For a small independent production, The Thaumaturge does not lack ambitions, and if you like original and different role-playing games, you will appreciate its narrative experience with multiple branches as well as its turn-based combat requiring a good dose of strategy.
Wiktor Szulski is a miracle worker. Thanks to his magical powers, this “doctor of the soul” is able to identify the flaws engraved in the human psyche and discover the secrets hidden within people and places. In 1905, after fifteen years of travel around the world having profoundly affected his mental and physical health, Wiktor returned to his hometown of Warsaw for the funeral of his father, who had been crushed to death by the mysterious collapse of the wall of a building. He is then confronted with a Poland that has changed a lot, between workers demanding more rights, an increasingly open revolt against the influence of Russia, and the shadow of the First World War looming on the horizon. .
Far from lacking action, The Thaumaturge is first and foremost a narrative experience, and the exceptional quality of its writing quickly draws us into its alternative version of Poland. We meet several characters who truly existed through the adventure, including Tsar Nicholas II and especially the legendary Grigori Rasputin, with whom we become friends. As is often the case in this type of game, our choices profoundly change the course of the story, and each decision has its consequences. Some can cause the death of several people, and others block us from possibilities later.
Although he sprinkles several elements usually associated with RPGs into his experience, it would be more accurate to describe The Thaumaturge like an investigation game, where our supernatural skills and extrasensory perception let us read the emotions, actions, and even thoughts that people have left on the objects they have handled. By interacting with the rich world around us, we gather valuable information, and when we have accumulated enough, we can then draw conclusions allowing us to achieve our objectives and resolve the various missions entrusted to us.
Aside from their unusual perception, thaumaturges also possess another notable power: that of seeing the Salutors, supernatural creatures inspired by Slavic, Middle Eastern and Judeo-Christian legends, and whose terrifying appearance evokes that of Lovecraftian demons. These feed on the faults and fears of the human beings they haunt, and it is possible to “tame” them and attach them to one’s person. We will come across twelve different ones throughout the story, and they can even lend us a hand during battles.
In a city where the simplest quarrel often ends in a duel, there are obviously fights in The Thaumaturgebut these take place turn-based, and rely more on strategy than reflexes. Our perception lets us anticipate the actions of enemies. We can see the action queue displayed at the top of the screen. Each attack has its own speed. The slowest are also the most powerful, but they require preparation time during which the opponent risks retaliating. You must remove all of an opponent’s concentration before you can launch a powerful attack, which allows you to end the encounter more quickly.
Reading the many documents littering the city of Warsaw, fighting enemies and completing quests grants experience and gives thaumaturgy points. The skill tree is divided into four sections: heart, mind, action and words. We can thus unlock various skills (60% chance of inflicting double damage, increasing our concentration by three points, improving perception, possibility of applying agony to an enemy who will thus lose life points each turn, etc.). An insufficient level in a category can sometimes block the resolution of a puzzle.
The Thaumaturge is presented in an isometric view above the action. You don’t control the placement of the camera, but you can zoom in on the action and appreciate the finely detailed settings. The game does not offer an open world, but small closed regions that you can explore as you wish. You can complete the main and secondary quests in the order you want, but some are limited in time, and can disappear if you don’t complete them quickly enough. During dialogue, close-up faces sometimes seem a little frozen, but this is the only weak point in the visual presentation.
-Fundamentally original and different, both in its rich universe and its mechanics, The Thaumaturge constitutes a pleasant surprise, and it is easy to recommend this title, too little known, to role-playing game fans wishing to develop their talents as paranormal investigators.
7.5/10
The Thaumaturge
Developer: Fool’s Theory
Editor: 11 Bit Studios
Platforms: PlayStation 5, Windows, Xbox Series S/X (tested on PS5)
Game available in French (on-screen text only)
