Support NeoGAF

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

---

Game Information

Game Title: The Thaumaturge

Platforms:

• PlayStation 5 (Mar 4, 2024)
• Xbox Series X/S (Mar 4, 2024)
• PC (Mar 4, 2024)

Trailer:

Developer: Fool's Theory

Publisher: 11 bit studios

Review Aggregator:

OpenCritic - 77 average - 79% recommended

Metacritic - 76 average based on 28 Critic Reviews

Written Reviews



AltChar - Semir Omerovic - 60 / 100

The Thaumaturge was one of the games that I was really looking forward to but ultimately, it failed to meet my expectations. Despite an interesting demon-taming concept, nice-looking visuals and an atmospheric setting, I found the story to be lacking with a very slow and dull presentation that made the game feel more like a chore than something enjoyable.

Atarita - Alparslan Gürlek - Turkish - 75 / 100

The Thaumaturge is a game with passable storytelling, but the lines of dialog kill its charm. Still, the good combat system with a strong tactical aspect is enough to pull it out from the bottom and make it a fun game. Worth a try.

But Why Tho? - Eddie De Santiago - 8 / 10

The Thaumaturge presents a fantastical look into history and allows players to take the wheel. With supernatural creatures, investigations spanning whole neighborhoods, and solid voice acting, there’s a lot to enjoy. It doesn’t get everything right, but it does provide enough depth and creativity to take the journey once or twice.

COGconnected - Jaina Hill - 86 / 100

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!

Checkpoint Gaming - Luke Mitchell - 8 / 10

The Thaumaturge is a riveting mix of investigating gorgeous environments, weaving together narrative threads and battling through punchy, stylish turn-based combat. It's a story where it feels like the choices do matter, and that makes decisions feel weighty as you progress through the twisted and memorable supernatural setting. Some of the investigations hold your hand a little too much, and it's lacking some overall polish in some areas. Even so, The Thaumaturge absolutely nails the brief in every other way, making for a compelling RPG that stands on its own as unique, visually impressive and deliciously dark.

EIP Gaming - Daniel D - 8.6 / 10

An excellent RPG that offers a strong narrative, true player choice, and a fresh setting and magic system. The combat can be a bit repetitive, but its interesting systems mitigate that somewhat, and the real draw here is the role playing anyway.

Game Rant - Shane Robert Moyer - 4 / 5

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.

GameMAG - Russian - 5 / 10

The Thaumaturge is another example of a game whose developers had a good concept in hand, but failed to bring it to fruition. Diving into the world of semi-alternative Russian Empire and Polish nationalists turned out to be an entertaining (albeit specific) experience, which was spoiled by unsuccessful implementation of progression and battles, as well as poor work with Unreral Engine 5

Gameffine - Jay Krishnan - 73 / 100

The Thaumaturge is a curious experiment with an unexplored setting and a unique take on the classic turn-based combat. Fool's Theory has struck gold on the former thanks to an interesting story, rich worldbuilding, and a colorful cast of characters. However, the combat system is severely underutilized and left me wanting more. The same can be said for the investigative part of the gameplay as well. That being said, It'd be a lie if I said I didn't have fun within the said constraints. As a purveyor of Eurojank, there is a certain allure to the game that I couldn't resist. That doesn't mean you'll enjoy the game as much as I did. The Thaumaturge could have easily been one of the best RPGs of the year if it had more to offer in the gameplay department.

Gamers Heroes - Johnny Hurricane - 80 / 100

Anyone who is a fan of playing a supernatural detective will enjoy The Thaumaturge. Its dark atmosphere, engaging story, and tactical combat will keep you coming back for more.

Gert Lush Gaming - Jim Smale - 9 / 10

The Thaumaturge is a game that offers a unique and immersive gaming experience. Its strengths far outweigh its minor shortcomings, making it a game worth exploring, and is a supernatural masterpiece in both storytelling and combat.

God is a Geek - Chris Hyde - 8.5 / 10

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

Hey Poor Player - Shane Boyle - 4.5 / 5

The Thaumaturge is a thought-provoking and haunting RPG that expertly combines gameplay and narrative, leading to one of the most unique RPG experiences you’re likely to play this year. Its stunning setting and choice-driven narrative will undoubtedly stick with me for a long time as I reflect on the tough decisions I made with Wiktor as he comes to terms with this dark, fantasy-filled version of Warsaw. The combat arguably takes too long to reveal its riches, but once that initial barrier is overcome, it offers the same level of depth and choice present in other aspects of The Thaumaturge. As mentioned at the top, there’s a lot of competition vying for your time this year if you’re a fan of RPGs, but The Thaumaturge may just be the most unique, thought-provoking entry into the genre you’ll play this year.

IGN - Jarrett Green - 8 / 10

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.

La Orden del Pixel - David Cedrés - Spanish - Yes

The Thaumaturge invites us to immerse ourselves in a mystical and peculiar Warsaw, through a narrative experience that, although not without its ups and downs, stands out for its quality. Although it is a videogame that could have been better in many aspects, it can not be denied that Fool's Theory has created and given life to something very interesting.

PC Gamer - Maddi Chilton - 82 / 100

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

RPG Fan - Mark Roddison - 82%

The Thaumaturge offers a (very) bleak view of alt-history Warsaw at the turn of the 20th century, driven by ambitious narrative systems and a solid combat offering involving the use of metaphysical creatures.

RPG Site - Josh Torres - 8 / 10

Developer Fool's Theory has crafted a solid RPG set in 1905 Warsaw that, at times, can feel like as much of an awesome documentary as it is a video game.

RPGamer - Zack Webster - 3 / 5

The weaknesses in the combat prevent some cool ideas from ever fully taking off. The rushed ending, whether the result of running out of time during development or an awkward playthrough, means the plot trips at the finishing line. But the uniqueness of the setting goes a long way toward making the game an interesting sell and the characters are fun to spend time with.

Rock, Paper, Shotgun - Katharine Castle - Unscored

There are a few rough edges here and there, but The Thaumaturge is a compelling and meaty detective RPG with a rich and reactive plot, and whose branching storylines really let you walk the line between vice and virtue.

Try Hard Guides - Erik Hodges - 9 / 10

Despite its occasionally uninspiring gameplay elements, the story, dialogue, and exciting setting make “The Thaumaturge” an enthralling and unforgettable gaming experience.

VideoGamer - Alex Raisbeck - 6 / 10

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.

WellPlayed - Nathan Hennessy - 8.5 / 10

Wiktor Szulski battles with Geralt as my favourite Polish RPG protagonist in this impressive dialogue-driven mystery that deserves a franchise.

WhatIfGaming - Hristijan Pavlovski - 7 / 10

The Thaumaturge is a story driven top-down adventure game that plays like an existentialist novel by Dostoevsky. Its rich cast of characters and expanding story draws you in and sinks its pangs into your brain. If you're looking for a story-rich game that's relatively easy to get into and has some excellent art direction, this is the one. Just be mindful of the performance issues and uneven voice acting in some parts.

ZdobywcyGier.eu - Paweł Bortkiewicz - Polish - 7.5 / 10

The Thaumaturge is a pretty good RPG with a great atmosphere, storyline and interesting combat system, but unfortunately suffers from several problems of the technical layer and very uneven acting combined with a not very diverse soundtrack. A definite key feature for which The Thaumaturge is worth checking out is the moral choice system, which adds the ability to go through the game several times and in different ways. If you are a fan of turn-based RPGs or the pre-World War I period and can get over the uneven acting, this is a great choice for you.

Video Reviews

 

[Thick Thighs Save Lives]

Also, here's the official launch trailer.

 

[balls of snow]

Got it on steamdeck. Will play who knows when with vii rebirth is eating up my time. This is from the devs making the witcher 1 remake btw. Happy to support.

 

[Arsic]

Steam reviews are glowing.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

I saw this on GOG today. Never heard of it until now but it looks interesting.

 

[Miyazaki’s Slave]

Had this wish listed for a while. The setting looks fantastic so they get my cash.

 

[amigastar]

Eh, i was expecting a little bit more. Too bad.

 

[Windom Earle]

This game has a surprising lack of pandering, haven't seen any token diversity yet. Based?

 

[balls of snow]

This game has a surprising lack of pandering, haven't seen any token diversity yet. Based?

Poland devs be like that.

 

[Diseased Yak]

Well, I bought this yesterday, but I can't play it. Almost immediately crashes to desktop upon launching, maybe 5-10 seconds.

Installed new Nvidia drivers, didn't help, tried several things the devs posted on the Steam discussions, didn't help.

Alot of speculation that it is the Intel 13-14th gen CPU bug with UE5 but I'm on a 7800X3D, so doesn't explain that.

Anyhoo, I'll sit on it for a bit, see if there are any patches.

 

[StereoVsn]

The concept looked very interesting, same for the time period and the story setting. However it seems execution has suffered a bit.

I will probably pick this up but will wait for a few patches to hit first.

 

[Flabagast]

Any impressions from fellow gaffers ?

 

[Captn]

I have been playing a few hours and its actually not bad. Mechanics are interesting. In game graphics are okay for what it is. Story seems also ok.
It's not the second coming but I find it entertaining for now. I believe the reviews are honest. Good time waster imo in between big titles.

 

[Captn]

Well, I bought this yesterday, but I can't play it. Almost immediately crashes to desktop upon launching, maybe 5-10 seconds.

Installed new Nvidia drivers, didn't help, tried several things the devs posted on the Steam discussions, didn't help.

Alot of speculation that it is the Intel 13-14th gen CPU bug with UE5 but I'm on a 7800X3D, so doesn't explain that.

Anyhoo, I'll sit on it for a bit, see if there are any patches.

I am on a 7950x/4090 combo and have not experienced any crashes at all. Do you have any overclocks on the cpu/gpu ? I know some games are very picky on the overclocks.

 

[Diseased Yak]

I am on a 7950x/4090 combo and have not experienced any crashes at all. Do you have any overclocks on the cpu/gpu ? I know some games are very picky on the overclocks.

Nah, no overclocks. I ended up refunding the game for now. I'll keep an eye on it should it get patched up and such.

 

[xrnzaaas]

This game has a surprising lack of pandering, haven't seen any token diversity yet. Based?

There are some smaller things, like the main character's sister wanting to dress unappropriate for the times and commenting on the dress code for the women. At least you get a choice between applauding her for being bold or being rude to her and reminding her of her place.

I don't remember any lbgt storylines based on what I played. The main cast and the NPCs are appropriate for the setting so you're dealing with a white and not a diverse crowd.

The game itself is fun, but only good. I like the idea of combining active skills with passive ones of your choice, but the combat isn't very deep and you'll eventually start using your favorite skills and salutors again and again. Only certain battles force you to act differently and most can be finished based on the same tactic. I also don't like how you can't skip attack animations and how there's only combat theme you'll eventually get sick of. The main storyline and the side quests are for most part good and enjoyable. Searching for clues isn't very innovative, but it's still entertaining and can lead to new investigation paths. The graphics can be ugly (I played on high settings) considering the game's system requirements, just another case of UE5 being a bad choice (from the player's perspective).