Editorials
A Look At the Afflictions of ‘The Witch’
“Speak of the Devil and he is bound to appear.” – Proverb
While the 17th century Enlightenment brought about a wave of reason in European politics and religion, those Puritan riffraff over in New England still saw the Devil prowling in every dark corner of the room. Providential messages appeared to them everywhere. Got a toothache? You’re not praying hard enough, pal. Did you dream about your neighbor? Then she’s most certainly a witch. The neighbor’s pig that wandered onto your land isn’t just a pig. In their world consumed with prayer and chores, everything had meaning and that meaning was usually the Devil.
Set against this backdrop of sinful causality is writer-director Robert Eggers’ richly detailed debut film The Witch. Set decades before New England was seized by full-blown witch hysteria, Eggers’ film traces one family’s descent into bewitched paranoia and madness. Adding to the authenticity of the film’s design and language is the laundry list of occult imagery and afflictions ripped straight from historical accounts. Animal familiars, human-animal suckling, the Devil’s book, the man in black, inability to remember prayers – it’s all there in beautiful detail that adds so much terrifying weight to the film. These are all actual things colonialists claim to have seen/experienced. It’s recorded history. That may be the scariest aspect of the entire film.
Since we can’t seem to get enough of this film, I thought it’d be fun to look closer at some of these historical afflictions as they relate to the film.
Massive SPOILERS for The Witch follow.
The Man in Black, His Book, and His Cheap Ass Gifts
Near the end of the film, Thomasin has a little sit down with Black Phillip, who speaks to her in a disturbingly seductive voice – offering her butter, clothes, and a trip to foreign lands. Enough booty to sell one’s soul for back then, no doubt. All she has to do is sign his book.
This book shows up frequently in accounts of witches and their pact with the Devil. Puritan minister Cotton Mather wrote of afflicted 15-year-old servant girl Mercy Short in 1692, “The devil showed her his book, which was ‘somewhat long and thick’…and filled not only with the names and marks, but also with the explicit…covenants.”
During the trials, many were accused of signing this book and many accusers stated that when tempted with the book, they saw the names of others inside its pages. This was a simple way to accuse somebody else.
In contrast to the gaudy fancy-pants living in England, Puritans dress was as simple as could be. So it wasn’t odd for the Devil to offer them swankier clothes (gold buckles, frilly swag, etc.). Continuing to write about Mercy Short, Mather stated the Devil showed her “very splendid garments…and many more conveniences.” Just a little fashion show between the Devil and a servant girl.
And yes, there are accounts of the Devil offering people butter in exchange for their souls. What a cheap bastard. One account I found dates back to Kalisz, Poland in 1613. Next time you’re picking up that tub of Country Crock in the grocery store, remember, people had to sell their soul for that stuff back in the day.
As the scene continues, Black Phillip transforms into a human dressed up for goth night. Before the 16th century, the Devil was typically depicted as an animal or some kind of hybrid. Y’know the deal: bipedal guy with horns, pointed tail, cloven hooves. A real Dr. Moreau reject. Gradually the Devil became perceived as more human-like and oftentimes dressed in black. During the Salem witch trials of 1692, accusers referred to the Devil as the “black man” – not referring to the color of his skin (although sometimes he appeared as a Native American), but to his dress.
“Thus the people of Salem in New-England pretended to be bewitched, and that a black man tormented them by the instigation of such and such, whom they resolved to bring to the gallows.” – Daniel Defoe’s Political History of the Devil (1726)
“Sucked by Imps”
The Witch has its share of animal familiars: the hare, the crow, and Black Phillip. In the chilling scene where Katherine is visited by the specters of Caleb and her baby in the night, she nestles the babe to her breast. This cuts to the crow familiar having a go at her teat – leaving her with a bloody breast in the morning.
The European mythology of animal familiars goes back centuries and trickled over to the colonies with the Puritans. Familiars are magical aides, sent by Satan, in the form of animals that assist witches in their nasty deeds. The most popular example is a cat, which lead to the widespread association with black cats and witches. In exchange, the familiars got to suckle blood from the witch, usually from an unnatural teat that would become damning evidence if discovered on one’s body. As legal proof used to convict several witches, the teat became known as one of the “witch’s marks.”
The teat could be your typical nipple, but sometimes was found in odd places, like in between two fingers or even on a leg, which is where Eunice “Goody” Cole, the only woman convicted of witchcraft in New Hampshire, was said to have one:
“A place in her leg which was provable where she had been sucked by imps…the second testifieth that they heard the whining of puppies or such like under her coats as though she had a desire to suck.”
This nourishing of a familiar wasn’t just for the ladies. John Willard, one of the five men executed in Salem, was said to have done so by one of his accusers:
“I saw this Willard suckle the apparition of two black pigs on his breasts.”
The Lord’s Prayer: Damned If You Do, Damned If You Don’t
To me, the most disturbing scene in The Witch is Caleb’s death. Not only does little Harvey Scrimshaw deliver an incredibly unnerving performance as he calls out to Jesus and laughs himself into death, but this is also the moment where the family full on turns against one another and spiral into madness.
It’s sparked by twins Mercy and Jonas, who accuse Thomasin of being a witch. In disbelief, William commands his family to pray. The rub is, the twins can’t remember the Lord’s Prayer – something a Puritan knows backwards and forwards. Their excuse for forgetting this staple prayer? Thomasin has bewitched them, of course.
Demanding that the accused recite the Lord’s Prayer word-for-word was a popular tactic during the witch trials. It was believed that witches were not able to speak it, and that if they were unable to or flubbed it in the least bit, it was because they were in league with the Devil. Like the teat and witch’s mark, this was conclusive evidence among authorities. Under such duress – recite perfectly or die – many simply could not handle the pressure.
However, being able to recite the prayer didn’t always work out in one’s favor. During the Salem trials, accused witch and former pastor George Burroughs recited it verbatim while standing up on Gallows Hill. An impossible feat for a witch. He was also said to deliver a plea for his innocence that drew tears from many who attended his execution. After he was killed, it was Cotton Mather who comforted the crowd, stating that, “the devil has often been transformed into an Angel of Light.” Meaning, Burroughs was only able to recite the Lord’s Prayer because of the Devil’s trickery. Hang him high.
If you dig this subject, here’s some suggested reading. And if you read all these books, the Devil will bring you butter, I swear…
A Storm of Witchcraft: The Salem Trials and the American Experience by Dr. Emerson W. Baker. (I’m a bit biased here since Dr. Baker was a professor of mine at Salem State University)
A Delusion of Satan: The Full Story of the Salem Witch Trials by Frances Hill
The Witches: Salem, 1692 by Stacy Schiff
I’m always a big fan of trying out new demos during Steam Next Fest, but this one feels particularly packed with great options. It feels like a lot of developers, from AAA to indie, were trying to capitalize on buzz from a particularly strong Summer Game Fest by letting people try their game out right after their big trailer debut. It’s a strong strategy, one that has given me a bunch of new titles on my Steam wishlist.
There are tons to go through, but here are six that grabbed me if you’re looking for a place to start.
PENGUIN COLONY
We’ve seen the works of H.P. Lovecraft adapted in so many different ways in video games throughout the years. Whether direct adaptations or merely riffs on his themes, everything from the Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth to Bloodborne has given its take on cosmic horror concepts. What possible new perspective could there be for Lovecraftian fiction? How about a penguin’s perspective? Penguin Colony, the next game from Umarangi Generation creators Origame Digital, draws inspiration from stories like “At the Mountains of Madness“ and “The Shadow Out of Time“ to tell a tale of ancient beings hidden in the Antarctic seen through the eyes of a penguin.
It sounds like an odd pitch that’s extremely gimmicky, but after my time with the demo, it’s clear that they’re onto something. As a penguin, you waddle, slide, and swim your way through the desolate Antarctic landscape, running into remnants of an expedition that’s hunting for something in the ice. Aside from the environmental storytelling, narrative is delivered through voiceover, delivered by Lenval Brown of Disco Elysium fame, making for a moody trip through a barren world.
At its core, it’s essentially a walking simulator, but one with interesting movement options and oppressive atmosphere. In a clever touch, the wind effects act as your guide when you get lost, giving you a nudge in the right direction while also making your environment feel maximally chilling in the process. I love weird little experimental storytelling games like this, and I can’t wait to see how Penguin Colony explores Lovecraft from its unique perspective.
Penguin Colony is due out later this year.
ASCENDERS: BEYOND THE PEAK
While this game is also Lovecraft inspired, it couldn’t be further in gameplay from Penguin Colony. Ascenders: Beyond the Peak is a turn-based tactical mountain climbing game in which you face monsters and madness the higher you get. Mountain climbing has also been a popular theme recently, with games like Cairn or Jusant, but the turn-based approach feels wholly original, transforming the act of climbing into a board game-like experience. The clever gameplay is wrapped up in a roguelike structure that adds a lot of desperate decision-making as your journey goes on and supplies grow scarce.
The sheer cliff face you scale is represented on a grid, with various outcroppings that both block your way and offer places for you to rest. Each climb, you select three characters, who have different stats and abilities based on their class, and send them up the mountain. Their stamina is the most obviously important stat, which drains any time they are hanging from the side of a mountain. Resting on a ledge will recover one stamina, but time is always passing, and conditions are getting worse by the moment.
The most clever twist to your ascent is that your climbers are attached by rope, meaning you have to be smart about sending them through different routes to scavenge for supplies scattered around the map. As you run across creatures or mad climbers, combat comes into play as well, making the already dangerous climb even more deadly. I only did the tutorial and one run in my time with the demo, but I’m excited to see how the Lovecraftian elements come more into play when the game hits Early Access later this year.
ONIMUSHA: WAY OF THE SWORD
Capcom has been on a roll lately. Resident Evil games, Pragmata, Monster Hunter, the list goes on. It was only a matter of time before they started digging into their back catalog to revive beloved series of the past. Given the success of Sekiro and Ghost of Tsushima/Yotei, it shouldn’t be surprising that they are bringing back their samurai action-horror series Onimusha with an all-new entry. It’s been decades since I last played any of the games in the series, so while I don’t know if it replicates the originals exactly, Onimusha: Way of the Sword at least gives me the same feeling the old games did.
The demo itself is very action-heavy, sending you through a small village overtaken by demonic creatures. It’s a smooth combat experience that feels a bit more like a character action game a la Devil May Cry than a soulslike, which works fine for the tone it strikes. Enemies have both a health bar and a stamina bar, and breaking the stamina bar allows you to do a devastating attack that dismembers and kills them. There are also bonus attack windows granted with perfect dodges and parries, adding a satisfying timing element to the fights. While I found most of the standard encounters to be pretty easy, it did end with a slick boss fight that took me a few tries to get through, so it’s clear that Capcom likely has some more tricks up its sleeve to challenge the player more than this demo. It’s great to see the series back, and it looks like Way of the Sword is going to be a return to form. I’m very excited to see how it plays when it’s released on September 25.
Onimusha: Way of the Sword will also launch on PlayStation 5, the Xbox Series, and the Epic Games Store.
BLOOD DUNGEON
I liked Vampire Survivors enough when it came out, but it didn’t get its hooks in me the way its card-battling cousin did. It was a fun idea, but its gameplay complexity never really elevated to a point that kept me coming back after I started winning runs. Blood Dungeon, the latest game from the creator of indie hit Nidhogg, takes the autoshooting formula that Vampire Survivors made popular and puts it in a 2D platformer context, breathing new life into the subgenre.
At the start of the run, you pick a character that comes with a starting weapon, then you’re dropped into a 2D platforming level with waves of enemies coming after you. Right off the bat, you have access to a barbarian, who summons a sword to float around him, and a gunman, who shoots quick bursts of bullets. Just like Vampire Survivors, you kill dudes with these attacks that are on their own timers, collecting blood and selecting between random modifiers or weapon upgrades when you level up.
Not only does the new perspective add a lot more excitement to the genre, but I was surprised at the amount of movement options you had at your disposal. In addition to jumping around, you can climb on pretty much any surface, allowing you to scale walls or hang from ceilings as you attempt to avoid your enemies. There are also ladders and Super Mario World-esque chain-link fences you can climb on to aid your escape. I know this all sounds like pretty basic platforming action, but the dynamic ways you can escape make it feel so much more thrilling than your standard survivor-like. Jumping between bats only to hang from a ceiling over a knight while your sword slashes him, then leaping to a ladder to pursue a treasure chest, is exciting stuff, and that power curve you feel as you level up feels so meaningful.
On top of that, its Newgrounds flash game art style is unique and readable, making it easy for you to parse the chaos on the screen. I thought I was done with Vampire Survivor-likes, but this one might earn a place in my rotation whenever it’s released.
ENTROPY
I enjoyed my time with Lovely Hellplace’s Dread Delusion, a weird Morrowind-like RPG from a couple years ago, but it didn’t stick with it through the end. Entropy, their new tactical turn-based RPG inspired by classic JRPGs, seems to be a genre that’s a lot more in my wheelhouse, but still retaining the weird PSX-style visuals that give it so much character. You begin in a small medieval town as the sole surviving member of a theatre troupe after a horde of demons descends. After cleverly building the basics of your character by selecting options as you try to remember your lines in the play, you’re off to the races, trying to build a party that will fight back creatures and get you to safety.
The combat so far is fairly standard turn-based RPG mechanics, with two rows on each side that allow for a bit of tactical positioning. Attacks are emphasized with dynamic zooms that make them feel a bit more exciting, even if the animations remain pretty basic. You have one character that you control as you go through towns that cannot die, even if knocked out in battle, but every other member of your party has the chance of being lost if a battle turns south. Seems like the intention is for you to be thorough in your exploration, finding as many party members as you can to keep your ranks full, giving you incentive to do side quests.
After getting through the opening town, I was presented with a classic world map to navigate that brought me to some fun areas that had all sorts of strange inhabitants, like a band of mercenaries interrogating a head hanging from a tree. While I think I need to see more of the game to see if the combat has the tactical depth I need to keep me hooked, the vibe on display in the demo has me eager to dive in when it’s released in Early Access this August 16.
Entropy launches into Early Access on August 16.
VALOR MORTIS
Even though Ghostrunner was extremely my jam aesthetically, I couldn’t get into the punishing rhythm of precision wall running and one-hit-kill sword slashing as much as I wanted to. So when I saw the developer’s name on the reveal trailer for Valor Mortis, I was equal parts hopeful and skeptical. While the melee combat was a familiar aspect, the setting and inspirations were completely different. This first-person take on the soulslike genre casts you as an undead, supernaturally powerful soldier in Napoleon’s army trying to unravel a conspiracy that threatens all of humanity.
It’s a bold departure from Ghostrunner, but it’s easy to see the throughline if you look hard enough. They brought over the fast melee combat, but added some more intricacies that really bring to life the feeling of Bloodborne, but in first-person, which is no easy feat. You have all the standards of the genre – stamina, blocking, parrying, dodging – along with a pistol and magic options to round out your arsenal. Not only does it all come together and feel good in first person, but the setting feels really unique, with some grotesque soldiers-turned-monsters that test your mettle. At SGF, they announced a late September release date, but have since moved to October 13 to avoid release at the same time as some other heavy hitters.
Valor Mortis will also launch on October 13 for the PlayStation 5 and the Xbox Series.
Have you found any hidden gem demos for Steam Next Fest? Share your recommendation in the comments below!
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