One of the interesting things I’ve run into with some subgenres is that the first memorable game you played in it can be the one that sets the bar for every other one you run into. Normally you’d think that games from years, or decades, ago would have a hard time doing that, but especially in the more casual or indie spaces I’ve found that this happens with some regularity. When it comes to the time management subgenre the gold standard I tend to still refer back to is the classic Diner Dash. Finding that balance of a hectic pace, the need to multi-task, and optimizing your routes, it remains a benchmark in my mind. Though Tiny Witch has aspirations of pulling off this general style of play, but with some more cozy trappings, it unfortunately more often manages to get in its own way.

Distilling it to its essence, you’re a witch operating a shop whose task is to create a variety of concoctions for her customers. You’ll need to prepare different elements using tools like your cauldron or a mortar and pestle, then take those elements to combine them into a variety of recipes. Of course, you’ll have different customers who have varying levels of patience and wealth, so you’ll also need to try to prioritize who you’re helping first and when, or at least trying to placate them while you wait for everything to finish being prepared. If you’re successful enough over ten days you’ll move to a new locale with new variations to be challenged by, starting out once again from scratch.

My primary issue here is one I’ve had with numerous games in the space, and that’s the fact that it is designed less to test your multi-tasking than your patience. Even as you flesh your shop out with new and improved equipment, or other items that will help you out, you’re too often at the mercy of a poor fixed layout and too little equipment to do a reasonable job of satisfying your customers. Rather than being a hectic and fast-moving affair where you’ll be able to amaze yourself at how much you can knock out solo, you’ll spend a fair amount of time simply waiting for something to finish. Yes, you can try to talk to customers to dial down their impatience, or sweep up messes from the leaky roof or irate patrons. That said, the lifeblood of your successful shop is usually hamstrung by there being more potential business than you can handle, so you’ll simply limp along, picking who will give you the most money, and having to ignore the rest.

Maybe the problem is just me, that I want to be able to work out what I can do to optimize my activities, the layout of my store, or some other factors to then kill it every shift… but this isn’t a game designed to do that. Instead you’ll need to live within your limitations, do your best with what you’ve got, and sort of limp along overall. Whether cozy and charming or not, there are simply time management games in the eShop that tackle the subgenre better than this does, and feel more satisfying to play.