Developer: OverBorder Studio
Publisher: Team17
Genre: Souls-Like
Rated on: PlayStation 5
Also available for: PC, Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S
OverBorder Studios Thymesia is the latest soul-like to be released (as of this writing and probably not for much longer) in the wild and highly saturated modern video game market, but where many of its contemporaries feel inspired only by FromSoftware’s ubiquitous formula (their Fromula , if you like), Thymesia feels more like a real rip-off from Bloodborne specifically. The story follows a man named Corvus, an amnesiac alchemist who tries to find the cure for the plague that is decimating the kingdom of Hermes within his own memories scattered about it. The plague in question turns anything it infects into violent, bloodthirsty beasts, and was apparently the direct result of tampering by Hermes’ top doctors, a scheme that fans of Bloodborne.
The similarities don’t end there; Corvus’ design very clearly resembles the signature styles of one of FromSoft’s Hunters, and the combat has many cues from Bloodborne by being quick and brutal, with an emphasis on countering and dodging enemies rather than blocking them to create openings. I’ll admit this isn’t a blatant copycat move as the story is – there’s nothing wrong with games taking gameplay cues from each other if anything to workand anyway Thymesia does a few original things that set him apart from his ancestors.
The most notable of these differences is the plague weapon system, which allows the player to pull a page from their enemies’ various books to mix with the more standard combos. Each weapon can be obtained by “receiving” it from an enemy as a one-time use or by unlocking them with crystals that the enemies drop. The permanent versions can be upgraded to expand both their potency and functionality, and many of the plague weapons are really fun to use. Playing with the plague weapons to find the one that best suited my play style was very enjoyable.
In that regard, I will say that Thymesia is generally very accommodating to a wide variety of different play styles and approaches. In addition to plague weapons, Corvus has access to a hefty perks tree and three different types of healing items with varying degrees of use speed and recovery power, each of which can be further customized by mixing herbal ingredients found around the world. Both the skill tree and potion mixing are completely modular with no penalties for switching as many times as the player wants, and even the player’s base stats can be re-specified, albeit a limited number of times.
There’s also a matter of requiring the player to switch his attack patterns between his saber and his claws, Corvus’ two standard weapons. Attacking enemies with the saber or repelling their attacks damages ‘wound’, which is shown as a green area on the enemy’s health bar below the white. Wound damage is temporary, and if an enemy is given breathing space, their wounds will regenerate, meaning that to kill, the player must close the wounds by attacking them with their claws before they get the chance. It’s a creative idea and one that further helps create a fast-paced, somewhat frantic gameplay flow, although I can certainly understand that it might not appeal to some.
Unfortunately, everything but the gameplay is in Thymesia is quite bland. Enemy designs and environments are uninspired and dull to look at, the story is unoriginal (as noted earlier) and doesn’t do or say anything interesting, and there are some rather notable audio issues, including an extremely unpleasant bug where the final boss’s music is remastered. is started every time the player lands a hit against the boss. Even the level design leaves a lot to be desired, consisting of only four relatively small maps (plus a flat, flat arena for the final boss) that are reused in about a dozen “missions” with only minor changes to differentiate between them, and to completely, character creation is not present. To me, having a regular protagonist (and especially no options for armor or clothing) automatically points in a soul-esque, and a game has to do a lot to make up for it, which Thymesia does not.
Fans of hardcore souls who have already worked their way through every other even half-decent title in the genre will get a kick out of this game. The gameplay is quite well designed and the risks involved pay off almost without exception. For everyone else, though, there’s not much reason to play Thymesia about a number of other titles with better realized stories and settings. I didn’t hate the time I spent with it, and liked it quite a bit at times, but most of the time it got me thinking about how I’d still like to get into playing Nioh 2 or go back and finish Rest: from the ashes.
Thymesia
6.8
Plagued by unoriginality
Thymesia’s strong gameplay feels wasted on such a lackluster presentation.
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Gameplay
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Presentation
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pleasure
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