Witches

March 6, 2008 - We first laid our shifty eyes on Revisitronic's Witches
in August, when screenshots of the third-person action-adventure game
first started trickling out of Madrid, where the developer is based.
Back then, it was called Project Witches, and all we knew was that it
had something to do with bikini-clad ladies fighting evil, as they are
wont to do. But this week, Revisitronic sent us a detailed update on
the game, full of descriptive language that erased any doubts we
previously had about just how sultry the women of Witches really are.

Currently in development for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and PC, Witches is
set in a medieval landscape which is under the dark shadow of The
Beast, a demonic being determined to enslave everyone and generally act
like a real jerk. That's where Gwen comes in, "a sultry warrior that
still resists his dark will and leads the rebellion against his satanic
power."


We could describe the allure of Witches ourselves, but in its fact
sheet Revisitronic has done our work for us, rhapsodizing more
eloquently that we ever could. This frees us up to scrutinize the
screenshots.

Witches pits "sultry girls against satanic monsters," and invites
gamers to "Let's (sic) yourself go in this dark medieval narrative and
enjoy the contrast between sensual beauty and sinister horrors. Direct
the beautiful but dangerous Shadow in a spectacular fight against
hordes of repellent deformed creatures."

Here at IGN, we hate the Dark One and all his satanic minions and we
jump at every opportunity to act like we are defeating him in
videogames. In Witches, destroying demons will be achieved via a
"spectacular system of tactical combat" that incorporates "sequences of
caution and stealth."


Part of your goal as Gwen will be to free the enslaved as you progress
through the game, gaining their help and adding them to your party as a
reward. Depending on how well they fight (and ostensibly how much you
like their outfits), "you can be a great leader or sacrifice your
comrades in the fight. Your decisions will shape your destiny."

It wouldn't be a game marketing pitch without promises of realistic
weather systems and a "totally interactive environment," and
Revisitronic dutifully hits both points. Skies will be rent with
terrible storms, shadows will move menacingly in the fog, and "all game
items can be used, creating a sense of total immersion like never
before."

And in a move that we're sure has Microsoft and Sony scrambling to
license Witches for their platforms, Revisitronic is making it possible
for you to "use all kinds of objects to achieve your aims, even the
amputated limbs of adversaries."

Whether or not you decide to beat on demons with their own arms, you'll
be able to use combo attacks and magical powers in combat in addition
to running, climbing and jumping. The "stealth occultism arts" will
also make an appearance, and players will be able to "move the lights
in real time." We have no idea what that last bit means, but we plan to
do it a lot.

Fights will range from one-on-one skirmishes with evildoers to large-scale battles with hundreds of monsters at a time.


There are two modes in Witches, Requiem and Arena, and together they
promise to provide more than 12 hours of gameplay across four levels
and 80 scenarios. Although we haven't heard any specifics about
Witches' online mode yet, we do know that that game is built around
cooperative play. The levels are designed for co-op, and you'll be able
to switch the main character on the fly.

We know you're mostly interested in Witches for the leather underwear,
but we're most intrigued by the storyline, which is described best by
the game's tagline: "Where the Dark Arts reign... you can still rise
up... and fight." We've been saying that for years.


In Witches, you'll take your "sexy and sensual warriors" through a plot
with "different endings based on witches (sic) actions. Their
relationship delivers surprises."

Witches doesn't have a publisher yet -- they're currently shopping it
around -- and we haven't any hands-on time with Gwen and friends. We're
hoping Witches "delivers surprises," but all we have to go by so far
are screenshots, line drawings of castles, the above-referenced fact
sheet and our dreams.