Written by. Marco Farinaccia based on the original Japanese article (original article’s publication date: 2022-05-13 18:00 JST)

Taiwanese publisher Justdan International announced that the full release of Little Witch Nobeta will launch on September 29. The game will be available on PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and PC via Steam.

Little Witch Nobeta is a 3D action shooting game created by Taiwanese developers Pupuya Games and SimonCreative. The protagonist of the game is a young witch named Nobeta who has lost her memory. Nobeta visits an ancient castle alone in order to discover the secrets of her past.

A large number of enemies and bosses await Nobeta in the old castle. Being a witch, Nobeta can attack enemies with elemental magic or by using her staff, and she can evade enemy attacks by using a roll that has a period of invincibility. These abilities are essential as she proceeds with her exploration of the castle. Nobeta’s magic can be cast immediately, but she is also able to charge each spell by reciting an incantation. While the incantation takes some time, the effect of the magic changes once it is fully charged, and the spell delivers massive damage upon being cast.

Players must be cautious as Nobeta’s movement speed is slowed while she is chanting a spell. However, you can charge the power of the magic and shorten the incantation time by attacking with her staff, avoiding attacks with well-timed rolls, or parrying an enemy’s attack. The player can engage in some dazzling battles by reading the enemy’s moves and skillfully dodging and parrying while they fight.

There are many cute characters that appear in the game, including not only Nobeta, but also the bosses that she meets within the castle. Nobeta has quite a large number of adorable motions. For example, the way she completely tumbles over when she runs out of stamina, and the way she uses her whole body and every bit of strength that she has in order to pull a lever. Yet, in contrast to the charming appearance on the surface, the game provides players with tough battles and challenging exploration. Although, there are different difficulty options available to choose from.

According to the official site, Little Witch Nobeta began development in June 2017. The game entered early access on Steam in June 2020, and it was announced that they had increased the number of development staff in October of that same year. Out of 6,400 user reviews on Steam, 90% are positive, giving the game a “Very Positive” rating. The adorable character designs and the challenging combat, which has been described as Soulslike, seem to have been very well received by players.

The game features a talented cast, including voice actress Konomi Kohara, who voices Nobeta, and Omaru Polka, Shirakami Fubuki, and Shirogane Noel of hololive, who voice the characters Tania, Monica, and Vanessa, respectively. There are comments from all four that have been published on the official site.

Japan will receive a standard physical release of the game for 5,000 yen (around $38) as well as a limited deluxe edition for 15,000 yen (around $116) which includes an artbook, a soundtrack CD, and, in collaboration with the three voice talents from VTuber group hololive, a tapestry and a signed reproduction of part of the script. The art of the tapestry and the content of the script differ depending on the platform, with the PlayStation 4 version featuring Shirakami Fubuki, the Nintendo Switch version featuring Omaru Polka, and the PC (Steam) version featuring Shirogane Noel.

The PlayStation 4 version includes the Necromancer in-game costume, while the Nintendo Switch version includes the Vampire costume. The costumes become available to use on second and subsequent playthroughs after first finishing the game. There are also a variety of original store bonuses on offer depending on where you purchase the game in Japan.

The official website for Little Witch Nobeta can be found here. The game is currently available via early access on Steam.