Can you help the little witch escape?
Pocket Witch is a tough-as-nails, single-player, flick-screen platformer that has become popular in recent years. It is a precision platformer that requires planning, fast fingers, and quick reflexes. You play as a little witch, trying to escape a dungeon that is full of traps and nasties that block your way.
Presentation wise this looks pretty cute, with a retro pixel-art style and old-school charm to it, however, there isn’t much variety as the game progresses. The first screen looks very much like the last – purple and orange – and the single spooky tune remains the same throughout.
Controls are minimal, you can run, double jump, and air dash (in all directions), yet when I played this on PS4, I felt the analogue controls were a little off, and not quite as precise as I would have liked them to be. I never truly felt completely in control of the little witch, and that only increased the frustration as you die for the umpteenth time on any particular screen.
There are checkpoint markers later on, but you sometimes wished there were more, especially as the only additional difficulty mode is a harder one. Perhaps with a better pad or keyboard controls the rage levels would reduce somewhat, but there is fun to be had here – especially for fans of the genre.
New traps and enemies are introduced to add variety, but when keys are brought in, so is backtracking, and you find yourself having to repeat the same sections several times over. At just 30 levels, it’s certainly short and doesn’t outstay its welcome as many titles do.
Pocket Witch launches today on PS4, PS5, Xbox One/Series, and Nintendo Switch for $4.99 // €4.99.
