All about Speed and Combat: Thymesia is Soulslike
By Aditya Deshbandhu Playing a Soulslikegame is a unique journey, one filled with constant dodging, identifying the precise moment to strike and endless button mashing – a gruelling experience that numbs your mind and scars your thumbs as you often spend hours making little to no progress. Just when you think you have figured out […]
By Aditya Deshbandhu
Playing a Soulslikegame is a unique journey, one filled with constant dodging, identifying the precise moment to strike and endless button mashing – a gruelling experience that numbs your mind and scars your thumbs as you often spend hours making little to no progress. Just when you think you have figured out a game in the genre and its underlying combat mechanisms, it pulls the proverbial rug under your feet.
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I have struggled over the years with several games from the Souls franchise as Demon Souls, the Dark Souls franchise, Bloodborne, Elden Ring and now I can add Thymesia to the list. A game where you play as Corvus, the last hope of a kingdom affected by a plague, the game’s plot requires you to play through your memories and find a way to cure the ailment. The game’s final boss fight unlocks five possible endings and that was a nice touch for the number of hours I sunk dodging and parrying.
In terms of gameplay, the game is fast and relies on an armour and health system where the former needs to be shattered first before one can reduce an opponent’s health. The shattered armour replenishes though and thus, the shattering and the attack on the health needs to be done instantaneously.
As the game’s complexity of opponents increases, expect to be dodging, parrying, and striking within a matter of seconds. I found that the game’s combat mechanisms and animations were smooth and responsive. I rarely struggled with regards to any input delay.
Though, noncombat based action is slow and at times delayed, it is something that becomes incredibly annoying when the two (combat and non-combat sequences) meet. For example, consuming a potion in the nick of time when you are at the brink of death is not something Thymesia does very well. The number of times I have died despite having input the instructions for potion consumption is a number I simply can’t compute.
The RPG elements though are well done as the skills are unique and fun. If you upgrade the right way, you can soon clear hordes of enemies as each execution you perform replenishes your health. Similarly, the plague weapon mechanism gives Corvus a nice variety of attacks, I often augmented the fast blades with a heavy weapon for a different approach.
Thymesia’s appropriation of the Souls format is well done but it also carries the same shortcomings of a genre that has relied on the same linear style for the last decade. The kill and progress style is a minimal narrative style and is especially problematic here as the plot talks about memories being regained but when you do find them in the various levels they are as simple to gather as collectibles. It does seem like a wasted opportunity.
A worthwhile experience if you are looking for something similar to the Souls games but then Elden Ring is more nuanced and detailed and if speed is what you desire Ghostrunner could be a better fit.
