The Thaumaturge review: A unique supernatural adventure nestled in the threads of history

The Thaumaturge has been on my radar since its debut reveal a year ago. As a fan of all things supernatural, this quirky new detective RPG set in an alternate history timeline ticked all the boxes for me at first glance: Broody atmosphere, challenging turn-based gameplay, and intriguing demons to tame, each with their unique personalities and backstories.

If that sounds a bit too much like SEGA's MegaTen series or the Persona games, read on - because this might just be the game for those itching for something similar. Here's our in-depth review of Poland-based developer Fool Theory's latest game The Thaumaturge.

Experience a supernatural take on early 1900s Warsaw in The Thaumaturge

Thaumaturgy runs in the Szulski family (Image via 11 bit studios)

This story-heavy journey is all about Wiktor Szulski, a thaumaturge. People like him are magicians who form pacts with powerful otherworldly entities called Salutors. These creatures can influence humans in their day-to-day lives or are attracted by powerful human emotions.

Whether this is by stoking the embers of jealousy in a relationship or feeding on hate strong enough to drive one to murder, Thaumaturges are trained to seek out these creatures and either tame them or set them free. Traveling around the world in pursuit of ways to rejuvenate his pact with his Salutor "Upyr", Wiktor returns to his home in Warsaw in the year 1905.

Upyr is one of several Salutors to meet in the game (Image via 11 bit studios)

Following his father's untimely death, he must set out to seek answers - not just about his passing but also his family legacy and relationships with others. At the same time, the city is a melting pot of cultures. Religion, superstition, and various other beliefs run rampant. Alongside political turmoil, clashing beliefs, and a chasm between the rich and poor, this ensures the varied districts of Warsaw are teeming with Salutor activity.

As such, Wiktor must seek those who come to him for aid, which can be in the form of investigations, interrogations, clue-hunting, and more. At the same time, he must use his wits and brawn and face any dire odds that stand between him and the Salutors he and his father intended to pursue. Gotta catch 'em all, after all.

A Four-Dimensional World

Each Dimension is a different facet of perception (Image via 11 bit studios)

Armed with a Grimoire, Wiktor possesses four key aspects of the mind or Dimensions: Word, Deed, Mind, and Heart, and each Salutor falls under one of these categories. Thaumaturges hone these Dimensions to make it easier to not only catch Salutors but also manipulate humans. Salutors are also attracted by Flaws - imperfections in a human being that the creature can feed off of.

Wiktor's Flaw is Pride, which also plays a key role in the narrative; remember, The Thaumaturge is a narrative-driven RPG, so the choices players make will have consequences in the future. Coming back to the topic of Pride, players can either choose to give in to it or refrain from it, and both will affect Wiktor's personality and the reaction of those around him.

Giving into it means choosing a prideful answer or action during dialogue sequences, while refraining equates to picking differently. What players pick can sometimes change the narrative's trajectory at that moment, like landing Wiktor in jail early on. Let's peddle back a bit and see how exactly the world around the titular thaumaturge functions.

Wade through muddy streets and look into smoky mirrors

There is much to see and do (Image via 11 bit studios)

The Thaumaturge is played with an isometric perspective - and those playing on PC can control most actions using just the mouse, including moving around and interacting. The map of Warsaw is divided into several districts, and players can travel between them past the introduction section (minus moments where the story blocks off freeform exploration temporarily).

Each reflects a stark contrast in the lives of the citizens, from the downtrodden homeless found sleeping on the sidewalks up to the creme de la creme of rich Polish society and often bureaucratic backgrounds. Since WIktor's father was a well-known thaumaturge, he finds himself amid both crowds - each with their own problems.

Day-time cycle and weather affect the look of the game (Image via 11 bit studios)

There is a day-night cycle in The Thaumaturge, and weather also changes over time. Many NPCs only appear at certain times, as do quests, so players can wait at a bench to pass the time. Traversal is done on foot, and for good reason, as there is much to see around every corner. Wiktor can use his Perception ability to send a crimson-red wisp to follow, leading to the selected quest or objective.

Many unmarked attractions and side quests await discovery - and can even grant new Salutor partners, so players are incentivized to comb every traversable nook and cranny. This includes all sorts of collectibles, letters, pamphlets, and more, offering a more intimate glimpse at the 20th-century Warsaw society.

Even simple objects can spill the secrets of their owners (Image via 11 bit studios)

Owing to his thaumaturgic senses, Wiktor can track clues known as Observations by interacting with objects. These also give detailed descriptions of any feelings or emotions imprinted onto the object by a person whose Trace can be detected by Wiktor as well. Chaining together Observations will slowly help players discover the Trace of the individual.

Who are these people, and what do they hide? From his likable sister Ligia Szulski and eccentric psychic Rasputin to the enigmatic Ivan Konechkin, finding out more about these individuals remains interesting throughout the two-dozen-hour campaign. Each has their own motives, personalities, and more to play a role in the story.

NPCs range from likable and mysterious to otherwise (Image via 11 bit studios)

Each Observation from finding new pieces of evidence marked by clouds of glitter unearths a new side of that person - some of which may surprise both Wiktor and the player. This is key to completing investigations. These often revolve around tracking down the human responsible for luring in a wild Salutor, but also offer backstory on Wiktor and his peers.

While the investigations themselves tend to tread into repetitive territory as there is little more to it than finding shiny spots in an area or questioning some NPCs, it is the Vision segments that prove the most tedious; these flashback segments will darken the screen if players move in the wrong direction and restart over - making it a chore to sit through, Thankfully they are very occasional occurrences.

The creepy and the eerie

Wild Salutors await confrontation (Image via 11 bit studios)

The game takes heavy inspiration from Slavic myths and presents its take on the real-life legends of monsters, demons, and deities such as the Bukavac, Lelek, and Morana. Wiktor's own Salutor is Upyr, a skull-faced spirit of a Slavic nobleman who gambled his life in an honorable fight - hence, his association with the Flaw of Pride under the Dimension of Heart.

Players will spend Thaumaturgy Points obtained by filling the EXP gauge by doing quests, exploration, and more into the Thaumaturgy tree, which helps unlock increased stats, new abilities, and new upgrades for those skills. Additionally, higher points in a Dimension ensure players can pass high enough dialogue checks or Observations.

While Upyr has healing abilities, Lelek can help debuff foes quickly. This brings us to the other major aspect of The Thaumaturge: combat.

Staring death in the face

Status effects make life easier (Image via 11 bit studios)

The turn-based combat is perhaps the most complex element of The Thaumaturge. Throughout the story, players will find themselves roped into battle, both plot-driven and optional. Opponents are usually humans, armed with knives and firearms - though Wiktor has a pistol of his own.

The player party and the opponents have varied Skills to use in battle. The pace of combat is governed by a timeline system, not unlike that of Ubisoft's charming 2D RPG "Child of Light" released in 2014. Skills fall under a few types: Quick Attacks, Planned Attacks, Damage Over Time, Strong Attacks, and Influences.

Mix and match to perfection (Image via 11 bit studios)

The former bunch of Skills usually consists of offensive actions, and the latter Influences are support-based - like reducing Focus, which acts as magic armor of sorts. Each has a different speed at which it occurs on the timeline, with Quick Attacks, Damage Over Time, and Influences being the shortest, Planned Attacks and Damage Over Time being Slow, and Strong Attacks being Very Slow.

Skills can be augmented by Upgrades unlocked under the Dimension tree, though further progression will be locked until a new Solution is acquired. These grant bonus perks such as increasing inflicted damage by 50% or losing Focus instead of health for a turn. Mixing and matching Skills with synergizing Upgrades is key to winning battles.

Wild Salutors are the highlight of combat (Image via 11 bit studios)

Reducing an enemy's focus puts them into a Breakdown state, temporarily disabling their Trait (unique perk, like health regen per turn) while allowing Wiktor and his Salutors to unleash powerful attacks in turn. Some enemy traits can be entirely disabled by using a Salutor of the same Dimension, so mixing and matching monsters during combat and using their varied abilities is key to winning.

Lastly, facing wild Salutors appear as powerful bosses and are protected by puppeteered Shadows. Defeating them while keeping status ailments at bay is key. The best strategy to breeze through battles is stacking the Suffering status effect on foes, which reduces HP per turn.

All in all, fans of turn-based combat will enjoy what's here, even though the battle UI can be somewhat unintuitive at first.

Graphics, performance, and sound

The game is often a looker (Image via 11 bit studios)

The Thaumaturge is the latest Unreal Engine 5 game on the market, and it shows. Its environment is richly detailed, even down to the muddy streets in poor areas of town after a downpour. Fool's Theory has left no stone unturned when it comes to the interiors and especially character models. The performance, however, can slip below the mark when in areas with multiple NPCs, like a bar.

The game was reviewed on the following specs at 1440p High settings without any image reconstruction or upscaling techniques like DLSS:

CPU: Intel Core i7-12650H @4.7 GHz
RAM: 16 GB DDR4
GPU: Nvidia GeForce RTX 3070 Ti (8 GB VRAM)
SSD: 1 TB NVME

I averaged around the high 50s, although rough scenes like crowds of NPCs or some cutscenes brought the frame rates down to the 30s. Besides that, there were no significant issues or bugs.

The Thaumaturge has many iconic moments as this (Image via 11 bit studios)

The sound side of things is rock solid, with haunting tunes and a crunchy sound design - like the rattling of the chains donned by the Bukavac. I did find Wiktor's voice performance to be a tad weak at times, which is odd for the main focus of the game. Other than that, the audio, alongside the engrossing narrative-driven world and its equally rich world-building, gives me hope for the upcoming Witcher 1 Remake.

That's right: Fools' Theory is currently also working on the reimagining of the beloved monster slayer Geralt's original adventure. If players want a hint of what to expect from the in-production UE5 CDPR title, giving The Thaumaturge a try is a good excuse.

In conclusion

The Thaumaturge is an exciting breath of chilly air (Image via 11 bit studios)

In a market flooded with safe formulaic games, The Thaumaturge is an exciting breath of chilly air that is worth checking out for anyone interested in story-driven games, RPGs, or both. While I expected the investigations to have more depth, it is otherwise more or less what I had hoped for.

Developer Fool Theory's take on pre-World War 1 Warsaw and its denizens is delightfully engrossing owing to the engaging discoveries, the wonderful worldbuilding, and strategic combat all under the umbrella of a semi-sandbox world - one that I would not mind revisiting.