WITCH ON THE HOLY NIGHT

About

WITCH ON THE HOLY NIGHT is a single player action game. It was developed by TYPE-MOON and was released on December 14, 2023. It received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players.

"WITCH ON THE HOLY NIGHT" is a coming-of-age story set in the 1980s, following an innocent young man and two young witches. The remastered version features fully voiced characters, full HD visuals, and animated graphical elements, bringing the reading experience to life. The game tells the tale of two witches living in a mansion on the hill, and a boy who moves to the city, narrowly missing them.

Genres & Tags

Adventure

Play Modes

Single-Player

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97%

Audience ScoreBased on 1,264 reviews

story201 positive mentions

Incredible visuals and production quality, making it feel like an animated experience rather than just a visual novel.
Engaging and well-developed characters, particularly the dynamic between Aoko, Alice, and Soujuurou, which keeps players invested in their relationships.
The soundtrack is exceptional, enhancing the emotional impact of the story and complementing the beautiful art.

The story is linear with no choices or alternate endings, which may disappoint players looking for interactive gameplay.
The pacing can be slow at times, especially in the early chapters, which might turn some players away.
The English translation has several typos and awkward phrasing, indicating a need for better localization.

story
567 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
64%
1%
The story of "Witch on the Holy Night" is widely praised for its engaging narrative, character development, and emotional depth, making it a standout entry in the Type-Moon universe. While it is primarily a linear kinetic novel with no branching paths, the well-crafted interactions and themes resonate deeply with players, offering a rich experience that balances slice-of-life moments with magical elements. Despite some critiques regarding pacing and predictability, the overall consensus highlights its beautiful presentation, compelling characters, and a heartfelt exploration of personal growth and relationships.
- “A tremendous story about appreciating what we have while we have it, knowing that nothing truly has permanence in this world, but things are beautiful and noble for that very reason.”
- “This was a genuinely incredible story, full of extremely well written and fleshed out characters, beautiful soundtracks, mesmerizing visuals and nearly flawless writing.”
- “Mahoyo combines compelling characters, engaging story, amazing soundtrack, epic fights, emotional voice acting and crisp art by Koyama himself.”
- “The plot is largely inconsequential, the stakes are low, the overwhelmingly detailed world-building is mostly absent, action scenes are relatively sparse, and there's essentially only 3-4 characters that matter.”
- “The story itself is rather straightforward and can be predictable at times, and it doesn’t do anything too noteworthy.”
- “Cons: main story felt halfway done and boring with no interesting development, shounen writing, choice mechanism only available on the last bonus chapter.”
music
218 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
57%
42%
1%
The music in this visual novel is widely praised as one of its standout features, with many reviewers calling it ethereal, beautiful, and emotionally resonant. The soundtrack, which blends classical pieces with original compositions, enhances the storytelling and atmosphere, making key moments memorable and immersive. Overall, the music is considered a significant factor in the game's high production quality and emotional impact, solidifying its status as one of the best soundtracks in the genre.
- “The soundtrack is simply beautiful, with some music being classical pieces or original tracks from the visual novel that are absolute bangers, making some moments in the story truly memorable.”
- “The music and animation are incredible and immersive; it borders on being an anime sometimes.”
- “The music also requires special mention, as it thoroughly outclasses the already outstanding work from Fate/Stay Night and takes the crown for the most rich, emotional, and varied soundtrack accompanying a Type-Moon novel.”
- “The OST is also an absolute banger, so much that I'm sad you can't buy it as a DLC to listen during free time without having to open the game's mediocre music player.”
- “The song is played within the game, but not found in the game's music gallery.”
- “Firstly, this is less a game and more a novel with music and pictures.”
graphics
118 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
54%
43%
3%
The graphics in this visual novel are widely praised for their stunning quality and artistic beauty, often described as some of the best in the genre. Reviewers highlight the dynamic visuals, intricate character designs, and immersive backgrounds that elevate the storytelling experience, making it feel more like an animated film than a traditional game. Overall, the visuals, combined with excellent voice acting and music, create a captivating atmosphere that enhances the narrative.
- “Incredible story and world building with fantastic voice acting, music, and visuals.”
- “The visuals and music are beyond expectation, and make the game feel like a AAA visual novel.”
- “The art style is simply gorgeous and the unique cinematography and framing keeps the reader even more engaged as if the characters and story weren't doing that enough.”
- “Does not work properly on an AMD graphics card.”
- “Now $40 is a lot for what is at the end of the day a fancy picture book, but Wothn has flat-out some of the best production value ever seen in this medium; challenging the limits with its jaw-dropping visuals, sporting dynamic portraits over ever-changing backgrounds, coupled with copious CGs.”
- “But would I be equally as gripped had there just been the killer visuals, soundtrack, and characters talking in a static room?”
atmosphere
31 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
35%
55%
10%
The atmosphere of the game is universally praised for its immersive quality, combining stunning visuals, exceptional voice acting, and a captivating soundtrack that enhances the overall experience. Reviewers highlight the game's ability to evoke a cozy yet mysterious mood, drawing players into its richly detailed world and character interactions. Overall, it is regarded as a masterclass in atmospheric storytelling, making it a standout visual novel.
- “The atmosphere, writing, voice acting, characters, and all are to die for.”
- “Starting up the game and reading through the prologue while 'Liebestraum' by Franz Liszt is playing in the background, being hit with multiple shots of indoors and hearing raindrops while slowly realizing the scene isn't played in one character's perspective, this game immediately drops in a cozy yet mysterious atmosphere that dragged me in for a ride that left me eager for more by the end.”
- “The atmosphere in 'Witch on the Holy Night' is particularly noteworthy; I'm instantly transported to Misaki Town, vividly feeling each scene's distinct mood alongside characters like Aoko and Sojuro.”
- “Starting up the game and reading through the prologue while Liebestraum by Franz Liszt is playing in the background, being hit with multiple shots of indoors and hearing raindrops while slowly realizing the scene isn't played in one character's perspective, this game immediately drops in a cozy yet mysterious atmosphere that dragged me in for a ride that left me eager for more by the end.”
- “The atmosphere in Witch on the Holy Night is particularly noteworthy; I'm instantly transported to Misaki Town, vividly feeling each scene's distinct mood alongside characters like Aoko and Sojuro.”
- “The novel uses its limited character art and backgrounds creatively to give a cinematic dimension to the reading experience, further enhancing the immersion and atmosphere that Type-Moon novels often took advantage of.”
humor
30 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The humor in the game is a mixed bag, with moments that range from absurdly funny to cringe-worthy, but when it hits, it delivers genuine belly laughs. The character interactions, particularly with Aoko, are highlighted as both amusing and endearing, while the voice acting enhances the comedic moments. Overall, the game successfully balances humor with tense action and emotional depth, making it a memorable experience.
- “Thanks to this, when the game goes for humor, it's absolutely hysterical; I was belly laughing at multiple points.”
- “The characters are incredibly well defined, the music and art are incredible, and the work has an amazing sense of humor.”
- “The sophisticated main character's reactions to the naive 'farm boy' are hilarious.”
emotional
26 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
The emotional aspect of the game is highlighted by its slow build-up, rich world-building, and deep character development, culminating in a heartwarming and poignant conclusion. Players are drawn into a touching coming-of-age narrative that explores themes of friendship, loss, and self-discovery, enhanced by an outstanding soundtrack and beautiful visuals. The heartfelt writing and engaging character interactions ensure that players feel a strong attachment to the story and its characters throughout their journey.
- “Kinoko Nasu's tried and true blend of action and slice-of-life finds itself perfectly at home in this story, where the dynamic between youthful and eccentric characters lends to a touching coming-of-age story, where teenagers cope with the loss of their childhood by being thrust into a new and strange life they're not sure they fit in with, but learn to find a new reason to live and exist through each other's friendship and values.”
- “There is nothing more touching than coming full circle, realizing that 'Witch on the Holy Night', originally written in 1996 and now finally published more than 20 years later, is the seminal work that binds this series together.”
- “The story is a rather simple one, but it can be very emotional, and still has Nasu's classic touch of mystery.”
character development
22 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
27%
46%
27%
Character development in the game is notably polarizing; while some players appreciate the slow build and emotional depth, others criticize the lack of growth in key characters, particularly Aoko and Alice, who remain unlikable throughout. The character designs effectively reflect personalities, but the absence of meaningful development leads to a disconnection with the story's climax. Overall, the game excels in world-building and artistic presentation, yet fails to deliver on character evolution for many.
- “It's definitely a slow build-up, but if you like a lot of world-building, character development/exploration, and strong emotional impact, give this a shot.”
- “The character designs are very good, each one showing a bit of the character's personality, whether it be through their design or facial expressions, and they are also drawn beautifully.”
- “The character design for some characters is probably nothing exceptional in their uniqueness; however, they reflect their personality ideally in their expressions and designs. As the game progresses, you start to see the charm in simplicity in some characters, and also an understanding of the complexity of why a character looks a certain way once you start to learn more about them.”
- “Unlikable characters and no character development for any of them means I am given no reason to care about the climax, and ultimately one moment at the end where a character actually does something for another person for once falls flat because they had no character development leading up to it.”
- “The problem lies in that not a single character in the game experiences character development.”
- “You would expect Aoko, and possibly Alice, to have some kind of development to be less insufferable, but every time there should be character development following specific events, the game immediately backpedals on it and both girls are just inexplicably awful again.”
gameplay
6 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The gameplay of *[i]witch on the holy night[/i]* is characterized as a linear visual novel or "kinetic novel," offering no player choices or interactive elements, effectively making it a narrative experience akin to reading a book with accompanying visuals and audio. While this lack of gameplay may deter some, many players still find the story enjoyable despite the absence of multiple routes or decisions.
- “In terms of gameplay, [i]Witch on the Holy Night[/i] can be classified as the 'kinetic novel'-type: a visual novel where the player can only read through the story instead of interacting with it; there are no choices to be made or multiple routes to play through here.”
- “The game is entirely a linear visual novel, with no gameplay or choices of any kind, but I found it very enjoyable.”
- “- No routes, there's no choices to make and no gameplay (aside from a bonus story at the end), so it's really just a book with sound and pictures; it's not necessarily a negative, but you need to know it before buying.”
- “In terms of 'gameplay' however, [i]Witch on the Holy Night[/i] can be classified as the 'kinetic novel'-type: a visual novel where the player can only read through the story instead of interacting with it; there are no choices to be made or multiple routes to play through here.”
- “- No routes, there's no choices to make and no gameplay (aside from a bonus story at the end), so it's really just a book with sound and pictures. It's not necessarily a negative, but you need to know it before buying.”
- “The game is entirely a linear visual novel, with no gameplay or choices of any kind.”
optimization
4 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
50%
50%
The game's engine suffers from poor optimization, leading to significant battery drain, with a recommendation to set the thermal design power (TDP) to around 4 watts. Despite this, the voice performances are solid and contribute positively to character engagement.
monetization
2 mentions Positive Neutral Negative
100%
Reviewers express disappointment with Aniplex for its lack of advertising, suggesting that the monetization strategy may not be effectively reaching potential players.

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30h Median play time

30h Average play time

30-30h Spent by most gamers

*Based on 2 analyzed playthroughs

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Frequently Asked Questions

WITCH ON THE HOLY NIGHT is a action game.

WITCH ON THE HOLY NIGHT is available on PC and Windows.

On average players spend around 30 hours playing WITCH ON THE HOLY NIGHT.

WITCH ON THE HOLY NIGHT was released on December 14, 2023.

WITCH ON THE HOLY NIGHT was developed by TYPE-MOON.

WITCH ON THE HOLY NIGHT has received overwhelmingly positive reviews from players. Most players liked this game for its story but disliked it for its character development.

WITCH ON THE HOLY NIGHT is a single player game.

Similar games include The House in Fata Morgana, Aokana: Four Rhythms Across the Blue, STEINS;GATE, Heart of the Woods, Fault Milestone One and others.

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