The Thaumaturge

“The Thaumaturge is an interesting and dark game in a relatively unique setting, 1906 Warsaw during a revolution combined with monsters is a fascinating setting. Whilst it occasionally fumbles how it delivers some details and you spend a lot of time running around, the strength of the setting and the writing makes these easy to forgive, not to mention the presence of the man who I have heard on good authority was Russia's greatest love machine.”

“The Thaumaturge is a dark game that deals with some of the darkest depths of human nature. There is uncomfortable language surrounding disabled and homosexual characters, depictions of mental illness and more but these are all time-appropriate; no matter how harsh it may seem to view through the lens of 2024. In the hands of the developers at Fool’s Theory these themes are treated in a way to not glorify the past but it helps to shed the light on the negative stigmas from the past and show how they even still exist in today’s world. While I will admit, I almost checked out early on The Thaumaturge due to its somewhat boring gameplay loop, I am glad I didn’t because the story that it told made up for the moments of boredom.”

“The Thaumaturge is a touch underdeveloped and rough around the edges in some respects, but it delivers where it counts, serving up a unique, immersive world, affable cast of characters, and a satisfying amount of freedom to chart your own course. The Thaumaturge bodes well for the upcoming Fool's Theory remake of The Witcher, but it's no mere audition. This is a memorable RPG that casts a strong spell all its own.”

“If you missed The Thaumaturge before now, it's well worth investigating the PS5 version.”

“Lurking behind a dated exterior is a limited but sophisticated RPG with a unique setting and some memorable new ideas.”

“The Thaumaturge is a well-written narrative adventure with an excellent setting. Its mechanics, borrowed from RPGs, are not overly complex, but contribute to the quality of the experience.”

“The Thaumaturge is an ambitious isometric RPG with an interesting story, which the player can lead to ever-changing and unexpected situations with well-thought-out moral choices.”

“The Thaumaturge is an atmospheric adventure that oozes character and matches sleuthing and combat in an engaging, enjoyable way.”

“The Thaumaturge is a game made with a lot of love and hard work by Fool's Theory. That much is apparent within the first couple of hours and grows more obvious the longer a user plays. Its lack of a way to make searching for clues interesting may lead some players astray, but they will miss out on a demon-fueled magical adventure. It stumbles in other places, but it more than makes up for it with its monster designs and terrific storytelling. The Thaumaturge's mixture of 20th-century technology and magic should prove too fun to pass up, and players looking for a detective mystery with some intrigue and nightmares might have found something they can't find anywhere else.”

“The Thaumaturge’s biggest problems are a result of trying to do so many different things at once. It’s a juggling act on the best of days, and if you’re a working-class person in 1900s Poland you aren’t having a bunch of great days. Not consistently, anyway. This is a deeply interesting game with a lot of cool imagery, historical storytelling hooks and complex systems that are a blast to engage with. There are a ton of swings, and not every one is a hit. Sometimes the voice acting is wacky, the protagonist feels underdeveloped, and combat can be annoying and burdensome. But I also accidentally stayed up way past my adult, parent bedtime on multiple nights playing it. I feel and probably look like Wiktor after catching a new Salutor, but it was worth it.”

“The Thaumaturge's gritty, demon-taming take on the monster collecting genre is a welcome twist. Taking place in 1905 Poland, there is certainly some language and actions in the game that can feel uncomfortable, but it all works with the overarching theme of struggling with mental health and personal flaws. Despite the sensitive nature of the story, Fool's Theory does well to not over sensationalize traumatic story beats. Gameplay is simple and engaging, and the combat is easy to learn but can be challenging on higher difficulties.”

“The Thaumaturge shows plenty of promise, but lets itself down somewhat by failing to play to its strengths. Warsaw and its history and culture is a joy to experience when the game properly engages with it, but an insistent focus on a comparatively dull main story ultimately detracts from this for a fun yet frustrating experience.”

“The Thaumaturge is a slow, text heavy caper that is often curious and sometimes captivating, weaving revolutionary labor politics and mysticism together to create a unique and charming piece of historical science fiction.”

“As it stands, though, The Thaumaturge remains quite special overall. Hanging out with Rasputin, shmoozing with turn-of-the-century elites, and exploring some unexpected golem developments with beset Rabbis make for compelling content, even when a few lines in the script fail to land. Anyone taken in by this setting will genuinely want to play The Thaumaturge, and it joins several other recent experimental Slavic fantasy adventures that prove the countless avenues video games have yet to fully explore.”

“The more time I spend with The Thaumaturge, the more I settle into it. When you spend more time with any game you are bound to notice the edges of things, the literal and figurative invisible walls. But The Thaumaturge was more like a pair of shoes. As I learned the restrictions of what you couldn’t do in the game, it focused me towards things I could do, and they were all awesome. If you have been craving a dark fantasy RPG where you get to play as a John Constantine type, I have good news, The Thaumaturge is it. Anyone looking for their next interesting and original RPG, this is it!”

“The Thaumaturge might be a bit light for RPG lovers, but it's a gorgeous, incisive look at a world long past.”