Developer: Cavia
Publisher: Atari & AQ Interactive
Screenshots: Available Here
Rating Guide: How I Review Games

Review:

Yes, I know you’ve read some pretty horrible things about Bullet Witch in the media.  You’ve seen the low scores and some of you may have even almost completed the first level before trading it in or taking it back to your local rental store.  Let me just say that I might echo a lot of your sentiments in this review but I also might surprise you as I too committed the cardinal sin of gaming.  What’s the cardinal sin of gaming?  I almost listened to the reviews out there and almost didn’t bother trying it for myself to form my own opinion.  Yes, I admit that.  Fortunately, I did venture out to play Bullet Witch for myself and I was glad I did.

There’s one word that came to mind after I played this game.  It’s one word that really saved it from being something I had no interest in to something I had some fun with. That word is ‘potential’.  Had the developers simply delayed or given more time to fine tune this game, I think it would’ve faired much better…in fact I know it would have.  There is a wave of potential just oozing out of this title that it almost made me angry that they robbed me of what could have been a great experience.  I did enjoy the game after truly giving it a chance but the potential it had left me scratching my head.  You’ll see me refer to this word often throughout this review.

Gameplay, Graphics and Sound

2013 AD.  Humanity is on the verge of extinction due to natural disasters, starvation and the sudden infestation of evil, twisted monsters.  Demons have been reborn and the end of civilization is near.  There is no hope until a beautiful woman dressed in black with the powers of a witch and a giant gun (gunrod) shaped like a broom appears to mount one final stand against the evil.  Her name is Alicia Claus (no relation to Santa) and her weapon of choice will scare you.  Her gunrod is part broom and part machine gun, shotgun, cannon or gatling depending on your preference.  You can opt for any of the four uses by pressing the B button.  You start with regular ammunition but can soon upgrade your gunrod’s ammunition with magic called Element Shots.  When you cast it, your weapon becomes equipped with magical ammunition that causes more damage.  Casting the Element Shot on your shotgun will enable it with Wind ammunition that blasts a shockwave of wind with each shot.  Each has its own magical ammunition effect.  Alicia also has at her disposal a range of magic including Will Power, Rose Spear, Lightning, Tornado, and Ravens Panic among others.  Hit the LB or RB button to pull up her Magic Ring and press the A, B, or X button to cast the corresponding magic.  There are 3 layers to her Magic Ring.  Will Power was one of my favorites along with the Rose Spear.  Alicia would throw rose petals on the ground that made silver spikes erupt that embedded any enemy standing close by.  The effects are pretty good but could’ve been better.  I can only imagine what a true casting of Rose Spear may have looked like or what damage a Lightning cast (more on this later) could have done if the potential had been met.

You can power up at the end of each level depending on how quickly you finish the level, how many enemies you killed or how many humans were left to survive.  You’re judged and given Skill Points.  You can use these and distribute them to Alicia’s abilities, her gunrod or her witchcraft (magic) thus increasing each of these skill sets.  The more powerful the witch, the larger her ass kicking prowess is and the more you enjoy the game I think. (it really does get better as you gain more powers)

The controls, however, weren’t at all magic.  The targeting system left much to be desired as did the melee combat.  You have to almost be perfectly centered and in front of an enemy to melee attack otherwise your attacks are all over the place and not hitting.  You can at least click the right stick to get a closer targeting reticule (gun sight) in order for more “precision” aiming.  They call this the ‘shooting view’.  There is no map or HUD so you’re left at times wondering where to go or where you’re being shot from.  It’s not too much of a bother because the game is simple enough but at times a little direction would’ve been nice.  The enemies were mindless.  Perfect examples are the Walnut Heads (huge brains) and the Gigas (huge beasts with big hearts).  I’d simply stay a distance away and shoot.  They wouldn’t come after me at all.  They’d just sit there and let me play target practice. 

There are plenty of cars and other things to toss around or use to kill someone with a Will Power blast.  The design of the city had so much potential but in the end it didn’t have much in terms of textures and polish.  I had visions of a torn city…a Gears of War-styled broken spirit city; potential I say.  The only thing within the environment that looked the part was Alicia, yet even she could use a makeover.  There is a bit of interaction within the environment although none of it really impressive.  There are walls/rooftops that you can shoot to come crashing down on the enemy.  There are water towers that will fall when shot as well.  It was a bit of fun I must admit.

I expected more thump I suppose out of the Magic casting.  As I mentioned above, the Lightning cast is your air strike against large things like tanks.  It takes them out but the delivery of the spell was really cheesy.  I can’t help but think of Lost Planet explosions at this juncture and how cool it would have been to see Alicia cast Lightning and all hell breaks loose around her with the streets cracking, windows shattering and huge explosions!  Potential missed. (again)  The effects were good for the most part but not great.  One thing I did want to make a mention of that was very well done was the menu screen.  It had the perfect feel and design to it while selecting options.