Developer: Rainbite
Formats: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch
Release Date: 2020
We got the chance to speak with Tom Butler from Rainbite about their cute yet brutal 2D twin-stick shooter Trigger Witch:
How would you describe Trigger Witch to someone who had never heard of the game?
Trigger Witch is a 2D twin stick shooter mixed with an action/adventure. You will explore an open world to find a variety of dungeons filled with unique combat encounters and fun environments.
Whilst they look a little similar visually, Trigger Witch is completely different to your previous release Reverie. Was there anything in particular that inspired you to go for such an outlandish concept this time around?
In Reverie, we used simple combat ideas so we could explore and expand our skillset as a studio. When we had the idea for Trigger Witch, we only had the “Witches but with guns” theming down. After a lot of discussion, we landed on a twin stick shooter being the best. I don’t think there was anything specific that inspired us, just the idea of a twin stick and working it into what we know we’re good at, which is an action/adventure game.
Not much has been revealed about how the game plays, whether it’s a roguelike/has procedurally-generated levels to progress through/is an arcade-style score chaser. What kind of experience can players expect to get from Trigger Witch?
There’s a linear story to follow! The open world and all the dungeons are handcrafted to follow the story of Colette. Similar to Reverie, with a story to complete and a world to explore, just with more focus on combat!
Firearms aren’t typically associated with witches, but hey – they seem to work well in Trigger Witch. How many different weapons can the player use in the game and which is your favourite?
We currently have 11 planned and 6 implemented. Every weapon acts differently to one another can each can be upgraded. Personally my favourite is the dual uzis, low damage, but very high fire rate with a fun amount of bullet spray, absolute chaos!
Witches are better known for using magic. Are there any magical abilities that Colette can use or is she limited to guns?
In combat she is limited to guns. There will be passive spell effects that she can use as you progress through the game but in this world, the magic isn’t harmful anymore.
Trigger Witch looks like it would be perfect for multiplayer. Can players expect to enjoy co-op or competitive action together in the game?
Yep! We had drop-in/drop-out co-op multiplayer implemented quite early on because we felt like it needed to be there. When one person is playing, a friend can pick up another controller and jump straight in!
Reverie was inspired by New Zealand legend and even took place in on a fictional island in the country, so it’s clear you’re proud of your homeland. Can we expect anything similar in Trigger Witch or is this a completely fantasy setting?
Trigger Witch is in a complete fantasy setting, although that doesn’t mean we won’t reference New Zealand where we can!
What platforms are Trigger Witch coming to and when do you expect to release the game?
Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One are our initial target platforms. We’re still open to other options as well though!
Finally, can you tell us something about Trigger Witch that no one outside of the development team knows?
We’ve been using Reverie as a reference for what not to do in terms of combat. In Reverie, most enemies had AI that was either random movement or chase the player. In Trigger Witch we are trying to make most, if not all, of the enemies have some sort of unique movement patterns or be smart enough to work with each other.
Thank you for your questions! We’re on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/rainbite), Twitter (https://twitter.com/rainbite), and as of recently, Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/rainbite/)! You can follow the development of Trigger Witch and help us build it with your feedback!
