Bullet Witch

Written by Troy Matsumiya  on October 31, 2006

First Impressions: Walnut Heads beware!

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It looks like 2013 is going to be a very bad year because that's when a variety of natural disasters, plagues and a big-assed army of ugly irritable demons will push the human race to the brink of annihilation. But never fear, for humanity's last hope will be a hot sexy woman sporting a killer broom. Don't you feel better already?

Originally released in Japan in August, Bullet Witch is a third-person shooter starring Alicia, the title character who takes it upon herself to wipe the demon scum from the face of the Earth and stick it to Akuma, the evil overlord of the undead. Oh, and she does this while looking damn fine in a slinky leather outfit Ц after all, it's every video game heroine's duty to rush into deadly combat half-naked, don't you know.

Of course, exposed skin alone does not kill demons (though they do find it pleasantly distracting) so Alicia relies upon her Gun Rod to send the evildoers back whence they came. Considering the title of the game, her Gun Rod not so coincidentally looks like a big metal broom Ц except instead of sweeping up dirt, it spits out lots and lots of lead. The standard fire mode is a machinegun but you will be able to unlock new attachments and upgrades like a shotgun, cannon and chain gun. You will also be able to use it for melee attacks when enemies get a little too close for comfort.

So the Gun Rod explains the УBulletФ part of the title. The УWitchФ part comes from the fact that Alicia can use up to 10 powerful magic spells, including Ancient Wall (which surrounds you with a protective shield), Thunder (where you can call down huge lightning strikes) and Tornado (self-explanatory). Others include the ability to summon a huge flock of ravens to peck at enemies and distract them so they won't shoot you, a Force Push-like telekinetic attack, and the ability to add incendiary damage to your gunshots. The most powerful spells can wipe out large numbers of enemies, take out large vehicles like tanks and even topple entire buildings. Since almost everything is destructible, the carnage can be massive indeed.

Alicia has meters for health and magic, both of which regenerate when you're out of danger. The magic meter is used to cast spells and reload your Gun Rod, which basically gives you unlimited ammo; as well, the more enemies you kill, the faster your meters refill, so mass murder will definitely be good for your health.

As powerful as Alicia sounds, her enemies aren't exactly pushovers either. The Geists are your basic foot soldiers/cannon fodder armed with SMGs, shotguns or grenade launchers. Gigas are huge deadly buggers that are several stories tall but very slow. The appropriately named Walnut Heads are giant floating brains that are mini-bosses responsible for guarding the end of each level. These guys will be tough since they use telekinesis to throw heavy objects at you like cars and trucks Ц one hit and you're toast. Ouch.

The game is single player only and will feature downloadable content like new costumes and missions. Visually, things look good with some impressive explosions and cool magic effects.