NINE WITCHES: FAMILY DISRUPTION

Indiesruption LP

TBA

WEBSITE https://www.ninewitches.com/

Q4 2020

Germans love adventure games. Certainly, the European audience is frequently mentioned when I talk with developers. So, when Blowfish explained that Nine Witches is set in and around an occult, alternate, Nazi Germany, I was wary. I’m not sure I can handle Schindler’s List in my Day of the Tentacle, even if I don’t have any specific sensitivities to this kind of content. But, after playing the demo, I’m going to trust that the thoughtfulness with which every aspect is presented will extend to the story, characters and setting. This is a polished experience with beautiful pixel art and sound, as well as intriguing mechanics.

You play as two characters; a quadruplegic professor and his assistant. What is your interaction, when you can’t move your legs and arms? Astral projection. In fact, the first puzzle has you waking the professor from a trance, as he needs to receive an important visitor. Next, our heroes fly to a Norwegian town to investigate the machinations of Okkulte-55 who have unleashed a dark curse in support of The Reich. Akiro, the assistant, must defend himself with a dodgy, old gun. I sold my soul to the devil to make action sequences easier. (Like, literally. He’s character and difficulty menu, all in one.)

My favourite puzzle involved impersonating a driver and being quizzed on my passport. What is the third number? I quit the conversation to have a look, swearing to examine everything in my inventory at the next opportunity. The crossing guard then asked for the third and the sixth number. So, I quit and wrote down the whole number. Then I was asked for the sixth number of the professor’s passport. I love how gratifyingly stupid this made me feel. This studio understands its audience and how to entertain us, Aussie, German or otherwise. I’m not sure if I’m expecting laughter or tears, but I can’t wait.