The Thaumaturge Review
Story-driven RPG The Thaumaturge is a compelling drama dulled by repetitive combat.
The Thaumaturge. Credit: Fool’s Theory / 11 Bit Studios
I find games that take place at a specific moment in history compelling, especially when they include as much color as The Thaumaturge. Developed by Fool’s Theory and published by 11 Bit Studios, the game is a narrative RPG with fantasy elements set in a turbulent time in Poland at the turn of the 20th century, adding an extra layer to a story with xenophobia at its center. Unfortunately, the gameplay didn’t live up to the promise of the game’s setting and premise, only dulling and adding tedium to a narrative experience that could have been sharper.
Wiktor Szulski is a thaumaturge—a person with a pact-bound demon companion (known as a salutor) and a keen perception that allows them to read emotions and intentions left on items by others. In practical terms, he can be considered a supernaturally powered detective. The bulk of the game’s story takes place in Warsaw in 1905, when Poland was part of the Russian Empire, as Wiktor returns home after a long absence to look into the suspicious death of his estranged father.
The Thaumaturge. Credit: Fool’s Theory / 11 Bit Studios
As Wiktor, you explore Warsaw in isometric 3D. Pushing a button activates Wiktor’s “fifth sense,” letting you see emotionally resonant objects as well as the path to your next quest objective. This is what you’ll spend most of your time doing. Find enough related objects, and you’ll draw a “conclusion,” a deduced truth about whatever you’re investigating. This information opens up paths in conversations with the game’s various characters and moves the narrative forward.
Finding one of these objects often opens up a sidequest. Most of these are fetch quests that guide you to a specific culturally significant spot to do an activity you don’t get to see except as a still image—attending a lecture, getting a pastry, seeing a film, etc. While they add some color, they feel like pointless busywork you must complete because the experience points you can earn is finite, and you have to earn them wherever you can. The optional quests that are actual side stories are worth experiencing because they add to the game; unfortunately, they’re few and far between, and finding them feels like busywork.
The Thaumaturge. Credit: Fool’s Theory / 11 Bit Studios
The turn-based combat in Thaumaturge initially feels inventive, then quickly becomes tedious. All of your foes are humans, which is a bit boring for a game with fantasy elements. Even when you face off against one of the salutors you’re attempting to capture, you fight against human manifestations that are still doing the usual punching, stabbing, or shooting. Combat is about timing your attacks against enemies in the turn-based fight sequence while managing status effects on enemies to maximize damage and overcome defenses. Most of the time, enemies start with a buff or defensive perk, and you can break it with a single attack from the correct salutor. It all gets repetitive very quickly. At least there are no random battles in the game.
The graphics are a mixed bag. The game looks great when the camera views the world from a distance as you explore. Warsaw is full of detail and looks lively. However, the visuals get rougher around the edges when we move closer to characters for cutscenes and combat. The game’s main characters generally look good, but enemy models do not.
The Thaumaturge. Credit: Fool’s Theory / 11 Bit Studios
As a Jewish person, I found the prominent inclusion of Jewish characters, folklore, and one of the predominantly Jewish areas of Warsaw at the time interesting. This doesn’t usually appear in games; here, the depictions were mostly well done. There was just one detail that felt like a misstep, but most people wouldn’t notice. Ariel, a Jewish criminal, smuggler, and Kabbalist, is coded as an orthodox Jew based on some of his dialogue and his clothing, including an ever-present head covering and visible tzitzit—knotted ritual fringes. However, near the end of the game, he refers to himself as a “circumcised atheist” rather than as Jewish. The way he identifies himself isn’t consistent with how he’s depicted. Like I said, most people wouldn’t notice this, but it’s too bad considering how well-researched everything else seems. It was just a minor quibble in something I otherwise very much appreciated about the game.
The Thaumaturge. Credit: Fool’s Theory / 11 Bit Studios
The core draw of The Thaumaturge is its narrative and the fascinating historical moment in which it takes place. The dialogue and voice performances are excellent. When focused on the core story, the game is captivating. There’s just so much padding that the game can feel like a chore. Perhaps The Thaumaturge would have worked better as an adventure game.
The Thaumaturge is available now on PC (Steam), PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
Overall Score: 6/10
Played on: PS5
