Mandragora: Whispers of Witch Tree Hands-On Preview – A Promising Tale
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Mandragora: Whispers of Witch Tree is an upcoming action-RPG that immerses players in a dark, enchanting world filled with mystical creatures and ancient magic. Combining exploration, combat, and a gripping narrative, the game promises an eerie and atmospheric experience as players face off against challenging monsters while uncovering the secrets behind a world in ruins.
Ahead of its April release, we got a chance to go hands-on with it to see just what this souls-like inspired experience has to offer, and while we only got a small sample, things are looking pretty promising.
A Beautiful 2.5D Souls-Like RPG
Mandragora: Whispers of Witch Tree is a uniquely artistic take on RPGs, presented through a 2.5D side-scrolling perspective. Developed by Primal Game Studio, an indie team based in Budapest, Hungary, this game takes place in Faelduum, a once beautiful world now on the brink of ruin. Devastation stems from corrupt leaders and an unknown force; only you, the player, can stop it from destroying everything. Players can explore various locales, including ruined castles, gloomy swamps, and fishing villages.
As an RPG, Mandragora offers extensive character customization. The team didn’t hold back, providing various options to tailor characters to individual tastes. In a preview build, I explored three out of six available classes: Vanguard, a physical fighter; Spellbinder, wielding chaotic magical energies; and Nightshade, an assassin type specializing in poison and daggers. Classes I didn’t try include Flameweaver, a master of fire; Wildwarden, connected to nature; and Vindicator, commanding celestial energy.
Six talent trees are available—one for each class—but Mandragora allows mixing and matching talents. With 96 passive skills and over 200 active skill upgrades, possibilities are vast. Gameplay remains fluid, with a quick guide at the beginning to ease players into mechanics. A nice feature is that mistakes like defeat aren’t harshly punished. While there isn’t a difficulty option, I feel none is needed after playing the preview build.
The narrative, crafted by Brian Mitsoda (known for his work on Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines), features alternate endings defined by player choices throughout the journey. The game includes 10 main quests, 35 optional quests, and 15 bounty quests. Players take on the role of an Inquisitor, elite agents of the King-Priest, in a once-peaceful Crimson City. After an event goes awry during a spectacle, players face serious consequences and must reclaim their world, ridding it of rising darkness. Along the way, players battle enemies and assist allies.
Over 350 wearable items, consumables, and crafted ingredients are available, as well as 114 weapons and off-hand items. Weapon types include one-handed swords, two-handed greatswords, one-handed maces, two-handed hammers, dual-wield daggers, shields, and magical relics for spellcasting.
In the full game, players will face 15 boss fights, 19 mini-bosses, and 72 basic enemies. Combat resembles Soulslike games, with dodge rolling, parrying, and loot. A status effect system and death essence mechanic are also present. Exploration is vast, with 11 maps and 75 locations to discover. Plenty of loot awaits as players uncover secrets.
The official soundtrack, composed by Christos Antoniou and performed by the Philharmonic Orchestra of Prague, enhances the experience. Full voiceovers and text will be available in English, with text translations in Hungarian, French, Italian, German, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Korean, and Japanese. English voiceovers feature 175 characters voiced by 21 professional actors, including Anthony Howell (Elden Ring), Laila Berzins (Hades), Tracy Wiles (Baldur’s Gate III), and Stewart Scudamore (Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown).
Mandragora: Whispers of Witch Tree offers a fluid RPG experience with just enough Soul-like challenges to keep things engaging without overwhelming players. Based o what we’ve played so far, this is one action-RPG that you might want to keep in your radar.
It arrives on April 17 for PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5.
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