Project Witchstone – PAX East 2020 Preview

Many RPGs claim to put an emphasis on player choice but are, in practice, shallow. Project Witchstone is something different; a game that stands out from others in the genre. Games this open-ended are played with a pen and paper – not a mouse and keyboard.

Project Witchstone allows you to kill anyone, befriend anyone, and be whoever you want your character to be. There are factions to join. There are quests to finish. There are treasures to be found. This game has all of the fun of a normal RPG with the added benefit of a deeper layer of personal choice. The beauty of this game really lies in the choices you make. You can be a barbaric murderer or a manipulating badass who plants things on bodies to cause political tensions. Some dialogue options have only a chance to succeed. These decisions are determined by none other than a roll of the old 20 sided die.

The combat feels satisfying and fresh. I felt like I had mobility when fighting foes. Extra movement abilities allowed me to position myself to land a crushing blow from my great sword. Those abilities mixed with a variety of weapons, armor, and dialogue options really help make for a unique experience.

The game is broken up into multiple larger open environments. My time with the demo had me seeing many different unique locations. Villages, woods, and ruins fill this war ravaged setting. The map is laid out in a manner reminiscent of the Mario series, with dots scattered along a line winding through a landscape.

It is not often you see an RPG with knights, wizards, AND dinosaurs. My playthrough didn’t have many of these prehistoric beasts – but I am eager to see how they are integrated in the game as a finished product.

Project Witchstone currently has no release date but does have plans to launch a KickStarter in 2020.