The Witch's House MV

About The Witch's House MV

The Witch's House began in 2012 as a free game by the Japanese developer Fummy, made in RPG Maker, and became one of the best known Japanese pixel horror games alongside Ib and Ao Oni. The Witch's House MV is Fummy's remake in RPG Maker MV, published by DANGEN Entertainment in 2018 on PC and Mac and in 2022 on Switch, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One. Every map and sprite was redrawn, and two new difficulty settings were added.

Viola, a 13-year-old girl, wakes in a forest and finds an old house among the trees. When she goes inside, the way back vanishes. To leave, she has to cross the house room by room, reading notes, finding items and working out the puzzles they point to, helped now and then by a talking black cat who is also where you save.

The house is built to kill you. A room that looks calm can close in, a picture can change, and something can come after you down a corridor with no warning. Deaths are sudden and often gory, which teaches you to stop and think before you touch anything. The quiet between them, with soft music and pretty pixel art, makes each one land harder.

The remake adds an easier setting that lets you retry at once after a death, and a harder one that opens after you reach the true ending, with new events. It suits players who enjoy puzzle-led horror, don't mind dying often, and like Japanese indie horror such as Ib and Mad Father.

How to play The Witch's House MV

1. Walk Viola through the house and examine objects, notes and doors to find clues and items.
2. Use items deliberately to solve each room's puzzle and open the way forward.
3. Save with the black cat whenever you find him, because death can come at any step.
4. Run when something chases you, and stop to think before touching anything that looks wrong.

Tips

• Read every note; most puzzles are solved by a clue written somewhere in the house.
• If you die often, the easier difficulty lets you retry right away.
• Play with headphones, as the developer recommends; sound gives warnings.

Questions