Developer: Chibig, Nukefist
Platforms: PC (Reviewed), Switch
Genre: Action, Adventure
Publisher: Chibig
Mika and The Witch’s Mountain is a fantasy adventure game. This game was developed by Chibig, Nukefist and published by Chibig. There are not many games that have a similar gameplay to Mika and The Witch’s Mountain, which makes it a unique and fun game to play. This review was done for the PC, but the game is also available for Switch.
Mika and The Witch’s Mountain is a single-player game where you play as an aspiring witch named Mika, whose journey begins as she reaches the top of a mountain. At the top of the mountain, she meets Miss Oligari, who pushes her off the mountain, which results in her broom breaking. After Mika’s unfortunate demise, she meets a local repairwoman who can fix her broom at a price. Mika begins to explore the town, where she comes upon a delivery company that hires Mika after her initial training. This is where Mika’s journey begins as she takes on the job of delivery witch who sets off with her broom to deliver parcels to the local folk!
The controls for this game are really easy to work with. The start of the game begins with an opening dialogue cutscene where you are shown pop-up cards with controls. The pop-up control cards are cute explanations with little Mika drawings that thoroughly explain mechanics and keybinds. The controls and mechanics are explained throughout the beginning of the game, but I did not like that there was no keyboard map that would show you the keybinds in the settings menu (It only showed the controller control map). First, I played the game on the keyboard and mouse, and then, later, I switched to a controller, which made the experience so much better. For this type of relaxing game, the controller is just the vibe. Either of them worked without any noticeable delays, but the controller just felt so much smoother.
The art style features a charming cartoon feature, which is stunning and very unique. The game consists of plenty of adorable creatures for you to interact with, each with their intriguing personalities. Cutscenes in the game are so stunning to watch, even if they don’t last as long. Their art style varies from the game itself but makes you feel like you’re watching a show. Character design is another thing I appreciate because the NPC interactions are unique and have interesting personalities. The designs for various locations are quite breathtaking. For example, the beach that you start off at has a good amount of detail put into it from the use of rocks, sand, palm trees, especially the whistling sounds and the shadows you can see for each object. The game features many cute elements. When you relieve an item, you are shown a torn page with a sticker-like drawing of the item. Miss Oligari reminds me of the old bird witch from Spirited Away. The game seems to have some inspiration from Studio Ghibli movies, especially with the resemblance to Kiki’s delivery service.
Music is so whimsical and fantasy-like. I quite like how the game has a nice selection for its soundtrack. The music can change from mellow piano music to something with a bit more upbeat rhythm, like a fast-paced strumming off a violin. The sound effects of the characters make the game seem like a cute anime. I love the character text bubbles, as you can see slight animations of the characters’ expressions. Like for instance, the little animation transitions for the next few days are subtle yet so cute. I love the animation where you are about to drop off a package, and the NPC starts waving at you as they see you. The art style is so well drawn; it looks similar to the new Pokemon graphics mixed with bright-colourful cartoon drawings. The sounds of the waves crashing and birds chirping make the game feel so lively. Even though the game has no voice acting, the addition of grunts, groans, gasps, laughing, and mumbling noises build upon the characters. I quite like how pitches and tones are different to match the character speaking.
The main premise of the game is to deliver packages. I love the menu UI of the game, which is themed to look like a notebook. The notebook guides players in highlighting their goals and giving descriptions for their supplies (inventory). The deliveries are paid in a good-to-serve system. This was an interesting way to earn money in the game, as you would get a stamp from three different colours that would give you coins. In order to earn a coin, you need to get a green stamp so stray from making any mistakes on your deliveries.
The delivery card is your helpful tool in this game, where you get to see the location and package. The package/parcel comes with warning symbols like not getting it wet or hitting it, which makes players fly cautiously rather than recklessly. The packages can also be timed and have damage hit points, so it’s not as easy as players would think. I quite liked the parcels were made with difficulty, as it created a challenge in the game. I did like that you could reset parcels rather than delivering them damaged. Besides the main deliveries, Mika set up lost deliveries, which lets players keep a lookout for lost items that they can deliver back as well! My only issue with lost items is that you aren’t entirely told where the items are meant to go; it gets a lot of aimless flying around and trying to interact with NPCs to figure out where the item actually goes. Even with the item hint description, I feel it does not do such great justice. I would say the game is made this way to have players pay attention to the dialogue location clues and really explore the town they are in. This could be an upside or downside for many players, depending on their preferred play style. This mainly becomes a thing at the near beginning of the game, but once Mika is familiarised with the townsfolk, it becomes easier and more accessible to find out where items go.
Just being able to fly around on your broom is one of the best mechanics of this game and puts you into a witchy mood. Whilst delivering packages, I’d say I spent a decent amount of my time just riding Mika’s broom and taking in the environments. At first, the apprentice broom only suffices a decent flying system, but as you begin to upgrade, the flying gets better and better. The upgrading for the broom only makes the player thrive to complete more deliveries and enjoy the thrills of becoming a better witch! My favourite part about flying is going through the wind currents that give Mika such a satisfying boost.
Even though the design for the map is spectacular, I wish there was a pop-up map on the screen that you could look at whilst navigating to drop-off locations. The main issue was that I would have to open up the notebook to check the map and then fly back out, which got a bit annoying at times.
Besides flying around and making deliveries, you engage in conversations with the townsfolk from which you can do other activities. There’s a lot in this game that players can explore whilst carrying out their courier duties. By carrying out these duties, you can even unlock equipables that can change Mika’s outfit and broom’s trail. Some deliveries also get you to do other tasks, like flying on your broom to fish for a minnow.
If you are looking to play a fun adventure game where you get to play as a young witch, Mika has taken on the job of joining a delivery company. In this game, you get to fly around on your trusty broom and take on a journey that takes inspiration from Studio Ghibli’s Kiki’s Delivery Service. The game offers charming visuals with a soft soundtrack that can put you in a relaxing mood. The game is adorable and filled with many characteristics that fulfil the delivery expedition. So be sure to check out Mika and The Witch’s Mountain.
Overall: 8.5/10
This is S & S. We are world game explorers. We play games. We have played over 10,000+ games! We travel, we write reviews AND we play more games!!!!
