Witchpunk review

Production company – Citeog Podcasts

Rating –

RELEASE DAY REVIEW

That’s right folks, it’s been a while since I’ve done one of these hasn’t it? I haven’t forgotten my review schedule, but a release day special takes precedence. Sean from Citeog Podcasts reached out to tell me about their new show and I had to get a review written specially. As you may remember, I’m a big fan of Citeog’s previous shows, and I was curious what they had in store. They’ve done haunted houses and apocalypses, so reading the overview of the new show I must admit I did have reservations. Could this story be made by a company like Citeog?

Looking out of the window, I saw that the sky over the port was the colour of a TV tuned to a dead channel, so I sat back, jacked in (not a euphemism) and pressed play on Witchpunk.

So what’s it about?

Witchpunk is an action packed cyberpunk audio drama. When I say “cyberpunk” I mean a very specific kind of cyberpunk. Back in the mid 80s, game company FASA (publishers of Battletech) released an odd mix of sci-fi, detective noir, and magic set in a near future dystopia called Shadowrun. Since then, it has changed publishers and platforms a few times, but it’s still going strong.

I only mention that as a possible touchstone for my readers who may remember the game. Witchpunk isn’t Shadowrun fan fiction, although I suppose it could be. The story follows a rag-tag group in charge of transporting a mysterious box for a rich client. Details are strictly need to know, and I guess the couriers don’t qualify (and to avoid spoilers, neither do you).

The crew of the “land ship” in charge of making this run are a motley crew indeed, and are helped by “combat witch” Alice. Her powers are similar to a hacker, but rather than computer networks, she operates in The Maybe. This is a parallel reality that controls all possible futures.

As their journey progresses, they encounter all manner of inhabitants of this world. Some friendly, some not. Will they make the delivery? Are they being set up? Plus, there is the small matter of just what exactly is attacking Alice the Witchpunk…

Is it any good?

Citeog Podcasts, as you will no doubt remember, are very close to my heart. I have really enjoyed their other shows, and this is no different. What is different, is that this show has really seen the company grow to something special. Their previous work was an exercise in doing a great deal with not much, and showed that if you have the talent and the drive, you don’t need big budget effects to make great podcasts.

Witchpunk is big budget. Or at least it seems to be. The cast is considerably larger than previous projects, and the sound design and music is also improved. I can understand why people new to making shows like this start to rely on AI in the misconception that they need to sound a certain way. There is much to be said for the epithet “don’t run before you can walk”.

Every story Citeog have done has slowly expanded on their skillset, and I really really look forward to hearing what they do next. A few years ago, all the good shows seemed to come from the Pacific North West, but recently Ireland has taken the crown for indie audio drama

Is it perfect? No. And as you may well know, the better a show is, the harder I judge it. That explains despite all my frothing and hyperbole, this show only has 4 brains. It is very good indeed though, and well worth listening to. I’ve been spoiled by getting these early episodes, but I really can’t wait to hear where this story goes.

Final thoughts

Listening to Witchpunk after knowing the previous work is really rewarding. Citeog Podcasts are quickly growing into a real force to be reckoned with in audio drama. I’ll be interviewing them soon, so you’ll be able to peep inside their skulls and see just what exactly makes them tick!

You can get Witchpunk here:

https://www.greatpods.co/podcasts/witchpunk-a-cyberpunk-story-7796107

For more great reviews, I recommend GreatPods

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