For Easter, we did not go on a well-deserved holiday, but diligently attended lectures on the theory of magic in order to defend the world from the apocalypse. Songs of Glimmerwick is neither Harry Potter nor Stardew Valley, but something all its own.
Once upon a time, back when I was still a virtual travel writer, I roamed the fields of Eastshade in search of a magical golden goose feather to paint a portrait of the most beautiful of the seven princesses. Okay, maybe the story didn’t quite go that way, but you’ll have to forgive me because I reviewed Eastshade six years ago. As much as my memory is still not the best, I remember that it was a very good title after which I came back more mature and, in a way, spiritually richer.
These days, we received another inspection from the same studio Songs of Glimmerwicka slightly different title that was first announced in 2023. It is an isometric RPG in which, instead of painting pictures, we cast spells and play magical songs. That’s because we attend a school for wizards in the middle of the forest, in a world where magic has long been banned due to potentially apocalyptic dangers. In the end, the people decided that it is better to educate people than to defend them. And so we ourselves, in the role of a young witch, arrive at the aforementioned school.
Considering the amount of material that was available to us in the preview version, it is difficult to draw any firm conclusions about this title. As things stand, I played the demo for about two hours, and then the menu showed me that I had completed a total of three percent of the game. However, some things can be seen even from this modest gathering.
First, it would be a huge shock if Songs of Glimmerwick didn’t garner serious praise for its audiovisual presentation. It is immediately apparent that a lot of effort and manual work has gone into this title in order to achieve a recognizable aesthetic. The drawings have that recognizable “artisan” quality, and the music is thematically diverse and, above all, original. One might say that the latter is the least one would expect from a game that explicitly deals with music, but it’s no wonder we have games with a strong sound presentation at our disposal.
As far as I could see, the gameplay has several rather separate aspects, so it remains to be seen which of them the title will ultimately focus on – if any. Basically, Songs of Glimmerwick is designed on the principle of a calendar: every day you wake up early in the morning and then you complete the tasks that await you for a certain day (eg you go to music lessons on Monday, magical potions await you on Tuesday…). In the evening, you go to bed and thus finish with the obligations for the day.
Since mandatory tasks only take up a certain part of your day, the rest of the time is spent on other activities, such as exploring the school and talking to colleagues. You can also visit the city and see what it has to offer, and, for example, buy potions from the local alchemist.
The world of Songs of Glimmerwick is not static, but the game tries to simulate the life of the people around you, so that at every moment you get the impression that you are just a part of something bigger. That’s exactly why it’s so hard to say based on the three days that were available what the final product will look like. I hardly had time to look around the city, do a couple of side tasks, go to two lectures and I was already greeted by the check-out rush hour. Well, yes, and along the way I did a little gardening, which is a completely separate activity with a bunch of unique mechanics; a bit like Stardew Valley, if you’ve played it.
While it’s obvious that Songs of Glimmerwick has a developed mythology, I have to say that absolutely nothing happened in terms of the main story in the preview, so I can’t tell you if the title will lean more towards simulation or narrative, as the description on Steam suggests. It is clear, however, that the dialogue will play an important role because at any time you can talk with almost all colleagues. They have something new to say every day. Mostly it’s about snappy dialogues with a lot of humor and cute anecdotes. The game is very cozy, what else can I say.
A lot is open as far as magic itself is concerned. I thus learned three spells in three days (after successfully playing a rhythmic Guitar Hero-like mini-game), but the only thing I managed to accomplish with them was digging the garden. I know, it’s not much, but considering that in the demo version we were clearly informed about the possible catastrophic consequences of casting spells, I would be very surprised if magic had only such a practical, agricultural role.
Bottom line, Songs of Glimmerwick is still quite shrouded in fog, which I guess makes some sense given the subject matter. Although the game has been in development for years, its release date is still unknown. However, if this text or the attached photos piqued your interest, we have good news: a demo will be released on Steam on 4/7 for anyone in the mood for some casual magic to try.