One year in, Witchfire continues to evolve into an amazing grimdark RPG shooter

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A year after hitting Early Access and six years after its spooky (and enticing) unveiling, Witchfire remains—in some ways—an enigma. Adrian Chmielarz, co-founder of developer The Astronauts, says Witchfire is both the game they’ve always wanted to make and one that evolved significantly in the making, a game that has settled in with a deeply passionate (and seemingly happy) player base and one that continues to change.

As a player of Witchfire, I can say its evolutions have been surprising and meaningful at times, even though the heart of the game remains a polished first-person shooter steeped in the darkness and dread of games like Painkiller and Doom.

In Witchfire, players take on the role of a Preyer, an immortal witch-hunter crafted by the Church. Using guns and spells, you must hunt and kill an infamous witch. Each time you dip into the witch’s domain, you take on an assortment of creeping, flying, springing horrors and risk the direct wrath of the witch and her more powerful minions. You’ll also earn Witchfire (which can be used to research weapons and a slew of other things) as well as gold and such.

Die, and you lose it all—but finding an exit back to your safe haven is never easy, and the danger typically ramps up as you draw close.

While still in Early Access, Witchfire has received regular updates—small and large—that delivered everything from new regions and enemies to new spells and weapons.

We recently sat down with Chmielarz to discuss Witchfire’s fascinating journey through genres as eclectic as roguelite, extraction shooter, and role-playing game, and to hear what’s next in store for both the game and the studio, which first made a name for itself with the narratively driven (and distinctly not-a-shooter) The Vanishing of Ethan Carter.

To read the rest of this story, which originally ran on Sept. 2, 2024, check out Epic Games Store.