The Witch & The 66 Mushrooms
- November 7, 2020
- KADOKAWA
Get on SteamIn "The Witch & the 66 Mushrooms," players control a young girl on a mission to rescue her brother from a witch. This 2D action-adventure game features sprawling stages filled with various enemies to defeat using an array of weapons. The game also encourages exploration to find hidden mushrooms and unlock maps, making for a fun and engaging experience.
Nintendo Switch
PC
Windows
Reviews
- Charming pixel art and engaging soundtrack create a delightful atmosphere.
- The healing system allows for a forgiving gameplay experience, making it accessible for casual players.
- Collecting mushrooms offers a fun challenge, with hints that encourage exploration and puzzle-solving.
- The game is primarily in Chinese, making it difficult for non-Chinese speakers to understand controls and objectives.
- Controls can feel awkward and unresponsive, especially when using a keyboard instead of a controller.
- The game is short and lacks replay value, with many mechanics feeling underdeveloped or arbitrary.
- music15 mentions
- 67 % positive mentions
- 13 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The music in the game is widely praised for its charming and retro-inspired sound, reminiscent of classic titles like Banjo and Lemmings, contributing to the overall cute and whimsical atmosphere. Reviewers note that the soundtrack is enjoyable and easy to listen to, enhancing the game's appeal despite its short length. Overall, the music complements the game's aesthetics and gameplay, making it a delightful experience for players.
“Everything feels good to do, the music is very charming (everything's charming, really) and it's a cleverly made thing that's worth experiencing.”
“Ggs, amazing value on sale metroidvania with music that reminisces of Banjo, Lemmings and its own spooky witchy vibe.”
“Super cute graphics, nice music, simple story, and a dang plethora of hidden items, all in a short and sweet lil metroidvania.”
“It's a short metroidvania with music that's easy to listen to for a while, and mechanics that are simple.”
“Well, it's a nice game, quick to complete (around 3.5 hours for 100%), the gameplay is mostly very smooth, art and music are neat, plot is simple but since it's quick that isn't that much of a problem.”
“All around enjoyable metroidvania when it comes to art, music, and gameplay, I would say about 3 to 4 hours long with very casual difficulty.”
- gameplay14 mentions
- 43 % positive mentions
- 36 % neutral mentions
- 21 % negative mentions
The gameplay is generally enjoyable, featuring intuitive controls and engaging mechanics, though some boss fights may feel underwhelming due to their simplicity. Players appreciate the short metroidvania experience, which lasts around 3.5 hours, and the charming art and music, despite some minor control issues and a lack of depth in mechanics. Overall, it offers a casual and accessible gameplay experience, making it a recommendable title for fans of the genre.
“Each boss had a different mechanic on how they must be beaten, and some may be a little tricky to figure out at first.”
“Intuitive controls, and fun nuances in gameplay mechanics alike.”
“Hunting down the mushrooms was enjoyable without being frustrating, and the mechanics, while simple, provided sufficient engagement that I was still finding new ways to utilize them while running around after completing the game.”
“As the first game I ever played developed on this pixel game maker MV software, I have to say, it's pretty ambitious to develop a small-sized metroidvania title, but even then it has its shortcomings, particularly small things that end up mattering on the whole gameplay experience. For starters, while the controls seem decent enough, there are some minor decisions like running while holding the attack button as if this was a game developed for a system with very few buttons. In reality, you could easily fix this by making just tapping the same direction twice like in Castlevania: Circle of the Moon. Furthermore, the difference in movement and speed between walking and dashing could be a bit more pronounced.”
“But hey, the quality is here so I can recommend it anyway, just keep in mind that it's a simple, well-made, short metroidvania game without many mechanics and areas.”
“You should be more mindful when you put accessible healing mechanics into the game; the difficulty is not high enough to require it.”
- graphics10 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 10 % neutral mentions
- 30 % negative mentions
The game features charming pixel graphics that are well-received, with many praising the retro aesthetic and accompanying soundtrack. Reviewers highlight the cute art style and enjoyable visuals, contributing to the overall appeal of the platformer and metroidvania experience. However, some players noted issues with puzzle mechanics that detracted from the otherwise polished graphics and sound.
“Nice pixel graphics, and great crunchy retro sound effects and soundtrack.”
“Super cute graphics, nice music, simple story, and a dang plethora of hidden items, all in a short and sweet lil metroidvania.”
“The only draw of the game is the cute aesthetic and the neato weapons.”
“A charming platformer and metroidvania game with a cute pixel art style.”
“These are the graphics and music I wanted for a game like this.”
- story8 mentions
- 38 % positive mentions
- 25 % neutral mentions
- 38 % negative mentions
The story aspect of the games reviewed varies significantly, with many titles praised for their charming, fairy tale-inspired narratives and engaging simplicity, particularly in the "b tier" games like "Blast Brigade" and "Alwa's Legacy." However, some titles in the "e tier," such as "Rain World" and "Sundered," received criticism for their confusing plots and lack of coherence. Overall, while many games offer delightful and whimsical storytelling, others struggle to deliver a clear and satisfying narrative experience.
“This is a cute short metroidvania with a lot of fairy tale influence in the story and bosses.”
“Charming little metroidvania-like drawing a lot of inspiration from old storybook myths and fairy tales.”
“Super cute graphics, nice music, simple story, and a plethora of hidden items, all in a short and sweet little metroidvania.”
“The story is very confusing... why does the main character become a witch???”
“Well, it's a nice game, quick to complete (around 3.5h for 100%), the gameplay is mostly very smooth, art and music are neat, but the plot is simple and lacks depth.”
“Charming little metroidvania-like drawing a lot of inspiration from old storybook myths and fairy tales, but it feels underdeveloped.”
- stability5 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game suffers from significant stability issues, with numerous bugs and glitches reported, some of which are game-breaking and require players to reload or restart. Despite these problems, many users still find enjoyment in the game overall.
“It's very buggy.”
“First, let me point out that the game does have a few glitches.”
“As I said above, I've run into a few glitches, some game-breaking ones that forced me to load and even start over.”
- replayability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has limited replayability, primarily due to its linear design, which detracts from the exploration typically expected in a metroidvania. While players can engage in collecting additional items like mushrooms for a bit more playtime, the overall experience lacks significant incentives for replay.
“It's also amazingly railroaded for a metroidvania game; there is absolutely zero replay value.”
“Not much in terms of replay value. If you want, you can go around collecting all of the mushrooms, which should add at least one more hour.”
- grinding2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
Players find the grinding aspect of the game to be tedious, particularly due to the challenge of collecting 66 mushrooms, some of which are difficult to spot. Despite this, the game is praised as one of the best in its genre, indicating that the grinding may be a worthwhile endeavor for dedicated fans.
“The goal of collecting 66 mushrooms, many of which can be hard to see or notice, is tedious and reminds me of the second Metroid game.”
