Stardander School for Witches
- October 2, 2023
- Fancy Fish Games
Get on SteamDelve into the lives of four young witches as they learn magic, protect their families, try to stay on their brooms, and work hard to unravel the mysteries surrounding Stardander, the best school of magic in the world. Your time at Stardander will be full of surprising discoveries, strategic battles against many fae creatures, late-night study sessions, and not a few delightful pranks at your lea…
PC
Steam Deck
Windows
Linux
Reviews
- The game features stunning graphics and beautifully crafted environments, characters, and creatures, showcasing the developers' attention to detail.
- The storyline is engaging and addictive, with a compelling mix of visual novel, RPG, and raising simulation elements that immerse players in a magical school setting.
- Players can experience the development of four unique characters over the years, each with their own backgrounds and motivations, adding depth to the narrative.
- The game suffers from linearity, with many choices feeling cosmetic and lacking meaningful impact on the story, leading to a sense of railroaded gameplay.
- Switching characters each year results in losing control over previously played characters, which can diminish player investment in their development and story arcs.
- The user interface and mechanics, particularly in time management and battle systems, are criticized for being cumbersome and lacking polish, detracting from the overall experience.
- story31 mentions
- 48 % positive mentions
- 42 % neutral mentions
- 10 % negative mentions
The story is described as addicting and fun, featuring unique characters with their own motivations, which enhances immersion in the magical school setting. However, the narrative is linear with limited decision-making, and many players feel that the story becomes rushed and incomplete, particularly in the later chapters. Despite these drawbacks, the compelling main plot and beautiful graphics contribute to a positive overall experience, leaving players hopeful for future improvements.
“The story is great, the characters are all unique with their own motivations and surprises.”
“Amazingly beautiful graphics and the story is terrific – a perfect combination of novel and game.”
“The story is compelling as of the chapters that have been released, and the game makes me feel way more immersed with the characters and magical-school setting than any other game.”
“Many of the decisions are a bit useless (the story is linear, there are no branches in the first four years).”
“The story felt like it got more and more rushed the further along in the game I got.”
“Whereas earlier years had things like the interlude between year 1 and 2, later years had certain things skipped due to plot events.”
- gameplay8 mentions
- 13 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
Gameplay is criticized for its forced mechanics that limit character development and create a cumbersome spell selection process during battles. Players often feel disconnected from the characters due to the frequent loss of control and slow progression, leading to diminished interest in the raising sim aspect. While the battle mechanics can be challenging, the overall execution leaves much to be desired.
“Other than being incomplete, which may be cause for hesitation, the combination of mechanics, while it is proven to be working and a good idea, has several execution deficiencies.”
“The battles themselves are mechanically fine and they can pose a challenge, but the basic process of selecting which spells to cast, especially if a battle requires more than two, is very cumbersome.”
“It comes across as a really forced 'balance mechanic' that constricts the characters down whatever paths they were already strong in before, and by the end of it I had totally lost interest in this part of the game and was just picking whatever because the spell gain is so slow and by the time you gain a new spell that character won't be your main character anymore anyway.”
“You also lose mechanical control of the girl in the raising sim part of the game, and instead inherit another girl with a completely different set of strengths and have to try to figure out what direction to steer her skills in.”
- music6 mentions
- 33 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 17 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received mixed reviews, with many players finding it generic and forgettable, lacking the unique witchy or Celtic-inspired themes they desired. However, there are a few standout tracks that some players appreciated, leading to a small contingent who enjoyed the soundtrack enough to support it further. Overall, the sound design appears to be a weak point for many users.
“The music is pretty good, too, and I got the soundtrack for further support.”
“The music is pretty good, too, and I got the soundtrack for further support.”
“The sound and music design felt very underwhelming to me. I feel like some interesting witchy or Celtic-style new age music could have been used here, but it all felt very generic and I don't remember a single tune, with one obvious exception that I did very much like.”
- atmosphere4 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- 50 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The game's atmosphere is highly praised for its immersive world-building and relatable characters, particularly within the coming-of-age genre. Reviewers appreciate the blend of magical elements and the vulnerabilities of young adult life, making it an engaging experience for fans of stories about witches in school. Overall, the atmosphere is described as captivating and well-executed.
“I love what I have read so far; the atmosphere of the game is great and on point. If you like stories in the coming-of-age genre, and 'witches in school trying to save the world while also balancing their studies and being somewhat vulnerable young adults' sounds great to you, then you'll probably like this game.”
“The atmosphere, world-building, characters, and mysteries are great.”
- graphics2 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The graphics are consistently praised as stunningly beautiful, complementing the game's engaging story to create a harmonious blend of visual artistry and narrative depth.
“Amazingly beautiful graphics and the story is terrific – a perfect combination of novel and game.”
