Released in Japan in 2012, visual novel Mahōtsukai no Yoru (Witch on the Holy Night) was a big hit. Despite it being a full ten years later, the game is still somehow picking up steam. It was announced late last year that it would be turned into a film to be released in 2023. First, though, the game needs to get into the hands of western players! Which is why it’s so great that an enhanced version of Witch on the Holy Night will be coming west for two consoles, PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch.
Set near the end of the Shōwa era (1980s), the game tells the story of Aoko Aozaki as she both navigates the complex world of magecraft and deals with the everyday struggles as a high school student. This is the first game to feature Aoko as a protagonist. The narrative is deep and expansive, and this updated version of the game will include two side stories in addition to the main story. The publisher is calling this the “definitive” version of Witch on the Holy Night.
Aoko moves into a mansion in Misaki… a mansion rumoured to house a witch. Aoko’s family is in charge of the land the town was built upon, and Aoko has been tasked with protecting it. She is also student council president at her high school. To top it all off, she starts learning sorcery from Alice, a young mage and the aforementioned rumoured witch. Alive is emotionally detached and really down on herself, and she struggles to form relationships. Along the way, Aoko and Alice meet Sōjūrō Shizuki and he also moves into the mansion. He is quiet, but stable when compared to the two girls. Alice develops certain… feelings… towards him after he moves in.
The original game launched for PC; this version remasters those visuals to create a more modern gaming experience. In addition to the visual update, the remaster will be fully voiced in Japanese. Both the Japanese and western versions of the game support four languages: English, Japanese, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese.
Developed by TYPE-MOON and published by Aniplex, Witch on the Holy Night will be released for PlayStation 4 and Nintendo Switch on December 8. This coincides with its Japanese launch.
Does this game have multiple endings, bad endings and all that?
Unfortunately, I know absolutely nothing about this game so I won’t be able to tell you until I’ve played it. Given it’s a type-moon, I would be inclined to say it’s not fully kinetic, so will involve player choices and therefore multiple endings, but that’s not a guarantee.