Dark Fantasy Shooter Witchfire Is Headed To Early Access In September

At Summer Game Fest, developer The Astronauts revealed a new look at its dark fantasy shooter Witchfire. Like previous trailers, there are plenty of spells and lead being fired at all manner of dark creatures infesting the land around you, but the big news here is that the game will be playable on PC in early access through the Epic Games Store, beginning September 20.

The rest of the trailer is a short but spooky look at Witchfire's gameplay, which includes demonically possessed rock sculptures, magically enhanced crossbows, and plenty of other arcane firepower that can be used to take out the legions of undead that you'll hunt.

In Witchfire, players take on the role of the Witch Hunter. As a deadly war rages between powerful witches and the Church, players will wield weapons supplied to them by Vatican sorcerers and they'll fight back against dark terrors on behalf of their shadowy benefactors.

During the Future Games Show Spring Showcase 2023 back in March, The Astronauts revealed more details on the game's spellcasting system. Light spells are quick-fire attacks that use very little of your stamina, while heavy spells are slower to execute but are far more effective.

One example shown off then was the Cursed Phantom Bell, which summons a cursed bell that you can "ring" with your bullets. Firing at it stuns all minor enemies within range. Spells in Witchfire are also based on four major elements--fire, air, water, and earth--and each category can interact with the other to create powerful effects in battle. First revealed all the way back in 2017, Witchfire was originally scheduled to launch in 2022 but was delayed to 2023.

The game features some heavyweight talent from several other cult-classic games such as Painkiller, Bulletstorm, and The Vanishing of Ethan Carter.