Quantum Witch shows the endless possibilities of what cults, coercion, and ultimately, the right support can do

To place it merely, Quantum Witch is a heartwarming ‘plotformer’ caused by solo developer NikkiJay and her experiences of leaving a non secular cult and in the end, discovering her personal manner in life. Although, to place it so merely is to do Quantum Witch, and simply how particular it’s, a serious injustice.

Whereas the preliminary context would possibly make you consider Quantum Witch is a darkish recreation primarily exploring spiritual trauma, it’s removed from that; the ultimate product is the outpouring of a person’s coronary heart, deeply private experiences, and maybe most significantly, the humour and love which they’ve used to beat them. It’s the latter the place Quantum Witch actually shines, laden with on-the-nose jokes about in-game occasions, the LGBTQIA+ expertise, and present society at massive.

As I step foot into the village of Hus and start to satisfy its eclectic characters (which embody spiritual fanatics, online game icons with all-new identities, and speaking fish to call a couple of), Quantum Witch conjures up that exact same feeling that Undertale and Stardew Valley typically evoke in gamers; it looks like coming house (and the soundtrack performs an enormous half on this). Hus is an idyllic village with some kooky folks to satisfy, and delightful music – composed by each NikkiJay and Jerden Cooke – that accompanies your exploration and conversations.

As a plotformer, you possibly can count on some leaping and punching right here and there, however Quantum Witch is much more akin to a visible novel. That stated, there are many issues to discover at any given second and much more that you just would possibly miss (that are tougher to overlook in subsequent playthroughs due to further hints and a checkpoint system, don’t fret).

Those that soak up each nook and cranny of Quantum Witch, replaying it to see how their phrases can have vital penalties on the story at hand, in addition to the aspect tales of individuals you meet and assist, would be the ones to get essentially the most of this recreation. There’s a entire world – and extra, actually, given the meta-narrative you’ll quickly see at play – to soak in.

Even when the subject of dialog is lower than jovial – be it the uncanny valley nature of among the folks you meet, or the clear unhappiness and exhaustion some characters face however can’t specific because of the ‘all-powerful’ forces that govern what actions and ideas of theirs are acceptable to have – Quantum Witch by no means helps you to lose hope. Hope is a reasonably highly effective pressure on this world; it’s a combination of that and the whole lot you be taught all through your journey – largely from the folks you meet – that drive you on this recreation.

That doesn’t assure issues gained’t find yourself pear-shaped in Quantum Witch. Your dialogue choices are on the forefront of the narrative, figuring out the outcomes of your self – Ren – and characters reminiscent of Ren’s bonded one, Tyra, or the poor woman she finds tied up and alone, left for useless, Hannah. These are just some folks you possibly can assist, or in the end condemn.

Whereas hope is all over the place and love is prevalent in Quantum Witch, there’s no stopping you from exploring the depths of the sport’s spiritual factions, even ascending to Godhood your self if that’s the place issues take you. Not each ending is a contented one, although exploring all outcomes is fruitful. Regardless of the place you look in Quantum Witch, there’s one thing to be taught. Not simply in regards to the characters, however your self, and your individual experiences with faith, coercive management, and queer identities.

No matter what route you find yourself taking alongside The Helgrind Path and past, there may be one saying underpinning Quantum Witch’s story (which developer NikkiJay touched upon a current VG247 interview), no matter which endings you expertise and which side-stories you progress, and it’s that “it takes a village to boost a toddler”. The saying is sort of literal, after all, however will be utilized to anybody at any stage; people can’t do that on their very own, and we rely significantly on the love and help of each other to beat life’s hurdles, to face our trauma, and to really go on dwelling to the most effective of our skills.

Every part is less complicated with pals and an open coronary heart, and that’s what I in the end took away from Quantum Witch. This recreation – made with love, sweat, and tears in NikkiJay’s bed room – is particular, and it’ll little question steal away a bit of your coronary heart too (or make you snicker out loud, on the very least).