Witchspire is a survival game with an art style similar to the Star Guardian skin line from League of Legends.

Witchspire, a vibrant, Ghibli-style survival game from Envar Studio, the development team that previously outsourced to League of Legends, has just released a new demo on Steam.

Created by Envar Studio, the team has given us iconic League of Legends skin illustrations such as Katarina from Battle Academy, Project Akali, and various LoL map themes (including the current Demacia theme). Many gamers immediately fell in love with the anime-style trailer reminiscent of Sailor Moon and the vibrant, Ghibli-inspired graphics of this survival game.

Witchspire's vast, magical world, along with its adorable companion creatures and the absence of 'auto-farming' features like Palworld, has generated considerable anticipation since the demo was released.

You play as a witch transported to a mysterious new world, tasked with stopping the corruption that's polluting everything from the natural landscape to its adorable inhabitants. The first few hours are fairly familiar with survival gameplay – crafting workbenches, upgrading weapons, building shelters and fireplaces, and possibly even a witch's circle. Overall, pretty standard for the genre.

But what immediately sets Witchspire apart is its Spirit Beasts. Similar to the supporting characters in Palworld and, of course, Nintendo's Pokémon, your companions will explore the world with you, assist in battles, and bring a lot of positive energy.

Although gathering resources is fairly easy (even simpler thanks to a Runescape Dragonwilds-style magic scythe that can easily chop down trees), weaknesses in the game's combat system begin to show early on. Issues include malfunctioning NPC AI and the game suddenly stopping attacking mid-battle with the final boss.

But the world of Witchspire more than compensated for the minor shortcomings in the demo. The simple survival approach (no hunger or stamina gauges) made the game more accessible and, for me, more enjoyable. The theme of magic and wonder also permeated all of the game's intricate mechanics – the Soul Projection system, which allows your witch to create a clone of themselves to move around and provides clear viewing points as you build, was a great highlight, partly because it made building easier, but also because it exuded a high-level fantasy feel.