WITCHFIRE

A potent cocktail of inspirations by and for Destiny sickos

- Dominic Tarason

Witchfire is one of those games that's hard to even define without context. Its store page describes it as a 'dark fantasy RPG shooter', which could describe any of a dozen FPS wizard 'em ups. So let's set the record straight, and let me explain why you shouldn't be sleeping on this deeply compelling Early Access tribute to Destiny's combat sandbox.

Now, to call Witchfire a Destiny clone would also be deeply reductive. This is a rich, meaty stew of elements and ideas borrowed from other games, put together in a way that feels familiar and comforting for lifelong FPS freaks, but also distinct. There's a little bit of Dark Souls in there, a pinch of Bloodborne (especially in its grim gunslinging gothic fantasy setting), a little bit of Slay the Spire's structure and even a dash of extraction shooter tension, but no one part describes the whole experience.

Speaking with Adrian Chmielarz, creative lead at The Astronauts, conveying the nature of Witchfire has always been a challenge. "We had this long description where we called Witchfire a dark fantasy first-person shooter that merges elements of roguelites, Soulslikes and extraction games into a new but cohesive experience, but this sounds weak and honestly tells you nothing, really." And he'd be right. So let's focus on the heart of this shooter: Destiny, Bungie's often controversial live-service shooter.

Witchfire feels like an experiment in condensing that MMO-lite monster down into a singleplayer experience, starting with its level structure.

Unlike your average singleplayer FPS,