BRILEY WITCH CHRONICLES

Sarah Jane Avory, 2021, $10 digital

So there's Briley, minding her own business, chatting to mum on the phone, and feeding her cat Smokey some tuna when BAM! A bright light and an evil spirit envelop and transport her to a mysterious new world and the town of Maepole. Here she finds allies and enemies, claims that she is a witch, and a mysterious illness striking down the inhabitants. Thus the story begins…

Briley Witch Chronicles the game follows the plot of the first four books in the series, and is laid out in traditional Japanese role-playing game (JRPG) fashion, something rather new to the Commodore. You control Briley and Smokey as

All aboard the hype train, or should that be hype spell? Does

Briley enchant? Thankfully yes! As someone who grew up loving Final Fantasy 4 and 6 rather than the over-egged 7, it is a pleasure to see many tropes enter play here, even mini-games. Early battles might be a little tricky before you are able to recover but none of it feels unfair, just subject to the occasional whims of JRPG design such as the frequent random encounters. At least you can run away, which is sometimes the best option brave Sir Robin. The story and dialogue is engaging even if sometimes cliché; Smokey’s sass is amusing (hello Salem); the UI interface is straightforward to use; the Remind feature is super useful; and there’s plenty of scope for random exploring, potion mixing, spell earning, and discovering hidden items with a smattering of lateral thinking for the occasional puzzle. The C64 has been missing a new topnotch RPG for quite some time, and I’m glad to see Briley scratches that itch.

There have been few Japanese-style RPGs on the C64, but this is an instant classic. The story develops beautifully over more than a dozen hours and never feels like you have to grind. The menu system is superb, with the brilliant REMIND option hinting at what you need to do next. The detailed character portraits are amazing along with the rest of the graphics, and the dynamic, developing soundtrack is clever. The turnbased battles work really well, with the Skills and Potions you earn and create having a key role to play. Updates have fixed a few bugs, so enjoy an amazing experience among the very best in the genre. they explore the village and further afield, running errands, earning experience, finding items, and sometimes encountering enemies. Battles are presented with the adversaries facing each other, as you select actions (or pre-determined macros) for each round

from a comprehensive battle system until one side prevails. Expect plenty of cutscenes and dialog along the way to push the plot forward.

A short press on the fire button makes Briley interact with objects on the map, or confirms actions during battle and while the easy-to-understand menu system is active. A long press (or the second button on a compatible stick) cancels or takes you

I thought this game would never arrive, but now that it has, it’s proven to have been worth the wait. I like the way you’re introduced gently to the way the game works, then things start to ramp up as your familiarity grows. The story is told through reams of humorous and interesting text as you and your snarky cat interact with the world you’ve been dragged into, and it grows more intriguing the longer you play. I like the fox-rescuing side quest too; it’s a nice extra bonus to help pad out your playing time. This is such a charming game, with such a cohesive narrative pulling through successfully from its origins, that you can’t help falling for Briley Witch.

back a step. Here you can see what items you are carrying, equip weapons and armour, and remind yourself where to go if you've just come back to a previous save. Which you may do quite a bit as Sarah estimates gameplay length to be 15-20 hours… PRESENTATION 93% Wonderful title screen, multiple save slots, excellent screen layout, menu UI and control system. GRAPHICS 88% Nothing wow, albeit charming character designs, profiles, and detailed backgrounds. SOUND 85% Plenty of looping thematic ditties add to the atmosphere. HOOKABILITY 93% Intriguing and easy to play even with the frequent fetch and carry quests. LASTABILITY 95% Plenty of story and battles to sink your teeth across 15+ hours. OVERALL 95% The best RPG the C64 has seen in a long time and an absorbing game.