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Dark fantasy first-person roguelite Witchfire just got an Epic Games Store early access release date of September 20, 2023, as revealed during this year's Summer Game Fest. Developer The Astronauts announced the date, which was previously expected to arrive earlier this year, with a gameplay trailer that gives us more of that gritty gunplay that has already attracted so many. More than that, though, the video shows off even more enemies and ruined fantasy locations. You can see it all for yourself in the Witchfire early access release date trailer below.
Considering some of The Astronauts team is known for creating games like Painkiller and Bulletstorm, it's no surprise to see most footage highlighting its fast-paced gun fights. That said, the studio is also responsible for The Vanishing of Ethan Carter, a critically acclaimed, narrative-driven project from 2014. So, while the team is busy prepping Witchfire to blow players away with its gameplay by September, the team still has plenty in store for its story and lore. This is something that we got a taste of with The Preyer, a short story set in the game's universe that was released last year.
Creative director and studio co-founder Adrian Chmielarz touched on all of Witchfire's different offerings in an interview with Epic Games News:
The last few trailers were very combat focused and I think gave the wrong impression that Witchfire is a non-stop action fest. It is not. Sure, some fights will be incredibly intense, but there are also periods of quiet exploration, planning, thinking. It is much closer to Souls in that regard rather than, say, Doom. So that's why the beginning of this new trailer is a little slower. We might slow down even more when there's finally time for the launch trailer.
We'll have a better look at Witchfire upon its early access release date on Epic Games Store this September. Additional platforms or a window for the full launch has not been announced.