WitchSpring3 [Re:Fine] – The Story of Eirudy – The review

Launched in 2017 in mobile version for Android and iOS WitchSpring3 [Re:Fine] – The Story of Eirudy was launched on the Nintendo Switch on August 13th. Developed by Kiwiwalks and Ikinagames, and produced by ININ Games, this JRPG immerses players in a fairytale atmosphere, making them take on the role of the little witch Eirudy. Marginalized from the human world and forced to live alone in the Misty Forest, the young woman will face adventures and missions of all kinds to solve her destiny and that of those around her. So let’s find out more about the game, which we have tried for you in recent weeks.

WitchSpring3 [Re:Fine] – The Story of Eirudy, our review

To distinguish this JRPG for Nintendo Switch is undoubtedly the narrative. WitchSpring3, in fact, tells the story of Eirudy, a young woman with magical powers forced to live in isolation away from humans – known for not particularly appreciating witches -. Here, in the Misty Forest, he has no friends but some rag dolls which she managed to give life thanks to her magic. But everything changes when he casually meets Adrian, a young man in search of the Stone of Life, the only one able to awaken her mother Esther from a comatose state. The two immediately form a relationship of trust, after having saved each other from uncomfortable and dangerous situations. From here they begin to face adventures of all kinds together, effectively starting the game itself.

A story well studied and told in detail, taking a cue from the structure of the traditional ones visual novel, complete with artwork that appear to rattle off the most salient points of history. Indeed, for the occasion, the development team has also added a dubbing system to the game, which is totally missing in the mobile version. The dilemma, however, is that this is offered exclusively in Japanese and Korean, with the possibility of translating the dialogues into written form in the English language only. An uncomfortable detail, which does not always allow us to fully enjoy the story told by the game. Beyond this, the title is limited to a series of adventures to be carried out in limited areas, such as collecting objects or defeating enemies that remain immobile (or almost) for the duration of the fight.

A reduced but exhaustive setting

As we anticipated, little Eirudy finds herself living alone in a wooden house in the Misty Forest. This is the first environment in which players arrive, who here will have the opportunity to carry out some of the most characteristic activities of the game, such as sleeping to regain strength, allenarsi e give life to dolls, main allies of the little witch in this adventure. Being a JRPG, in fact, you will have the opportunity to improve the skills of the protagonist through a training that you can plan as you wish, but always without leaving your home.

The activities that you can program are of two different types: Training, to mentally and physically train Eirudy, and Crafting, which will allow you to brew potions and preparations with magical powers. But the real standout activity in your home will be to bring the dolls to life through a real evocation. Downstairs you’ll find stuffed creatures to awaken using energy gained from defeating enemies. And once you wake up, it’s up to you to choose how to empower them. After all, as we have already said, these are not only Eirudy’s only friends, but also her most faithful allies. And you will find out in the course of the game, when the fighting forces you to ask for their help.

A simple and linear combat system

The fights they are an essential element of WitchSpring 3 gameplay. Being a JRPG, these unfold turn-based in the overworld, without resorting to Pokémon Go or Final Fantasy-style gameplay screens. As soon as she encounters an enemy, Eirudy has the opportunity to defeat them using physical attacks or magic, and even resorting to summoning dolls (from 1 up to a maximum of 3). And while this makes the fight quicker, it also prevents us from having a complete view of both the witch’s powers and those of her enemies. On the other hand, the combat system is absolutely devoid of any surprise. First of all, the enemies are clearly visible within the game space, because they are outlined by a red outline.

And as if that weren’t enough, the enemy stats they are marked even before the start of the fight, thus allowing you to choose the strategy to adopt to defeat him. Or choose to flee to return when you are ready to face it. These precautions make the entire gameplay incredibly simple, and consequently accessible to a wide audience. And however valuable it may be, on the other hand “Winning easy” is never too comfortable. In the long run, in fact, the combat system can prove to be boring and not very stimulating, especially considering that it does not present any flicker of creativity in many hours of play. But this applies as much to the old mobile version of WitchSpring3, as to the current one for Nintendo Switch. and indeed, the developers have tried to make it less monotonous by insisting on the narrative, but they have not always succeeded.

The WitchSpring3 review [Re:Fine] in pills

Overall WitchSpring3 [Re:Fine] is a JRPG perfectly accessible to all, thanks above all to the simple and intuitive gameplay – and repetitive, in some cases -. What struck us was above all the narrative of the title, which turns out to be one of its main strengths, even if often the support of the graphics does not help. Beyond this, the excessive accessibility of the title risks making it monotonous and not very stimulating. Features that can be bypassed if we are strongly passionate about the protagonist Eirudy.