If you have ever watched the Studio Ghibli classic Kiki’s Delivery Service and thought the concept of a cute witch girl making deliveries around town would make a good game… your musings have become a reality! The teams at Chibig and Nukefist have presented a charming fantasy adventure game titled Mika and the Witch’s Mountain, entering Steam Early Access last month – presenting a picturesque but quaint town to explore, a charming protagonist and some fun missions that will see you perform missions for the townsfolk – all in the name of reaching your destination.
Mika and the Witch’s Mountain sees players fill the shoes of a young trainee witch named Mika. An aspiring witch, she is dropped off at Stellar Lighthouse, on a suspended-in-the-skies “Witches Mountain”, to train under the tutelage of Miss Olagari, whom her mother trained under before. However, her lessons don’t start with learning and casting a magic spell – but instead being shunted off the mountain, with her first mission to make it back up to the lighthouse. With a broken broom and nary a means of getting back, she seeks out the townsfolk to help her. It is here where the “Kiki’s Delivery Service” element of the game comes in, with her taking up the role of a delivery person – as she completes tasks leading to making money for upgrades, and other narrative elements eventually unfurl. The narrative is nothing too complex, but during my playtesting, it was charming and was an experience more than fitting for younger gamers, but also one that is enjoyable for adults.
The gameplay of Mika and the Witch’s Mountain is centred on delivery and broom-flying mechanics. As the island’s new delivery person, Mika is tasked with delivering packages and other items to locations and people around the island, usually on the back of her broom. These tasks typically involve going from Point A to Point B. However, each task routinely has one or more conditions that must be met to achieve higher client feedback, and in turn, more coins and access to better equipment. Some of these conditions include not dinging up the package too badly, reaching the destination in a set time aligned with modifiers that may expedite the required time (eg. delivering ice creams while ensuring minimal sun exposure), or gathering the requested item. Nothing sophisticated or in-depth, but for a cute charming game at its $19.99 USD price point, it has a nice balance between not being mindless and being a relaxing gaming experience.
As a trainee witch with an initially broken broom, your flight is limited at first. Therefore you initially only hover above the ground and can’t soar into the sky. But as you progress and update your broom, you gain increased capabilities. Even though flight never loses that feeling of driftiness, I think the controls suited the character well and never hindered the overall experience. Furthermore, the explorable world is designed to support you in approaching tasks differently, or perhaps slightly deviating from your route to make travel faster – with wind currents, multiple routes and more available. In terms of controls, Mika and the Witch’s Mountain on PC offers both keyboard + mouse and controller support. I playtested with both, and I found the latter to be a tad more intuitive. However, this is by no means a hard game to play by mouse and both means are well-considered.
Regarding audiovisual aspects of Mika and the Witch’s Mountain, the environment design is well-considered and while not overly detailed, has plenty of vistas to enjoy complements of its cel-shaded visual style. Not Ghibli-esque, but has its unique charm. Players are invited into a world that is well structured given the nature of its gameplay, so you will not lose track of where you are by being faced with 100 of the same building. While there is no voice acting as of the early access build at least, the music is delightful, composed by Adrian Berenguer and Mark Sparling – which can be purchased separately on Steam.
While the game isn’t too long and currently contains the main storyline, the development team is aiming to have the Early Access period last for approximately six months until a full release and will be offering a range of new side quests, minigames, cosmetics, dungeons and more which will hopefully provide a few more hours of fun at least. As a reviewer, I find it hard to revisit games. However, I will certainly endeavour to return to Mika’s journey once it leaves Early Access, hopefully getting more out of this charming experience.
Mika and the Witch’s Mountain offers players a cathartic and heartwarming adventure that captures the essence of exploration and the simpler joys that can sometimes be hard to find in modern gaming. Its approachable protagonist, engaging delivery mechanics, and picturesque cel-shaded world come together to create an experience that’s both relaxing and entertaining. While the game may not delve into complex narratives or sophisticated gameplay and could stand for a few updates and improvements here and there, its simplicity is a strength that makes it charming and accessible to players of all ages.
Final Score for Mika and the Witch’s Mountain
I received a PC Digital review code for Mika and the Witch’s Mountain to facilitate this review.
Mika and the Witch’s Mountain is now available on the PC and Nintendo Switch, with plans for a future release on PlayStation and Xbox platforms.
