might set a new example of what the Roguelike genre should be instead of what it’s turning into. While it can be extremely unforgiving, that’s also what’s at the heart of being a Roguelike.

Witchfire's early access offerings paint an alluring picture of what this game could become. There's potential here for a really distinct take on the rogue-like genre in a framework we don't see very often. Despite its issues, I still find myself dipping into Witchfire to see what else it has to offer, and I suspect that I'll be spending more time with it as it grows throughout its early access phase. It feels fresh and dynamic in a way many entries into this saturated genre don't, and is worth checking out for that reason alone.

Witchfire enters early access with a bright future ahead of it. While there's certainly some rough edges, The Astronauts has assembled the skeleton of a capable fusion between FPS sensibilities and roguelite punishments, and I'm keen to see how it evolves over time from here.