Wytchwood review: Step into a world of fantasy that would make the Brothers Grimm happy

If one has ever been fascinated by the role of a witch and all that comes with it, Wytchwood is surely going to delight that player. Developed by Alientrap and published by Whitehorn Digital, Wytchwood is a quaint game that brings the player to a messy hut in the middle of a swamp, where the protagonist, an old witch, is waking from deep slumber.

It's essentially a narrative-driven crafting game where one runs around gathering ingredients in a world straight out of gothic fables and fantasies. The graphics and artwork of the game serve to bolster the feeling of being in a fairytale from a bygone era.

The storybook illustration style underscores a world of magic and potion, filled with humorous dialogs and cleverly-crafted NPCs that we can engage with in our own playful and carefree ways.

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Wytchwood: Gathering, crafting, brewing in a mythical world

Wytchwood brings to life a vibrant world filled with wit and humor as players take on the role of an old, yet adorable amnesiac crone, who definitely dislikes being called as such! From the get go, the wonky nature of the game is quite evident as we see the pot on our head and a goat who has gatecrashed the hut.

The Witch has sharp dislikes (Image via Wytchwood)

Upon inspection, it is discovered that the goat has eaten pages from the Grimoire - the witch's book of craftable recipes. The animal — which also happens to be in dire need of a hair cut — actually turns out to be an old acquaintance of the protagonist, with whom it had a pact. And of course she has forgotten all about it.

The Phillip Black-esque Goat wakes the witch up (Image via Wytchwood)

Cutting the goat's hair leads the witch to a stone pillar. Players have to gather resources to light four pyres, which will lead them to open the stone pillar. Beyond it lies a beautiful maiden encased in a glass coffin. Supposedly, the old crone had brought her to the goat and made a pact.

The pact dictated that the goat would save her from the Twelve Wicked Souls who had wronged the woman, put succinctly as:

"Villains who deceived her, and cheated her, and broke her spirit."

The woman will lay there asleep until the witch brought the Twelve Wicked Souls to the goat.

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The world of Wytchwood

As the witch sets out to gather the first batch of four souls, the goat says:

"Two are in the Forest, another in the Swamp to the North and the last in the Fields to the South."

The witch in turn replies:

"Could you be more specific? Near a shapely stump? Perhaps inside a tree with a face? By an overgrown mushroom grove?"

The goat sharply replies that she should go out and look for herself. The beauty of the world of Wytchwood is embodied by the subversive nature of its characters. It's not a tense journey filled with danger — a staple for most games of its genre — but rather it brings up dialogs that poke fun at themselves and others.

This refreshing feel is shared and refined across the different biomes, like swamps, fields, graveyards and more. The world is filled with unique characters with minor twists on those found in the pages of a fairytale book.

In the Apiary (Image via Wytchwood)

In the Forest, which has a heavy dash of an autumnal palette, the player will meet characters like one called the well-wisher, who is too afraid to go into the well to get the treasures others have thrown in. Then there's the bird watcher who is looking for the very bird which sits atop her hat.

Unaware bird watcher (Image via Wytchwood)

Populated by such an assortment of characters, it makes the journey of Wytchwood an exciting affair. The player is waylaid with colorful anecdotes, quips, and beauty of its mythic realm. One of the souls that the witch needs to gather is the Leech who is fighting the plague that's going around. The sketch of the character is a clear nod to the medieval plague doctors.

The Leech (Image via Wytchwood)

Different biomes have different unique animals and creatures living in them. Some are violent towards the protagonist and can be dealt with craftable items. Each biome also provides the players with crafting ingredients that they must gather. If one runs out of any ingredient, they can quickly teleport to a biome through the dimensional gate hub.

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Crafting potions and catching souls

The crux of the game revolves around the notion of fetching and crafting. The difficulty in Wytchwood does not lie with enemies or threats of action - their attacks are mostly telegraphed and easily dodgeable. Wytchwood is dictated by lists of objects that are required for action.

The dear old witch has the option to inspect objects around her. Inspecting creatures reveals their weaknesses — such as traps or potions — and how they can be collected. This, in turn, reveals a recipe for crafting the same.

Some of the resources can be readily picked up off the floor. For others, the player needs equipment such as a capture net, a pair of shears, and more. As the game progresses, the recipes for the items become more of a cascading matter.

Crafting Royal Incense (Image via Wytchwood)

For example, when I unlocked the recipe for Royal Incense, which I needed to get honey from the queen bee, I found that it required smoke pellets, witch spice and soporific potion. Each of these items further requires other resources to be crafted. For example, to craft the smoke pellet, one would need to get frog slime, forest herb and clay.

Players can obtain frog slime by catching frogs, for which they would require the capture net. The net is readily given by an NPC in the forest when approached.

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Performance and graphics

Wytchwood was played on PC having the following system specifications:

• Processor: Intel Core i5-9400F
• RAM: 16 GB DDR4
• GPU: Nvidia GeForce 1060 OC 6GB
• Hard Drive Space: 1 TB + 240 GB SSD

The indie game can easily be enjoyed on computers with lower-end hardware. Players also have the option to toggle the graphical settings to suit their setup.

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Conclusion

In a year filled with grief and gloom, the world of Wytchwood brings a refreshing bucket load of warmth and joy with it. The distinctive storybook vibe of the artwork, coupled with a fairytale-like setting, has a note of comfort in it. Essentially, players are sent out on fetch-quests where they have to gather resources, craft items and accomplish certain missions to progress in the story.

As the story moves along, the recipes and requirements get ever more complicated and the grinding can become a tad tiresome. Another shortcoming with Wytchwood is the fact that there is not much, if any, use of the cauldron or the hut. The popular folklore-ish image of the witch has her brewing potions in a cauldron over fire.

Rating (Image via Sportskeeda)

Nevertheless, the game has been a relaxing and enjoyable experience comprising crafting traps, concocting potions, meeting with colorful characters, engaging in witty repartees and exploring the intricately-created setting. Wytchwood is in equal measure quirky and creepy, with an engaging story, a touch of darkness, and delightful personalities that would make even the Brothers Grimm proud.

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WYTCHWOOD

Reviewed on: PC (Review Code provided by Whitehorn Digital)

Platform: Windows, Xbox One, Playstation 4, Playstation 5

Developer: Alientrap

Publisher: Alientrap

Release Date: December 9, 2021