11 Bit Studios has had a pretty impressive year both as a developer (with the likes ofFrostpunk 2) and a publisher (with the likes ofIndikaandCreatures of Ava). But one of their most interesting titles may have gotten a bit buried due to coming out relatively early in the year, and that would be The Thaumaturge, from developers Fool’s Theory. The character-driven turn-based RPG was first released in March for the PC, and received a mostly positive reception. But now it has a chance to reach an even larger audience, as The Thaumaturge is now available for PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, complete with a launch trailer that you can check out below.
The Flaws That Define You
Set in Warsaw circa the early 20th century, The Thaumaturge sees you playing as Wiktor Szulski, our titular thaumaturge. What is a thaumaturge, you may ask? Well, the game describes one as being “a master of mystical arts, who can peer into the hearts and minds of others, uncovering their deepest emotions, desires, and secrets.” And having finally come home after being away for a while, Wiktor finds a lot of opportunities to test out such skills, uncovering various secrets and the like. But some of these secrets may involve his family’s past, and that’s where things may get a bit complicated.
Not only can certain flaws provide different effects in combat, but they can also either lock Wiktor out of certain outcomes or open up new options.
As seen in the trailer, there are two particularly notable elements when it comes to The Thaumaturge. One is the use of Salutors, folklore-inspired demons from the ethereal realm that can help Wiktor in combat, or assist him in manipulating others. That brings us to the game’s second highlight, that of the use of emotions and flaws in particular, not just a narrative element, but part of the gameplay as well. Wiktor will be able to explore and investigate in order to help others that they come across, and that involves being able to sense emotions and exploit the flaws in others. However, the choices the player makes not only affect the story, but can feed into Wiktor’s flaws…especially his pride. Not only can certain flaws provide different effects in combat, but they can also either lock Wiktor out of certain outcomes or open up new options.
It’s a world where everyone has their own demons - figuratively and literally - and one that definitely seems like it could be worth exploring, especially for fans of Slavic mythology and Polish history. The Thaumaturge is now available on all of PC, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5 as of today, and we’ll see now if console fans may have stumbled across a possible hidden gem from this year.
