Mika and The Witch's Mountain

Things to be aware of: - It's a very short game. I finished most of the game in 3-4 hours playing casually. - The flight mechanic is more gliding than flight. - The credits are unskippable and are very long with every backer's name listed. The credits musical score is short and plays on a loop, over and over. Mute it and go make yourself a cuppa once the credits start to roll. - Yeah, the game is basically fetch quests - but done really well. It's a kick back, chill and enjoy the journey type of game, but if you hate fetch quests you will not like this. Positives: - The game blends traditional platforming, open world and flight/gliding mechanics beautifully. Mika needs to use the winds and other platforming features built into the world available to help her reach different areas on her broom. - As I would expect from Chibig, the game is very charming with memorable, quirky characters and a pro-eco, anti-capitalist, pro-kindness storyline. This is very much a cozy game where the main gameplay is focused on helping the community. - Suitable for all ages both in terms of difficulty and story. Lovely for kids and grandma alike. - If you've played other Chibig games, there are delightful Easter eggs scattered throughout the game. - Nicely designed courier missions so that gameplay and narrative flows naturally. - Open world platforming creates some nice problem solving elements to gameplay - "how do I get up there?" - The game feels like it should be replayable both for cozy players and speedrunners. - The world is a good size - large enough to provide variety and challenge for getting about, but not so large that courier missions feel like an exercise in pointlessly crossing vast distances. - Collectables scattered about the world encourage and reward you for exploring every nook and cranny. - Simple controls, compatible and nice to play with my Xbox controller. - Inclusion of choices in the game suggests there are multiple outcomes? Will need to replay to find out! - Aspects of the game feel a bit more polished than earlier Chibig products. Negatives: - The game crashed twice within 3 hours of play, and I wasn't trying to do anything particularly special in-game at the time. - I didn't always know what to do. It took me a while to figure out that I had to select courier missions from my item inventory. Similarly I couldn't always find the correct place to stand to trigger the interaction button cue right away - e.g. on the plane. Clearer explanations in game wouldn't go amiss for some things. - I don't mind a short game, but the progression of the narrative over three days feels a little rushed. It doesn't feel like in-game Allegra had enough time to make the brooms, and Mika didn't have enough time to reflect and come to the philosophical conclusions that she did. I credit Chibig's Summer in Mara as the game which made me fall in love with gaming. For me personally, Mika and the Witch's Mountain felt like the spiritual sequel, since Koa and the Five Pirates of Mara appeals to a different audience. Chibig does cozy games really well and it was nice to see them returning to a more similar style of game to Deiland and Summer in Mara, while also offering something more unique and creative.