Magic is a fascinating element. It can help make an ordinary fantasy story extraordinary. It is also what helped sell millions of Harry Potter novels. Suffice to say, life would be a lot more interesting if magic were present. This was in the back and forefront of my mind as I played Witch’s Wish on the DS.
Witch’s Wish follows a 9-year-old girl by the name of Vicky. She lives on the poor side of town, “Lower Town,” while the rich folks live in “Upper Town.” The entire village is divided by a massive wall. Furthermore, the rich folks can use magic, while the lower folks cannot. One day, Vicky has a chance encounter with a witch by the name of Tanya and has to use magic to free her. Then, Vicky learns of Tanya’s wish: She desires to seal all magic because it corrupted her hometown. Thus, Vicky has a choice: She can find her own reasons for using magic, or she can help Tanya.
In all honesty, it is not a bad story. There are instances that the game tends to tell you what’s going on instead of showing. Also, this is not going to be a game boys will get into; this is a story all about using one’s gift (or gifts) to help others. The almost all-female cast only solidifies the thought that this is like Girl Scout training: Be helpful to as many people as possible. As such, there is little exploration.
Graphically, Witch’s Wish is cute. It’s anime-inspired graphics move around the screen rather well. Fountains push out water, scents (whether they be smoke or garlic) are clearly seen by the traditional curly clouds and all magic is flashy. It should be with a game about magic. Characters move around the screen well, and there is nothing that feels disjointed in the animation.
Gameplay is, when you boil it all down, a wonderfully accessible adventure game. You’ll run around the game’s world helping people. The control pad moves Vicky around the environment, while the stylus is needed to investigate hotspots. Instead of collecting items to solve your problems, you’ll collect spells. Each spell has its own use: Fire sets things on fire and topples wind, wind blows things around topples thunder, thunder gives a jolt of electricity and stops earth, and the earth element changes the ground and stops the fire element. Performing each spell is simple as selecting it from Vicky’s spell list.
First of all, you need to pick a target. Then you have to select the proper spell. You then trace it on the touchscreen. Once that is completed, you then quickly draw a circle. Let this part of the game be clear: The system can be downright persnickety for having the proper figure traced. Sometimes it is a bit too forgiving as you can get away with a fair degree of error. Other times, the figure has been traced so close to perfect that it fails. Furthermore, the circle function is almost a joke. Just create some sort of circle around the spell, and it works. Just remember to remove the stylus from the screen. It’s a bit frustrating when one has to redo a figure several times to perform a spell and move things along.
Audio wise, things are rather solid. Vicky’s steps are heard as she wanders around the town. Spells sound spectacular with bolts of lightning, flares of fire and gushes of water. Music is downright perky. It is a solid soundtrack and will help keep you in its space. However, it just is not very memorable and will be forgotten once the game is turned off. It is also important to note that there is no voice acting. On the bright side, there’s no awkwardly read dialogue.
When taken as a whole, Witch’s Wish is a solid DS game. It isn’t flashy, but it controls well. The story has a bit of a problem with telling instead of showing. Most important, it has a heart. The entire purpose of the game is to support the idea that we all rely on each other. It’s all about relationships and how we influence each other, not about exploring the countryside and taking down monsters. As such, it is very easy for me to imagine that young girls will get into this game while boys are probably going to be bored. You can pick up a copy of Witch’s Wish for about $20. It isn’t a bad price considering how solid the game is overall. Although it may not have you wishing for more, it will satisfy gamers’ wish for a solid game.
