The first announcement of Bullet Witch conjured up images of an explosive tale, showcasing the quest of a lone, vengeful vixen content on destroying wicked minions with the power of an almighty rage. It stylised expansive cities and endless locations to roam, while providing the perfect playing field for dispatching waves of the evil dead to the rhapsody of humanity's saving grace. It was a delightfully lustful concept, one potent enough to liven the adrenal thirst of any hack-and-slash gamer. However, somewhere between concept and creation Bullet Witch flew off hastily into the night only to crash-land into a caldron of much boil and bubble. To put things in perspective if Bullet Witch were a dish best served, it would be to the general direction of the waste bin, or at least back to Chef for reappraisal.

You see, without any disillusion Bullet Witch is an unfinished game and screams Beta test from first-to-final glance. While it is customary for a reviewer to guide the reader through a discussion of a game's features before drawing such conclusions, I feel compelled to get this out of the way as early as possible. Bullet Witch is underdone and it really should not have been released this state. What makes matters worse is that this isn't the first stab they've taken: the American and European release is an enhanced and reworked version of what the poor Japanese received. If this is a taste of what Japan received upon the release of the Xbox 360, then it's little wonder the console was met with such minimal enthusiasm. Only the most steadfast genre fan might find something to appreciate beneath the dread and unstitched ruffles found throughout Bullet Witch. It pains me to say it, but I've already salted and burned my copy for final restitution.

For the masochists out there Bullet Witch tells the story of humanity's destruction upon the release of a malignant single anomaly - presumably born out of the pain-and-suffering of the anguished - which has opened a portal for the armies of hell to set-up shop on Earth. As Evil's destructive powers grow the last human survivors regroup for a final showdown. At this time the game's protagonist, a witch named Alicia, appears from the darkness to lead the human race to their unseen end and pierce the attack of the underworld. It has a familiar premise, but the main concept behind Bullet Witch has enough flavour to promise a satisfactory direction. However, the game's derivative mix of narrow gauntlet running, the unlocking of passages through many of the major environments, and unpolished presentation really diminish what could otherwise have been an extravagant and highly entertaining romp. Much of Bullet Witch takes place in ravaged cities and decidedly urban environments, which to the game's credit is well scaled.

However, extensive time is spent running back-and-forth from point A-to-B unlocking coloured barriers to other sections of the city. This task often requires destroying enemies of a *sigh* corresponding colour, such as the hideously titled Walnut-Head, which is a yodelling flying brain, that can lift heavy objects telepathically and hurl them in your direction for a shower of one-hit-death inanity. Mind you the repetitiveness of barrier bashing really saps life from the rather shallow enjoyment one might otherwise find. Fortunately, the game isn't all about unlocking pathways and several levels do provide momentary relief.

However, for the most part environments are sterile and void of life. Other than the occasional collection of aimless NPCs bobbing around (which for some reason you have the option to save from death), the environments lack a strong degree of artistic flare. In addition, buildings, stores, and homes are all out of bounds and cannot be entered, while invisible barriers (in addition to the coloured ones) strangle any false sense of immersion. As such, the environments are sterile, empty, and quite often near painful to traverse, as you merely cover ground to get to the next story arc or boss encounter.

On this note boss encounters are fun to a large extent and occur steadily throughout the game. My first encounter with the monolithic Giga really forced me to sit-up and pay attention. It is a towering bipedal beast with enough force to create major panic and brute destruction. Many of the bosses or key events in the game create suitable action to compensate for an otherwise dull afternoon stroll. Boss encounters also call upon the provision of new magical powers that are bestowed by an unseen spiritual ally, named the Darkness; seeing through your eyes as you go about saving the last flicker of humanity.

If there were one thing to praise about Bullet Witch it would be its colourful methods of destruction that can be upgraded throughout the course of the game. Alicia's lightning strike in particular deserves a special mention. With enough magical power at her possession, Alicia is able to send an elemental rage crashing down upon her adversaries, which can level structures and lay waste to groups of enemies. More flamboyant attacks such as the elegant Rose-Spear shoots out a vine of spikes and impales victims before delicately roasting them to a crisp. Furthermore, Alicia can use more practical methods such as her Gunrod, which is a shape-shifting gun/broomstick with different ammunition settings and magical properties. Combine this with a handy melee attack and an impressive acrobatic manoeuvre and Alicia is a near perfect weapon.

However, combat, while fun to engage in, isn't without its faults. First, accessing the magic interface is a little cumbersome during the heat of battle. When fighting enemies the few precious seconds wasted cycling through a list of magical attacks using the shoulder buttons (all before finding your target), can often lead to instant death. A quicker option to set predefined keys using the D-pad would have freed-up the process. Second, Alicia suffers from animation arthritis. The time it takes for Alicia to draw her Gunrod, find her target and recover from being hit often results in a cycle of taking fire and falling to her misery. Third, melee attacks are very clunky. You could be standing right beside an opponent and miss them completely, plus you cannot move once inside an attack, which frequently leaves you vulnerable to surrounding enemies. It is a bit of a shame, because Bullet Witch should have been a feudal river of graceful warfare, rather than the sticky mess that was left behind.

In addition, the A.I. of enemies is comedic at best. Not only are your foes extremely repetitive in their appearance, but they also suffer from a severe case of ham-fisted behaviour. Some seem to be unusually short sighted and require a near tap on the shoulder and a how do you do before deciding to run and scream, while others can spot you from a mile away and clip you right between the eyes. Occasionally foes will jump out of the way or move around to evade fire, however their combativeness seems to rely more on a higher health/hit count than flanking tactics. It is possible to release an entire clip into foot soldiers and still be on the receiving end of a muzzle flash. The real downfall though is that there are rarely enough enemies on the screen at any one time. Having to mow down hordes of enemies like in Capcom's Dead Rising, would have made a more entertaining and stomach clenching experience...at least zombies have an excuse for being mindless!

The presentation of Bullet Witch is a mixed bag, also. Like the game in general, there are rare moments that make you think things are about to turn around for the better. While at other times you are forced to wince as if you encountered the visual equivalent of fingernails clawing their way down a blackboard. Unfortunately, it is the latter that occurs most frequently and by the time you have finished with Bullet Witch you may need to invest in a new pair of bifocals.

First, the low-resolution shadow textures (similar to those found in Battle for Middle Earth II, Perfect Dark Zero, and Need for Speed: Most Wanted to name a few) clash with the rest of the reasonably textured environments. Especially in the opening level the dusk lit suburban streets continuously flicker as if they were designed to instill a nose-bleeding hex upon players. Trees and other shadowed objects look like they are sending Morse code as they flash like a gloomy Halloween decoration while on the move. Second, there is some mild jaw-smacking pop-up encountered across the game. In addition, outdoor environments frequently feel like they are strung together like building blocks upon a child's placemat. Environments have a really unpolished feel about them, and while their size and scope may appear delicious upon first gaze the, ground beneath is most definitely sour.

However, there are some nice qualities about Bullet Witch that deserve mention. The magical effects of Alicia are beautiful to behold with plenty of fire and brimstone to wet your whistle. The tornado spell in particular releases a giant whirlwind of havoc that reaches up into the sky pulling down helicopters, and ripping up environmental structures from below. Some objects can also be ignited and sent rocketing toward the sky; however they also feel scattered and inconsistent, as if they were an afterthought. The cinematic clips which thankfully occur throughout each chapter look reasonably good and of a respectable quality. They are by no means blockbuster material, but they are reminiscent to what industry veterans Capcom might produce, which is a respectable achievement. It is clear the developers had a lot they wanted to achieve with Bullet Witch, and while many of the game's ideas would have made an extravagant gaming pleasure, they simply were not crafted well enough for the final release.

The sound of Bullet Witch has an offbeat flavour to it, especially the voice acting of enemies and NPCs. Enemies in particular come across as sounding incredibly comical in tone with loony shrills and deranged verbal clamour. It's fitting in a wacky sort of way and it never becomes repetitive or annoying. Alicia also bellows her wording-way during the summoning of magical spells and her enchanted catch phrases sound sufficiently ominous and alluring. It's a little naff but fun all the same. The Darkness also provides some assistance during the course of the game and sounds respectably gruff, but I guess that's to be expected when calling from beyond the pits of oblivion. In addition, cinematic sequences also possess a strong degree of dialogue and fortunately they all sound suitably authentic, which is a pleasant surprise. The score however is predominantly event based and resonates in response to the action. It is standard fare, but it does the job to a treat.

It must be mentioned that there isn't much in the way of replay with Bullet Witch. The story isn't compelling enough to warrant a second play unless you really want to upgrade all your Gunrod forms and spells, or to net extra Achievements. There's no multiplayer – adversarial or co-op – so there is little to sink your teeth into on Xbox Live. The exception is the inclusion of Leaderboards and some free and paid-for Downloadable Content in the form of retooled levels and some new costumes for Alicia., All in all it's rather trivial considering that the game doesn't seriously entice point scoring and the alternate levels aren't ranked. This could have been easily fixed with increased enemy numbers and a chain combo system with instantly gratifying hit point counter. Although by the time you have finished the single player game of Bullet Witch you are more than ready to once again embrace the sunshine.