Trigger Witch
Retro female-centric actioner is surprisingly bloody.
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Trigger Witch
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this game.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Trigger Witch is a downloadable twin-stick shooter for Xbox Series S/X, Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, and Switch. Players take on the role of a young woman from an isolated village of witches that has largely abandoned magic in favor of mastering various types of guns. She sets out on an adventure to learn more about the magic and history her people have forgotten. It's presented in a retro style viewed from a raised perspective. The graphics are blocky and not very detailed, but combat -- against a variety of fantasy creatures, from blobs to armored dragons -- is focused on using guns, and killing enemies results in large splashes of red pixelated blood. The game's upbeat narrative, which contains simple messages about helping others and fighting for what you care about, feels a bit at odds with the bevy of jokes and puns about guns and ammunition found in both dialogue and the names of locations. There's no strong language or sexual content, but several non-player characters are seen puffing on tobacco pipes.
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What’s It About?
TRIGGER WITCH starts off in a village of witches who have largely forgotten how to use magic and have instead taken to using guns to keep themselves safe from the monsters that roam nearby lands. Players step into the boots of a young witch named Colette who is about to undergo an exam that, when passed, will make her one of the village's gun-wielding protectors. Once the test is completed, she's sent on a quest to gather spell ingredients and investigate the appearance of a strange man who can pass between a magical barrier that's separated the witch village from the land of goblins to the north, which has been impenetrable for centuries. It's a retro, Zelda-inspired adventure set on a two-dimensional map viewed from a top-down perspective with twin-stick combat -- one joystick to move, the other to aim Colette's weapons. Enemies tend to come in groups and waves, forcing players to nimbly move and dodge around the screen while laying down a constant barrage of fire. Afterwards, they'll mop up the gems defeated foes drop, which can be spent on weapon and potion upgrades. Some sequences involve flying on a broom and shooting down enemies in a manner reminiscent of classic 2D aerial shooters like 1942.
Is It Any Good?
The combination of Zelda-like exploration and frenetic top-down shooting makes for an interesting retro fusion experience. Most of Trigger Witch's action should prove pretty familiar for experienced gamers, and the basic mechanics have been well executed. The gradual learning curve that comes with learning to aim and shoot effectively while constantly strafing and dodging enemies makes for a good hook, and simple contextual puzzles -- like hitting switches to activate moving sidewalks and choosing the right weapon to destroy key objects -- helps break up the routine of combat. That the witches have largely abandoned magic in favor of guns makes for a pleasantly silly narrative shtick, and it's clear the writers had lots of fun leaning into the witches' love of guns and coming up with goofy wordplay.
But whether the novelty of Trigger Witch's core concept will see players through to the end is an open question. Dull dungeon design is compounded by unsatisfying graphics, which often feel more as though they were plucked from 30-year-old games rather than inspired by them. And getting stuck in unfairly cramped areas of the map where you're unable to avoid enemies (or the blasts of energy they fire) can grow frustrating. Even playing on the easiest of five skill levels doesn't ensure your survival in these situations. It could also do with some simple quality-of-life improvements, like a little map in the corner of the screen to help keep players oriented while exploring and a means of switching between weapons that doesn't involve reverting to the basic hand cannon whenever more powerful guns run out of ammunition. Trigger Witch can be fun in short bursts, but there are plenty of better retro shooters and Zelda-inspired action games available.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about screen time. Trigger Witch is set in an open world that players can endlessly explore, but dungeons are essentially self-contained levels that can make for a satisfying single session, so how long do you like to play before taking a break?
Does Trigger Witch successfully avoid stereotypes in its presentation of male and female characters? Is there a way it could accomplish this task better?
Game Details
- Platforms: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
- Pricing structure: Paid
- Available online?: Available online
- Publisher: Rainbite
- Release date: January 21, 2022
- Genre: Action/Adventure
- Topics: Magic and Fantasy, Monsters, Ghosts, and Vampires
- ESRB rating: T for Blood, Use of Tobacco, Violence
- Last updated: January 26, 2022
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