As of last week, the Kickstarter for Wicked Willow was successfully completed and is now scheduled for February 2020!
Maybe it’s a bit early to celebrate since the release date is a whole year away, but I still think a successful Kickstarter campaign is great news that’s almost always worth celebrating. Plus, 2019 is already flying by – it’ll be 2020 before you know it!
So what is Wicked Willow? Well, the abridged summary is that a young woman suddenly discovers she has magical powers and is thus forced to not only learn how to control her newfound abilities but also make some difficult decisions that will affect her and others.
In an email I received from the project creator, TF Wright, the plot themes for Wicked Willow was likened to that of Madoka Magica and Life is Strange. Unfortunately I haven’t played the latter, but I sure do love the former! The comparison to Madoka creates a bleak and unforgiving world in my mind’s eye, which is definitely a plus for me when it comes to visual novels!
Also according to TF Wright, there will be no explicit scenes. However, Wicked Willow will allegedly be heavily focused on romance (lesbian romance, at that).
In my opinion, the primary selling point for Wicked Willow is the proposed (and complicated) tory mechanic. TF Wright promises replayability, immediate impact for choices made, and reconnecting paths.
Given that the protagonist for Wicked Willow, Willow, is stuck with tough calls that will “turn [the player’s] moral compass upside down,” I imagine that we can expect a purposefully messy storyline that will engage players while playing and keep players pondering on consequences and “what-ifs” afterwards. Those are always the sort of visual novels I love to play.
Click on the video below to hear TF Wright’s take on the aforementioned story mechanic.
The art style is decidely not “animesque” and is closer to that of an European style, but I’m never one to turn away from a good LGBT story! Hopefully you’re also interested in this lesbian witch story about shaky morals and impossible decisions that’s coming out next year!
Here’s the link to their successful Kickstarter campaign for more information.
The Lily Garden 