If you’ve ever wondered what Zelda would be like if Link stumbled across The Master Machine Gun instead of The Master Sword, Rainbite’s Trigger Witch might just be the game for you.
A surprisingly charming mash-up of top-down adventure and twin-stick shooter, Trigger Witch hits the mark for the most part. Overall, it is a fun romp, full of likeable characters, but unfortunately never quite hits the highs of the genre greats which inspired it.
Players take on the role of Colette, the titular trigger witch, an aspiring apprentice witch who is preparing to take the final trial to join an order of gun-toting witches known as The Clip.
However, not long after completing the trial, a mysterious man in black emerges from a dimensional rift that previously only sporadically spat out firearms, and all hell breaks loose.
Thus Colette is sent on a delightfully absurd adventure to save her family, friends, and the world.
For what is essentially a twin-stick shooter with puzzle elements, Trigger Witch is well written, and the story has a surprising amount of heft. While its large cast of colourful characters all feel well realised and are extremely likeable.
If you’ve ever played a twin-stick shooter, you’ll be right at home with Trigger Witch. You start with a handgun with unlimited ammo. Then as you explore the world, Collette’s arsenal gradually expands with a whole bevvy of weapons, each with its own unique handling and feel, including an assault rifle, grenade launcher, and more besides.
It’s just as well because the map is littered with enemies and obstacles to decimate.
What I wasn’t expecting was how ridiculously gory the game is. Trigger Witch’s cute enemy characters explode in a shower of viscera every time Collette pulls the trigger. As a result, it doesn’t take very long for most of the environment to be stained red with blood.
It’s a sight to behold, and it is hard not to feel a sense of impish glee at the sheer spectacle of it all. It also helps that the gunplay is, for the best part, solid, and each weapon has a certain amount of kick.
If you are a little squeamish, you can turn the gore off, making the game positively family-friendly.
The game’s difficulty options are also fully customisable. These allow you to tweak how much damage Collette dishes out and receives, making Trigger Witch as challenging or forgiving as you want.
Though the world of Trigger Witch is diverse, Collette travels to several different biomes, each with a distinct look and weather effects. The game’s dungeons do get a little repetitive after a while. Most of them boil down to clearing rooms of monsters before taking on the boss and little else.
However, This is broken up by some fun shmup inspired flying sections, which sees Collette take to the skies on her trusty broomstick.
Trigger Witch is a charming game, full of great characters and solid shooting mechanics, though the gameplay may get a little repetitive after a while. the superb writing and fun world that Rainbite has created is well worth a visit.