A Witch's Tale
A Witch's Tale, released in Japan as Witch Tale: The Apprentice Witch and the Seven Princesses (ウィッチテイル 見習い魔女と7人の姫, Witchi Teiru Minarai Majo to Shichinin no Hime?), is a video game for the Nintendo DS. It was published by Nippon Ichi Software and developed by Hit Maker.
Plot
Thousands of years ago, powerful witches lived beneath the earth and one day invaded the surface world. Alice, a mystical savior, appeared and used the witches' magic against them, sealing them away. However, the Witch Queen is apparently still lurking beneath the land, waiting for a chance to return to power. Liddell opens the book and the Eld Witch is released. Loue and Liddell team up to try to stop the "crusty old lady" [1]
Characters
Liddell
"I'm Liddell, I'm gonna become the greatest witch in time and space!"
- A witch-in-training who attends a magic academy. Liddell is very competitive and confident in her abilities as a budding witch. She's always intrigued by spells that aren't discussed in school. Her goal is to become the greatest witch who has ever lived. She's bad at admitting her mistakes and apologizing, but in the end she is a very responsible little girl. She's on an adventure to save the world from the Eld Witch, who she released by accident. It turns out she wants to be a powerful witch not because she wants to overthrow Queen Alice, but because when she was younger she was abandoned by her mother who left her in front of the witch school. The principal adopted her (she refuses to believe it), a few kids teased her and thought she was lying and she thinks her mother will come back if she becomes the greatest witch in the world. She has been shown to have romantic feelings for Loue, like she blushes whenever he pats her head, and when he doesn't do that, she asks, "You're not gonna pat me?" In the end, she mourns over him crying.
Loue
"I failed to protect the Ancient Tomb."
- A vampire who was rudely awoken while sleeping in his coffin. He decides it is his duty to help Liddell on her journey. He is a kind gentleman, and his favorite food is tomatoes (not blood). He spends most of his time in his bat form because he doesn't want anyone to get suspicious of him in his true form. There have been hints that Loue has deep feelings for Liddell such as when you play Blackjack against him he says, "You might hate me for this." with an upset face. In the end he comforts Liddell, saying that it was once his job too 1000 years ago, before he disappears.
Eld Witch
"Damn you, Alice! Seal ME away, will you? Well now it's time I showed the world... What REAL magic is like!"
- An ancient witch who was sealed away in the Ancient Tome. She has incredibly magical ability that was released when Liddell broke the tome's seal. She originally ruled over the underground world, but in order to gain more power for her kingdom she invaded the upper world and began a war. In the end, though, she was defeated and sealed away by Queen Alice. Over time, her real name was forgotten, and she is now known simply as the Eld Witch. But when you play the game a second time on the same save box, when you get to the third world, you can enter the cave behind the rock, where you are transported back in time and you find out her real name is Anne, and she was you friend. But now her mind is consumed with the desire for revenge against Queen Alice because she refused the reincarnations of the Eld Witch's daughters.
Kitty
"In other words, you have no idea. Sounds about right."
- Liddell's classmate and dorm roommate at the magic academy. She's not the sharpest pencil in the box, but she is a kind, thoughtful friend. In fact, she likes to believe that she and Liddell are the best of friends.
Babayaga
"Well, I guess it's time to learn a good life lesson."
- An old women that guards the graveyard. She has known Liddell since Liddell was a child. She is much older than she looks and knows a little bit about everything. Rumor has it she was a well-known witch when she was younger, but the truth is currently unknown.
Mad Hatter
"Bonsoir, young miss."
- A mysterious man who appears suddenly before Liddell, leaving behind riddles that seem to hide some deeper meaning. He likes leaving odd clues on her journey. Loue and he have known each other for a long time since college, but they don't seem to get along very well.
Cheshire Cat
"The princess and residents are all celebrating."
- An overweight cat with an attitude problem. Just like the Mad Hatter, it often appears in front of Liddell without warning.
Jabberwock
"I've scattered a number of cards around the world. So that you might find them."
- A very unusual but happy-go-lucky jester. He gave Liddell the order to collect the cards he has distributed throughout the land. He does not appear nearly as often as the Mad Hatter or Cheshire Cat. Something great might happen if you collect all his cards.
March Hare & Dormouse
"So thats our girl? Bit of a disappointment."
- A strange teenage boy with ears of a brown hare who is friends with the Mad Hatter, and a creature always found sleeping inside a teapot. They talk to Liddell out of curiosity, but they're often rude and disrespectful.
White Rabbit
"Ahh, my eyes pain me so! Sweet tears of torment..."
- A rabbit that forces its way before Liddell. It can be often heard singing, and its songs are very hypnotic.
Gameplay
Battles are fought by having players draw runes with the stylus on the Nintendo DS touch screen to attack enemies.[2]
History
After releasing Disgaea and Puchi Puchi Virus for the Nintendo DS, NIS America announced in the summer of 2008 they would also remake Rhapsody: A Musical Adventure and release a new game, A Witch's Tale, in October of 2008.[3] Nintendo Power described the game as an "action-RPG with a The Nightmare Before Christmas-esque art style" in their August 2008 issue, before they had a chance to play it.[3]
While originally slated for a winter 2008 released, it has been pushed back, now apparently aiming for Halloween 2009, and dropping the action aspect of the RPG.[4]
A Witch's Tale was developed by Hit Maker, known for Blade Dancer: Lineage of Light and Dragoneer's Aria and is their first Nintendo DS game.[2] According to Haru Akenaga, the President of NIS America, A Witch's Tale is targeting a North American audience.[2]
Reception
Critics so far have favorably compared the art direction of A Witch's Tale to that of Tim Burton movies but found the entirely stylus-based gameplay and combat simplistic and repetitive. Overall, the game has received generally mediocre reviews, currently holding a 50 out of 100 metascore at metacritic.com.[5]
References
5. http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/ds/witchstale?q=a
External links