During yesterday’s INDIE Live Expo 2023 Summer Live Stream event, developer Pocketpair announced Never Grave: The Witch and the Curse, a side-scrolling action game with Metroidvania and roguelike elements. The title is set to launch for consoles and PC via Steam this upcoming winter, though the announcement trailer did not specify any gaming console.
Crafted by the developers behind Craftopia and the upcoming Palworld, Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse put players in the role of a cursed hat and the witch it sits upon. They must fight and explore the labyrinthian dungeon using an assortment of magical powers and abilities.
The Steam page for Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse also mentions that the game will first launch as an Early Access title, much like its other currently available titles such as Craftopia and AI: Art Imposter.
▍Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse Reveal Trailer
▍Never Grave: The Witch and The Curse Gameplay
As players assume the role of the cursed hat and not the witch, a core gameplay mechanic was the hat’s ability to possess enemies by plopping itself on top of them. By taking control of foes, players will be able to perform special moves and actions to their benefit in and out of combat.
A hub area was also shown, where players can use materials collected in the dungeons to clear the rubble of ruined villages, build new facilities and cultivate crops in the fields. Collected resources can then be turned into food and potions that give bonuses during exploration and combat in the wild. Furniture and trinkets can be placed in rooms as decorations as well.
The biggest draw of the game is perhaps the ability to multiplayer, which was shown in the trailers. Scampering around as multi-colored hats, each player seems to be able to possess different entities at the same time independently. The Steam page elaborates further, explaining that the game will support up to 4 players and will feature online multiplayer, though it does not mention local co-op options.
