Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree Review
Barking Up the Right Tree
Primal Game Studio is an indie dev whose name may, at best, have carried some meaning to those entrenched in the League of Legends universe -- until now, that is. With the release of its side-scrolling action RPG Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree earlier this year, followed by its more recent Nintendo Switch port, the Budapest-based studio is looking to turn some heads in other niches as well. Considering the game's multi-faceted combat system, interesting dark fairy-tale world, and high production values, the studio is definitely well on its way to becoming a more renowned name.
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree takes place in the kingdom of Faelduum, where monsters rule the wilds and people have sought refuge in cities, behind thick walls and strong fortifications. It is a world of fear and darkness, ruled with an iron fist by the King Priest, supreme leader of both state and church, who instills the god-fearing population with fear and incites them to fanatical acts. It is a cruel world where neighbors and family members turn on each other in misguided piety, where only death puts an end to suffering. Players take on the role of an Inquisitor, a member of the King Priest's elite guard, sworn to protect him and carry out his orders with impunity.
The game opens on a public execution in the cathedral of Crimson City, the King Priest's seat of power, setting the dark and gritty tone right out of the gate. The victim, a hulking abomination revealed to be a witch, is set to be executed in a public display of the King Priest's power. However, things go awry, and the Inquisitor cuts the execution short by slaying the piteous creature outright. In order to regain control of the situation, the King Priest sets the Inquisitor on a hunt through the land of Faelduum to track down a second witch who is believed to be out there somewhere. However, the slain witch is able to secretly communicate with the Inquisitor, guiding their steps and setting them on a path that will ultimately reveal the true evil corrupting the land and attempt to set things right.
[caption id="attachment_108384" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Get ready to explore a dark and gritty fairy-tale setting.[/caption]
Unsurprisingly, a big focus of Mandragora is its combat. To that end, players are given an unusual amount of choice in combat styles, with six distinct builds to choose from, including some that specialize exclusively in melee or magic-based attacks, and everything in-between. It's also important to note that players are never locked out of abilities from outside their spec, with access to all six extensive talent trees to spend skill points on. Additionally, there's an additional talent tree that eventually becomes available, specifically to withstand the dangers of an alternate dimensional plane introduced later in the game. Even individual combat abilities can be permanently buffed in unique ways by spending points on them. Leveling itself hews close to the established 2D Soulslike formula, with the Inquisitor trading in essence earned in combat for levels and skill points at Witch Stones, which simultaneously act as fast-travel anchors and respawn all slain enemies when used. All essence is dropped on death and is permanently lost if not recovered before the next death.
When engaging the beastly hordes, players have access to both normal and strong attacks, and dodges and rolls for evasive maneuvers. There's a plethora of gear to buy, find, and loot, providing further offensive options; for example, going in swinging a two-handed battle axe, dual-wielding a pair of poison-coated daggers, or even the tried-and-true sword-and-shield combo. Certain character builds are tailored to take advantage of the game's ancillary and elemental damage systems, like inflicting a bleed effect that simultaneously heals the player or causing enemies to suffer continuous damage from venom or fire. Then there are the builds incorporating arcane arts, such as the fire-based magic of the Flameweaver, the chaos-infused destruction of the Spellbinder, or the holy essence of the paladin-like Vindicator. Flexibility is the name of the game, though no matter which class or weapon loadout is selected, combat is fast, frenetic, and often challenging.
[caption id="attachment_160702" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Go in swinging blades or hurling searing fireballs - dealer's choice.[/caption]
While normal enemies encountered in the wild can easily overwhelm via sheer numbers, it's the large-scale bosses that really pack a punch. Boss designs fit their surroundings and the game's overall atmosphere well and range from giant plague rats that continuously birth new offspring to harangue the player to shambling graveyard keepers and mythical forest wardens. The Inquisitor finds themself sent to square off against all manner of villains, like an ancient vampire lord in a suitably dank and brooding castle, or a monstrous humanoid spider. The first encounter with a new boss type often involves several doomed rounds of pattern recognition and repeated practice runs to master said patterns before finally emerging victorious. Sadly, while most bosses are unique, there's a pool of boss designs that makes several repeat appearances, often during sidequests off the beaten path, increasing damage stats and providing a color palette swap but little else. On the other end of the spectrum, the final handful of bosses skyrocket the difficulty curve, giving even highly leveled players some notable pushback.
Mandragora complements its combat with some satisfying world exploration. Locked doors and barred gates often require exploring elsewhere and returning at a later time, while other roadblocks are one-way obstacles that act as unlockable shortcuts as the map is more fully explored. Classic Metroidvania -esque ability gating also comes into play, locking off sections of the map and requiring the Inquisitor to attain new abilities first, like a double jump or grapple move. The map is expansive, and a thorough playtime can easily reach into the thirty-plus-hour range. Camps and settlements generally offer some form of optional sidequests to partake in, often featuring memorable moments or interesting supporting characters to meet. A quest received in a gypsy camp, for example, tasks the player to track down a zombie who is in possession of -- and loves nothing more than to play -- a priceless violin. Another sidequest found in a hamlet recently overrun by blood-sucking vampires introduces the player to a pair of brothers, each believing their particular method of dispatching bloodsuckers to be superior to the other, with the Inquisitor tapped to settle the debate once and for all.
[caption id="attachment_160700" align="aligncenter" width="640"] Talent trees are exhaustive, with many options to tailor the Inquisitor's stats across the board.[/caption]
Another noteworthy element that pushes itself into the foreground frequently is the game's crafting system. The Inquisitor's travels will occasionally see them cross paths with recruitable NPCs who, if invited to do so, will take up residence in the Inquisitor's home camp. With the likes of a blacksmith, enchanter, herbalist, and cook, there are tons of optional pieces of gear and useful items to requisition. First, however, they must be provided recipes and crafting plans, as well as the raw materials needed for each piece. Periodically upgrading each merchant also ensures their skill level stays sufficient to handle even late-game crafting. This results in a constant stream of recipes and materials to collect out in the world, while some merchants may not even be found until late into the campaign, depending on the player's thoroughness in exploring. Given the multitude of character builds, some merchants will offer far more utility than others, and it is highly probable that gear looted via combat and exploration may be superior to whatever the merchants are able to create at a given time.
Visually, Mandragora features no shortage of eye candy over the entirety of the adventure; in fact, calling the game's character art and, especially, its environments gorgeous would not be an understatement. Cinematics and NPC portraits are styled as beautiful water-color stills. Even without full-blown animation, the detailed portraits are incredible, bar none, and add a lot of dark fairy-tale flavor to the game's atmosphere. Even so, the environments and background art of the 2D world put them to shame with jaw-dropping artistry of their own, never missing an opportunity to visually impress. With multiple layers scrolling by as one gazes further into the background, all of which are stuffed to the rafters with minute details and impressive lighting and particle effects. Hazy sunlight struggles to penetrate the skeletal tangle of dead tree trunks in forests, blood-red rays of sunset soak the distant rooftops of Crimson City and paint a scene ripped straight out of a children's storybook, and rotted and splintered furniture and art litter the cavernous rooms and halls of the vampire-infested castle. Foregrounds are also densely packed with all manner of incidental objects and details, so even the briefest dash from point A to point B builds atmosphere and flavor.
[caption id="attachment_160708" align="aligncenter" width="640"] From vampire castles to bustling marketplaces, the presentation packs in tons of flavor.[/caption]
Keeping pace with all this visual splendor is a soundtrack that is also no slouch. The fully voiced dialogue for every major NPC (including both male and female options for the protagonist) hits extremely hard. The King Priest, in particular, is an early standout, with a mighty and imperious voice audibly dripping with malice and derision, perfectly encapsulating his character better than any narration could. Between their portraits, voice acting, and well-written dialogue, the game's cast is brought to life beautifully, and it's a shame that some of them aren't given more to do in the story, beyond a sidequest or two. For example, it would have been lots of fun to delve even deeper into the backstories of the Inquisitor's allies, especially given the sometimes-playful banter they already exchange. The music, while certainly of an equal pedigree, is a little harder to quantify, as there isn't much in the way of standout tracks that get stuck in one's ear. But the focus on atmospheric music mixed with plenty of medieval or perhaps Eastern European influences does imbue the setting with a distinct sense of time and place.
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is a very solid first foray into the Metroidvania /action RPG space for developer Primal Game Studio. Combat is enjoyable and provides many options to tailor the experience to one's personal taste, even offering some replayability for those wanting to try a wholly different character build. Combat is generally challenging, with a noticeable increase in difficulty coming from some late-game bosses, so this one is not for the casual crowd. A handful of drawbacks must be taken into account, such as a tendency for too many bosses to make palette-swapped repeat appearances, and the Switch port did exhibit some occasional lagginess when transitioning into menus as well as lengthy loading times between areas. But the quality of the gameplay, in addition to a considerable layer of polish in its presentation, easily make up for the occasional technical hiccup, producing a fine overall package that is well worthy of a place in its crowded niche.
Disclosure: This review is based on a free copy of the game provided by the publisher.
The post Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree Review appeared first on RPGamer .
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