Mika and the Witch's Mountain Preview: A Witch's Work is Never Done
I’ve dreamed of being a mail delivery witch since I first watched Kiki’s Delivery Service when I was a wee child. Mika and the Witch’s Mountain from Developers Chibig and Nukefist is a love letter to those of us who shared a similar dream and after completing the game you may just be reconsidering your current career choice.
Mika and the Witch’s Mountain is a “mini” open -world game with an emphasis on story and exploration. You play as Mika, a young girl trying to get the blessing of the great witch Olagari so that she can start her own journey as a witch. Olagari, another witch, has other plans and tosses Mika off of her mountain, challenging the young girl to make her own way back up. The trip down isn’t exactly graceful and Mika’s broom breaks in the process. Now, Mika will have to not only find a way to fix her broom but also make it back up to the tippy top of the witch’s mountain to prove that she has what it takes to be a full blown witch.
Thankfully, Mika lands in Mont Gaun where most of the townsfolk are lovely and welcoming. A young woman fixes Mika’s broom as best she can, but it definitely can’t make the trip all the way back up the mountain. The young witch realizes that she’ll need to make some money to fix her room for real, and gets a job at Mont Gaun’s post office. This is where players will learn the ins and outs of delivering packages around the island.
In the beginning, Mika can only carry around one package at a time and each package will come with its own requirements for delivery - some packages can’t get wet, some are time sensitive, and others are fragile. As you make deliveries you’ll gain stamps on your delivery card. Good stamps from happy customers is the only way you’ll get payment so you’ll have to make sure you’re being careful with each and every delivery. As you fly around the island you’ll meet all of its inhabitants, many of which are very sweet and have their own stories to share with Mika. The more you explore the more you’ll begin to learn some of the history of the island itself.
In terms of the gameplay, Mika is mostly very fun - I found it impossible to put down, but in the beginning, flying the broom can be a bit infuriating. Some packages, for example, will break if getting knocked only once forcing you to reset and start the delivery over, but once you’re able to upgrade your broom, things do get easier. Besides the main deliveries players can make, the game also has side quests where players will find things around the island that need to be returned to their owners. Hunting around for objects will help players to remember where important landmarks are around the island - which is helpful because while there’s a big map of the island you can open up, there’s no mini-map to help you out while you’re flying around.
Unfortunately, not much of the story is developed beyond surface level. And while much of Mika and the Witch’s Mountain feels like a triumph in many ways, the lack of story and length of the main adventure is a big disappointment. I don’t mind a bite-sized adventure, I firmly believe that not every game needs to be the length of something like Breath of the Wild, but so much of the story here goes untouched that it feels unfinished. The game boasts an island full of secrets, and describes what is currently available as the “full story,” but it’s all over before you've even been given the chance to appreciate any of it. Not the mention that there are certain things on the mountain that are entirely and easily missable. Just before the credits rolled, I genuinely believed what I had finished was simply the first chapter of the game.
Mika and the Witch’s Mountain oozes charm when it comes to its characters, setting and overall gameplay concept. Currently, it is unfortunately let down by its lack of content. While there will be more content on the way (an additional two or so hours), it appears that these updates won’t add to the lack of a developed story which is the biggest let down. Much of what the team has accomplished is impressive, the game is truly beautiful, but I can’t help hoping that they’ll change their minds and allow players to discover more about Mount Gaun and the world they’ve created.
Preview by Becca Smith