Will CRPGs make a comeback? We probably wouldn’t be asking this question if it weren’t for a certain fantasy game released last August, but since then we’ve had a few more entries in the subgenre, the latest of which is Fool Theory’s The Thaumaturge.
In The Thaumaturge we play as Wiktor Szulski, who is unsurprisingly a thaumaturge. What is thaumaturgy, you ask? The best way to describe them is probably part Pokémon trainer, part wizard, and part Sherlock Holmes. They practice an ancient magical technique called Thaumaturgy, which allows them to see and tame otherworldly beings called Salutors, influence the minds of others, and see other things that the human mind cannot, Like associating someone’s anger with their coat.
The presence of thaumaturgy is not the only difference between this world and our own. The game is set in Warsaw in 1905, and we see a very different Polish capital. Split between different factions, its citizens are oppressed and seeking their old freedoms and freedoms. It’s an interesting setting, especially for 20th century history buffs who want to explore a different kind of Warsaw.
As Wiktor, the city first opens its doors to us as we hope to pursue the mystery of our father’s death. The Thaumaturge is divided into two main elements in terms of gameplay. Exploration gives you the top-down perspective you’d most likely associate with isometric RPGs, and combat switches to a third-person perspective, with you and your tribute fighting a group of enemies, taking turns in your actions.
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The combat in The Thaumaturge is the real highlight of the game. Exploration is less important, but we’ll deal with the positives first. In turn-based combat, you have two actions; one for Wiktor and one for the Salutor you command. You can bring quite a few saluters with you at once, and each of them has their own unique abilities. Bukavac, for example, is all about reducing the enemy’s health bar by dealing damage over time before landing a critical hit, and when you use Veles, you really hope the RNG gods will look kindly on you, because it has Opportunities to deal more damage, interrupt enemy movements, etc., but these effects are not guaranteed.
There’s a lot of variety in combat, from the tributes you choose to the passive skills you equip to attack, and there are a lot of different build options depending on how you want to play. The only drawback I found with the combat system is that using the slower movements feels useless. Yes, they may do more damage, but when you start attacking them, moving faster will have similar, if not better, effects.
Outside of combat, the experience largely boils down to you mashing the right button so that your thaumaturgy can guide you to your next objective. A line of red dust flows towards where you’re going on a given mission, and while you can find a few things along the way in Warsaw, most of what you’ll find are items that need to be read. There’s a lot to read in The Thaumaturge that goes beyond what you learn in the open world. If you wanted to read every description, every conclusion, every conclusion Wiktor came to after finding the evidence, you would be reading for hours. Whether you like it or not is a personal thing, but it’s pretty rare to find an interactive thing on a map that’s more than just something to read about. This makes the world feel like there’s a lot less to do than a noisy, bustling city should be, and it’s often the case that you just book it for your next destination rather than to see what Warsaw has to offer.
The plot has its strengths and there’s certainly some fun to be had, but it’s largely hampered by the character models, which feel rather dated, and the voice acting isn’t that great. Aside from Wiktor, Rasputin (yes, Rasputin), and a handful of characters, most of the other characters – even with the graphics tweaked all the time – look pretty lackluster. With the exception of key characters, most faces are reused, and it’s hard to really connect with the characters when their lips don’t exactly match what they’re saying. Outside of the characters, the game looks pretty good, especially when it comes to the tributes. I personally love Lelek, who is equally creepy and cute with his bug eyes staring blankly at me. The visuals aren’t exciting, but that’s not really what you come to an isometric RPG for.
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For the most part, I had a great time playing The Thaumaturge. Some of the fun is intentional, as the combat is still one of the most engaging parts of it, but some of it is laugh-out-loud when the dialogue doesn’t match the subtitles, or when characters move and speak in silly ways during cutscenes of. It’s certainly a journey I’ll remember, even if overall the game doesn’t really stand out in a lot of ways.
Another great thing about The Thaumaturge is that the standard edition is priced at £30 or €34.99, and for that price you do get quite a bit of content. A lot of it may feel repetitive, but if you’re willing to keep exploring Warsaw’s largely lifeless streets, pretty much any scrap of paper on the ground can take you to a new place. The Thaumaturge is stuffed with ideas that sound great on paper, but the end result may be more than it can chew, as many of its concepts feel undercooked without living up to their ambitious goals.
