Getting Started With To Catch A Witch
I picked up To Catch A Witch a while back after seeing it pop up in a few different indie game threads. It is a point-and-click adventure with visual novel elements, and it is free on itch.io. The premise is straightforward enough: you play a witch hunter tracking down witches across different scenarios. The game has gone through multiple updates since its initial release, so make sure you are downloading the latest version. The core loop involves exploring locations, collecting clues, and making dialogue or action choices that affect the story outcome. There are multiple endings based on your decisions, which is where the replay value comes from. The game runs on a modified engine built specifically for narrative-driven adventures. You interact with objects by clicking, and some scenes require matching items to solve puzzles before progressing. One thing beginners miss is that the inventory system has no sorting feature. If you collect everything you can find in a location before moving on, you will have a messy pile of items to manage later. I learned this the hard way. My workaround was to only pick up items when I was actively stuck on a puzzle, then immediately use them rather than hoarding. This cut down on unnecessary backtracking significantly.
The dialogue trees are relatively simple but matter more than they appear. Some choices unlock different investigation paths, and a few are soft-locks if you pick the wrong option without saving. I always keep manual save points before entering a new scene. The autosave feature exists but it only triggers at specific moments, and it sometimes saves right before a choice that branches the story in an unfavorable direction.
Installation and Setup
Download the game from its official itch.io page. Extract the archive to a folder where you have write permissions. Launch the executable and the game should run without additional configuration on most systems. There are no launcher requirements or account sign-ins needed. If you run into issues on Windows 10 or 11, right-click the executable and select properties, then check the compatibility tab. Running it in Windows 8 compatibility mode resolved a freezing issue I had during one of the earlier chapter transitions. The developers have addressed most of these compatibility problems in later patches, but it still comes up occasionally.
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What To Expect
The game is approximately 4 to 6 hours for a first playthrough, depending on how thoroughly you explore. There are multiple endings to unlock, which pushes the total time closer to 10 to 12 hours for completionists. The story is light on plot complexity but the character interactions carry it. Do not expect a deep narrative here. It is a casual adventure game first and foremost. The graphics are serviceable but not polished. Sprites and backgrounds are static with minimal animation. The audio is decent for the genre, though the soundtrack loops quite a bit. If graphical fidelity is a priority for you, this might not be the right fit. There are better-looking games in this space, but they usually cost money.
A Few Practical Notes
Save often. Manual saves. The game does not punish you for loading frequently, and it saves you from accidentally advancing past a conversation choice you wanted to see both versions of. I have three slots and I rotate through them religiously. The hints system, if available in your version, is helpful but limited. It generally points you toward the next major objective rather than explaining individual puzzles. If you are genuinely stuck on a specific puzzle, checking community walkthroughs is the fastest path forward rather than grinding through every combination. One edge case worth noting: on certain systems with higher resolutions, UI elements can appear slightly misaligned. I found that running the game at 1280x720 through a windowed mode workaround fixed the display issues without affecting gameplay. The developers have not officially patched this for all resolutions.
The game is free, so there is no financial risk in trying it. If the style does not appeal to you after an hour or so, you can stop without feeling like you wasted anything. It is what it is: a modest indie visual novel adventure with a solid fanbase and consistent developer support over the years.
