Stardew Valley and Cult of the Lamb Fans Should Keep Tabs on Tiny Witch (2024)

Creative Hand's Tiny Witch is a cozy time management game featuring Sophie, a witch in charge of a magic store. The indie game borrows a number of elements from other popular titles in the same cozy genre, such as the pixel art style and resource management that's reminiscent of Stardew Valley, and mystical characters similar to Cult of the Lamb's cast.

Cozy games can fall into the trap of looking too similar to each other, especially since many farming games have the same "inheritance from a relative" premise. However, many studios also proved that they could introduce new mechanics and interesting stories that many gamers can enjoy. Tiny Witch is one game that's worth keeping tabs on, as players help the witch protagonist work and grow her shop.

Tiny Witch's Adorable Gameplay is a Treat For Stardew Valley and Cult of the Lamb Fans

Set in a magical world, the goal of Tiny Witch is to help Sophie the witch to unlock spells and recipes to create special minions for various dungeon masters, and earn enough money to grow her humble magic shop. Just like any time management game, the witch has to deliver her products fast before the customers get upset and hand down different consequences. There are different customer types with different temperaments, meaning that some get impatient faster than others, which can affect the amount of tips that Sophie earns at the end of each day.

The crafting and business sim mechanics can resonate with fans of Stardew Valley, which is a title that highlights the importance of growing and selling high-quality crops to earn a large sum. In Tiny Witch, players can craft minions by mixing resources in a mortar and pestle or boiling them in a cauldron, and sell them to dungeon masters. Both games' protagonists rely on income to purchase upgrades to make work more efficient, and decorations to customize the farm and shop. Tiny Witch takes it a step further with store expansions in different locations to reach more dungeon masters in the realm.

• Tiny Witch shop locations: Forest, Cave, and Desert

It's easy to get hooked on Tiny Watch time management gameplay, especially for fans of whimsical, cozy games that are focused on crafting magic items. Some of Tiny Witch's design and mechanics also resonate with fans of the roguelike title Cult of the Lamb. Here, players can foster a community of cultists while cultivating a farm, cooking food for them, and overall building a functioning village for them. Both Tiny Witch and Cult of the Lamb have cute, magical characters, and their cooking mechanics also produce unique items.

Tiny Witch Has Room to Grow Even More

Creative Hand is known for developing other pixel art games, such as the business sim Make the Burger and the adorable top-down RPG There Will Be No Turkey This Christmas. Ramon Barbosa, founder and developer of the Brazil-based indie game studio, said in an interview that both games helped him learn better planning and decision-making processes while developing Tiny Witch.

In 2023, Creative Hand was one of 10 Latin American indie studios that received $2 million from Google Play's Indie Game Fund to help developers reach their full potential. Tiny Witch has only been out for half a year, but the financial support could mean opportunities to further improve the game, like resources to continue applying bug fixes and possibly building a new map to expand Sophie's magic shop. This also opens the door for Creative Hand to port Tiny Witch and its other games to mobile with the support of Google Play.

The future of Tiny Witch and Creative Hand's upcoming projects seems promising because of the outpouring of support it's received. It's always so exciting to see indie studios thrive alongside established names, and Creative Hand has the potential to become a mainstay in the cozy simulation genre.

Stardew Valley

Stardew Valley is a hit Indie release that spawned a cult following thanks to its similarities to titles like Harvest Moon and The Sims. Players will take control of their own characters as they are dropped into the eponymous Stardew Valley and given an old dilapidated farm. They'll cultivate new crops and relationships with the NPCs scattered around the area, as well as combat monsters and embark on other quests.

Platform(s)

PC , Xbox One , Android , iOS , PS4 , Switch

Released

February 26, 2016

Developer(s)

ConcernedApe

Publisher(s)

ConcernedApe

Genre(s)

RPG , Simulation

Multiplayer

Local Multiplayer , Online Multiplayer

Engine

Proprietary

ESRB

E for Everyone (Fantasy Violence, Mild Blood, Mild Language, Simulated Gambling, Use of Alcohol and Tobacco)

How Long To Beat

53 Hours

X|S Enhanced

No

File Size Xbox Series

1 GB (November 2023)

Metascore

89

Split Screen Orientation

Vertical or Horizontal

Number of Players

1-4

Steam Deck Compatibility

Verified

Local Co-Op Support

1-4 Players

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