Although Death Stranding may have been one of the most unique games of 2019, there haven't been a suite of other titles looking to follow on from its design choices. Nonetheless, Hideo Kojima did suggest that the title would be the first 'Strand game', where the focus of the game is to create social strands through traversing a game world and developing connections. This is something that Witch Strandings is attempting to continue, a title from developer Strange Scaffold.

Witch Strandings is a short, surreal take on the 'Strand-like' experience. The player is a strand of light in a dark, dense forest, which has been transformed by a witch that lives away from the heart of the woods. The player must connect up different parts of the woods, transporting items to its different inhabitants and pushing through dangers like quicksand and hexes, before eventually meeting the witch.

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Obviously Witch Strandings doesn't look anything like the Kojima Productions game that it emulates. The game has a minimal, grid-based structure viewed from the top down, but nonetheless this style is still rather compelling in a way similar to historic ASCII games like Rogue. The game world itself is clearly defined by tile types, helping the player understand the world in a way that complements its writing.

Witch Strandings Fruiting Forest

The writing in Witch Strandings is likely its biggest success, with a vague, inscrutable quality that nonetheless helps the player get an understanding of this moody world. The central story is one that players will find familiar - an evil witch that must be defeated and bad magicks removed - but the game goes in different directions that help circumvent these tropes. Of particular note are the snippets of lore that the player finds across the game world in written scrolls or character details of the forest's creatures.

This helps build the real meaning behind Witch Strandings: there is more to find beyond the simple. The game keeps going after the player has chosen the well-trodden story arc they may be expected to follow, with changes to the world to then uncover and continued connections to build. However, there's more to look out for as well, much like other impressive indie titles like Everhood.

Where Witch Strandings will be a little more controversial is in its gameplay. At its core Witch Strandings feels almost like an open puzzle game, with the player needing to transport key items to different parts of the map to progress and to help the characters in the forest, all the while building up social strands through fixing buildings to turn into fast travel ports. However, it does lack the pondering awe that came with Death Stranding, meaning that this basic approach can feel a little too simplistic without the atmosphere to back it up.

Witch Strandings Health Pocket

Another thing that some players may clash with is its control scheme. Witch Strandings is predominantly mouse controlled, traversing the grid-based map and dropping items where they need to be to get through tricky parts of the forest. This mouse control generally works well, especially the panic when accidentally moving into a deadly area, but it does feel a little slow and cumbersome at times without the sensitivity required for precision. This could cause some players to bounce off it, but once the player is used to it there's a natural quality that works well.

As such Witch Strandings is unlikely to be a game that appeals to everyone. It will have a niche appeal that comes from its odd controls, sparse visuals, and enigmatic story, so those who prefer a traditional video game experience should exercise some caution. Then again, isn't that unique and mysterious quality one that came with Death Stranding too?

Witch Strandings is a game that some players will truly appreciate. There's something truly distinctive about it, and there's really nothing else quite like it available. As such, those who can get on board with its strangeness will come away with something that lasts long in the memory.

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Witch Strandings is out now for PC. Screen Rant was provided with a PC download code for the purposes of this review.