It’s been nearly a year since Witchfire came out, and while a lot has changed since it first launched in Early Access on the Epic Games Store, it remains one of the most interesting hybrids of genres available today. The game’s latest update is now live, further solidifying its status as one of the most unique shooters in the space.
Ahead of today’s release, I got to play a few hours with a version of the game running the latest update. It’s called “The Wailing Towers,” and it’s the biggest update for Witchfire since its release last year. The main addition here is the game’s first new area, and it has a very different vibe than the existing maps.
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I’m a big fan of Witchfire, so I was excited to experience what The Astronauts told me would be a major update. In fact, that’s an accurate description. I spent most of my time in the new area, the eponymous Wailing Tower, but the system and mechanical changes here affect the entire game.
I was a little disappointed with the new map, though. While it has a very different story theme than the other maps, it retains the game’s autumnal aesthetic and slightly muted color palette. It’s one of my favorite graphics in the game, so this shouldn’t be considered a complaint, but I was definitely expecting something… a little different.
The new area has a few fun fights, including a big one—just as you’d expect from Witchfire. And, like all the other areas, it’s got a few secrets (although I didn’t seem to find as many as I did with the original launch map). Maybe I’m just not observant enough, or maybe Astronaut is getting better at hiding secrets. After a dozen hours of playing the original map, I’m starting to see patterns, but I haven’t gotten the same feeling from Wailing Towers yet.
In addition to all the new content (including new enemies, weapons, skills, and more), the other major addition to the update is a massive rebalancing and overhaul of the in-game process. This so-called Arcana 2.0 touches every moment of in-game power progression. I played the launch version last year and have played Witchfire a few times since, and the difference was immediately noticeable. Now, the game feels much better.
I initially used a new character because I remembered how brutal the early game was when it first came out. It’s a bit surprising how much more enjoyable the early game time has become. The challenge is still there, of course, but the transition from calm to chaos is smoother. In particular, Witchfire is now more eager to equip you with powerful spells and unlock passive skills quickly early on.
In the launch version, I avoided fights that I knew would probably end my game, and this new flow actively encourages you to seek out challenges. Some of the random encounters have also been toned down, which were a major contributor to the difficulty initially.
Now I wouldn’t say Witchfire was easy, but the challenges back then were clearly upfront. The latest version spreads the challenges out a little more evenly, and the wider range of options available to you means you have more ways to solve problems. I never really got into a situation where I was forced to evacuate because I had exhausted all the options available to me. Before, this was a critical part of the loop. Now the whole thing is paced better.
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Where all the changes really get interesting, however, is in the late game. On one hand, the smoother initial curve means you’ll get where you’re going faster, but it also means that if you’re new to the game, you’ll see an aspect of the game you might not have thought about. Your base now has more rooms to unlock, and an NPC you can trade with. This effectively creates some sort of economy in Witchfire, which is a feature it really needed.
The developers provided some high-level character saves in the preview window, which really gave me a taste of the other side of Witchfire. Playing with a character above level 80 is the act of choosing a variety of powerful options to survive in the face of powerful enemies, which is a challenge in itself and very different from the original battle for survival. The more money, the more problems, and so on.
Still, replaying Witchfire reminded me why I loved it, and made me realize how underrated it is among shooter fans. Perhaps that’s a side effect of being an Epic Games Store exclusive (though it won’t be for long). Store preferences aside, Witchfire manages to combine roguelite, evacuation, RPG, and shooter in a way that’s worth the wait. If you want the thrill of an evacuation, the surprises and scares of a roguelite, and the satisfying combat of a great shooter, there’s no other game that does it better.
