Thymesia tried like a soul with something interesting to say

Coming directly from Taiwan, on August 9th, we will have the opportunity to have the full version of Thymesia, like everyone else, a new action role-playing game with great inspiration from the world. like spirit.

So far, talking about games inspired by Miyazaki’s work no longer has a huge impact, given that some of the most unlikely games and parts of the genre have been linked to spirits in one way or another for decades (Who said Hollow Knight? ).

with thyme Over the Boundary Studio they really try to be like spirits in their own way, they focus on precise ideas and it’s a very different combat system from Dark Souls.

We had the opportunity to test the developers’ core ideas thanks to a demo released on Steam these days: here’s ours. Thyme tried.

alchemy and disease

Let’s start with the context. Thymesia made us a world with a gothic fantasy flavor, in a kingdom that has gained great power over time thanks to its knowledge of alchemy. While neighbors died amid epidemics and contagions, alchemy made it possible to cure every disease in the regions we will explore.

However, this power probably has a dark side, as a disease eventually falls on this kingdom that has no mercy on anyone. Ours protagonist, Corvus, the question has an answer, but it’s lost in memory, no longer accessible for some reason that we thought would be much more interesting than a banal amnesia. In search of answers, he embarks on a journey that will only raise new questions.

Since the beginning of our experiment we have been told – in the form of classic white testaments in the spirits style – with various objects with which we can interact, namely messages, diaries, posters, etc. an idea of ​​what’s going on with us. We don’t know if Thymesia will mainly focus on one. complo If sibylline is going to have a soul style or a more clear and linear progression, but of course the goal of the team is to give the player very little information about what is going on in the game world that can help characterize the environment.

We point out that the demo is very short and only allows us to see a few streets of a dirty and messy town, so it’s hard to judge the quality of the setting for now. However, we can say that a technical level Since the level of detail is not very high, we think we should not expect too much from Thymesia. It will be more important to understand whether the game will be stable in the final version: In the demo, the framerate was fluctuating. This is a serious problem in an action game.

Sword, dagger and claws

However, the Thymesia demo is not designed to let us explore the story or the game world. The goal is to make us understand what the fulcrum is for us. gameplayor rather the combat system.

Corvus has one swordCan perform a simple three-shot combo with He can use a dagger to parry, throw a feather (marked with a special color) to block enemy special attacks, and use claws to turn wounds into true damage.

In fact, Thymesia suggests one special mechanics. Hitting enemies has two effects: deals minor ultimate damage to the enemy and inflicts a temporary wound. If we attack an enemy and injure them but then stop attacking, they will heal within a few seconds. To convert wounds to permanent damage, you have to keep attacking with the sword, but even better you have to use claws that convert most of the wounds to true damage.

This mechanic has a very significant effect on combat: high attack speed and as the demo shows, hitting and then backing out rarely works. Enemies do significant damage, and there are already very resistant mini-bosses in the test that must be quickly suppressed and eliminated, otherwise we will be crushed by their strength.

This system also means that we will find ourselves in most of the game. clash with very few enemies at oncebecause having too many opponents in front of you means risking not being able to focus long enough to take them down.

On average, there seems to be an impression that parry and feathers will be pretty important for battles to block special hits (and inflict serious wounds). Also the truth bypass having a considerable recovery time means that the player is encouraged not to dodge all shots with the classic “panic roll” ala spirits, as you will often find yourself unable to shoot when an opponent hits.

The impression is that Thymesia will be a lot of games. more technical and difficult compared to average spirits. We’ll see if that’s the case in the review, but we don’t think it’s a game for those who want to have an easy life.

Finally, Corvus has another ability. With a charged blow of the claws copy the opponent’s weapon and you have access to a special one-use shot. In a fight with a very powerful knight (actually a mini-boss considering how easy it is to die), we can steal his big sword to attack him and throw him into the air. In another case, we can steal an ax for a quick and powerful jump shot. These moves can make the game very nice, especially if it will be possible to use them effectively against bosses.

to speak fully boss, there is one in the demo, but obviously a very strong enemy for the first level character (you can’t level up, but they should have skill trees). In fact, once defeated, the demo ends automatically and is a clear sign of the developers’ confidence in our abilities.