The Astronauts’ upcoming dark fantasy roguelite shooter, Witchfire, will be available as an Early Access title for PC on the Epic Games Store on September 20, 2023.
While it was mentioned prior that the game would see an early access release, a date wasn’t nailed down. But now that we do, I can’t wait to see just what lies in store for us, especially since Witchfire has been in development for nearly five years. As such, a brand new gameplay trailer for Witchfire has been released ahead of the 2023 Summer Game Fest.
Adrian Chmielarz, Creative Director and Co-Founder of The Astronauts said during an interview with Epic Games News, “The thing that excites me the most in video games is the idea of experiencing different worlds. To be a space pirate, a detective with supernatural powers, or a Church’s witch hunter. It doesn’t matter to me if the game is focused on the story or on the mechanics— I need its world to feel like a real place. So even though Witchfire is obviously a shooter first, we invest a lot in its world and lore. I believe this enhances the experience even for the people who claim they don’t care about the stories in games at all.”
Chmielarz confirmed that, although there is extensive lore and backstory to Witchfire, the team’s main focus for the Early Access launch is to present a polished and atmospheric gameplay experience, with further story features getting added as the game approaches full release. Players interested in Witchfire lore can read Chmielarz’s short story set in the world of Witchfire: The Preyer.
Discussing the latest gameplay trailer Chmielarz said: “The last few trailers were very combat focused and I think gave the wrong impression that Witchfire is a non-stop action fest. It is not. Sure, some fights will be incredibly intense, but there are also periods of quiet exploration, planning, thinking. It is much closer to Souls in that regard rather than, say, Doom. So that’s why the beginning of this new trailer is a little slower. We might slow down even more when there’s finally time for the launch trailer.”
Witchfire hits the Epic Games Store on September 20, 2023 for PC. If you enjoy roguelites and first-person shooters, you may want to give Witchfire a try when it gets released. I know I sure will be.
Source: Terminals.io
