So, recently I completed the Thaumaturge.
The good:
the setting of the story, Russian-occupied Warsaw of 1905 is beautifully recreated based on historical photos and other visual evidence like paintings and sketches. The 8 diverse neighborhoods available for exploration give an insight into the city that is no more. A place where Poles, Russians, Jews, and also some Germans and Tartars coexisted (more or less peacefully). You can feel the multicultural character of old Warsaw and experience the city in all its grandeur and squalor.
The city changes dynamically, not only with the day and night cycle but also with the course of events. When political unrest begins, the streets become empty, historical monuments get defaced and inhabitants of the more unruly neighborhoods start building barricades. After a terrorist attack people gather to mourn the victims etc.
In general, the devs managed to craft a setting that feels alive and worthy of exploration. On every map there's something interesting to find and if you search for clues, you can discover even more.
This is probably the first game that presents historical Warsaw with so much love and fidelity.
The so-so:
The premise of the story is much more interesting, than the story itself. The main character, the titulary thaumaturge (basically a sorcerer able to read people's thoughts and feelings from their items, but also skilled in locating and binding demons to his will) Wiktor Szulski returns to Warsaw after a long stay abroad, having heard the news of the mysterious death of his father, with whom he shared the magical gifts. After more than 15 years spent in Western Europe and Asia, he finds his home city - and the third largest city of the Russian Empire - in political turmoil. The Tsar Nicholas II with his family are visiting, Ochrana - the imperial secret police - is arresting people left and right, searching for socialists, revolutionaries and other hostile elements, and there is also this mysterious Russian monk, Rasputin, whom Szulski befriended in South Caucasus, and who for some reason decided to travel with him.
There are many plotlines both political and unnatural in nature. Szulski seeks to uncover the cause of father's death and find the infamous Black Grimoire where he stored all his magical knowledge, to reestablish relations with his estranged sister (who inherited most of the father's considerable wealth) and with a childhood friend (who in the meantime became the prince of Warsaw's criminal underworld). He quickly gets entangled into the activities of the Polish Socialist Party, the famous PPS that would later be instrumental to reclaiming of Polish independence. He is also being investigated by the officer of Ochrana, the mysterious Konieczkin, who seems to have known his late father quite well.
Of course, there are also numerous sidequests and side activities. Szulski may use his unnatural skills to find a serial killer, murdering people in the poor district of Powisle. He may get involved in a gang battle over the control of Rozycki Bazaar or take part in secret lectures of the underground Flying University. Or he may simply take part in a night-long voyage through the shady taverns and clubs with an old friend, surviving numerous adventures on the way. And last but not least, he may hunt for view points which rewards him with a 'post card' of some iconic location of Warsaw. There are lots of collectibles in the game, from the postcards, old records to sets of elegant uniforms. The game simply invites us to explore its many aspects.
The story also allows the player some freedom. We may decide how Wiktor shapes his relationships with various characters. Depending on our choices, they may later offer aid, or even die, depriving us of their support. There are plenty of opportunities for making friends and later backstabbing them, withholding and breaking oaths, taking revenge or leaving it in the hands of others. The story rarely forces our hand. Wiktor Szulski can make political declarations or stay apolitical. Even when confronted with a suspiciously modern statement from a certain socialist: "I plan to overthrow the patriarchy. Would you like to join?" he can enthusiastically agree, avoid the answer, or state that he won't because the patriarchy serves him well. Curiously, the last option, which I of course chose for the luls, does not close the path towards the romance with said lady.
And yet for all its richness, the story simply isn't all that interesting. During the playthrough I could not resist the feeling that having such great material, the devs could cook something much more fascinating and engaging. With a few exceptions, the writing and dialogue is inferior to that of Disco Elysium (which seems to have served as one of the major inspirations for The Thaumaturge). And the solutions to various plotlines simply don't hit hard enough.
The demons (here called the Salutors) are an interesting concept and the most interesting part of Wiktor's magical abilities. Szulski starts the adventure with one bound to him since the early age and later manages to bind more to his will. It is a very taxing process that each time leaves Szulski exhausted and on a brink of mental breakdown (it also lowers his stats). Fortunately, thanks to Rasputin's aid (in a form of hypnosis) Szulski manages to regain mental stability and continue his hunt for more demons. There are 8 altogether, each with his own powers and abilities. Some of them can be found and tamed during the main questline, some are hidden in side quests and can be missed if the player isn't thorough enough. Though immaterial (with a single notable exception), they aid Wiktor in and out of combat. However, before they can be claimed, they will fight with all their might, using henchmen (called "shadows") and their own magical powers.
Interestingly, the salutors are closely tied to the RPG system. Szulski has 4 main statistics: Word, Heart, Mind and Deed. Each of those can be increased with skill points earned at level-ups. However, each statistic is connected to two salutors. Until Wiktor binds a salutor to his will, he cannot advance a skill above 3 and later 6. Yet here is the thing: sometimes the plotline gives Szulski an option not to bind a salutor, especially when another thaumaturge is engaged who wishes to claim the demon for himself. While it is sometimes beneficial storywise to allow others to bind salutors (on at least one occasion it saves the life of a plot-critical character) it also closes one of the paths of Wiktor's advancement. And statistics are useful both in combat and outside of it, allowing Szulski to gather valuable clues and come up with conclusions, that allow for non-violent solutions to certain quests.
The salutors are a great idea but they are also very underutilized. Yes, they take part in combats and sometimes it is possible to use their psychic power to manipulate certain individuals, forcing them to change their way of thinking. However despite the fact there are numerous thaumaturges in the story - it seems only Wiktor controls multiples demons. Some mages might try to claim a second one (if Szulski allows them and not grabs it for himself), but other than that, he's unique in this ability, most likely thanks to friendship with Rasputin. We also never get to fight hand to hand with the only salutor that can take material form, which is a great loss in my opinion, because it would provided a much needed variaty in combat scenarios.
The gameplay is similar to Disco Elysium: it consists mostly of exploring locations, interacting with points of interest (both visible at first sight at those that need to be discovered via Wiktors
Witcher senses thaumaturgical perception), talking to people, solving skill checks - there are no dices here though, Szulski either has an adequate level of Word, Heart, Mind or Deed or he cannot perform a given action or discover a clue. Of course, what differentiates The Thaumaturge from ZA/UM's game, is the fact that there is also combat. Certain fights are tied to the main questline or the side quests. Others are tied to exploration - sometimes Wiktor simply walks to the wrong alley at the wrong time. Sometimes the gameplay becomes really monotonous and a bit boring. There are good parts there but sometimes it simply takes to long to reach them.
Visuals - Thaumaturge is obviously a AA project with a limited budget, and it shows. The locations are beautiful, the demons well-designed, scary and unnerving. However, the character models are stiff and poorly animated. Their movements seem unnatural and they don't really know what to do with their hands. The more static the scene, the better it looks. Faces of human characters range from quite humane to extremally goblinoid. Also, some of the faces (usually the more ugly ones of poor denizens of Warsaw) are reused for different secondary characters, although with the immense scale of the cast it is somewhat understandable. All in all, it's a pretty mixed bag. If what's your after is next gen visuals, better stay away from The Thaumaturge.
Music on the other hand is very atmospheric and gloomy. The devs also managed to effectively use limited number of tracks.
The bad:
Combat is probably the worst part of The Thaumaturge. It's turn-based and mechanically not too bad: you can concentrate either on lowering hps of your foes, on lowering their focus (that opens them to a particularly deadly finishing strike) or showering them with status effects. And the enemies will do the same to Wiktor (who usually fights alone, sometimes accompanied by a single, computer controlled ally). There are numerous skills with several levels of advancement. Special attacks can be upgraded with additional effects. The main issue here is lack of enemy variety. Wiktor always fights against human enemies, only sometimes supported by a hostile salutor - those scenarios are much more challenging and tactically demanding and it's a pity there are only several such battles throughout the whole game. Fighting against numerical superiority can be difficult but only in the early stages of the game. Once Szulski gathers a collection of salutors he will simply own each battlefield, having the right answer to any hostile action.
So, is The Thaumaturge a good game? Well, that depends, for whom.
For combat enthusiasts - probably not. They will quickly get bored by the limited variety and challenge level of the combat encounters.
For story enjoyers - it may be an interesting, yet slightly underwhelming experience.
For fans of reactivity - The Thaumaturge offers a lot of choices and consequences. Some of them fatal. The game has 12 wildly different endings, some good, some bad, most bittersweet. There are a lot of variables, hence ample opportunities for replayability.
For those that above all else value atmosphere and worldbuilding - the game will be pure joy.
However what I valued most of all was the loving recreation of old Warsaw. This is a game committed to historical fidelity - not on the level of Kingdom Come: Deliverance, but outside of Warhorse few other studios can compete with Fool's Theory in this aspect. So, if you love history and are bored with more conventional fantasy settings - by all means, give The Thaumaturge a go! You might find it much to your liking.
I actually had a pretty good time with the ending.
