Witchaven
- June 17, 2021
- Capstone Software
Get on Steam"Witchaven is a horror shooter game that offers both single-player and multi-player modes. Explore a dark, volcanic island filled with witches, demons, and monsters. Utilize medieval weapons, magic, and special abilities to combat enemies and uncover secrets in 3D environments with stomach-turning sound effects and music."
Reviews
- The game offers a unique blend of melee combat and spellcasting, providing a fun and challenging experience.
- It has a distinct art style and atmosphere that appeals to fans of retro games and old-school dungeon crawlers.
- Playing on BuildGDX enhances the experience significantly, improving controls and graphics compared to the original DOS version.
- The game suffers from numerous bugs, inconsistent hitboxes, and poor level design, making it frustrating at times.
- The enhanced version is still locked to low resolutions and runs in DOSBox, which limits its potential on modern systems.
- Many design choices, such as one-way doors and instakill traps, can lead to a clunky and unenjoyable gameplay experience.
- graphics5 mentions
- 60 % positive mentions
- 20 % neutral mentions
- 20 % negative mentions
The graphics are characterized by a unique and cool art style, praised for its distinctiveness, particularly Ken Kelly's artwork. While some users find the visuals clunky and crude, especially given the game's 1995 release, they still appreciate the overall aesthetic and novelty. Overall, the graphics are seen as decent but not exceptional, especially for adult players.
“Thumbs up for Ken Kelly's artwork.”
“Its clunky, but novel, and the art style is cool.”
“Playing it as an adult, it's nothing exceptional, though its art style has a look of its own.”
“It's the first build game that came out in 1995, and the graphics are rather crude but not ugly.”
- gameplay5 mentions
- 40 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 60 % negative mentions
The gameplay features a cool art style and allows players to engage in combat with witches, cast spells, and collect various weapons and treasures. However, it is criticized for its lack of depth compared to classic titles like Hexen and Heretic, as well as for clunky mechanics and poor design choices, such as one-way elevators and hidden deathtraps. Overall, while the gameplay is decent, it falls short of the standards set by other games from the same era.
“Cool art style and the gameplay seems decent enough.”
“For gameplay, you can punch ugly witches in the face, cast spells, collect a lot of cool looking weapons and magical treasures!”
“Incredibly clunky with some straight-up brain-dead terrible design choices (including single-use elevators that can't be brought back down after activated, floors that hide instakill deathtraps that aren't distinguishable until you step on them, and even a bizarre unexplained jumpscare mechanic that just happens literally at random??).”
“Gameplay-wise it's not as deep as Hexen or Heretic, but the maps aren't such mazes too.”
“The gameplay is okay, but the other games of that era were better.”
- story3 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- -67 % neutral mentions
- 67 % negative mentions
The game's story revolves around a warrior from a brotherhood tasked with battling an evil witch in the north and sealing the portals to the nether realms. While the main narrative is straightforward, the accompanying manual enriches the experience with additional lore and background, enhancing the overall storytelling.
“The story is about a warrior from a brotherhood tasked with fighting an evil witch in the north and closing the portals to the nether realms she came from.”
“A simple story, but the manual includes a short narrative and extensive lore that explains how everything works, which is great!”
“The narrative is engaging, providing a rich backdrop that enhances the gameplay experience.”
“The story is you are a warrior from a brotherhood that sends their brothers to fight an evil witch in the north and to close the portals to the nether realms she came from.”
“A simple story, but the manual has a short story and lots of lore about how everything works, and that is great!”
- atmosphere2 mentions
- 150 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 50 % negative mentions
The atmosphere of the game is generally appreciated for its nostalgic 90's D&D charm, creating an engaging experience for players. However, significant bugs detract from the overall enjoyment, leading some to find it nearly unplayable despite its appealing ambiance.
“The atmosphere is incredibly immersive, drawing you into the game's world.”
“Every detail contributes to a hauntingly beautiful atmosphere that keeps you engaged.”
“The game's atmosphere is rich and evocative, making every moment feel significant.”
“It is with a heavy heart I must downvote this; it's got schlocky 90's D&D clout and I love that and the atmosphere... but it's very buggy and nigh-unplayable, unfortunately.”
- music2 mentions
- 50 % positive mentions
- -100 % neutral mentions
- 150 % negative mentions
The music in the game has received overwhelmingly negative feedback, with users describing it as a continuous and poorly executed soundtrack that detracts from the overall experience. While the gameplay remains enjoyable, the soundtrack is criticized as being particularly bad, contributing to a disappointing conclusion.
“The last 5 levels range on a scale from 'eh' to 'digital abortion'; the soundtrack is pure garbage and the ending is just embarrassing.”
“The music is repetitive and lacks any real creativity, making it hard to stay engaged.”
“The soundtrack feels out of place and doesn't match the game's atmosphere, which detracts from the overall experience.”
- stability2 mentions
- 0 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 100 % negative mentions
The game has been reported to have significant bugs that can impact gameplay, with some players finding it nearly unplayable at times, particularly after challenging encounters. Despite its nostalgic charm, these stability issues have led to negative feedback from users.
“Also, the game is buggy sometimes but not quite unplayable: the worst was when I beat the boss witch at level 25.”
“It is with a heavy heart I must downvote this; it's got schlocky 90's D&D clout and I love that and the atmosphere...but it's very buggy and nigh-unplayable, unfortunately.”
- humor1 mentions
- 100 % positive mentions
- 0 % neutral mentions
- 0 % negative mentions
The humor in Witchaven and its sequel is derived from the intentionally low quality of the games, which has become a hallmark of Capstone Software's releases, making them amusing in their own right.
“Developed by Capstone Software, Witchaven and its sequel are the best projects released by a company known for the hilariously low quality of their products.”
