Songs of Glimmerwick

Eastshade Studios made its name in 2019 with Eastshade, a painter’s-eye exploration game about seeing a place rather than conquering it. Songs of Glimmerwick, released September 30 after eight years in development, is the same studio trying a different genre: a story-driven witch academy RPG in which you enrol at the Etchery School of Magic and Melody, attend classes, join clubs, tend the university garden, and work out what is odd about the island around it. A demo had cleared a hundred thousand wishlists before launch, so expectations were high.

Every song a spell

The hook is the one in the title. Your flute and songbook are the magic system: different tunes talk to trees, enchant tools to work by themselves, call rain, or raise the ground so you can climb past natural obstacles. That matters because it makes the main action something you do rather than something you select from a menu. The studio is careful not to pitch this as a rhythm game, and it isn’t, but it does give the gardening and exploration loops a texture most cozy sims lack. Learning the full songbook looks like a long project in itself, with the achievement for mastering every spell song reportedly held by under one percent of players in launch week.

A school year with a pulse

Around that sits a proper academic calendar: potions, herbology and music classes, a dorm room with an eccentric roommate, a common room full of cats, seasonal festivals, curses, and a growing list of quests. Progress leans on companion questlines rather than gift-giving loops, and time is structured to serve the story. A small design decision says a lot about the intent: time freezes during calendar events so you never have to hurry to be somewhere. Everyone in the cast is voiced, and critics have been especially taken with the sung moments and a vocal-led soundtrack that gives way to crickets and running water at night.

Where it can wear

The complaints so far are modest and specific. The clearest is backtracking, with reviewers who otherwise love the game noting that crossing the map between classes, garden and town can start to feel like a chore. Several mini-games take practice, and some puzzle and exploration stretches are tougher than the relaxed tone implies. It also asks you to want what it offers: this is not a farming sim for spreadsheet optimizers, and players hoping to min-max will find the game uninterested in helping them. And it is PC only for now, with consoles promised but not dated.

Worth being upfront that this is an early read. Nine days in, the Steam score is 90% positive across roughly 250 reviews, one critic score is an 8 out of 10, and at least one reviewer has said they will update their piece after more time with the game. Praise this uniform is encouraging, but it usually softens a little as players reach the later seasons.

Verdict

Songs of Glimmerwick looks like a worthy follow-up from a studio with a clear sensibility: gentle, handsome, and built around one idea executed with care. If you wanted a witch-school life sim where the magic is something you perform, it is an easy recommendation at $24.99, and the free demo means you can check the tone before paying. The backtracking is the thing to watch as more players reach the late game.