Today, Witchspire launches on Steam, a game that at first glance looks like a cute, colorful comic world full of magic and cuddly creatures. MeinMMO editor Benedict Grothaus has already played the game during the playtest and warns you: Appearances can be deceiving.
Normally, I prefer rough survival games like Conan Exiles, but every now and then I enjoy something lighter. Witchspire promises to let you build your own little witch hut in a playful comic world, so it’s a nice change of pace.
That Witchspire turns out to be “Palworld with witches”, as colleague Jasmin describes it, pleasantly surprised me – even though there was an immediate fear that it might be a bit “too cozy”.
However, it became clear within the first few minutes that this would not be the case. As cute as Witchspire may seem: During the playtest alone, I died several times despite it lasting only 45 minutes.
Wand instead of pickaxe, but the grind remains
Keep in mind that my experience from the playtest dates back to February 2026. Witchspire releases today, on June 10, in Early Access and a lot may have changed since then. Moreover, significantly more content will be available.
Witchspire makes no secret of being an “open-world survival craft” game, as Steam players like to summarize the genre. Right after character creation, it’s time to get to the real stuff: searching for food and resources, fighting enemies, learning magic.
Those expecting a life simulation like Stardew Valley or Sun Haven due to the graphics will quickly realize otherwise. The “tutorial” is not particularly demanding at first, but it teaches the basics that become quite important quickly.
As is common in survival games, you need special materials for progress, which can only be obtained through exploration and at specific locations or through battles. Only then will there be new recipes.
In keeping with the theme, however, there are no tools to mine materials, but specific spells. The wand becomes the omni-tool, but the principle remains: chop trees and break stones, otherwise there won’t be a witch hut.
Surprisingly, a lot of focus on combat and skills
The wand is already an important tool – after all, you are witches or warlocks. Through various schools and spells, as well as different companions, you can fight your way through the world with its deceptively cute creatures.
Yes, the little lambs leaping across the meadows are adorable. But if you attack them because you need something from them, it can quickly happen that Dad comes around the corner. He is then 6 levels above you, briefly puts you on his horns, and you learn how to revive yourself.
Such things happened to me more often than I expected, and yes, you read that right: There are levels and even a skill tree. This exists not only for you but also for your companions. Those who want to try out different builds or magic schools can have fun here.
… and suddenly a boss appears
My highlight (unfortunately in the literal sense) was a surprising boss fight. While exploring, I stumbled upon a portal, which I of course entered out of curiosity… only to face a huge stone golem with way too big a health bar.
As is usual for bosses, I had to prove myself against various mechanics and of course fleeing was not an option: The arena can only be entered through a portal, but cannot be left without the end of the fight.
At level 5, I was significantly underleveled and did not expect to encounter a boss without any warning who would deal significant damage to me. After the hard-earned victory, the “Thanks for playing!” screen appeared, and the realization set in: Witchspire is not as sweet as it seems, but can be quite sneaky.
The real reason I even started playing Witchspire – despite the “cozy looks” – was actually the voice actor of the male character option: Matt Mercer. You may know him as the voice of Cassidy from Overwatch, Gangplank from LoL, or as the dungeon master of Critical Role. Mercer is one of my personal heroes, solely because of his career: An anime nerd who just wanted to be a voice actor – today he fills entire arenas with his friends and plays Dungeons & Dragons
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