Wendy: Every Witch Way Longplay (Game Boy Color) [4K]
75Game Info
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Developer: WayForward Technologies
Publisher: TDK Mediactive
Year of Release: 2001
Game Review & Impressions
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I've played over 1,500 titles in the decade since I started this channel. A fair few of them have been total junk that were junk back when they were released, let alone stood the test of time, but I continue to come across titles which buck that trend and leave me genuinely impressed.
Wendy: Every Witch Way by WayForward Technologies is one of those games. I was drawn in by the impressive visuals -- hats off to the art team because this game looks brilliant -- and discovered a game which I reckon deserves more recognition than it perhaps received back when it was released. I suspected that, based on some of the still images and license notes, the game was based on a pre-existing IP, which turned out to be Wendy the Good Little Witch, a character from the Casper the Friendly Ghost universe.
The game begins with Wendy discovering a dusty chest in the attic of her house which, when opened, releases a series of magical stones that cause a mystic castle suspended in the sky to fall to Earth, landing on top of poor Wendy's house. Wendy must explore the castle and locate the stones, while keeping an eye out for the denizens haunting the castle corridors.
Wendy is equipped with a spell-shooting wand capable of zapping these baddies, and can reverse gravity, walking on ceilings to bypass traps and hazards which block her path. Inverting gravity is a concept used in games prior to this (Metal Storm on the NES), but I think this game absolutely nails it, chiefly because it doesn't constantly cheap-shot the player with hidden traps that can't be seen. The levels do become progressively more difficult as the game progresses, but it's well paced, introducing a little more complexity with each new stage, which will certainly keep players on their toes.
Despite perhaps being aimed at a younger audience, Wendy: Every Witch Way is a definitely a hidden gem. The game mechanics, presentation and execution are impressive and bear the hallmark of more contemporary indie and mobile games. This has a much broader appeal than just the target demographic of the source material, and makes for a game everyone can enjoy.
Video Notes
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Includes Advance World levels (unlocked via using cartridge in Game Boy Advance)
Chapters
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00:00 Attract mode & intro
01:34 Stage 1-1
02:40 Stage 1-2
04:33 Stage 1-3
06:57 Bonus Level
08:07 Stage 2-1
02:25 Stage 2-2
11:54 Stage 2-3
14:22 Bonus Level
15:28 Stage 3-1
17:42 Stage 3-2
19:36 Stage 3-3
23:06 Bonus Level
24:13 Stage 4-1
26:02 Stage 4-2
29:27 Stage 4-3
32:13 Final Boss
33:47 Ending
35:51 Advance World ?-1
37:45 Advance World ?-2
41:05 Advance World ?-3