Steam Next Fest is well underway, but one of the digital event’s must-play demos is an unexpectedly great horror CRPG.
The Thaumaturge comes from publisher 11 bit Studios and developer Fool’s Theory, who are also behind the forthcoming Witcher remake in collaboration with CD Projekt Red. But the studio had previously supported other heavyweight CRPGs through the door, including Larian’s two Divinity: Original Sin games. The new Steam Next Fest demo runs through the game’s great prologue chapter.
Describing The Thaumaturge is slightly difficult because it’s a melting pot of so many other genres, games, and influences, but I'm most impressed at how everything is pulled together cohesively. The game follows Wiktor Szulkski, a bearded paranormal detective who also happens to possess mystical powers, allowing him to perceive other’s thoughts and happily communicate with demonic creatures called Salutors who are invisible to the wider public.
Wiktor puts his detective skills to work on both local secrets and larger political conspiracies in an alternate history Warsaw. But this split between political shenanigans and an ungodly other-realm is also seen in the gameplay - The Thaumaturge has you engaging in isometric snooping, before you head into beautifully framed turn-based fights.
Perhaps the best thing about the game is the shadowy Pokemon twist that comes from hunting and taming the aforementioned Salutors. These beasts are grotesquely rendered (in the best way) and occasionally harrowing to fight, but once defeated, their twisted limbs and sharp fangs are yours to use in combat.
The creepies tie into Wiktor’s detective work, too, since the creatures are also physical manifestations of people’s flaws. Think Psychonauts, but instead of exploring gorgeous worlds, you’re dealing with beasts straight out of nightmarish folklore tales. I’m interested to see just how much depth there is to that idea in the full game. What does the Salutor of a morally good but conflicted person look like? Can I untangle a mystery by ‘decoding’ someone’s Salutor? What do my flaws look like when rendered through Satan’s lens?
These are all questions that may or may not be answered when The Thaumaturge releases on 5th December. For now, you can download the excellent demo on Steam.
For more, check out our picks of the best RPGs.
