Part of me doesn't want to be this guy. I'm not even a games critic, specifically, but Little Witch Nobeta here still landed in my lap thanks to demographics and opportunity. So then I load into this thing and find myself navigating a dark, dank castle setting, dodge-rolling and riposting against spooky enemies, absorbing their spirits to spend as stat upgrade currency, all while picking up items whose descriptions provide most of the lore and backstory for this setting? How can I not invoke that most modern reductive game review comparisons, even as I know most audiences will groan? If it's the first thing I noticed, isn't it only fair that I let readers know right out of the gate that Little Witch Nobeta is Just Like Dark Souls?

It's actually not fair, of course, because the need for that point of comparison went out the window as soon as "Souls-like" became its own genre. And as described, Little Witch Nobeta is a Souls-like through and through. And so highlighting that element of its existence feels like an imperative, a critical piece of information to be imparted to anyone who might be drawn to this "3D action shooting game" based on playing as a cute witch and meeting/fighting a host of anime girl character designs voiced by popular VTubers. So dedicated to its genre functionality is Little Witch Nobeta that its numerous tutorial texts towards the beginning (readable as inscriptions on the floor, naturally) don't even mention the point that enemies respawn any time you heal and save at a bonfire goddess statue, because, by the time you've done a few dodge-rolls and thrown out your deliberately timed melee attack string, you've probably figured it out already.

That isn't to say that Little Witch Nobeta is an out-and-out clone of FromSoftware's forebears establishing the genre. It's got its own identity regarding the finer focal points of its gameplay, which the team at Pupuya has designed for their own go at a Souls-like. The game has an actual, dedicated jump button for one (in fact, you actually get a double jump early on, marking Little Witch Nobeta as a truly elite video game). This plays into the game's engagement with passable platforming at points and a few jumping puzzles that can lead you to some secret bonuses. But of course, the real highlight of a "3D action shooting" Souls-like will be that shooting. Nobeta is a witch, a little one, even, so her primary method of engaging with enemies comes from casting ranged magic attacks at them.

Nobeta's magic is separated into four primary elemental shots you acquire and find upgrades for over your journey. Each has a basic blast with its own timings and strength levels but can also have an incantation charged up for a larger blast with even more unique effects. As Nobeta's movement slows down while incanting, with the charge time able to be sped up by throwing out attacks or dodges, it introduces an effective risk/reward mechanic into the rhythm of the fighting. Even with the combat technically ranged by design, enemies can quickly close gaps, so you need to calculate your charges and other actions to maximize your energy. The magical attacks aren't necessarily situational, instead seemingly meant to encourage players to experiment with mechanics that align with their preferred playstyle. I quickly became fond of the ice element and its multi-hit homing missiles, but I can see others gravitating towards something like the fire element's magical shotgun blasts instead.

The opportunity to fully play with those magical abilities does dovetail with the subject of the game's difficulty. The challenge is part and parcel to the design of Souls-likes, and while Little Witch Nobeta seeks to balance this aspect in some ways, it might come off uneven. The game has two difficulty settings, with the "Standard" being one where Nobeta's health and mana reserves readily regenerate alongside other ability enhancements. The "Advanced" difficulty is thus considered the 'normal' way of playing through the game. You'll need to be much more considerate about finding ways to regularly recharge your magic power while scrounging for health pickups wherever you can, with enemy attacks doing that much more damage.

The "Standard" difficulty works fine for novices to Souls-likes who want to acclimate to this style of gameplay while seeing everything the game offers with less repetition or delays brought on by dying and restarting. That's not to say the game is a cakewalk on this setting, as it will still absolutely kill you if you get careless (or perhaps more often, get set up for a cheap death via a stray enemy hit knocking you off a ledge). But many encounters, notably several of the bosses, lose a lot of their edge and tension when it feels like the pressure's off to dodge or counter their attacks when they hardly, and impermanently, damage you. The "Advanced" difficulty is thus more demanding (if not quite seeming to be on the same level as the proper Dark Souls games) and instills in you the need to engage with its mechanics, including the risk/reward item curse system, or using melee attacks to shorten charge times, to ensure survival.

The design of Nobeta's journey follows a similar Souls-lite setup as its combat and difficulty. Areas like the opening castle halls recall the medieval stylings of the Souls games if lacking in as much of their grimy, detailed atmosphere. Little Witch Nobeta attempts to compensate for this with an actual ongoing soundtrack, which comes off very similar to the dark classical tunes heard intermittently in Dark Souls. However, your mileage may vary if you enjoy this approach or prefer the generally musicless ambiance of FromSoftware's titles. Either way, the presentation of Little Witch Nobeta works best when it is dark, either in the base castle setting shadowing itself to cover over the point that the cel-shaded anime witch might clash a bit with the realistic fantasy assets, or one extremely memorable sequence where you utilize a magical light source to cautiously make your way through an inky black tunnel.

Some of these areas can come off too close to the inspiration the game is affectionately aping. Though the irony is that when Nobeta does switch to a more brightly-lit instance in its most distinguishing area late in the game, it comes off as lacking. This fantastical dreamscape is the closest the game comes to showing off its own identity. It is also the point where its indie-game roots are most apparent, polygonal floating platforms and crystals looking only a step above Spyro the Dragon's PS1 environments. It's novel, but it also says something when the game drops you back into those dark castle halls for one more stretch after that, and the oppressive atmospheric tension immediately ramps back up.

So who Little Witch Nobeta for? Even with this one focusing on magical combat, the Dark Souls games themselves generally offer more variety to their magic beyond the basic elemental shooting. Those games also derive much of their replay value from experimenting with different class builds across runs. Nobeta does allow you to allocate stat points however you like, but your abilities and approach are generally locked into being the same across the multiple difficulty levels, and New Game+ runs. And while there are some opportunities to stray off the beaten path and unlock backtracking shortcuts or stumble across upgrades for your spells (including one point partway in hilariously obviously signposted as "This is an optional bonus area you can go through right now if you like"), it never really reaches the outlandish explorative value of some of the more robust Souls derivatives. It's a relatively short, simple ride that won't serve as some unique spin to challenge veteran Souls-like players.

Instead, I think Little Witch Nobeta's real value lies in being a sort of "Baby's First Dark Souls." If you've been curious about the general gameplay style but intimidated by the size of something like Elden Ring, then Nobeta here being budget-priced and not overstaying its welcome might be better for dipping your toes in. It works as a less daunting investment, given that a single playthrough takes about 8-10 hours, with difficulty and New Game+ options welcoming you back in for more if it works for you. And even if it doesn't, you can be reassured that you'll still at least be able to see it through to the end for your trouble, thanks to the buffs of the "Standard" mode. And this is a game worth seeing, overall. Even if it's not especially huge or dynamically unique, there's a palpable sense of it being crafted out of genuine love for style and genre. That makes it easy to like, even as some Souls-like fans might find it too easy to beat.