STARDUST: Wish of Witch

I’m a huge sucker for classic isometric tactics games, so when I saw the pixel art and combat animations for STARDUST: Wish of Witch, I picked it up on day one. After sinking roughly 20 hours into it, I can say it's genuinely one of the most charming indie SRPGs I’ve played this year—even if it bumps into a few rough edges near the finish line. Here is my honest takeaway:What Hit the MarkThe Visuals & Animations: The spritework is absurdly good. The frame-by-frame character animations during ultimate attacks and combat cutscenes carry so much personality. It feels like a passion project from artists who grew up on classic tactics titles. Tactical Depth with a Twist: The core turn-based grid combat mixed with the skill/card system keeps battles dynamic. Having to manage your hand while positioning Star and Yu to land counters and combos forces you to actually plan ahead rather than just brainlessly steamroll with raw stats. Voice Acting & Polish: Having full voice acting in a budget indie SRPG is rare, and the delivery actually holds up. The dynamic between the leads is genuinely fun to follow. Where It StumblesLate-Game Pacing: The first four chapters build up character arcs and mechanics at a fantastic pace. Right around Chapter 5, though, the story feels like it suddenly hits the fast-forward button and rushes toward the ending. UI & Controller Quirks: Playing on a gamepad or Steam Deck can feel a bit clunky. Managing menu screens and reading small card descriptions on higher resolutions took some getting used to. Difficulty Spike: The game is fairly smooth sailing through the early acts, but the final stretch throws a massive difficulty spike at you that basically forces some grinding or heavy optimization. Verdict:If you love games like Final Fantasy Tactics, Tactics Ogre, or Fire Emblem, the art direction, battle mechanics, and sound design alone make this well worth the entry price. Kniv Studio built a solid foundation here, and with the devs actively releasing updates and free DLC, it's easy to recommend to any tactics fan. 8/10 — Grab it, enjoy the art, and just be ready for a bit of a difficulty wall near the end.