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Attention Atelier fans! This cozy crafting RPG is a must-play

2K View2023-09-26

WitchSpring R

9.6

Turn-Based StrategyTurn-basedCraftingJRPGRPGCharacter CustomizationOpen WorldFantasy

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SHOULD I PLAY WITCHSPRING R?

WitchSpring R instantly reminded me of the Atelier series, so if you’re a fan of those games, you won’t want to miss this one. It’s an incredibly cute and charming RPG, but it’s not shallow either. There’s real depth to its gameplay and characters, and its story is much more interesting than it initially seems to be. It’s a great mix of a fantasy adventure and a slice-of-life story, and that combination is hard to resist.

TIME PLAYED

I played a little over six hours of WitchSpring R, which gave me enough time to get to the second chapter of the main story. I’m not sure how many chapters there are in total, but I do know that there are multiple endings to unlock. WitchSpring R doesn’t feel overstuffed or overwhelming, but it’s clear that there’s enough content here to keep me busy for quite a while.

WHAT’S AWESOME ABOUT WITCHSPRING R?

• Gorgeous art style. WitchSpring R has beautiful visuals that look like something out of a storybook. While it definitely reminds me of cel-shaded anime games like Genshin Impact, there’s a watercolor quality to its visuals that makes it feel unique. It doesn’t hurt that the game has some adorable character designs, along with some truly awesome-looking animals and monsters.

• Fun battle system. I’m a sucker for an interesting turn-based battle system, and WitchSpring R definitely delivers in that department. You play as Pieberry, a pie-loving witch that can dish out physical and magical attacks. She’s not necessarily the toughest witch around, but when she unleashes the right attacks at the right time, she can potentially stun enemies or gain extra turns, allowing her to dish out damage without taking many hits.

Pets really make the battle system shine, though. Pieberry can use mind control on certain enemies, allowing them to join her in battle. Fighting alongside cute monsters is always fun, but creatures can also help in other ways. For example, I could have a bird I controlled deliver me potions during battle, allowing me to use healing items without wasting a turn.

• Tons of crafting. I can’t get enough of collecting, gathering, and crafting, and WitchSpring R allowed me to synthesize items to my heart’s content. Not only could I craft standard items like healing potions, but I could also create items that gave me permanent stat upgrades or even new magic spells that I could use in battle. The crafting system isn’t very complex, but there are all kinds of craftable goods, which made looking for new materials a lot of fun.

• Minimal time management. I love games like Stardew Valley and Harvest Moon, but watching the clock run down can be a little stressful. WitchSpring R has some light time management elements, but they’re mostly in the background, so I really felt like I could relax and play through each day at my own pace. If I wanted to ignore a story quest for a while so that I could gather materials or train and improve my skills, I could totally do that, and that freedom was really nice.

WHAT SUCKS ABOUT WITCHSPRING R?

• It’s pretty repetitive. Pieberry spends a large section of the game confined to a small part of the forest. That meant I was exploring the same areas and fighting the same monsters over and over again. I don’t mind when games have lots of repetitive tasks—I actually find them to be pretty soothing—but WitchSpring R definitely could have used more variety.

• Leveling up is a little confusing. Like in most RPGs, fighting monsters in WitchSpring R earned me experience points, but characters didn’t just level up on their own. Instead, I earned training points, and I could use those points to play training minigames and upgrade certain skills. I actually thought the minigames were really fun, and I liked having more control over character stats, but the system took a while to get used to.

[Review written by TapTap editor Ndi.]

💬 Will you craft pies and potions in WitchSpring R? Tell me about your favorite crafting games in the comments!