Witchaven (1995)
Capstone Software
Click here for an overview of both Witchaven games.
Ah, Capstone Software, the pinnacle of entertainment -- or so they say. Their reputation for mediocrity is well deserved, but they had a clear passion and lofty ambitions. It's just a shame that for all the heart and soul their largely inexperienced and underpaid staff poured into the games they made, the results were often subpar.
Witchaven is no different; on paper it's something that was once very common in the 80s and early 90s, a straightforward dungeon crawler. Of course, unlike the staid conformity of, say, Eye of the Beholder or Dungeon Master, Witchaven took a different tack, giving players freedom of movement in an early version of Ken Silverman's Build engine -- a feature that was actually touted as being exclusively licensed from 3D Realms, which at the time was producing the hotly anticipated Duke Nukem 3D.) Witchaven also distinguished itself by stripping out most, if not all, of the RPG elements. You still earn experience and higher level spells are level-gated, but it's otherwise an extremely straightforward game with a sword-and-sorcery fantasy theme with little to distinguish it from the likes of Heretic or Hexen save that it's very ugly and very jank.
The story is pretty basic, lifted from tabletop supplements: an evil witch from another dimension lives on a volcanic island and has terrorized the region for years, but now it seems like she's preparing to stage an invasion, and you, Grondoval, are tasked with succeeding where your brother failed: infiltrate the island, find the witch Illwhyrin, and kill her. The manual story goes into depth with all this, with a bunch of hackneyed nonsense about a dream (which is rendered in glorious CGI in the game's intro cutscene) and the backstory behind Illwhyrin's arrival on the earthly plane. Yawn. Get in there and kill some goblins.
Speaking of which, combat is almost wholly melee-oriented. There are several different weapons you can use, including three varieties of sword, a morning star that sucks to use, a halberd, a pike axe and a battle axe, plus a bow, a dagger and your fists -- this last being lovingly rendered as photosourced hands wearing what looks to be something out of the props department of a high school theater club. Other than your fists and the bow (which at least can run out of ammo) all your weapons have durability. The way durability is managed however is supremely irritating, as there's little indication of how much durability is left until you suddenly get a message saying your weapon is damaged. This by itself wouldn't be so bad except that you can't pick up fresh copies of the weapon until you get that damage notice, which means that if you can't get your weapon durability low enough to be able to grab a new one before you leave the level, you might just be stuck with a broken weapon -- and if it's a higher tier one like the magic sword, you might not be able to get another for quite some time.
Your enemies are pretty standard fantasy enemies. You get a lot of goblins, brown and green, and they hate each other and will sometimes fight. There's also rat-faced ogres (named in the game code as kobolds, which is interesting seeing as they're quite tall,) "witches" (who look more like trolls and have a creepy laugh,) skeletons hanging off manacles that themselves seem to float in midair, "guardians" (large floating stone faces that spit fireballs at you, and no I'm not talking about the sculpted gargoyle faces on the walls, many of whom seem to be the same grotesqueries that id Software used for various textures in Doom) and of course the final boss herself, the witch Illwhyrin, who (if the game data is any indication) seems to be portrayed by Capstone employee Judy Melby, whose photosourced appearance sticks out against the rest of the bestiary's claymation-and-CGI production. There's also the Will-O-Wisp, a floating, fireball-tossing sprite that takes a hell of a beating and will actually drain your level in melee, so don't go toe to toe with it.
The game has twenty-five levels of varying quality; some are cool-looking, others are ugly, but very few are actually fun to play. A standout for me -- in the negative sense -- would probably be level 17 (none of the levels are named) which due to being flooded with either water or lava is extremely hard to get around, nevermind the fact that the only solid ground is separated by wide, un-jumpable gaps, requiring you to burn up a fly spell or build bridges out of arrows. Add to that the fact that you have to wade through lava to make any progress on this thing -- thus requiring popping fire resistance potions -- and you can see why I hate it.
Each level follows basically the same structure: you're dropped into the level, and to reach the exit you must find a pentagram item and bring it to the exit teleporter (which is marked by the same item, just transparent.) To achieve this you'll have to run, jump and swim, hack through enemies, find keys (there are four possible keys, and only one level, late in Witchaven II, utilizes all four) to unlock doors, and so on -- pretty standard. What makes it tough is that there are deathtraps everywhere -- most of which aren't really telegraphed very well -- and movement physics is, well... it's Build, it's jank as hell.
As with many commercial shooters of the era, there doesn't seem to be any real way to tell who is responsible for what levels. The credits list the following under "Map Coordinators:" Richard Henning, John Potter, and Ernie Roque. I couldn't really find much info on any of these guys, or indeed most of the staff listed in the game's credits, beyond what was available on MobyGames. It's one of those things that will probably remain a mystery.
Witchaven is really low-rent. From the budget-rack production values (so much crappy CGI!) to the amateurish level design, everything just screams "banged out in a hurry for minimum wage." But I think there's room for a better game like this. I would love to see a take on, say, Heretic, that is less Doom clone and more like, I don't know, Etrian Odyssey with explosions and freedom of movement? I like the idea of a free-wheeling dungeon crawler that successfully marries boomer shooter design tropes (ideally with semi-realistic level design like, say, Blood's array of haunted temples) with standard RPG elements like gaining experience and building out your character. I suppose we might call the result an immersive sim, which just goes to show: I'm imsim trash and always will be.
Level 1
The first level of Witchaven sets the tone for the rest of the game by being a weird, mostly linear, and above all ugly map. The game's obtuse combat is immediately apparent here. Generally it's a small maze set in a volcanic temple area. Most of your enemies are going to be brown and green goblins who hate each other, but there are surprise tougher enemies even on the easiest difficulty -- a reminder that this game takes more after dungeon crawlers than Doom.
Level 2
The second level shows off a little bit of the Build engine's capabilities with a room-over-room spiral staircase, but it's otherwise just a big maze. Water slows you down dramatically, which isn't the best thing when you've got fireballs coming your way. Aesthetically it's like a worse Heretic level, and kinda plays like one too.
Level 3
This is a little more like it. It's a sprawling ruin complex with some cool visuals like the statue room and the plants growing on the walls in a sunlit tunnel that give the level a bit more sense of place than we've seen thus far. It's a big maze with lots to see but you'll likely stumble upon the pentagram early, so the rest of your time is searching for the exit.
Level 4
A big ruin complex split into two parts with a large lava lake in the middle. The southern half is the more sedate one, split into two wings with a nice-looking central room. The northern half can get pretty hectic with all the fireballs and stuff flying around. You'll likely want to pop a fire resistance potion because the only way to the pentagram is across a lava bridge -- bad design, but at least they give you an extra for the return trip.
Level 5
This one is defined by a long hallway with a suspended catwalk, with multiple rooms on either side. Most of these are just trap rooms but there's a nice-looking tomb in one area with a sacrifical chopping block in the room beyond. Be careful if you find the secret room with the plate armor in the southeast -- the sapphire ring is just not worth the massive arrow trap. You'll also meet your first Grey Witch who is actually pretty scary until you realize just how little of a threat she actually is.
Level 6
Why. Just why. While it's mostly a straightforward Witchaven level -- ugly and abstract -- there are some oddities such as invisible spike traps that can't be jumped over (unless you either fly over or use arrows to build a bridge) and two large rooms that spawn enemies who swarm you as a nonstop stream of fireballs rain down on your head. The visuals are sometimes cool, I guess, especially the lava fountain towards the end.
Level 7
This one actually has something resembling design. Once you leave the start room you'll find yourself in a large room with eight exits, each leading to a different area (well, the top three all eventually lead to the same place, but whatever.) Your job is to find the keys that lead to the pentagram so you can use the exit at the center of the room. The teleporter in the broadsword room dropping you into a lava chamber (at least onto another teleport pad!) is kinda mean. Pretty fun map, if a bit sprawling.
Level 8
In this level, Capstone reveals another one of their more infuriating design decisions: the Will-o-wisp, a floating spark that throws fireballs at you and drains your goddamn level if you try to deal with it in melee combat. And I thought the Black Death zombies in Diablo were bad. Otherwise the level is pretty straightforward, even simple despite its large central corridor and big rooms. I like the broken bridge through the flooded cave.
Level 9
A crumbling ruin set in a volcanic cavern. There are a lot of teleports around and they have the annoying habit of throwing you right into lava via inertia. It can be confusing to get around and you have to make a lot of awkward jumps, but if you're at all familiar with how Build handles physics (read: very loosely) you shouldn't have too much trouble jumping the gaps. I really like the three cat statues in the wall that pour lava from their mouths. The effect isn't much from above (naturally, given that it's sprite-based) but from the side it's really cool.
Level 10
Oh wow this one is pretty nice... ignoring that misplaced archway texture right at the start. It's a dark, moody dungeon kinda deal, with thunder crashing and different, distinct rooms to visit, from a rather impressive forge to a torture chamber to a throne room to a big colonnade with your first dragon to fight (on normal anyway.) It's levels like this that keep me playing this thing.
Level 11
This one is divided by a central corridor with a big fight with the game's first skeletal witch who is kind of a pushover. You can of course just go straight for the exit, but it's worth exploring as this level has some interesting semi-realism to it, with libraries, a storeroom, a dining room, and of course a free level up. The only sucky part is that reaching the exit requires a flight spell or building a staircase with arrows. Bad!
Level 12
Another Standard Witchaven Level, this one is dominated by a large pool right at the start. Don't bother trying to swim in it -- there's a spike trap in the middle. You'll need a key found at the east end, and you'll also need to figure out how to get the pentagram in the skeletal witch room, the secret being jumping through a false wall that's high up in the room (are you for real, Capstone?) and pulling a switch. The spear trap southeast of the starting room is pretty nasty. Otherwise, nothing special.
Level 13
This one feels like an old Doom level, what with the weird nondescript maze in the northeast and the large room with four entries that possesses the pentagram. You arguably don't need the keys because you can just bypass the locked door to the exit by taking a swim. The most annoying part of this level is the maze is dark and full of spiders so unless you're careful expect to get poisoned a lot.
Level 14
Reminiscent of Level 7, this level starts you off in a central hub with eight spokes. If you head east right away you can find the Magic Sword, which you will surely want as it's pretty much the Big Fucking Sword 9000 of the game and will help with the several skeletal witches lurking about (including two in the double sarcophagus room to the west!) Otherwise, pretty straightforward.
Level 15
This one is mostly another dungeon crawl. The north is dominated by a large lava chamber, but most of what you'll be doing will have you going around it rather than through it. What really makes this level stand out is the presence of some high-tier gear, from another magic sword to the halberd, which isn't as good as the magic sword but an okay backup.
Level 16
This one has a bit of a watery theme going for it, lots of flooded rooms and waterways to navigate. It might seem like you need to fly to get around in this level but if you're diligent about reading the automap to find false walls you'll be able to get around okay. Honestly for what's the 2/3rds point of the game I was expecting something a little more dynamic.
Level 17
Ugh, god. It starts off simple enough, if annoying -- a large flooded chamber with many exits. Most of these exits go towards otherwise empty, flooded rooms, but it becomes apparent that the whole place is a wheel-and-spoke design with an outer wheel full of lava. You'll also find that getting around is difficult, with a lot of jumps almost impossible, so you'll likely want to either use up your fly spells, or use arrows to climb ledges and bridge gaps. Most of the map is optional, but you're going to burn through your fire resistance potions finding out just what parts of the level you need to go where. I'm reminded of a more recent level I played from TNT2: Devilution where you had to balance radsuit timers to get through a lava-choked temple complex, and I didn't like that level either.
Level 18
This one's a little more sensible. The majority of the map revolves around a large cube-shaped central chamber with a staircase to nowhere surrounding it; there's also a side area to the southeast that you must visit to get the pentagram, but to get out you have to cast a flight spell, of which the game helpfully provides a couple scrolls but it's still bad design!
Level 19
This one has some notable features to it. First is the boardwalk corridor that stretches north/south along the western side of the map; the side rooms have large cracks in them that, if you fall in, reveal themselves to be a rather annoying watery maze. There's also a large room in the southeast with a big mechanical sliding door (that opens at your touch, but sure whatever) that has some neat aesthetics in spots. There's also the path to the pentagram, which has the annoying feature of sealing you in for a softlock if you don't run in, grab the pentagram and dip out ASAP. Bad!
Level 20
This map seems to revolve around four rooms arranged roughly cross-shaped with a tunnel that loops around, going underneath two of the four wings and occasionally branching off to go elsewhere. There's some interesting rooms like the study and the lava room with the rocks you have to skip across (and if you reveal the nearby secret it lets a dragon loose as well, oops!)
Level 21
Now here's something a little different. This level is almost entirely in an outdoor area dominated by a cemetery and large tomb with some rooms on the side. It's a pretty easy level all things considered, as the level is rather arena-like and the paths generally tend to loop in on themselves, though you'll run into a couple of knights to deal with. I just found it interesting aesthetically after 20 levels of dungeoneering.
Level 22
This one is bisected by a looping path. There isn't a lot else to distinguish it from other levels save for the presence of not one but two Will-o-wisps, because Capstone are jerks. The relatively open nature of the map makes it easy for them to get the jump on you, too.
Level 23
This one's kinda annoying. You start off in a cave; from the mouth of the cave drops a flat plain dominated by a tiny little castle. Your job is to find a way past the moat gate to the exit. I found the pentagram alright but couldn't figure out how to open the portcullis so I just magic'd my way through. And not a moment too soon because an arrow trap ate my entire stock of health potions. 
Level 24
This one is a big circular area divided into sections. You'll have a few dragons and Will-o-wisps to deal with, but it's generally a pretty standard Witchaven level, albeit one that's almost entirely outdoors with some grass and stuff. It doesn't really feel as penultimate as you might expect, except for the treasure trove of gear that you're gifted in the exit room. Ominous!
Level 25
The final level of Witchaven is pretty simple. It's split into an outdoor area and a large columned area, with a few rooms in the middle. The simple solution is to charge up the steps and find your way into the columnar area with the cracked, lava-seeping floor, as this is where you'll face Illwhyrin and her personal bodyguards one last time. If you have the magic sword, a strength potion and fire resist will make this entire encounter trivial, at which point you can head to the exit room at the far north and call the game complete. The final battle room looks cool if nothing else.-June <3
All ambition is lost,
And the glory that you seek,
You must spill the blood
To achieve all your dreams.
The Pinnacle of Entertainment
| Operation Bodycount | Corridor 7 |
| William Shatner's TekWar | |
| Witchaven duology | |
| Witchaven | Witchaven II: Blood Vengeance |
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