Mika and The Witch's Mountain Review
Release Date: August 21, 2024
Developer: Chibig
Platforms: PC (Reviewed), Switch
Price: $19.99
Every once in a while, a new studio comes around that quickly makes a name for themselves due to their prowess in creativity, art direction, gameplay, or any combination of the above that leads to games worth playing and celebrating. For myself, Chibig has quickly become that very studio, hitting home runs with the likes of Ankora: Lost Days, Summer In Mara, Koa and Five Pirates, and now Mika and The Witch's Mountain. Their talent is on full display in each and every one of their projects, with each providing its own wholesome experience that very much has a signature Chibig look and feel that is undeniable throughout. This is especially true with their latest to release, and you can see how far the studio has come both from a technical and artistic standpoint in providing what might arguably be their most cohesive and wholesome game yet.
Mika and The Witch's Mountain has a simple premise that may remind those of an increasingly popular trend in games as of late through titles such as Lake, Mail Time, Death Stranding, and upcoming titles like Letters to Arralla that see the player take the protagonist through an environment in which they're tasked to deliver packages. Though, for Mika, that wasn't originally the intention. Mika and The Witch's Mountain is actually supposed to be about Mika attending a school for witches, but upon meeting her instructor, she gets pushed off a cliff to "learn how to fly" similarly to a baby bird. Of course, since this is Mika's first time, she lands on her face in the town below with her broom snapped in half. Now with a broken broom and no way to get back up, Mika is forced to get a job at a local post office and help deliver packages to the townsfolk throughout, all while repairing her broom, gaining new abilities, and making friends along the way.
Chibig has done an incredible job with each of their titles to have a presentation that's as inviting as it is colorful. Whether you're playing on a Switch OLED, a Steam Deck OLED, or even more basic screens with or without HDR enabled, the colors will pop regardless in the way that they're meticulously used and complemented with throughout. This helps a bunch in regard to keeping the game engaging, flying around to various biomes that are lush with grass, waterfalls, volcanic areas, icy areas, and more. Taking packages throughout will be seemingly random at first, but the story does a good job at making its few characters have a decent amount of depth, so what was once a customer ends up becoming a friend in need and someone you're more than happy to help and deliver to (and for). Though, admittedly, it falls almost exclusively into the line of being a fetch-quest simulator, Mika and The Witch's Mountain makes up for it by being relaxing and having a beautiful environment to walk and fly around in, so a day on the job never really feels that laborious. You know what they say after all: If you enjoy what you do, you'll never work a day in your life.
Delivering mail isn't just what Mika and the Witch's Mountain has the player do, however -- tons of collectibles and stranded items are found throughout the game, so even after a long day of delivering, there are still things to do on the side if you don't want to immediately go from doorstep to doorstep, and most of it tends to reward in a way that's satisfactory. The collectibles, for example, also serve as a form of currency, and after a set amount accrued, one can spend or offer them to a shrine and unlock charms and outfits that help give Mika a more fashionable statement as she makes her way through the world Chibig has wonderfully crafted. The stranded items can either be items lost, forgotten, or simply artifacts that my grab the interest of certain characters once they've been given to them. These can spark a variety of conversations that help with lore, give further side quests, or increase the relationship with other characters. It's nice to have on the side, though it should be noted that while the packages can be delivered at your leisure, some of them will have time limits or certain restrictions set in place, so it's best to focus on the important packages first, though it doesn't entirely hurt to do things as you go either. Some packages should not under any circumstances get wet, while the most fragile ones will obviously need to avoid taking any damage whatsoever on the way to the recipient. Every item will have a different durability, however, and even though these are described by a set number of hearts, those hearts can deplete depending on the severity of the damage taken upon impact, so it's best to be mindful of these. The game is extremely forgiving, though, and even if a package is completely destroyed, it'll give a chance to restart with ease, or if it's lost, for example, it'll respawn with little to no repercussions to the player.
Being that the game is as good as it is, there's still a lot to look forward to for Mika and The Witch's Mountain. Chibig has promised that subsequent updates will have the likes of dungeons, new cosmetics, languages, broom tricks, and more to further entertain and delight. Optimization as a whole is solid on both PC and Steam Deck, and its user interface keeps things easy to read, concise, and calming throughout. There's rarely, if ever, a moment in which Mika and The Witch's Mountain will ask much of the player or truly frustrate. The world is built in a way that it rewards exploration, but also isn't too large to the point where you'll lose your way back to where you want to be. Navigation is easy, and flying around on the broom feels really great once you get accustomed to the physics. With further growth throughout the game as well, you join Mika as she gains the skillset needed to become a proper witch, and you can't help but feel happy and excited for her along her journey as you make your way along the coastlines and cliffsides, exploring into the unknown and becoming fascinated with all of the things you find.
PROS:
A relaxing experience in which you can go around delivering items worry free
The music and colors complement the entire world and make for a more engaging experience
Character designs and art direction are once again a strong area for Chibig that help give the game a unique and signature feel.
CONS:
Even though it does a good job at entertaining, sometimes it can feel a little empty throughout, though I do believe it's better for it as it takes the "less is more" approach.
A huge thank you to Chibig for providing us a copy of Mika and the Witch’s Mountain for the purposes of this review.