Upcoming Soulslike title Thymesia has shown off some quick and brutal combat that seems to mix some elements of faster action titles like Devil May Cry into the popular Soulslike formula. The general aesthetic of Thymesia features gothic inspiration and European mythological influences on its creatures and enemies, drawing some obvious parallels to the popular Bloodborne. Overall, one feature of Bloodborne's combat seems to be a perfect fit for a faster, action-oriented game and that's its trick weapons.
Thymesia's parallels to Bloodborne are hard to ignore, both in tone and aesthetic. The plague doctor and Victorian-era atmosphere seems almost identical in some points during the announcement trailer. However, it seems that Thymesia is looking to distinguish itself from the ever-growing pack of Soulslike games with a faster and more stylish combat system. The trailer shows the plague doctor pulling off fierce combo attacks after capitalizing on enemy weaknesses in a way that seems unique in a genre dominated by much slower and methodical combat. The trick weapon mechanic from Bloodborne could add more depth and versatility to a toolset that seems focused on fast and visceral battles.
Bloodborne's Trick Weapons Could Add Variety To Thymesia's Combat
One of the thing that helps to set Bloodborne apart from other games in the genre is its inclusion of so-called trick weapons. These weapons allow the player to carry essentially two weapons at once. At the tap of a button, a handsaw stretches out into a serrated spear, a silver cane breaks down into a chain-like whip, and many other transformations. This ability to quick swap between the different forms of weapons adds an additional layer of strategy to combat, as different shapes offer different utility and attributes for weapons. A one-on-one encounter can quickly become a battle against a mob of foes, and adding range to their attacks quickly can mean the difference between life and death. As many fans of Bloodborne are keeping an eye on Thymesia, adding a system similar to the trick weapons could be a big boon for the upcoming game.
Thymesia looks to set itself apart from Dark Souls and other titles in the genre means that the game will need to blend together disparate elements from successful titles alongside its own new unique features. With evidence of mechanics similar to Code Vein alongside the obvious thematic similarities to Bloodborne, adapting the trick weapon mechanic well could do a lot to put Thymesia above the pack. It seems from the action shown off in the trailer that there are already mechanics in place to either change weapons quickly or that the character is manifesting weapons as part of a combo. The plague doctor is shown to quickly switch between dagger attacks before revealing an enormous scythe in one combo.
Trick weapons in Bloodborne can be just viscerally satisfying, the animation and sound effect of stretching the handaxe into a large battleaxe is a good example. That same sense of versatility would lend itself well to Thymesia. Being able to take a longsword and transform it into the aforementioned large scythe would just be objectively cool. But being able to hot-swap weapon types would add a lot of versatility to building combo attacks and maximizing the punishment after enemy error. As Thymesia looks to distinguish with its stylish combat, finding a way to adapt the trick weapons from Bloodborne could be a great way to diversify player movesets and maximize players' fun.
Thymesia is planned to release on PC later this year.