When I hear about a game called little witch nobetaI don’t think of a Soulslike. When I see a cute anime-style character as the main character, I don’t think of a 3D action shooter. But little witch nobeta it’s a lot of both of those things, and it does a good job.
As Nobeta, players fight their way through an ancient castle where the little witch hopes to find out where she came from. Along the journey, there are countless enemies to fight and secrets to uncover, during which Nobeta makes full use of his staff. His main form of attack is his magic, and there are several types to learn. In addition to having a standard attack that varies slightly between magic types, each magic also has a sung spell that, in addition to being extremely powerful, attacks in a unique way and even provides Nobeta with a useful resolving effect. puzzles. The differences in the use of each magic make it necessary to switch between them, but in a way that feels natural.
Nobeta also has a physical attack by swinging his staff. It’s definitely a secondary attack that’s mostly used when your MP bar is low and you can’t use magic, but it does help restore Nobeta’s mana on hit, which can really help. While the added utility doesn’t come close to making it a viable alternative to using spells, it does make it useful. The extra mana regen helps tie the attack into the overall combat system instead of leaving it as an afterthought.
Another way to restore mana is to dodge. Dodging not only does exactly what you expect to prevent you from taking damage, but it also has the same mana restoration buff as a physical attack. However, one thing to be careful with physical attacks and dodges is that they cost stamina. If Nobeta runs out of energy, she will fall, leaving her completely vulnerable to enemy attacks. Being so open to damage is very detrimental, of course, so even if you’re dangerously low on mana, keeping an eye on your stamina bar is a must. This kind of interconnected gauge management creates a very smooth and cohesive combat system that really shines during boss fights, and it’s exactly what you’d expect from a soul.
little witch nobeta However, it is not without problems. For the first few hours, combat was a bit lackluster outside of boss fights, and standard enemies tend to feel on the weaker side. I don’t have to spend a lot of time fighting them, so unless a horde is chasing me, I can’t make full use of the game’s fun combat system. In such cases, the battles definitely feel more boring .
exploring in little witch nobeta it’s also a little disappointing during the early parts of the game. It can be explored a bit, but so far things have felt pretty linear. Not exactly what I would want or expect from a game with a large number of collectibles. Of course, the world might open up a bit more as you progress, and that would definitely be a huge plus.
In all, little witch nobeta opens on a strong note. When the combat shines, it shines brightly, and the mechanics feel very complementary throughout. If the world was a bit more open and the non-boss fights made better use of the combat system, this game would really stand out, and honestly it still can. The later sections have the potential to make an already enjoyable experience even better.
little witch nobeta released for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on March 9, 2023. It’s available now for PC via Steam.