I usually steer clear of the survival genre; it’s one that revolves around punishing mechanics, repetitive gameplay, and a sense of grind, at least in my eyes. I’m sure avid fans see it a different way, but I simply struggle to find much fun within its formula. It’s for this reason that Witchspire has piqued my curiosity so much. The upcoming open-world survival title from Envar Games doesn’t boast a radical vision. In fact, it’s a rather simple one. But in cosy-fying the survival genre, developers have magicked up a recipe that is in fact rather revolutionary, creating what could just be the perfect survival game for genre newbies and naysayers.
That’s something I’m confident in after recently having attended a virtual preview for the title where I sat down with head of Envar Games and lead producer Liam O’Neill as well as game director Oliver Granlund. Witchspire is far more concerned with gameplay than it is narrative. You’ll take on the role of a novice witch or wizard, simply tasked with setting up a new life for yourself after becoming trapped in a mysterious new world.
There, you’ll take part in all of the usual survival fare, although it all seems rather light-hearted and not at all tiresome. After all, you’re a witch (or wizard). You won’t need to chop down trees one by one, for example. You can utilise a spell that’ll clear a small gathering instantaneously. Likewise, if you’re building, you don’t have to deal with logistics, wondering how you might place a certain piece in a specific location. In build mode, you can use your magic to levitate, essentially offering you complete freedom and control over your creation.
Advert
Developers have taken a great deal of effort to ensure that this is not in any way too punishing of an experience, although permadeath options will be added for those who yearn for difficulty. For the most part, however, Witchspire is all about buddying up with your friends and building a cosy, virtual space you can all adventure within together - and that just sounds so delightful. You’ll be able to partake in farming, mining, logging, alchemy, and foraging, all whilst fending off foes.
Witchspire boasts a hand-crafted open-world inspired by the likes of that which you’ll find in Breath of the Wild. You’ll traverse that using your broom with almost total freedom, and I was told a limited number of portals will be able to be crafted between your bases. Within this world, you’ll find foes, as I mentioned, who may be able to be collected as ‘familiars’ should you succeed in bonding with them. If you do succeed, a familiar functions much like, say, a Pokémon. These are creatures that can assist you in battle as well as with tasks like farming or generating fire.
I was shown concept art for several familiars and while I don’t have exact names, I can tell you they were all totally adorable. Their designs very much echoed Studio Ghibli in my mind, so it was a pleasant surprise when I was told a few moments later that the acclaimed animation studio was a major inspiration. Familiars each have their own unique traits and skills, so players will want to consider what they’re used for. For example, I was shown concept art for a rather clumsy stone familiar (I don’t recall the name) tasked with generating power using a hamster wheel type contraption. As you might expect, the creature was rather clunky and lacked the fluidity to run the wheel smoothly. I feel that kind of care and attention to characterisation bodes well for Witchspire.
Advert
Not all familiars can be tamed. If you just yearn for the chaos of battle, you can seek out corruption zones which is where you’ll take on some of the toughest creatures out there, ending in what you might consider to be this game’s answer to a boss fight. It’s all driven by the idea of risk and reward though. Take on tougher battles and you’ll gain better equipment, resources, and crafting items.
There are also shrines which I’m told offer more challenging battles too. These were inspired by the ruins you might find in an Elder Scrolls title. Witchspire isn’t, at this stage, heavy on narrative, as I mentioned, but you can unpack more about this world’s history via shrines. Progressing through a shrine will allow players to unlock logs that contain information on the game world’s lore. If you’re seeking a narrative beyond this, you shouldn’t expect one during the early access period, although devs made it clear they wouldn’t rule out adding ‘main quests’ or a stronger narrative much further down the line.
For now, Witchspire is intended to be more of a virtual playground, although it is carried by this light mystery surrounding the titular Witchspire. It’s situated at the centre of this world, surrounded by different islands which act as unique biomes. I don’t quite know the extent of it, but I was told that players will seek to discover what happened to the Witchspire in some way which seems to have broken or dulled.
Advert
I hope I’ve made it clear by now that developers have sought to make Witchspire as accessible as can be for survival genre newcomers. That means there’s no tool degradation, although I do think it’s rather clever that devs have added a rarity incentive to avoid player complacency. By that I mean that even if you don’t need a new tool, you might want to craft one as there’s a random chance you may craft a powerful, rare iteration.
I don’t want you to think that Witchspire is easy just because it’s low grind and accessible. As you explore additional biomes, the creatures you encounter will scale as will environmental challenges. Witchspire will not require you to manage hunger or thirst as devs deemed this too punishing. You will, however, need to craft armour in the desert biome to protect you from sun damage, for example. Players will be able to boost their stats and skills by levelling up with skill points, referred to as Luminaries.
As someone who’s typically lured in by a game’s story, I’m still wondering if Witchspire will be able to win me over, but it’s certainly shaping up to be a title that’s already overcome one hurdle. If the survival genre isn’t typically for you, then this cosy take may just be the entry point you need - especially with those added creature collection elements. Witchspire’s blending of Valheim, Hogwarts Legacy, and even Pokémon’s formula is incredibly enticing. I’ll be keeping an eye on it as we head towards its early access launch in 2026.
Witchspire will launch in early access on PC in 2026.
Topics: PC, Steam, Preview, Features, Hogwarts Legacy, Valheim