Mika and the Witch's Mountain Review

When I was a kid, the grown-ups would always talk about how hard it was to reach the goals you wanted to accomplish. Fast-forward quite a while later, and now I get what they mean. You have to work constantly so that you can reach your goals. No matter how it should be done, whether it's completely unrelated or related to your goal, hard work always pays off somewhat.

 

As I am talking about how you should eventually accomplish what you settled for yourself, in this day and age, people would laugh at you for trying because we all know how nepotism is fused with work life. I know I am rambling about something completely off-topic, but playing Mika and the Witch's Mountain reminded me how, in an ideal world, it is as easy as just dropping your effort and getting what you deserve.

Mika and the Witch's Mountain is a cute 3D platformer about Mika, a witch apprentice, and her journey on the island she drops into. Initially, she is dropped by her mother on a witch broom with a reference sheet, expecting the tutor to start teaching her "Being a Witch 101," but she is denied right away and put in a situation she can't easily get out of.

The first thing you'll notice is that Mika is a little girl. She is almost always questioning stuff and being rather impatient. Maybe this could be the underlying lesson she has to learn as she starts to talk with the townsfolk; she gets a bit more reasonable. In order to reach the top of the mountain and show the witch who's the boss, she has to start from—literally—the bottom.

Mika's whole hassle starts with applying for a delivery job at the local shipment company. Our boss, Gregg, talks about the basics of movement, how we should deliver packages, and how to earn money with our deliveries. Mika might want to become a witch, but she is a girl filled with nothing but good intentions. Therefore, she accepts working for the company until she gets better equipment and confronts the witch again.

To cut it short, Mika and the Witch's Mountain is a 3D platformer with collecthaton and delivery aspects. Mika gets assigned to deliver packages around the map. She takes her trusty broom and flying skills, then drops the parcel to the receiver. The best part about that is that Mika gets to know many people and helps them on the way, which opens up more exploration of the island.

 

Since falling from the top of the mountain broke Mika's broom, we have to get it fixed first. The game doesn't properly teach you the basics of flying with the broom, and evidently, it becomes a big part of the game later on. Not only that but varying degrees of brooms can also be unlocked so she can deliver packages faster and more efficiently. You just need to aid her in her work and tighten the relationships with village folk.

Talking about the village and design of the island, I'd rather just say it looks compact, yet it has lots of discoveries to make. The map seems comparatively small compared to what it feels like to stroll around. Sure, if you decide to walk everywhere with Mika, things will be rather hard for her and you. 

So it's best to interchange your mode of transportation between walking and flying. With a single click of a button, Mika can switch between walking and flying mode, and what's better is that she can carry the packages on the go with the broom, making everything extremely easy.

Well, technically, it's not that easy. Packages are still extremely fragile in some cases. Certain receivers command the post office to be careful while shipping, such as not getting wet or damaged while carrying. Although some effects, like dampness and burntness, can be understandable, Mika's parcels get damaged only when she is not careful, especially on her broom.

After getting her broom fixed by a local artist and craftsperson, Mika can upgrade her broom on different levels. The fixed broom on the first level can't use air tunnels to get a boost, but the advanced one can, meaning she has to work hard to fly high.

 

As she gets more and more accustomed to delivering packages and talking to townsfolk, more challenging deliveries await her. Understandably, her broom also gets upgraded with abilities such as giving full control in the air or being able to carry two parcels at the same time. Mika and the Witch's Mountain is also one of the games where players can choose what they want to have on Mika- as a costume- or customize her broom to fit their preferences.

Unlike most collecthaton games nowadays, Mika and the Witch's Mountain only require your interest and intrigue to unlock these rewards. As I said, the map might be a bit small, but it is filled with lots of content, and if you want to unlock everything, you need to get comfy and enjoy the good vibes the game gives.

While the game has lots of green flags to get, some of the design choices made me rethink what could be better if developers implemented it. A few are regarding the exploration aspect, which is the main selling point of Mika and the Witch's Mountain. While taking orders from your boss, he gives rough estimates of the receiver's location. Mika doesn't receive a map until she finishes the tutorial section.

I thought I would have a radar below my screen to follow markers. Let's be honest, and there is nothing wrong with that. Even games that changed the industry standard had radar maps and blips to guide players. Mika and the Witch's Mountain can also include a small radar with waypoints to guide the player to their destination.

The navigation is mostly handled by opening up the menu and then looking at the map every time you feel like you are being lost, which is inconvenient and takes a bit more time than just glancing at a small radar. Now that we understand some aspects are inconvenient, here's another way to describe Mika and the Witch's Mountain: repetitive.

 

Ultimately, all you and Mika do is deliver packages and learn other people's stories. Sure, in every single conversation, you hear great responses or other people's struggles. Still, the gameplay just consists of taking an item, dropping off, taking an item, dropping off, and repeating this process a few more times until it's another day at the village. I am not saying it's an off-putting element; some challenges for Mika might appear in some cases. Ultimately, it's always the same formula for core gameplay; it acts as an interlude between hearing about other characters' personalities.

Although Mika and the Witch's Mountain are built around the same mechanics, there are saving graces like the visual design, which is presented well. It is very popular to make cozy and relaxing games nowadays, and so far, I haven't seen anyone who went wrong with the idea. As anyone would expect, Mika and the Witch's Mountain has a perfect utopian vibe where nobody gets hurt, bothered, or has problems- well, for most people, that is. Going further through the story, it will unveil some different character designs for Mika to emphasize with them.

At the beginning of this review, I thoroughly mentioned Mika and the Witch's Mountain was a collecthaton, so where does the collection part come in? You see, many items are scattered around the island and hidden in numerous ways. The game hints at how to get them, whether via tunnels or gliding over to the collectible's position. Not only that, but there are side quests, too. Since Mika gets to talk to a lot of people, she can do some side quests to bring in some extra cash or even items to pimp out her broom or outfits.

Mika and the Witch's Mountain does not contain any voice acting, but the writing feels completely human and full of emotion. Thanks to its fluid animation, the developers could convey the characters' feelings with the moving fonts or changeable sizes of the words to emphasize their current mood or the objectives Mika had to focus on. Character designs are cute and outstanding, too, I must admit.

Now the music is… It's not terrible, but it seems lacking in some places. It is the "music not playing on certain parts of the island" sort of problem, unlike the "it wasn't composed well" problem. Mika and the Witch's Mountain includes a dynamic soundtrack, depending on her current location, meaning the track changes when Mika moves out to a different part of the island. But sometimes, it goes on for quite a while with silence and occasional win sounds. Other than that, the soundtrack is also enjoyable.

 

Overall, Mika and the Witch's Mountain presents the story of an apprentice witch who goes through ups and downs with small townsfolk. The gameplay is nice, the graphics fit the theme well, and the characters are likable. If you are looking for a laid-back game with the vibes of summer, witches, drama, and progression, Mika and the Witch's Mountain is completely for you.

Atilla Turan (@burningarrow)
Senior Editor, NoobFeed