Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Treeis a ‘soulsvania’ — a marriage ofDark Souls-inspired mechanics and combat with the trademark ability-gated exploration and platforming of metroidvania games. To top it off, the game also features a far more robust talent tree and class system than typically found in similar games, andMandragora’s additional RPG characteristics bring some welcome depth to a genre that is often systemically minimalistic.
I played throughMandragoraat a relatively brisk pace. It took just over 18 hours to reach the final boss, though plenty of side quests, optional bosses, and secrets remain. There are about 30 hours of content for a relaxed playthrough, while completionists can expect to spend at least twice that long earning every achievement.
Overall, it’s a game that feels geared toward genre veterans, with a deceptively welcoming start that’s interrupted by a substantial difficulty spike leading into its second act, along with abrutal final bossthat will undoubtedly be a hard wall even for skilled players. Those who are put off by metroidvania platforming can be at ease, asMandragora’s infrequent platforming challenges are on the lower end of difficulty.
Branching Out In Mandragora’s Talent Trees
Players begin by selecting a “class playstyle” — this choice merely determines which branching skill tree is unlocked from the start, while the others will open up at level 25. I tried several of them through the first act to decide which to stick with, and found each choice remarkably distinct. The Nightshade isMandragora’s rogue, complete with a combo point system akin toWorld of Warcraft’s rogue. Meanwhile, the sword-and-board Vanguard is the archetypal warrior who can parry with a shield and unleash heavy melee attacks. There are also various magic users specializing in different flavors of brightly-colored destruction.
The build variety inMandragorais on par with isometric action RPGs.
I found that even within a single class choice, vastly different playstyles can emerge depending on which talents are chosen. I went with the nature magic-wielding Wyldwarden and built around its lightning and nature spells, while I could just as easily have geared it toward magic-infused melee combat, instead.
The talent tree is node-based, with smaller nodes offering stat boosts and the larger ones yielding playstyle-defining bonuses. Investing in these smaller nodes is clearly intended to be a late-game venture: only once my class was fleshed out with the major nodes to bring my build online did I concern myself with things like +1 Spirit. Multiclassing is also a possibility, but is similarly reserved for late-game, where I could relatively cheaply respec into additional trees. It’s theorycrafting galore, and although the skill tree may be a lot to digest for newcomers, the build variety inMandragorais on par with isometric action RPGs.
Mandragora’s Soulslike Combat
Moment-to-moment combat and movement is where much of its soulslike DNA is expressed. There’s a rapidly replenishing stamina bar tied to sprinting, dodging, and attacking, and the pace of combat is a methodical game of pattern recognition, rhythmic timing, and attacking or dodging economically. Movement carries a weight and momentum that some might describe as “floaty,” and this may be off-putting to gamers used toextremely tight 2D platformers. However, that approach suits its soulslike combat pacing, and the game’s platforming challenges are seldom complex enough to miss the pixel-perfect precision of its 2D cousins.
Also on the soulslike front, the game features genre staples: an upgradeable, rechargeable healing flask, witch stones that act as “bonfires” and fast travel locations, and corpse runs to retrieve lost essence upon death. Of course, difficult bosses are a highlight inMandragoraand among soulslikes, and the game’s mostly memorable cast ranges from laughably easy to some of thehardest mandatory bossesin the genre—particularly its downright sadistic final boss whose difficulty is compounded by a stressful timed mechanic.
Unfortunately, the game does have a habit of re-using mini-bosses, but there were at least slight mechanical twists to soften the repetition. Outside of bosses,Mandragora’s enemy variety isn’t stellar, but each biome is populated with a distinct crew of enemies that pose unique challenges. As such, different builds may have vastly different experiences fighting through a given biome.
Mandragora’s Metroidvania Exploration
AlthoughMandragoracertainly bears metroidvania influences, it most often feels morelike a sidescrolling soulslike—coming full circle toDark Souls' metroidvania level design. There are frequent “kicking down the ladder” moments that open shortcuts back to the witch stone or to shorten a runback to a boss, and although there is some interconnectivity between biomes, the game doesn’t often deliver mind-blowing hidden paths from one biome to another.
Its metroidvania influences are most apparent inMandragora’s traversal abilities, though these fell short of their potential to shake up gameplay and were spaced just far enough apart that progression felt a bit stingy on this front. Some traversal abilities include a grappling hook, a double jump, and a ground slam that reveals underground paths, but aside from two specific abilities, they had no impact on combat; more interactivity between the traversal upgrades and the game’s combat would have helped tie together its soulslike and metroidvania aspects and make each acquisition feel more impactful.
Each ability opened paths both in backtracking and for the critical path in equal measure, and I was often generously rewarded for revisiting my manually placed map markers to overcome earlier obstacles. Speaking of being generously rewarded,Mandragorais rife with secret rooms hidden just out of sight inclassic metroidvaniafashion. Some of these were quite cleverly hidden, while others are tucked behind breakable walls just begging to be swung at.
Crafting and Cooking in Mandragora
Setting itself apart in the genre,Mandragoraboasts numerous features one would typically find in an RPG. There’s a crafting system tied to various NPCs found throughout the journey, and each vendor can level up by crafting items or offering them new blueprints.The crafting systemserves as a more deterministic way to acquire helpful loot instead of hoping for a lucky drop, though drops are often still some of the game’s best gear. Curiously, one NPC even comes with a gardening system where players can plant seeds, wait 15 minutes, and retrieve the herb. Players may not need to make much use of this, but it was nice to know you could produce more potions whenever you wanted. Similarly, some might not bother with cooking, but it can yield plenty of helpful consumables.
Despite all the crafting and materials gathering, there’s a noticeable lack of agear upgrade systemto make equipment more powerful. Some equipment can be slotted with gems that enhance a few stats, but there’s no such thing as a +5 Greatsword inMandragora. A means to improve gear could have helped with upgrade dry spells, because depending on one’s build, it could be a while before appropriate upgrades can be found or crafted.
Along withdozens of side questsspanning from highly rewarding to eminently skippable,Mandragoraalso features a simple bounty system. One might ask you to take out 20 wolves and be rewarded with a few thousand gold. However, because bounties are plentiful, you may find yourself swimming in gold.
Mandragora’s Story Isn’t A Vague Soulslike Mystery
Mandragora’s storyis persistently engaging and avoids the soulslike route of being vague and ominous. Without spoiling the particulars, there’s a clear, easy-to-follow plot with enough twists and turns to keep players invested until the end and interested in the bosses they face. While there are some dialogue choices, they have no tangible impact on the story’s direction and were just a role-playing device.
InMandragora, the world is threatened by an alternate dimension of sorts called Entropy, and it’s in the player’s best interest to prevent Entropy from consuming the world. Entropy is also the source of a unique mechanic inMandragora: occasionally, I had to enter Entropy through various portals, but mortals can only survive in Entropy for a limited time. There’s an entirely separate talent tree reserved for survival in Entropy, which can increase the duration of that timer, damage dealt when the timer is low, or other helpful effects. Entropy is also where some of the game’s more serious platforming takes place, including one memorable sequence that turned the entire game upside-down. While not as involved asLords of the Fallen’s Umbralmechanic, it did well to break up the pace and presented gameplay challenges that are only possible in a dreamlike hellscape.
Sights and Sounds of Mandragora
Mandragorais a gorgeous game, occasionally offering stunning vistas that make its 2.5D world feel far larger than it is. It has a vibrant, painterly art style that’s complemented nicely by its hand-illustrated cutscenes and dialogue portraits, and its diverse biomes contrast well enough to keep the game routinely feeling fresh. From the stained glass of itsCastlevania-style vampire castleto the lush and hazy forest home of the witches,Mandragoraseemed to one-up itself visually with each new location. These visuals didn’t come at much of a performance cost, asMandragoraruns butter-smooth on a mid-range PC.
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree is available on Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S.
WhileMandragora’s score is routinely excellent and its sound design in combat is believable and punchy, its voice performances are rarely memorable. Being a dialogue- and story-driven game, it can be a letdown when a major narrative moment falls flat because of line delivery. Despite this, some characters do manage to shine on sheer personality and writing—one particular vampire comes to mind—and I looked forward to each interaction with them.
Forfans of soulsvania combat,Mandragorais a must-play for its astounding build variety alone, but that’s thankfully not its only good quality. Addicting combat, a thoughtful narrative, and premium visuals make for a memorable game that uplifts the genre and sets an example to follow.Mandragoraachieved what it set out to do—deliver a fun and engaging metroidvania—while landing just shy of its full potential in a few areas.
Reviewed on PC
WHERE TO PLAY
Mankind has surrendered the world to the monsters. The people of Faelduum hide away behind walls of brick and palisades of ignorance, constructed by their leaders. Joy and delight are coveted jewels, out of reach of the masses. This is not the world you were promised. Travel by night and take it back.Journey through a world in decline, slowly falling prey to the damaging effects of Entropy. Fight vicious creatures, challenge nightmarish bosses, meet new allies, enemies, and every shade in-between, and make harsh moral choices. There are many paths worth taking. Choose yours.UNIQUE SIDESCROLLING SOULSLIKE: Enjoy a rare combination of 2.5D side-scrolling levels and skill-driven combat that deals punishment and reward in equal brutal measure. From the leering Caretaker to the Vampires of Braer Island, face ruthless foes and uniquely horrifying bosses that will make or break you.FALL INTO A DARK FANTASY WORLD: Get lost in a rich and atmospheric world brought to life by timeless painterly art direction and the epic twisted music of Christos Antoniou. Discover every detail with Metroidvania exploration, tearing down crumbling walls, utilizing new skills such as ground strike, and scaling buildings with your grappling hook.
Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Treeis available now for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Game Rant was provided a PC code for this review.
