Flying on a broomstick, fishing, dating—so busy! I tried magic school life in “Witchbrook,” a sim with endless possibilities [TGS2026 Report]

From September 17 to 21, 2026, the “TOKYO GAME SHOW 2026” is being held at Makuhari Messe.

In this article, we bring you a report on the hands-on demo session for the witch life sim *Witchbrook*, as well as an interview with the development team at “Chucklefish,” the game’s developer and publisher!

*Screenshots are from the game in development.

Fly through the sky on a broom, go fishing, and even go on dates! A hectic school life

The demo we played covered a single day shortly after the protagonist started college.

First, I woke up in the morning and watered the herbs in the garden. I could have used a hose, but this is where magic comes in. By holding my wand and tracing the magic circle in the correct order, I could summon a raincloud and water everything at once!

The way you trace the magic circles varies depending on the spell you want to cast. For example, the rain cloud spell requires a teardrop shape, while summoning a broom requires a broom shape—the shapes are linked to the spell’s effect, making them easy to remember, which is a nice touch.Since you can use magic for even small tasks in daily life, you can naturally experience the feeling of “living in a world where magic exists.”

I had a date planned for today, so I’m heading straight to my destination by flying on my broom. Since the broom can go up and down, it’s even possible to reach distant destinations in a single flight by skimming over rooftops.

As you actually move around the city, you’ll discover that there are various modes of transportation available—not just walking down the street to your destination, but also flying over rooftops on a broom or hopping on a bus from a bus stop. It’s appealing that you can choose your mode of transportation based on your mood that day—using vehicles when you want to reach your destination efficiently, or walking when you want to take your time admiring the cityscape.

On a date, you can rely on the heart symbols that appear on the map to visit spots your date might like and enjoy a pleasant time together. As you walk through the city, listen to what your date has to say and see if they’re enjoying themselves!

Even just on the way to your destination, the city is lined with all sorts of shops and buildings, making you want to take a detour and wonder, “What’s that store?” Even though you have a specific date in mind, you’ll find yourself gazing at the cityscape or peeking into places that catch your eye—and that’s where you’ll feel the unique sense of freedom this game offers.

The date ends when you walk them home.When looking for a house, it’s handy to use the house number hanging on the front door as a guide! Of course, you can get around on a broom, but you can also take the bus from the bus stops located throughout the town. You can hop around to various places using public transportation, or—since the details of each house and shop are so beautifully crafted—you can choose to walk around and explore the townscape at your own pace.

After that, I stopped by the fishing club. There, I received a fishing rod from the master anglers chatting away. This unlocks the fishing feature.

If you spot fish near the lake or the coast, just cast your line and press the button at the right moment to catch them—it’s that simple! Since the controls are straightforward, you can easily enjoy it during a quick break.

The fish you catch are saved in an encyclopedia, and as you keep fishing, more information about them is revealed. It’s not over once you’ve caught one—by repeatedly catching them, you gradually gather more details, creating a system that makes you want to collect them all to complete the encyclopedia.

Besides fish, there are plenty of other species, like herbs and birds! It seemed like it would be fun to work toward completing the field guide by collecting items and going birdwatching. Since you’ll naturally make new discoveries just by walking around town—not just by studying at the magic school—you’ll be able to decide for yourself how to spend your day, whether it’s “I’ll attend class today” or “I’ll go fishing today.”

Another feature I found wonderful is that when you select a book, it opens the cover, and you can view the contents with an animation that mimics turning the pages. While it takes a little extra effort, this presentation—rather than simply checking information from a menu screen—gives you the immersive feeling of actually reading textbooks or cookbooks alongside the protagonist.

These subtle touches convey that the game prioritizes the feeling of “living in this world as a wizard” rather than simply presenting information.

Finally, I climbed into bed, checked my daily evaluation, and the demo ended! Since you can see a list of what you did for each category, you can look back and think, “Did I really go to so many different places today?”

With so much to do, time flies by in the blink of an eye if you keep getting sidetracked by this and that. Even so, whether going on dates, fishing, or just walking around town, I was able to have a highly satisfying experience even in just a single day. While you have the freedom to spend your time as you wish, you also get to enjoy the fun of planning your own schedule by asking yourself, “What should I do today?”

I didn’t attend any classes this time since they weren’t on my schedule, but the system is set up so that you can check the bulletin board on campus, head to the classroom where the instructor is teaching, and attend the class. Therefore, keeping track of the time is crucial if you want to take classes.

Since you’re free to spend your time not only on “school life”—learning magic—but also on socializing in town, pursuing hobbies, and collecting items, how you spend your day will likely vary greatly depending on the player.

Since NPCs move around town, you might experience delightful surprises—like events triggering when you happen to walk into a shop or being approached by an unexpected character! Of course, you can check the map to locate them, so it also seems like fun to actively seek out specific characters and strike up a conversation.

Even in this brief hands-on session alone, I was able to experience quite a few elements, including life at the magic school, socializing in town, going on dates, fishing, collecting items, and simply strolling around town. Rather than pursuing a single goal, one of the major appeals of *Witchbrook* is the ability to spend your time thinking, “What should I do today?” based on your mood that day.

The Story Behind *Witchbrook*! Why We Created a Magical World and a “Place of Your Own”

This time, we had the opportunity to speak with Steph Caskenette (hereinafter “Steph”), CCO of “Chucklefish,” and Rodorigo Braz Monterio (hereinafter “Rodorigo”), the company’s CTO.

—Please introduce yourselves!

Steph: I’m Steph Caskenette. I’m the Art Director. I’m also primarily involved in writing the romance-related storylines.

Rodorigo: I’m Rodorigo Braz Monterio. I serve as Technical Director and am involved in some aspects of programming.

—What inspired you to start developing this game?

Steph: It all started because I wanted to create an origin story for my own character in the town. While characters in other games may exist as part of the town, I wanted to create a game where players can find their own special place within it.

—That’s true—during the demo earlier, the sense of immersion was incredible, as if I were actually living inside the game! Where did that idea come from?

Rodorigo: After we finished developing *Starbound*, we held an internal pitch event where we brainstormed ideas. Someone suggested, “Let’s make a game set in a magical world.” It was such a great idea that we adopted it, and that’s how we ended up here.

—Since it’s a life sim set in a magical world, I imagine there’s a lot you can do. Is there any particular aspect you focused on?

Steph: Personally, I focused on the “acquiring knowledge” system. During development, one of our challenges was “how to make school fun.” When you think of school, the typical flow is going to class, sitting down, and listening to the lecture… but I think it’s a pretty good idea that you can actually apply the knowledge you learn there in the outside world and then take exams based on that.

—I heard this game features multiplayer. What kind of gameplay are you envisioning?

Rodorigo: Up to four players can play together, and we’re focusing on the fact that “everyone can play as the protagonist.” The concept is that each character lives a separate life while existing in the same world. The game is designed so that players can jointly manage businesses like shops.

—Are there any specific aspects of the visuals you focused on in particular?

Steph: In 2019, we adopted the top-down perspective we’re currently using. I love how cute it looks—almost like looking at a toy house—and the fact that the visuals have depth, allowing us to incorporate all sorts of details.

—Among the NPCs, there are characters you can go on dates with or trigger events with. Is there anything in particular you’d like players to pay attention to?

Steph: We made sure that no matter who plays, there’s a character to suit their taste. You can pursue romantic relationships with 11 characters, each with their own unique personality, so you’ll see a variety of situations unfold. It’s not just about going on dates—since the town itself is a community, your actions can even become the subject of gossip. I hope players will enjoy the town as a whole through these kinds of interactions.

Rodorigo: As for the romance elements, we thought it would be boring if all you could do was give gifts. So we created events—like dates—that allow for communication.

—Please tell us about future plans.

Steph: First off, we’re working hard to get the game released! (laughs) We have lots of ideas we’d like to implement in the future, so please stay tuned!

—Please share a final message!

Steph: Thank you to everyone who’s eagerly awaiting the release!

Rodorigo: We’ve poured all our creative energy into this game, so please enjoy it!

—Thank you very much!

“Witchbrook” is scheduled to be available onPC, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Switch 2, and XBOX. The latest updates are also being posted on the official Japanese X account, so stay tuned for future announcements! Please look forward to further updates!