The developer OverBorder Studio and publisher Team 17 recently announced Thymesia, a new Souls-like game with a clear emphasis on fast-paced action and featuring a gothic aesthetic. Soulslike games are no strangers to foreboding environments and oppressive atmosphere. Thymesia seems to draw heavily from Bloodborne in terms of overall style though, with a similar visual flair.
Bloodborne is one of the most popular games in the Soulslike genre; its brutal difficulty is set against a Victorian-era backdrop rife with lore for players to uncover. The recently announced Thymesia is definitely a game to keep an eye on for Bloodborne fans. The upcoming title features character models and environments that are equal parts Sherlock Holmes and Call of Cthulhu.
Thymesia's Stylish Macabre
Fans of Soulslike games like Bloodborne are more than accustomed to grotesque enemies. Thymesia seems to deliver in its announcement trailer with horrifically mutated creatures populating its dark world.
The combat of the game seems to have a bigger emphasis on style in its combat than Dark Souls or Bloodborne, but the influence is fairly clear. The plague doctor that players will control is an archetype pulled directly from the same kinds of Victorian-era gothic stories that Bloodborne pulls so heavily from. Weapons like giant scythes and their ability to transform mid-battle is also reminiscent of Bloodborne. That said, the mechanic for weapon transformation looks to function as unique attacks more so than the attack mode switching of the weapons in Bloodborne.
The overbearing and ambiguous atmosphere also bears striking similarity to Bloodborne. The first trailer sees the plague doctor wandering dark halls and imposing castle courtyards. Thymesia seems to be attempting to set itself apart, but it's common influences are pretty clear. The trailer shows the plague doctor fighting mostly humanoid enemies, probably some type of infected or plague individuals. This was another hallmark of Bloodborne, as many of the enemies players face off against are former humans in various stages of addiction to the magic blood that pervades throughout Bloodborne.
One truly monstrous creature that appears in Thymesia's first trailer is an enormous bat creature that towers over the playable character. Bloodborne also drew inspiration from European mythological creatures like vampires and werewolves. This seems to be something that Thymesia is drawing on heavily with the appearance of that giant bat creature. Obviously with so little footage of the game having been revealed, it's yet to be seen if that will be a common thread throughout the game, but seems likely.
Bloodborne is a very unique entry in FromSoftware's lineup and it seems like Thymesia has drawn heavy influence from the popular game. A gothic setting, mysterious disease, mythological monsters, and a foreboding atmosphere permeate the first trailer for Thymesia. These are elements that helped Bloodborne stand apart from the pack of Soulslike games that have cropped up since the success of Dark Souls.
Thymesia is seemingly looking to follow in its footsteps, to a certain degree. Some of the mechanics seem more like those of Dark Souls, and even some from Code Vein and Sekiro. However, the overall style of the first trailer for Thymesia definitely bears a striking resemblance to the world of Yharnam and Bloodborne overall.
Thymesia is planned to release on PC later this year.