The Souls-like genre is one of the newer grooves for many gamers eager to test reflex and thinking in tandem. Upcoming title Thymesia looks to bring the genre further ahead with a rich and foreboding environment and narrative that circles around a plague.
Popularized by its namesake, the Dark Souls franchise, the nomenclature of "Souls-like" tends to refer to a title with stamina-based combat. Further, an equal combat advantage is given to both player and enemy, resulting in a difficult game that also tends to offer both deep lore and brooding environments. While assuredly not for the weak of temperament, the genre readily rewards those with patience and diligence in equal measures with unique challenges and the knowledge of being one of the few to achieve victory in brutal conditions.
Upcoming Souls-like Thymesia looks ready to hit all necessary notes while offering a beautifully realized world for players to struggle through. Recently released screenshots for the title, due to release sometime in 2021, shows the developers at OverBorder Studio are embracing the narrative of disease, pestilence, and overall lack of hope. A new trailer has been released for the title to announce the partnership with Team17 as publisher. The world oozes a dark and grim atmosphere as the protagonist Corvus moves ever-steadily onwards, throughout a variety of enchanting and dynamic environments. It matches the narrative of Thymesia, where alchemy-gone-wrong ushers in an age of disease and gruesome monstrosities.
Worth noting, however, that an amazing title is not made solely on the strength of its atmosphere and immersion of environments. Combat within Thymesia circles around the protagonist using the power of the plague to strengthen his weapons. Harvesting the disease from bosses enables Corvus to use new abilities, allowing players to define how they want to approach the varied combat in the title. This will inevitably be the lynchpin for Thymesia.
Offering a wide variety of means of accomplishing victory through combat that flows well, while managing to offer variety to players is the key of Souls-like titles. Different weapons offering unique move-sets that shift playstyle from up-close strikes to a distanced pacing of pokes and prods, and everything in between, is a unique challenge for developers eyeing a Souls-like title. Too much variety and one could run the risk of not fully fleshing out styles. Too little, and developers run the risk of combat becoming repetitive.
From how Thymesia is currently presented, it appears that OverBorder studio is well aware of the weight of combat. Rewarding players for continuing to advance through difficult lands, offering a proverbial carrot-on-the-stick for players stymied at a certain point to encourage them to progress is similarly a wise move. It will be some time before gamers can see how Souls-like title Thymesia manages the deft balance that must be struck.
Thymesia is currently scheduled for release on PC in 2021.