Thymesia - Review @ Hardcore Gamer

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Hardcore Gamer reviewed the upcoming action RPG Thymnesia:

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Review: Thymesia

Something something imitation is this and that - I'm sure you know how that fabled saying goes. And perhaps there's a likely market - one with a sufficiently-sized community at its heart - to explain why we're bound to see year after year of these kinds of games release, regardless of scale, style and most importantly, lasting substance. At a time where the very studio responsible for bringing us this template have gone and altered (maybe improved, if such is your view) said premise all over again. Love it or loathe it, the Soulslike sub-genre is here to stay. Yet for every platformer or RPG with a desolate attire, translucent form of narrative and emphasis on getting one-over that annoying road-block that's put you down a dozen attempts prior, there will always be that burning question in the back of your mind: "OK, but what else is there?"

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Closing Comments:

Even with these blemishes and moments where the admiration for what's come before gets in the way of basic consistency and much-needed fluidity, OverBorder Studio have at least landed in a much better position with a foundation that's challenging and entertainingly so. Indeed, Thymesia has no qualms with letting its inspirations show in blunt fashion, to the point OverBorder's creation for a time feels like it's all too worryingly becoming less its own unique take and more a greatest-hits compilation ready to implode in on itself at any moment. It would be easy to dismiss Thymesia as exactly this: references and call-backs but with none of the unifying vision - a slap-dash repackaging of the Souls series' high's in an attempt to see what sticks.

But perhaps the biggest surprise coming away is that against all odds this synergy of a literal decade-plus of ideas somehow manages to be as compelling as it is. And while Souls series veterans will get the most out of recognizing and respecting the impossibility of OverBorder's approach here, Thymesia above all else still asks new, fresh and strategically-minded questions as to how to tackle the eventual onslaught. A rarity among this overly-saturated market. But it's that small yet critical tweak to the formula, despite its familiarly-decrepit backdrop and far-from-grandiose stature alike that makes Thymesia one of the more memorable and mechanically-satisfying Soulslike's of the bunch.

Score: 4/5