Witch n' Wiz

Is the Nintendo NES a long-dead platform? Witch n' Wiz is one of many proofs that the opposite is true. This puzzle-platformer comes from the contemporary community scene and ranks among the titles whose quality and polish could comfortably stand comparison with period games from the eighties and nineties.

In play terms, it is a thoughtful combination of puzzles and platforming movement. Instead of random action, the game relies on deliberate reasoning: each room is a small logical challenge where you must work out the right order of steps, use the environment and think through the consequences of your moves. Progress is divided into manageable segments, so the game nicely rewards patience and experimentation.

Witch n' Wiz stands out above all for how cleanly it is designed. The controls are intuitive, the difficulty rises smoothly, and the individual puzzles are built fairly, so when you fail, you know the mistake was on your side. That is crucial in puzzle games, and it is precisely here that the experience and instinct of the authors from today's homebrew community show.

Developmentally, the title fits into the wave of games being created for the NES in recent years thanks to sophisticated tools and an active community. It is precisely the availability of these tools and shared knowledge that is so great today that the NES may be the liveliest homebrew platform of all, one on which games comparable to period production are being made.

Culturally, then, Witch n' Wiz represents the phenomenon of an old console becoming a full-fledged creative platform for new authors. For fans of puzzle games and for those who want to see how far today's NES scene has come, it is a rewarding and cleverly designed piece.

Why play it: A fair, polished puzzle-platformer that is living proof of how strong and creative today's homebrew scene around the NES is.