In a world where all witches talk to plants, Hazel the witch cannot. So, Hazel uses recorded language to communicate with the plants in her world as she raises flowers of her own.

Hazel the Plant Witch is a relaxing game based on collecting the different dialogue of plants in Hazel’s world. The gameplay and story is familiar but refreshingly new in this 2D Puzzle Adventure Game. The studios Mini Bunnies and Victoria Caña originally produced Hazel the Plant Witch for a 48 hour game jam and later reproduced and fixed up the game to publish after winning.

GRAPHICS 9/10

Hazel the Plant With uses pixel art in its style. The art itself is clean, with great color choices that are not overwhelming. There are many small little details, such as thin vines on Hazel’s plant child (Rose) moving, a photo booth spot for Hazel, and sunglasses on the plants Bromato and Snakebro, that really bring the personality of this game to life. Most areas are very clean and crisp, and you can tell that even for a design centered around plants, there is personality and care in the designs.

The title and ending screens are very welcoming without being overwhelming. The choice of yellow, teal, and earthy tones compliment the main character Hazel perfectly. This game also features the least intrusive shade of yellow I have ever seen on the settings screen.

SOUND QUALITY 8/10

The soundtrack quality in Hazel the Plant Witch is subdued but upbeat. It is a little repetitive, but a nice tune to listen to if you are playing in shorter bursts. Added sound effects like walking, the sound of the recording device, or even the option to change the soundtrack would make the background music even better. There is the capability to turn down the volume on the main screen and in the game controls, which is always appreciated.

Overall, the soundtrack fits the theme of the game very well and gives you the appropriate feeling that you’re a witch in a cottage.

GAMEPLAY 9/10

The gameplay took a little bit of getting used to, especially the recorder function. After getting used to using the number keys, and how to record and speak with the recorder, the game became much more easily accessible.

Many of the controls are available on itch.io to allow users to look these over as they go, and most controls are mentioned in dialogue. However, it did still take some time to figure out that the 1-4 number keys had to be used with the recording device. This became apparent and easy to figure out in time. Other than this missing direction, following the story and using just a few simple commands became rhythmic and easy to complete.

CHARACTERS 10/10

I never thought I would say that a tomato plant named Bromato would be my favorite character in a game, but here we are.

Plants have personality in this game. For a story that has no audio dialogue, the written verbiage is enough to pick out pieces of each plant’s personality traits, even the ones that have less interaction. Plants in this game even respond differently to similar phrases that may have been recorded in different tones. Talking about Rose moving may be said in a sad, prepared, or very dramatic tone, and each plant responds differently to this dialogue.

Caring for plant children, having secret crushes, and missing your best friend are all tones that are touched on by plants. The conversations in-game vary from silly to bittersweet. The variation really made each plant come to life.

STORY 10/10

The story of this game was amazing, even for one short goal: find a gift for Rose. The “Dye Log” tree, that tracks your dialogue completion, adds an extra element to the game without overpowering the main story. In fact, the Dye Log tree was so addicting that I had to complete the game twice to try for a higher score.

It is easy to get hooked on full completion, and the more you play, the more secrets you find — I kept playing until I hit 131% of the dialogue.

You feel for Hazel and Rose’s departure, and as you play, you feel as if you know all about their little world too. Small interactions really made it for me — you can finish the game quickly, sure, but the hidden pieces of the story are worth it. Even the shopkeep has hidden dialogue. Hints on the game’s official itch.io page definitely help to build the story.

OVERALL 9.2/10

If the gameplay and story are not enough to get you to pick up the game, the friendly and helpful developers and active twitter profiles are worth it on its own.

HAZEL THE PLANT WITCH