The Switch Isn’t the Best Way to Play Wildermyth: Console Edition Yet

I love Wildermyth. The PC version is an all-time favorite and a Steam game a regularly savor. I enjoy playing it with another person. The Omenroad DLC opened up a new way to appreciate it. It made me hope Wildermyth: Console Edition on the Switch would be just as much fun. However, at least immediately after launch, it’s both flawed and missing elements that help make it such a special experience. It’s made especially sad since I get the feeling I’ll primarily play it alone.

For those unaware of how it works, Wildermyth is a procedurally generated, turn-based strategy game. You start with three characters, which can fall into hunter, mystic, or warrior categories. (Don’t worry, as you almost immediately get to pick up a fourth ally when the adventure starts.) You pick one of a handful of campaigns for your general framework and foes. While the general goal of a campaign remains a same, how you get there changes due to random events, choices you make, and actions you undertake in battle. It ends up feeling quite unique, especially since you also can eventually recruit past legacy heroes from your older stories into new campaigns. 

But while I do love having a new place to play Wildermyth, I am a bit heartbroken to see that Wildermyth: Console Edition on Switch at launch isn’t completely on-par with or caught up to the PC version. The Omenroad DLC that added roguelike elements to the PC version is one of my absolute favorite ways to play the game alone now. That isn’t here. There’s no word yet on when it will be here, with the team on social media having said, “There aren’t any current plans to bring Omenroad to the console version, but we’d love to see it added in the future, if possible.” So I’m disappointed that an element of the game I’ve really come to enjoy isn’t available. 

The other thing is that, as I mentioned earlier, I expect to play Wildermyth: Console Edition solo on the Switch. This is because online multiplayer is absent for this release. Which, honestly, I see as being a real bummer. I get sacrifices have to be made. However, when I’d played the game in the past, almost every time I did so in online multiplayer. The only time I really went on single-player campaigns was primarily when I was tackling the Omenroad DLC for coverage purposes. It very much feels like a cooperative experience for me, and trying to not only get four people together for a Switch session is extremely difficult. So I’m really mourning its absence here.

But while those are things you can know about going in, the bugs are something you might not expect. During the tutorial, Wildermyth: Console Edition crashed two times in the second year on the Switch, and once in the third. It’s a blessing there are autosaves, so at least I didn’t lose much progress. However, it’s always disappointed when that’s a problem at launch.

Another issue is that enemies don’t always render properly. It won’t happen in every battle, mind you. Sometimes, it will be fine. But every few matches, you’ll be faced with odd boxes on the field instead of your expected opponents. They warp and glitch out. It can even make targeting difficult, since I found I’d sometimes have problems properly selecting them.

I will say that with this version, we do get a Monster Compendium, at least. Which is fine. It’s a bestiary that lets you go over the enemies from the different campaigns as you play them. I feel it’d be most handy if you’re trying to start a new run and want a refresher of who’d you encounter in each one. You know, see if you’re up to dealing with some of the more frustrating enemies. (Stormthroats and Deevens are so annoying.) But I’m honestly playing Wildermyth more to see what heroes I create and how strong they can become, so learning more about opponents isn’t too much of a priority. It’s nice to have, but I didn’t use it beyond checking it out for this review.

Wildermyth: Console Edition is fun thing to have and the Switch game library is improved by its existence, but it can’t top the PC release. At least, not yet. The game is generally great. It’s a joy when it works well. However, it isn’t the best way to play Wildermyth, and that’s a shame. As much fun as it is, its omission of later additions like Omenroad, lack of online multiplayer, and rampant bugs keep it from being the one I’d recommend.

Wildermyth: Console Edition is available on the Switch, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X. The original game debuted on PCs.