I need to preface this review by saying I truly suck at Soulslike games. Often, I have admired other people’s skills in the genre, but I’ve never had them. But friends, when I saw Thymesia, I had to have it. And my instincts did not lead me wrong on this one. Side note: I’ve been playing on PC, using controller. On to the review!
What is Thymesia?
Thymesia is an action-RPG with fast-paced combat and an intricate plague weapon system. The once thriving Kingdom of Hermes has fallen to an age of calamity. Seen as the answer to all the kingdom’s ailments, alchemy became a widely used practice across the land. Everyone began welcoming it into their homes, using it to enhance and heal as they saw fit. But the price of alchemy became too steep. Many attempts to halt its use were made, but none were successful. The kingdom fell to chaos within a matter of days. Infected monsters now prowl the blood-soaked streets, and all hope of a cure is lost.
Enter Corvus, the kingdom’s final hope. The fate of Hermes now rests in his feathered hands. The truth is buried deep in the memories Corvus left scattered throughout the world, and only by collecting these lost memories can the kingdom be saved. However, each time he dives back in to his memories, all he finds is more secrets.
Feathered fights and plague tales
There is something truly beautiful about slicing your way through a plague. Especially with the scenery in Thymesia. Graphically speaking, I am OBSESSED! Admittedly, the world and enemy design is what got me interested in this game initially. And I’m very happy to say it lived up to my expectations.
The gameplay is very standard for a Soulslike, however I did find it a bit smoother and easier to control. Combat feels a tad more organic than any Soulslike I’ve ever experienced before. The skill tree is also fairly accessible, with a decent range of abilities. Having the ability to warp the plague into a weapon adds an extra layer of intrigue overall too.
The soundtrack is mystical. That’s the only word I can think of to really capture what I mean. While playing, I stopped so many times just to stand and listen to the music.
The plague itself also brings in what I’ve found to be a really unique extra layer. At least, for this genre anyways. I constantly found myself wanting to know about and understand what happened in this expansive world.
I have a couple of minor issues, but they do come down to personal preference as opposed to an issue with the game itself. There’s one particular sound effect in one of the game’s songs that sounds almost identical to my doorbell. So being sat with a headset on in the middle of the night, suddenly hearing that ding… Well let’s just say it gave me a fright.
The other issue is font size. This is an issue I’ve been having with a lot of games lately. The font sizes for text and dialogue are just too small. I’ve yet to be able to find where in settings I can make the font bigger. If anyone knows, please tell me!
But really, how is Thymesia?
Like I said at the start, I am NOT good at Soulslike games. I never have been. I actually tried Dark Souls. First (and only) time I threw my controller. Nothing made sense to me. I hated every second of it. Although I have laughed at other people struggling.
Normally, I wouldn’t even give this kind of game a second glance. But then I saw a trailer for Thymesia. And my mind was blown. Something clicked. Even with the time I’ve been putting into this game, I still suck. However, for the first time, I’m having fun doing it! That being said, I don’t think this is going to awaken a new gaming habit within me. Thymesia will definitely be staying on my playbill for the foreseeable regardless, I’ve really fallen in love. This is definitely a game I’ll be recommending to my friends, even more than I already have been!
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