Let’s Play WitchSpring 3 [Re:Fine] – The Story of Eirudy!
WitchSpring 3 [Re:Fine] – The Story of Eirudy! Ahh, errant punctuation in Asian video game titles; we’ll never get tired of it. If nothing else, it certainly helps to make the prospective player intrigued as to what the game in question might be all about — and, indeed, if the title itself will end up making any sense.
In WitchSpring 3’s case, the title is relatively self-explanatory: it’s the third installment in a Korean series known as WitchSpring (owing to it being about characters who are perceived as witches and their desire to revive the holy Springs), it’s a remake of sorts (or, more accurately, a port to Nintendo Switch) and its main character is known as Eirudy. So let’s take a look!
The WitchSpring series is rather popular in Asia, where it has historically been released on mobile platforms, but WitchSpring 3 is the first to make it west — initially in mobile form back in 2017, and more recently in 2020 for Nintendo Switch.
Don’t worry, though; although WitchSpring 3 makes reference to events which occurred in the first two WitchSpring games (which depict the same chain of events from two different perspectives) it is very much a standalone title in its own right, and allows new players to catch up with what is going on quickly. Specifically, it occurs on a completely different continent — so although some of the characters from the earlier games show up, you don’t need to know too much about who they are in order to appreciate the game!
WitchSpring 3 has been available for a little while now, but since the extremely lovely Limited Edition from Strictly Limited Games is finally reaching players, it seemed like a good time to give it a try for the first time. Plus it seems like an intriguing game — and we thought you might be interested in seeing it!
In WitchSpring 3, you take on the role of Eirudy, a witch who lives alone in the forest and who is seemingly fascinated with animating dolls. She is able to make them move around and perform actions — even cast magic-like abilities — but so far she has struggled to make them talk. As a result, she’s rather lonely — and the early hours of the game suggest that much of the ongoing narrative will concern how she comes to terms with people suddenly being part of her life. Should she reveal that she’s a “witch” or try and appear as “normal” as possible for the sake of a quiet life?
The game’s mechanics combine elements of gathering, crafting, Princess Maker-style stat training and turn-based combat. Eschewing a traditional experience and levels system in favour of mechanics that allow you to increase your stats directly, the game places a strong focus on training Eirudy for the challenges ahead of her, and it looks as if there will be lots of customisation available as the game progresses.
Most notably, it looks as if you’ll be able to bring life to a wide variety of dolls, who will support Eirudy in combat in a variety of different ways. You’ll also be able to beef up Eirudy’s combat and magical abilities, and status effects play a crucial role in combat by allowing you to do additional damage with melee attacks. Lots of fun to be had for those interested in creative RPG mechanics, for sure.
Our Let’s Play for today covers just under the first hour of gameplay, but gives a taster of the story’s context and the mechanics you can expect to be exploring as you progress. If you’d like to see more, be sure to let us know down in the comments or via social media!
Join The Discussion
Rice Digital Discord
Rice Digital Twitter
Rice Digital Facebook
Or write us a letter for the Rice Digital Friday Letters Page by clicking here!
Disclosure: Some links in this article may be affiliate links, which means we may earn a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on them. This is at no additional cost to you and helps support Rice Digital!
- Letter from the Editor: passing the torch - June 30, 2023
- Super Woden GP 2 is looking promising - June 30, 2023
- Inti Creates is making a 32 bit-style Love Live action platformer - June 26, 2023
