Witchfire Arrives on Steam After Epic Games Store Exclusivity
After spending a year as an Epic Games Store exclusive, the roguelike shooter Witchfire has made its way to Steam. If you’ve been holding off on trying it or waiting for more updates, I’m here to let you know that the game has made incredible strides over the past year.
Major Gameplay Improvements: Gnosis and More
The developers at The Astronauts have been hard at work refining the gameplay experience, with a focus on making it more approachable. Initially launched in 2023 with plenty of promise, Witchfire had a difficulty curve that was brutal, leaving many players feeling overwhelmed. As the saying goes, it wasn’t a learning curve—it was more like running headfirst into a barbed-wire-covered brick wall.
The Introduction of Gnosis
One of the most significant changes came in April with the addition of the Gnosis system. This new mechanic replaced the original level-based difficulty structure and introduced a much more gradual progression, one that’s completely at the player’s discretion. While certain areas and features of the game require higher levels of Gnosis, you now have more flexibility to improve your character and move forward without getting stuck in an impossible situation.
“Gnosis allows players to take control of their progression, opening up opportunities to explore and grow without the fear of punishing setbacks.” — Developer’s Note
Wailing Tower Update: A Newcomer-Friendly Experience
Another key update arrived in August with the release of the Wailing Tower update, which brought the Island of the Damned. Despite its intimidating name, this new area is actually designed to be much friendlier to newcomers. The island is easy to navigate, has fewer enemies, double resource drops, and no dreaded calamities. New players can use the space to hone their skills, upgrade weapons, and build confidence without being constantly battered by the game’s toughest challenges.
Toning Down the Calamities
For long-time players, calamities—those sudden, chaotic events that force you to either fight for your life or run—have been a source of frustration. These storms of horror seemed to pop up randomly and often resulted in death, regardless of your choice. In the pre-Steam High Stakes update, the developers addressed this issue by making calamities more predictable and preventable.
Now, the calamity progress bar fills more slowly, and some of the triggers have been removed, meaning that when a calamity does occur, it’s clearer that it’s a direct result of your actions.
A Shift in the Game’s Identity
In addition to gameplay changes, The Astronauts have also adjusted how they describe Witchfire as a game. Initially pitched as a blend of “soulslike, extraction, and roguelite gameplay,” this description has been dropped in favor of something simpler: “a singleplayer RPG shooter.”
Simplifying the Genre
This shift reflects both the game’s evolution and the developers’ desire to better convey what Witchfire really is. As Creative Director Adrian Chmielarz explained, the previous description could mislead players or create false expectations. The new term, “RPG shooter,” highlights the growing role of RPG elements like character builds and lore, which will become even more prominent in future updates.
Seamless Transition from Epic Games Store to Steam
For those who have been playing on the Epic Games Store and are thinking about switching to Steam, there’s good news: your save data will seamlessly transfer between the two platforms. Both versions of the game use the same save format, so all you have to do is install the Steam version, launch it, and your progress will be intact.
Steam Success and Looking Ahead
Since launching on Steam, Witchfire has consistently ranked among the top sellers, proving its popularity among players. However, Adrian Chmielarz shared that the exclusivity deal with Epic was still a good move for the studio. While sales would have been higher with a broader release, the partnership with Epic allowed the team to remain independent and provided additional development funds thanks to Epic’s lower revenue share.
What’s Next for Witchfire?
Looking ahead, the 2024-2025 roadmap for Witchfire outlines two major updates, with a full release planned by the end of 2025. Smaller patches will be rolled out along the way, gradually building towards the 1.0 release. Although this timeline isn’t set in stone, the game is clearly on track to be a vastly different and improved experience compared to its initial release.
