| WitchSpring R | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gameplay & Story | Release Date | Pre-Order & DLC | Review |
WitchSpring R is a classic RPG with finite experience and a deep character investment system. Read our review to see what it did well, what it didn't do well, and if it's worth buying.
WitchSpring R Review Overview
What is WitchSpring R?
WitchSpring R centers around a young witch by the name of Pieberry who resides in the woods teeming with all sorts of monsters. Having lived her entire life within the forest, she doesn’t have much experience exploring the outside world–experiences of which she years for. Guide her growth throughout the game, meet all sorts of new monsters and witches, and carve your own story as Pieberry!
WitchSpring R features:
⚫︎ Finite experience points
⚫︎ Dozens of collectible equipment
⚫︎ Spell crafting and combos
⚫︎ Turning monsters into pets and fighting with them
⚫︎ Story-driven progression
⚫︎ Item crafting and automation
⚫︎ Weapon upgrading and evolution
For more gameplay details, read everything we know about WitchSpring R's gameplay and story.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Steam |
 PlayStation |
 Switch |
 Xbox |
||||
| $39.99 | $39.99 | Coming soon | |||||
WitchSpring R Pros & Cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
 Enjoyable, Entry-Friendly Story Grindless Progression Surprisingly Deep Combat |
Troublesome Save System Lack of Map Utilities |
WitchSpring R Overall Score - 88/100
WitchSpring R’s evolution from its humble mobile origins is an impressive achievement worthy of high praise. Every aspect has been significantly upgraded from the original game. Not only does it feature improved audiovisuals, but the narrative and gameplay have also greatly benefited from the game's development for PC and console platforms. Additionally, due to the game's accessibility, it is highly recommended for anyone even remotely interested in RPGs.
WitchSpring R Story - 8/10
Not all stories need to have wild twists and turns in order to captivate the reader. Even the simplest of tales can prove to be just as effective at providing the same level of entertainment and excitement as an award-worthy book. In WitchSpring R’s case, it’s hard to think that the plot can be any simpler. But at the same time, it hides a dark and painful story about oppression and resistance. The pacing could definitely use some work, though, as it feels like it’s completely at the mercy of the gameplay’s relentless strut.
WitchSpring R Gameplay - 9/10
WitchSpring R balances narrative, combat, exploration, and character management in a manner that feels both cohesive and natural. Each of these elements is well-polished and enjoyable, offering a wide variety of builds and playstyles that can be adapted as players discover new spells or acquire new equipment. However, there are a few shortcomings, such as the problematic checkpoint system and the somewhat uninspired level designs.
WitchSpring R Visuals - 9/10
The difference between WitchSpring R’s visuals and that of its original mobile counterpart is like comparing a hut made out of straw and a multi-million dollar mansion. This isn’t some mere console or PC port of a mobile game, no. WitchSpring R is a remake in the truest sense, redesigned from the ground up and only keeping the necessary visual elements to maintain its identity. Really, its only flaw on the Switch port is how heavy the models look, lending it the impression that the animations move slower than they actually do.
WitchSpring R Audio - 10/10
It’s hard to understate the importance of great voice acting in a narrative-driven game. In a way, they’re just as important as the text that people can come back to anytime they want. Not only do they add immersion to the story, but also breathe life into the characters on the screen. WitchSpring R’s almost completely voice-acted scenarios is a wonderful example of good voice acting utilized to its fullest. They’re animated, l clear, and express emotions extremely well.
The background tracks and sound effects are worth praise as well.
WitchSpring R Value for Money - 8/10
WitchSpring R costs a few dozen times more than the original version available on Google Play or the App Store. However, in exchange, you receive a remake that looks significantly better than the original, with numerous improvements to its gameplay, audio, and writing. While the game does include paid content, none of it affects gameplay; it is designed to support the developer in exchange for enhanced cosmetics. Honestly, the only reason why an RPG enthusiast should hesitate over getting this game is if they can’t afford it at that moment in time.
WitchSpring R Review: Magic You Can Carry
WitchSpring was originally a mobile game that I’ve had the pleasure of purchasing back when I was in college. At that time, I was far more hooked on the general appeal of mobile games until it narrowed down to gacha years later.
Unlike many of its peers, WitchSpring was a bona fide RPG developed entirely for phones. After a payment of one measly dollar, you would have the entirety of the game open for you to enjoy at your own leisure. There were no microtransactions within the game, no advertisements to disturb your gameplay, and certainly no strings attached to your purchase.
In a platform already tainted with live service and loot box titles, it was a much-needed breath of fresh air.
The game itself was just a distant memory. I didn’t think anything would come out of it considering its dirt-cheap pricing and simple content. Evidently, I was wrong.
WitchSpring R the remake of the original mobile game with the same title (minus the R). However, the difference between the two games is like night and day, or like heaven and earth, a rickety old raft to a multi-million dollar yacht… you get the point. It definitely belongs up there with the Resident Evil remakes as something all other remakes should strive for.
In a way, it almost looks like a high-budget game; something it certainly shouldn’t be considering the size and scale of the developers.
Anyway, WitchSpring R is about a witch living alone in her secluded neck in the woods named Pieberry. She has a thing for strawberry pies (shocker, I know) which, coincidentally enough, serve as the standard rations for invading soldiers that are hunting witches down.
However, as time passed, more and more soldiers found themselves stumbling into her territory, necessitating Pieberry to react appropriately and reasonably—okay, not really. Essentially, she just decides to leave the comfort of her forest to look for a merchant who owes her the best strawberry pie she has ever eaten in a long time. Not very logical, but hey, it’s in-character, okay?
This setup essentially serves as the game’s prologue, with the rest of the story and all its gloriously predictable but reasonably entertaining expositions going off from there. It’s by no means the pinnacle of writing. But, it’s the best kind of writing for what the game is trying to achieve: entertainment from a simple and honest narrative.
The game design philosophy reflects this plot-driven style very well. Normally, RPGs would demand some sort of grinding, which serves as filler for actual content. But in WitchSpring R, there’s basically none of that. In fact, there’s only a finite amount of experience you can get from fighting enemies in this game.
Instead, you unlock training slots in order to directly raise your stats as you progress through the story. The stats that training provides is more than enough to carry you until the endgame, unless you’re playing on a really high difficulty setting.
If you are, then you would have to invest more in crafting strengthening items and evolving your equipment. These are done by collecting various materials from the map and defeating optional enemies. Now this could be considered a grind, but not in the sense that you have to do so repeatedly. Instead, you’ll probably just die repeatedly until you get the right pattern down pat.
Visually, WitchSpring R has made vast improvements from its original mobile counterpart. It actually looks like an RPG with a decent amount of budget now, which I find hard to believe considering the scale of WitchSpring games prior to this release. Either way, it doesn’t look like a mobile game anymore at all.
But it’s not like they scored a perfect ten with regards to the visual improvements. A lot of its animations look stiff, and the models themselves have limited actions that they can perform. There’s also a feeling of excessive weight behind everybody’s movements, making me believe that the animations were done purely through manual means. Or maybe it’s just the Switch lagging? Probably not.
But that’s not much of an issue in the long run. The game still looks absolutely beautiful, especially on the smaller physical resolution of the Switch.
And that’s where we ultimately arrive. WitchSpring R has already been released on Steam around a year prior. After knowing that it’s an awesome game, should you buy it there instead? Or is the portability of WitchSpring R’s Switch port enough to justify not opting for the PC version’s much higher resolution and performance?
Honestly, yes. It does. But that’s only if you’re in need of its portability. Otherwise, you’re better off getting the game on PC.
Pros of WitchSpring R
| Things WitchSpring R Got Right |
|---|
|
Enjoyable, Entry-Friendly Story Grindless Progression Surprisingly Deep Combat |
Enjoyable, Entry-Friendly Story
As expected from the remake of the WitchSpring series introductory game, WitchSpring R’s story is very accommodating to new players. In fact, it carefully explains various elements of the narrative as they come without slowing down the overall pace.
The story itself is quite easy to follow. It revolves around Pieberry’s struggle against the church, driven primarily by her personal whims, which range from searching for the perfect strawberry pie (hence her name) to more nuanced and specific motivations. However, underlying all of this is a driving force that was established well before the story began.
Uncovering these reasons proves to be one of the game’s best and most satisfying objectives. And it's good enough to make you stick for the few dozen hours of story all on its own.
Grindless Progression
WitchSpring R’s difficulty curve was designed such that there’s barely a need to grind against the game’s respawning mobs. In fact, you can’t, because you can only gain experience from them once. To compensate, the difficulty curve is such that you can comfortably progress through the game without relying too much on experience. Instead, you gain training slots as you play the game, which increases a selection of stats that you have limited control over.
The training bonuses provide more than enough for you to progress through the game with the perfect amount of challenge and convenience, yet also providing the perfect amount of flexibility to your build.
Surprisingly Deep Combat
WitchSpring R’s combat might look simple at first glance. However, the spells you wield and the positioning of the enemies, as well as their general patterns make a lot of difference with how each encounter can go. This is especially true for fights against large numbers of enemies or troublesome boss fights where selecting the right move at the right time is paramount to achieving victory.
Much of your preparation starts before the match even begins with the game allowing you to summon pets and use preparatory items before the first turn. This allows you to experiment with setups for very challenging fights of which there are plenty.
Cons of WitchSpring R
| Things That WitchSpring R Can Improve |
|---|
|
Troublesome Save System Lack of Map Utilities |
Troublesome Save System
WitchSpring R is a story-driven game full of objectives that just keeps on coming. In a way, it almost feels like the game is trying to rush you into completing the main scenario. The difficulty curve was even designed such that you can progress through the game without much grinding. For the most part, the objectives double as your tutorial. It shows you how to craft, evolve your weapons, feed and utilize your pets, etc. But what it fails to tell you is how to save the game.
That’s quite a big problem. While other titles that also forego teaching you one of the most basic elements of a video game has their own methods to show you where and when you can save, such as dotting checkpoints in very conspicuous places, WitchSpring R doesn’t even give a darn. On a normal playthrough, you’ll only realize that the game has no autosave function nor an obvious save point until your gamer habits kick in… or when it’s already too late and you’ve lost hours of progress.
By the way, the save point is at Pieberry’s home.
Lack of Map Utilities
Part of WitchSpring R’s character progression requires backtracking to certain areas in order to fight against tough bosses, collect previously inaccessible loot, and so on. However, keeping track of them is a near-impossible task using only the tools the game provides—because the game practically has none of them. Yes, there’s no custom markings, notes, or any of that sort that we’ve seem to have taken for granted already in this day and age.
The World Map is essentially only useful to check what kind of opponents you’ve already fought against and the resources you can pick up from specific areas. Sure, the latter can be quite useful, but the former is practically useless depending on the circumstances, particularly if you’re the type to only pick fights with certain enemies.
Is WitchSpring R Worth It?
Worth It If You’re Always On The Move.
While you could argue that purchasing the original on Google Play or App Store for a mere dollar would be better than spending around forty times more for a remake, trying to compare the two games is honestly an exercise in futility. WitchSpring R offers far more not just in terms of aesthetics, but also in writing, feel, and features. It’s worth the amount the game is asking you, easily.
However, that’s only in general situations. Whether or not you should get the Switch or PC port is an entirely different matter. Unfortunately, though, I think the only reason why you should ever opt for the Switch port is if you’re always on the move. Otherwise, go for the PC version.
| Digital Storefronts | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Steam |
PlayStation |
Switch |
Xbox |
||||
| $39.99 | $39.99 | Coming soon | |||||
WitchSpring R FAQ
Do I have to play the other WitchSpring games to enjoy WitchSpring R?
No. WitchSpring R is the remake of the first game of the series. Hopefully, the other WitchSpring games will get remakes of their own.
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WitchSpring R Product Information
 | |
| Title | WITCHSPRING R |
|---|---|
| Release Date | August 29, 2024 (PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch) September 26, 2023(PC/Steam) |
| Developer | KIWIWALKS |
| Publisher | KIWIWALKS |
| Supported Platforms | PC(Steam), PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch |
| Genre | RPG |
| Number of Players | 1 |
| Rating | ESRB E 10+ |
| Official Website | WitchSpring R Official Website |
