Elden Ring without an open-world? Thymesia is inspired by old Souls parts without simply copying them
Cornery alleys, nasty traps, a dark medieval fantasy setting and a combat system that demands everything from me. You guessed right, we’re talking about the incomparable… Thymesia!
What at first sounds like a cheap copy turns out to be an independent game with many facets of its own after several hours of trying it out. The fact that I am jumping for joy after Elden Ring is partly due to the compact level design. It’s not as if I’d been gushing about Elden Ring just a short while ago …
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A plague doctor in the surreal Middle Ages
We play Corvus, a plague doctor in the Middle Ages who does everything he can to cure the world of the disease. At least, that’s what was revealed to me in the first few hours of play. Interludes are short and scarce, and the notes you find everywhere always remain cryptic, as is usual for the genre. On the other hand, Thymesia, like its big brother, scores points for world-building and atmosphere.
The down-to-earth medieval setting, which so far has not veered too far into fantasy, is immediately appealing because it comes across as wonderfully unspent. Even though everything in the first area is shrouded in dense yellow fog, which prevents the view of the entire scenery: There is always atmosphere. Don’t you think so? Then watch this video and you’ll be proven wrong:
A wild mix of From Software’s works
No open world, no side quests, no frippery: in Thymesia, as in Dark Souls, it’s just a matter of getting from A to B in one piece to face a nasty boss enemy at the end of an area. For me, the previous design of the areas seemed familiar and yet refreshing. As in the original game, there are some hidden paths to special items or valuable shortcuts that fit logically into the overall picture.
But how do we get through the masses of enemies that stand in our way? That’s right, with a rewarding combat system that is strongly reminiscent of Bloodborne. While there is an ability that allows you to block attacks, this should only be used in a pinch, as there is always some damage coming through. It’s more about landing quick hits and dodging with pinpoint accuracy.
Although you can never be completely sure in the Soulslike genre, I think I’ve explored everything in the Thymesia demo to be able to stash every item in my inventory. So far, however, I haven’t found any other types of weapons or armour that could fundamentally change my fighting style. This again is very similar to Sekiro. I guess you can see the pattern. Thymesia combines aspects from various From Software titles without looking like a cheap copy. And that’s mainly due to the many idiosyncrasies that set Thymesia apart from other Soulslikes.
The many own facets make a round picture
The developers have already thought of their first trick with the weapons. We have two of them to choose from. Our sabre is there to inflict normal damage on enemies. But the attacks with it always lead to a bleeding debuff on the enemy’s life bar. If we don’t knock this down in a short time with our second weapon, the affected enemy heals up again. Especially with mini-bosses and bosses we won’t get anywhere without this tactic, which is why Thymesia forces you to learn the playstyle.
The biggest difference from Dark Souls and Elden Ring, however, are the abilities that can be changed at any time. From usual suspects like Attack XY does more damage to completely new moves, it’s all there. There are also quite a few of the new attacks, blocks and parry options. I felt a bit like I did in Tekken when I had to learn all the button combinations by heart before I could seriously knock someone out. It’s not that bad in Thymesia, but you’ll need a while to memorise all the moves.
What I’m particularly pleased about: the decision to be able to change abilities at any time is worth its weight in gold and makes me happily try out whether a different attack doesn’t make more sense for enemy XY. Except for the overhead attack. That’s always in my arsenal because it just looks supremely cool! And we all know: Looking cool is half the battle in such titles, keyword: Fashion Souls. But before you get all hysterical, I’ll end with a little damper. After all, I have a reputation to lose as a complainer on duty!
A Soulslike with few rough edges
Admittedly, there’s not much that bothers me about Thymesia so far. But one thing drives me crazy, especially with the extremely agile bosses: dodging. There is no stamina bar in Thymesia. To prevent players from spamming attacks and dodges, the developers have built in a small pause that automatically kicks in after individual manoeuvres. However, this feels very unresponsive at many moments, as Corvus simply does not react to my input. Due to the rather small distance that one covers with the sideways step, it is all the more annoying not to be able to have full control. That’s why there’s one thing I’d much rather have: Give me back my stamina bar so I can manage my attacks and dodges myself!
In the first areas, the fluctuating difficulty level also caught my eye. After the first few upgrades, I was able to knock normal opponents out with just one punch and the finisher. In the levels, however, there seem to be mini-bosses everywhere, which take several minutes at a time and usually finish you off with two hits. These also occur relatively often, which is why the flow in a level is often interrupted. The first real bosses also demand a lot from you and require you to fire the entire arsenal of combos. A slightly more linear difficulty curve would fit better into the overall gameplay picture.
But if you’re thinking, “I’m not taking any crap from the old Souls Boomer!!!1!”, I’ve got some great news for you! Until 9 May 2022, you can download a demo of Thymesia at (Steam) and try it out for yourself. Everyone else will have to wait until 9 August to find out whether Thymesia can maintain its high level in the finished version.
Now it’s your turn! Tell me in the comments if Thymesia has aroused your interest and if you will try out the demo.
Editor’s verdict
As a Soulslike fan, I am completely absorbed in Thymesia. The atmosphere of the first areas alone immediately convinced me and drew me into the polluted world. Even if the first real area brings back unpleasant flashbacks to the city of shame from Dark Souls 1. The many small paths and shortcuts round off the levels superbly for me so far and always encourage my urge to explore without overwhelming me with too much choice.
When it comes to gameplay, the developers don’t let themselves down either and give me the usual crisp sword fighting system and garnish it with a lot of peculiarities. What I like most are the abilities, which I can change on the fly. But above all, I’m extremely curious to find out what cool manoeuvres are still waiting for me there. Only the dodging still puts a spoke in my wheel at the moment when it comes to having a lot of fun in Thymesia. The limitation feels too much like a loss of control for me. But who knows, maybe there will be an ability or two for this in the further course of the game.
Nevertheless, Thymesia should be able to make most Souls fans happy. For apart from the two minor points of criticism, there is hardly anything to complain about. Even the performance, at least in the first levels, is top-notch months before the release, and I haven’t encountered any bugs so far. Thymesia could fill exactly the gap that Elden Ring has opened with the new concept.
