REVIEW – If you want to understand the blueprint behind modern action games, just take a closer look at the duo of Dark Souls and Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. These two classics redefined how developers approach level design, character progression, and overall game balance. While their influence has spawned countless uninspired clones, every now and then, a title emerges that manages to distill what made them great—so well, in fact, that even familiar mechanics feel strikingly fresh and inventive.

The vibe of Mandragora: Whispers of the Witch Tree can be summed up like this: “what if Castlevania despised your very existence?” Embracing a 2D gothic aesthetic, the game is steeped in decaying castles, bleak landscapes, and a nightmarish bestiary filled with vampires that could go toe-to-toe with genre legends. It also features a deep and complex progression system—partly inspired by Dark Souls, but also borrowing from the Final Fantasy X Sphere Grid. All of this is wrapped in a brutal difficulty that reshapes what you thought you knew about the term “Soulslike.”

The dark fantasy world of Mandragora pulls no punches: right from the start, the Skeletor-like Priest-King tortures a witch in his throne room. The Inquisitor, your player character, performs an unexpected act of mercy, ending the witch’s suffering. In return, the ruler sends you on a new mission—to hunt down another witch to take her place. Your odds? Basically zero. Welcome to hell.

The Gates of Hell Were Only Half-Open Until Now

Your path winds through swamps, sewers, ancient fortresses, and subterranean crypts, as you pursue the witch—and cling to life. Though Mandragora looks like a Metroidvania, even genre-weary players may find themselves intrigued. That’s because the core isn’t backtracking or map manipulation—it’s pure, punishing combat. Run into a dead end? You’ll need keys, secret passages, or hidden switches—not new abilities. Traditional genre mechanics like ground-pounding weapons or air-dashing are rare, which makes progression feel a lot less formulaic.

Most Metroidvanias strike a breezy pace, with enemies acting more like moving obstacles than real threats. A few button presses and they’re history. If something tougher shows up, a new skill usually solves the problem. Not here. That attitude will get you killed instantly. Every enemy in Mandragora demands your full attention and precise execution. One mistake and you’re kicked back to the last checkpoint. Encountering more than two enemies at once becomes a survival test. If you get cocky, you’re done. The stamina system is ruthless: a few swings and you’re winded, and if you overcommit, dodging is no longer an option.

Bosses Don’t Fight You – They Humiliate You

Then you meet your first real “skill check” boss—and suddenly, everything hard up until now feels like a warm-up. Some bosses can be beaten with finesse and good reflexes after a few attempts. They show up again later with slight variations, giving you room to refine your strategy. But the main bosses? No such mercy. Each has unique move sets—some summon minions, others revive mid-fight, and a few even alter arena rules mid-battle.

I started off hating every one of my favorite bosses. There were moments I wanted to physically hurl my controller across the room. I screamed “THIS IS BULLSH*T SADISM!” so many times I thought the neighbors might call the cops. But then came the revelation.

That “unavoidable” move? Dodgeable—if you know where to stand. That floor-sweeping ice attack? Totally escapable if you just sprint. Learning boss patterns and quirks isn’t just helpful—it’s vital. These encounters often feel like logic puzzles. On your first attempt, you’re toast. The game won’t hold your hand. But once you learn their rhythm, you can turn the tide—not with brute force, but with brains. That “smart victory” sensation applies to regular battles too, especially if you set traps or isolate enemies one-on-one.

The Climb to Power: Slow, Painful, and Unforgiving

Difficulty and gameplay depend entirely on how you build your character. You start by choosing from six classes, each with a clear chart showing its strengths and weaknesses in melee, ranged combat, mobility, and defense. I picked the Vindicator—a defensive caster wielding a one-handed mace and spells that both heal and wrap him in armor. Each class has unique passive abilities and its own skill tree, styled after the massive Final Fantasy X Sphere Grid. At first glance, it’s overwhelming.

Just like the combat, the skill system is intimidatingly deep, but addictive once it clicks. Every stat point matters. Initially, you’re confined to your class’s tree, but after level 15, you can dip into others—if you’re bold enough. I haven’t found a game-breaking “OP build” yet, but every new passive noticeably changed how I fought—adding nuance, tactics, and variety to every encounter.

A Grim World with a Sharp Tongue

The story won’t win literary awards, but it doesn’t try to. From the get-go, it’s clear the real monster isn’t the witches—it’s the Priest-King. The real twist hits when the Inquisitor turns against his tyrannical master. The world-building—complete with magical-political systems and layered power struggles—won’t out-Witcher The Witcher, but it’s satisfyingly bleak and fits the game’s mood. The visuals are often breathtaking: cursed castles, eerie landscapes, and occasional beauty—a sunset, an archway, a detailed character model. Monster design is creepy but never grotesque, and clean animations make every fight readable and rewarding.

Then the surprise: Mandragora is often hilarious. One standout moment lets you choose whether to free a starving vampire who’s been locked up for years. The outcome? Total chaos—and laugh-out-loud absurdity. Later, companions gather around a cursed tree, and their dialogue adds some human warmth. It doesn’t shatter the mood or “goofy it up”—it just balances the darkness.

Mandragora could’ve easily been lost in the Soulslike-Metroidvania flood—but it doesn’t. I used to avoid games like this, thinking the difficulty was pointless. But this one reminded me that challenge can be a form of storytelling. And when you overcome it, the payoff is far greater than breezing through an easy game. It’s been a long time since a game made me this furious—and I already can’t wait to dive back in with a new class and face the madness all over again.

-Gergely Herpai „BadSector”-

Publisher: Marvelous Europe

Developer: Primal Game Studio

Style: Soulslike Metroidvania

Release: April 17, 2025