Ashina: The Red Witch

I loved the unsettling dreamlike atmosphere with music to match, and the bizarre cast of characters. I didn't love the abrupt, unsatisfactory ending that explained nothing. Apparently that's because this is a prequel to another game, My Big Sister, which was not clearly communicated on the store page. Be advised this game doesn't stand on its own without that one.

Well, can't even finish it because I picked up the damn clock way too early in the last chapter, hold onto it for a long time since the puzzles are quite hard and then saved my game.. so now I get Game Over pretty fast and can't continue. Would have been nice to have something to help against the hard lock. I'm sadly definitely not replaying it from the very beginning since it was quite frustrating at times with the puzzles' difficulty. Other than that, a pretty nice little game, although some of the puzzles were very hard for me, had to search things up multiple times. Characters are cool, story interesting. What has improved since the first game: environments are way cooler, maps bigger with a lot of things to discover, full screen (finally!), more chapters, longer game. Hopefully, the next and last game in the series goes better for me.. although I sadly have to admit, these games, while pretty decent, are not my absolute favourite. The first game had this thing where you could literally fail and you only had one save file so good luck if you messed things up and forgot to save prior to that or if you saved at the wrong time. EDIT: Watched all endings on Youtube, have to say they were very unexpected and interesting! The path is laid down nicely for the last game so now I'm definitely very interested in playing it now! That being said, I do think this series of games is worth playing, it's a very creative adventure in the spirits' realm and approaches deep themes of death, sorrow and the likes. I got attached to the characters a lot and was sad at times because of that which was great! I might have been a bit too harsh in my review because of my frustration, but the game is very good and worth a play! (Order goes Red Bow -> Ashina: The Red Witch -> My Big Sister Remastered).

It was not really fun to play. The story was a mess and the characters were annoying at most. Some areas were fun, like the city area with more vibrant characters. The game was a bit clunky to play and some areas were so small with so few interactable things that it was more akin to a flash game really. No Japanese support is also kinda surprising since the game is essentially based on 100% Japanese lore.

A somewhat dark and mystical story. Pretty short but worth the experience for the story i think. Spooky, cute, funny. Characters were likable or interesting. From the outside it might not look great but i really enjoyed the story. Playing sequel soon

I dropped it after 15 minutes of endless clicking though drawn-out INSUFFERABLE nothingburger dialogue with barely any gameplay. I would have refunded it if I hadn't paid less than 1 EUR for it. I don't care how great it gets after one or two hours, I don't want to have to suffer through a beginning to get to the good stuff.

Ashina: The Red Witch is an atmospheric and emotionally driven adventure that trades high-stakes action for quiet introspection and heartfelt storytelling. Developed by Stranga and published by GrabTheGames, it is a hand-crafted pixel-art journey that blends whimsy, mystery, and melancholy into a narrative experience rooted in grief, memory, and spiritual wonder. The story follows Ash, a young woman living with her sister, Tena, who finds herself pulled into a mysterious spirit world after a mischievous entity named Tanto steals her late mother’s pendant. What begins as a small domestic moment quickly unravels into a supernatural odyssey through an ethereal afterlife filled with strange beings, forgotten memories, and bittersweet revelations. The game’s tone oscillates between warmth and sadness, building a world that feels both lived in and dreamlike, where the line between the living and the dead blurs into an intimate reflection on loss and acceptance. The design of Ashina: The Red Witch embraces simplicity, relying on exploration, dialogue, and environmental storytelling rather than combat or complex puzzles. Players navigate the spirit realm, interact with its eccentric inhabitants, and complete small tasks to progress. The gameplay loop mostly involves finding items, solving light logic puzzles, and trading favors to unlock new areas or narrative developments. This approach reinforces the game’s pacing—deliberate and contemplative rather than intense or competitive. While some might find the mechanics overly straightforward, the lack of pressure allows players to absorb the game’s richly atmospheric world at their own rhythm. Each environment hides small details that enrich the lore, from mysterious spirits haunting empty streets to cozy inns where the living and the dead mingle without fear. The simplicity of play mirrors the emotional restraint of the story, giving space for reflection and immersion instead of constant challenge. Visually, the game’s pixel art style radiates charm and craftsmanship. Every environment is bathed in gentle lighting that gives scenes an otherworldly glow, and the color palette shifts beautifully between warm, nostalgic hues and cooler, eerie tones depending on the emotional context. The attention to small details—ripple effects in water, flickering lanterns, the subtle animations of ghosts drifting by—adds a layer of intimacy to the experience. The characters, though rendered in minimal detail, display surprising personality through expressive sprites and concise dialogue. The world feels alive, not because of high fidelity or visual complexity, but because of how art direction and tone work in harmony. Complementing the visuals is an evocative soundtrack that underscores the shifting moods of the journey. From soft, melancholic piano pieces to light, mysterious melodies, the music immerses players deeper into Ashina’s emotional landscape and gives weight to every quiet moment. Narratively, the game’s strength lies in its emotional sincerity. At its core, Ashina: The Red Witch is a story about coping with grief and learning to let go, presented through allegory and gentle fantasy. The spirit world that Ash explores mirrors her inner turmoil—a liminal space filled with both danger and comfort, beauty and decay. The people and creatures she encounters represent fragments of emotion, memory, and moral ambiguity. Some are kind and helpful, while others are mischievous or sorrowful, but each contributes to the story’s central themes of loss, compassion, and self-discovery. The writing is subtle yet impactful, using simple exchanges and moments of silence to convey meaning rather than heavy exposition. By the end, the narrative feels like a complete emotional arc rather than a grand epic, leaving players thoughtful rather than triumphant. While the game excels in atmosphere and storytelling, it is not without its limitations. The short playtime—roughly three to six hours—means the experience ends just as it fully draws you in. Some players may find the story’s pacing uneven, with a few sections feeling slower or underdeveloped compared to the rest. A handful of puzzles lack creativity and serve more as pacing tools than genuine challenges. Yet these drawbacks do little to diminish the game’s overall effect. The brevity of Ashina: The Red Witch gives it a poignant, almost fleeting quality, as though the story itself exists in a dream that fades too soon. The simplicity of its mechanics and the compactness of its world ultimately reinforce its message about impermanence and acceptance. Ashina: The Red Witch succeeds because it understands what it wants to be—a heartfelt, visually captivating, and emotionally resonant adventure that invites players to slow down and simply feel. It doesn’t seek to overwhelm with scale or mechanics; instead, it draws you into a delicate world where every pixel and note of music carries emotional weight. Its charm lies in the way it captures fleeting moments of wonder, sorrow, and hope, making even the smallest interactions meaningful. For players who appreciate quiet, story-driven experiences like To the Moon or Spiritfarer, this game offers a similarly touching journey, one that lingers in the heart long after the credits roll. Rating: 8/10

Ashina foi um passeio no parque para platinar. Fiz o jogo acompanhando um guia só porque ja estou completamente contaminado pelo virus dos achiev hunters. É um joguinho muito tranquilo de se fazer. A trilha sonora é envolvente e eu gosto muito de jogos com esse gráfico mais pixelado que me lembram muito meu amado Stardew Valley. (Sim, eu sei que esse estilo vem dos classicos) Exige um tempo consideravel e tem uma boa história então não consigo classificar nem perto de garapa, é bom demais e eu recomendo.