Prepare to be scared. The Witch’s House MV from developer Fummy and published by Dangen Entertainment and GOODROID is an HD remake of the cult favorite title which was released in 2012. It’s a horror-based puzzle game in which you’ll have to use your wits to find your way through a cursed manor. Are you smart enough to survive, or will you succumb to the Witch’s dark magic?
The Witch’s House MV excels at being spooky
I’m a sucker for good atmospheric horror. With any medium, I love being scared by things I don’t understand, the monster lurking in the darkness. It’s a shame most films/games rely so heavily on jump scares, instead of focusing on writing and setting. Although The Witch’s House MV has a few jump scares, I found the game to mostly cater to my particular taste in horror, as I was unsettled often by the sheer eeriness of the situation.
The story in The Witch’s House MV is rather straightforward. You play as a young girl named Viola, who stumbles upon a manor while lost in the woods. As you enter, you’re immediately subjected to horrors and must solve puzzles to escape. As the story progresses, you uncover mysteries about who lived there and what Viola’s connection to it may be.
Puzzled in The Witch’s House
Puzzles are no stranger to gaming as many games rely on them to trip up some of their players. It’s a very satisfying feeling to finally crack the code after scratching your head for hours. Games like Resident Evil excel at this and have set the standard for how great puzzles in games can be.
There has to be a perfect balance struck with puzzles. You can’t have them too difficult or nobody will want to continue playing your game, on the flip side, they can’t be too easy or you won’t feel like you’ve earned anything. Make no mistake, the puzzles in The Witch’s House MV will not keep you from sleeping at night, but they are just difficult enough to keep it fun and rewarding.
The Beauty of RPG Maker
One of the coolest aspects of The Witch’s House MV is that it was made with RPG Maker VX. If you’re unfamiliar with RPG Maker, it’s a software that streamlines the game-making process making it easier than ever to make games. Having used the software myself, I can’t recommend it enough. If you’re wanting to make games but don’t know how to code, animate, etc. then RPG Maker would be well worth your time.
RPG maker makes creating games accessible
Closing
The Witch’s House MV is by no means perfect. There’s not much in terms of gameplay other than solving puzzles or running from enemies. The puzzles themselves can be solved pretty quickly, and it’s a rather short game for a $15 price tag on Xbox. My playthrough took roughly one hour and thirty-five minutes.
Although this game is for a very niche audience, it’s quite good, and most will enjoy the experience it offers. There are enjoyable puzzles, a spooky ambiance, and an intriguing story waiting for anyone who dares venture into… The Witch’s House.
