“Soulslike” is a perfectly apt word to describe all the games that borrow ideas from FromSoftware’s modern school of design. It’s something that’s here to stay, and when I play something like Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree, I can’t think of a better way to describe its soul.
Members of this site (and dark fantasy enjoyers in general) have been keeping tabs on this project for quite a while, so I ventured into the Entropy-ridden land of Faelduum thanks to Mandragora’s last preview build ahead of its April 17 launch. This wasn’t my first rodeo, however. I’d already played the demo released late last year, so I was eager to find out how the good stuff could feel even better and whether its rougher edges had been smoothed out ahead of the long-anticipated full release.
Publisher Knights Peak and developer Primal Game Studio don’t try to evade the easy comparisons in the official Steam description of the game: “Slash, burn, and rage your way through Mandragora, a 2.5D side-scroller action-RPG with deep Metroidvania and Soulslike elements.” Move to the next sentence and there’s even talk of a special lantern capable of transporting the player to a different realm. Lords of the Fallen, anyone?
As the gaming industry as a whole (aside from some gigantic “whales”) struggles to stay afloat, too many studios are convinced they need to reinvent the wheel to succeed. Look back at surprising hits in recent years outside the AAA realm (such as Balatro, Vampire Survivors, or Helldivers 2), and you’ll notice they simply were clever riffs on formulas that had evolved (and continue to do so) for years if not decades. Sure, uncompromised visions and bold design swings gave them their sauce and made them stand out, but they partially were the result of iterating on already-established subgenres.
The truth is innovation in gaming (and art as a whole if we look at the bigger picture) never happens in total isolation from what other artists and developers are doing. Even the strangest, most off-beat video game has been influenced by many others in both its own and entirely different genres. The faster an aspiring creative accepts this, the better. In the case of Mandragora, I think it’s fair to say everyone involved had extremely clear references. More importantly, they had a vision that could make it stand out despite how derivative it might sound on paper… plus the required level of craft to land their swings.
First of all, I must underline Mandragora feels great to play. A disappointing amount of takes on the Soulslike and/or Metroidvania formulas look the part, but completely fail to “feel good” in the moment-to-moment experience. It’s hard to convey with just words, but the amalgamation of the right mechanics, systems, controls, and feedback is even more important when dealing with this type of video game. It doesn’t matter that a big dark fantasy (or sci-fi) adventure is crushingly hard as long as there’s a solid loop and most actions are satisfying to perform. As far as I can tell, Primal Game Studio nailed this. Every trailer of Mandragora I watched looked weighty and crunchy, and my two hands-on experiences with it didn’t disappoint on that front.
There’s also a distinct (if a bit familiar) look to the Faelduum-set action-RPG; the various locales I’ve been able to visit are gloomy and menacing, but the artists never sacrificed the vibrancy of its colors nor the depth of the backgrounds to create the dark atmospheres. It’s also the right amount of hazy; there’s a softness to the overall visual presentation that almost gives it a nightmare-like touch which is sort of perfect given the matters at hand. The traditional Unreal Engine “shader stutters” are as terrifying as the many monsters lurking around, though.
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Faced with the choices of re-rolling a knight-like class in this preview or checking out the mage and rogue-like options, I opted to grab some magic with one hand and hold a blade with the other. To the shock of almost no one, sorcery seems to be very OP in this game, too. The “Spellbinder” skill/perk tree isn’t too restrictive either; certain nodes allowed me to build a tankier spellcaster instead of a glass cannon. Mandragora’s progression is quite straightforward and works exactly like you’d expect from a game sticking close to FromSoftware’s teachings. That said, the equipment and skill layers are closer to the Diablo breed of ARPGs. An enticing mix indeed.
There’s a specific rhythm to the combat too even if you think you know how it’s gonna behave. It’s not a relentless, fast-paced Metroidvania because of its perspective, but it’s not as tactical and flexible as your average Soulslike title, either. It’s important to read and act smartly on the enemies’ moves (and their numbers), but you won’t be seeing them wait for an opening for too long. Making the most of the space you’re given is quite important, it seems. That’s why I was more than happy to blast away smaller evildoers and cursed creatures with a magic beam while drinking mana potions that weren’t super expensive.
Perhaps my biggest gameplay-related question before the full game launches is whether resource management and having the right consumables on you (beyond HP/MP drinks) will be essential to beating the game. Some investments paid off big time when facing a few annoying mini-bosses, but I also could get past a good number of roadblocks with just my raw ability to pull back and evade at the right moment. Maybe I’m overthinking the loop and possible tactics here. In any case, Mandragora has enough going on (and the lively world factors into it) to accommodate a large number of playstyles, and that makes me hopeful for what’s to come beyond its starting areas.
I’ll also have to wait until the full release to figure out if I care about this “chosen one” narrative, which may or may not have darker undercurrents than what we can see at a quick glance. I doubt its quality will “make or break” the game, but here’s hoping for something serviceable at least. We’ll know soon enough.
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is launching on April 17 on PC (Steam & Epic Games Store), PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and Nintendo Switch.
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