Quantum Witch

The multiverse has been dominating different kinds of media for the past few years. Ever since Marvel’s Avengers opened their portals in Endgame, it has seemed like a single universe is no longer enough for a franchise. Luckily, there are still creators who know how to tell a deeply personal story while using this rapidly more annoying trope. The movie Everything Everywhere All at Once was rightly lauded for how it combined universe-hopping sci-fi with the personal conflict of generational trauma.

Obviously, there were going to be video games that tried to use a universal setting too, as it’s easily a very video game-y format to work with. What I didn’t expect, however, was for the trope to be used as a vehicle to tell a deeply personal story by someone who escaped from a cult! Yes, solo developer NikkiJay did just that and uses her experiences to create a fantastical story of a farm girl who gets involved in things way beyond her.

In Quantum Witch, you are Ren, a young woman who lives with her bonded one, Tyra, in a quite idyllic little town. When you wake up for the first time, it would seem that your flock of faer – sheeplike creatures – have gone missing. While Tyra fixes up the fence, you wander around town trying to collect your animals. 

The first thing that becomes pretty apparent as you travel your hometown – aside from some great pixel art and gorgeous music co-composed by Christopher Jerden-Cooke, who also incidentally created the music for our podcast intro – is the wit on display. I have mentioned this before in other reviews, but I struggle with games that try to be funny. So often, they miss the mark completely or just try too hard to get your giggles. But Quantum Witch is hilarious, thanks to a lot of meta humour but also the ability to take pretty serious themes and cover them with a layer of softness through laughter.

In a game like this, which references big inspirations like Stardew Valley, Undertale and The Stanley Parable, the writing was always going to be the most important aspect. And even aside from the humour, NikkiJay has absolutely nailed it, with some help from people like Stephanie Sterling and Paul Rose. And while those two contributors did some impressive work, it’s NikkiJay’s own experiences and ability to write about them that elevate this game towards something special.

The question of agency plays a central role in Quantum Witch, much like it did in the aforementioned The Stanley Parable. But coming from an ex-cult member, it hits differently. The game will ask you plenty of questions, asking you how you would handle certain belief systems, if you’d try to interfere or accept those people as they are. How far would you allow cult members to be themselves around you and your loved ones?

It all really kicks off when you run into Hannah while looking for your faer. Hannah is a human who has been entangled for what seems to be aeons, as she plays a vital role in keeping things stable between your world and that of the gods. But she isn’t there out of her own free will. So do you leave her there, or do you try to set her free and suffer the consequences?

I’m guessing, if you’re anything like me, you’ll only see one real option there, so the rest of the game is handling the consequences of your choice. And these can vary wildly, with the game offering multiple different endings depending on your actions. Luckily, due to its short runtime, multiple runs can be easily achieved, so you don’t have to miss out on any of the story. You won’t want to either, as there is plenty to discover: who exactly is the skeleton who can see through time? Will Ren and Tyra ever be ready to become parents? How is it that a society of only lesbians is able to procreate? And how far are you willing to go to save the ones you love?

Quantum Witch is filled with interesting characters and feels like an incredibly inclusive game. Not only do you live in a queer commune, but even the colours of your magical ability can be modified to resemble one of a number of pride flags. The only sad thing about these characters is that I wish I could spend more time with them. They’re cleverly written, and there are hints of character depth, but the game never moves beyond those hints, sadly.

There’s a history to this world, and I wish I could have found out more about it. There are mysteries, like how other video game characters like Princess Peach and Lara Croft found their way into this world or what part a pool plays within the whole lesbians-making-babies deal. And I want to find out more; I want to see more of this world. This might sound like a critique, but I intend it as a good thing: I’d love to learn more about everything and everyone in this world because it’s so good.

Still, there’s plenty of fun to be had with what’s already on offer. Quantum Witch is a game that will have you ask yourself some important questions but will also make you chuckle just as often. It’s a hard game to truly categorise, as movement is platforming-based, but it’s not exactly a platformer (something the dev had to remove from the game’s Steam tags, as during Next Fest, streamers were just ignoring all of the dialogue, which caused quite some confusion).

So be sure to adjust your own expectations. What you’re getting is a narrative adventure with platforming elements, where magic, queer joy, the multiverse and meta humour all connect with each other. It’s an ambitious game for sure, and it’s one that has left me hungry for more.